I think we can all agree that we’d love to see more fans attending games at the Banks’s but statements like this from Mr Pomlett don’t really do him any favours.
It’s all well and good saying we need extra fans to attend as it’ll put the club in a better position (bit of a no brainer really). How about a statement saying how you’re going to achieve this, something along the lines of:
More catering staff or indeed staff who know what they’re doing to cut waiting times for food and drink
Better matchday experience, anything from better pre match music and events to our general style of play.
More incentives on ticket prices or indeed more work in the community to bring in the next generation of Walsall fans. The Education trust I work for currently have a link up with West Brom and we get 600 tickets each game to share across our 4 academies. Admittedly the students get them free and at no profit to West Brom but there’s the potential food, drink and merchandise sales.
I’m sure there’s many other things that fellow posters have also mentioned on other threads.
We are getting on average 4500 at the moment. which I think is a great effort from the supporters considering our underwhelming business in the transfer market pre season and poor displays… We need ambition Leigh and to be entertained. UTS
Think consistently hitting 5,000 this season is completely dependent on the team. A lot of good work has been done to restore faith and build bridges, but for attendances to reach that mark (in any season in recent history) we need to be in the top 6.
Floundering at the foot of League 2 isn’t the platform for demanding a rise in attendances following years of decline, ask again when performances improve and we’re winning home games on a regular basis.
As @TheHassBoss rightly points out, the club also need to manage the expectations of those already attending (in terms of service and facilities) before welcoming another 500 or so.
Two simple observations, firstly there are plenty of clubs in and around the top 7 of this league that don’t get 5000, but seem to be doing very nicely with small resources. Secondly, if we were to be challenging at the top end I’m pretty sure we would be in and around the 5k mark. So put a team out that is challenging, and you will get your 5k, which will in turn be better than several of the teams around us.
Needs a timescale,and/or a radical plan added to it. He can’t seriously think he’s going to get 5000 min. gates in the lower half of the 4th tier. It would need the team at least to be around the play off places,and probably playing more attractive football. Neither looks imminent.
Or else it needs some radical ,innovative pricing and marketing initiative. At the moment stated on its own,it just looks aspirational.
It would be great if we got 5,000 home fans every week and if we put a miraculous run on I think it’s achievable.
5,000 would be great once they were in their seats, that is… before that, not so much. When there are any more than about 4,000 home fans, all ground facilities start to strain big time.
Ticket office queues, the inability to get a drink in the Stadium Suite in under 15 minutes at any point past 2pm, half time food kiosks which are still poorly prepared with staff who are slow at best.
I’m all for a linkup with schools and an innovative marketing campaign but these things still need addressing if we’re to keep people coming.
Yep. The singular approach of ‘we need more fans’ will only work to an extent if the team is performing on the pitch. Even then, as we saw in 15/16, it doesn’t always translate to consistently high attendances.
There has to be joined up thinking in terms of the whole matchday experience to help attract, and retain, supporters.
Safe standing, better management of the catering/bar facilities, more innovative ticket offers and an improved atmosphere are all ways in which the Club can achieve this.
Until that happens then you’re going to be disappointed, Leigh.
This is it. Need the club to come out and say we want 5,000 in for home games by the end of 2019/20 but also give a clear indication of how they intend to achieve this.
Trust also plays a big part… Whilst I’m so glad bonser has gone Supporters have been cheated and lied to for years. Actions speak loader than words. Pomlett needs to make statement of intent and get fans trust for many to come back to the Bescot on a regular basis anytime soon.
With us averaging just over 4.5k already and looking at the attendance figures that was posted on another thread by someone the other day from when we last in L2, we’d already be averaging over 5k
The club needs to show some ambition, get us up the table and the fans will come
You won’t get many clubs that average over 5k in the bottom half of L2
Just to add to that (and I agree with what youre saying), I think behind the scenes we need to manage the situation we’re in pretty astutely for the second third of this season if we are to get the objective of having a successful season and increasing the fan base back on track. Pomlett and Clarke are both experienced “managers”, I hope they are reflecting that the first third of this season has been below par, not massively, but definitely not what is required to underpin the longer term objectives that were outlined before the season. Therefore I hope they are setting two objectives for the second third that takes us into January, ie a moderate improvement in results that will keep us in touch with top 7 going into January, and also win some FA Cup ties that will generate interest around the club as well as a cruicial short term injection of funds for the transfer window, then get two or three QUALITY signings in and go from there. If we fail in this next third then I fancy this season will be nothing more than a damp squib and a year wasted.
Saturdays attendence could well leave Mr pomlett feeling slightly worried… With the weather turning colder and Cheltenham unlikely to bring more than 3 or 400. Can’t help feeling it was such a wasted opportunity not to invest a little more than we have before a ball was kicked at the start of the season when the takeover was announced.
I’ve supported Walsall for decades however this Saturday I won’t be there. Not because I don’t love the club but because I’m tired of paying hard earned money, wasting days out for nothing in return.
This is no better than last season, in fact it’s worse.
If I can’t be bothered to go this weekend what chance of those waivering fans got?
Improve performances and results on the pitch and people will be bothered to show up.
It runs a danger of looking like a continuation of the old regime’s line: everybody’s fault but ours/well run club but the town don’t want to know. Just like it was with ticketing. Nothing wrong with the arrangements- it’s just that people should be buying in advance whether they want to or not, turn up earlier to pick them up/get served quicker whether they want to or not It might not be the intention, but it looks like putting the ball firmly back into the the town’s/fans’ court to solve a perceived attendance deficit. There seems to be little intent in it on the behalf of club, never mind a plan to put any intent into practice.
Well I’ve got to hand it to him. I questioned where this “improvement in communication” was and, credit where it’s due, this is more than we had from Bonser in years.
Shame it’s to reiterate the same pie in the sky ■■■■■■■■ he came out with in preseason. If you want 5K sign players that will excite people instead of moaning that they haven’t just magically turned up. They had the chance to build on Northampton away and haven’t. They need to try again in January.
Ive heard LP say many times that its on him and DC to increase attendances by making people want to attend.
I feel the headline here is a bit of ‘lazy media soundbite’ reporting that makes it seem like LP is demanding an increase rather than setting a target for everyone involved with Walsall, including him, to achieve (which is even hinted at in the body of the article, despite how its written).
I agree. It has a feeling if we are buggered if we don’t get 5,000.
Let’s remember he stated in the summer that he and Darrell had assembled a squad that could get out of this league, we are nowhere near that - staff and players not doing their bit - don’t call on supporters who have turned up every week despite the ■■■■ on show.