ST Renewals

[ghandi]

I renewed my ST for next season in the South Stand as did my mate. We wanted to ensure we have the maximum loyalty points so we would be guaranteed tickets for the away games where our allocation will be small.

I agree the home crowds will plummet but with new grounds coming up and some we haven't visited for years I think the away followings will increase especially with the number of games in the capital along with those in holiday destinations;or close to, in the South and South West.

I think the away followings will have a good percentage of people who will not bother going to home matches.

I gave up on this season sometime ago and I'm quite looking forward to next season and I think even some our worst doom and gloom merchants will be reinvigorated when the fixtures are published in the 2nd week of June as they look forward to the August KO. 'Tis always the way with football fans.

 

[lenners]

You've mugged yourself Ghandi.

 

[Muttley]

With matchday prices going up (the only thing that wil be!!), the crowds will be down by at least 1. Fuck 'em, I'm not putting another penny into McCabes failing property empire.

 

[Willie Carlin]

I sent for ours yesterday.

 

[Grecian2000]

our worst doom and gloom merchants will be reinvigorated when the fixtures are published in the 2nd week of June as they look forward to the August KO.

Aye, can't wait for the three tissue wank that will ensue after seeing Yeovil or Daggers on the fixture list.

 

[ghandi]

You've mugged yourself Ghandi.

No I haven't I gave the money willingly for a ST. I'm perhaps a little more fortunate than most these days in as much that I do not have to sacrifice anything for the ST.

I had a ST ticket when we were in the 3rd tier (both times) and the 4th tier so having one again does not faze me at all, it's what I do go to games and have a social drink/days out with like minded people. Don't get me wrong the club and team deserve nearly all the criticism thrown at them but why should their performance determine how I choose to enjoy myself.

McCabe won't be here forever neither will Mickey Adams and I definitely won't be but unless I pop off this mortal coil unexpectedly in the next couple of years I be here longer that those two. I've seen off all the chairmen and managers we've had since the mid sixties and it isn't going to change anytime soon.

I said in the past if you go to games I believe it makes your critcism more valid and puts you in better position to judge performances (team and individuals) over a run of matches.

BTW ....Will you be renewing?

---------- Post added at 11:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:38 AM ----------

Aye, can't wait for the three tissue wank that will ensue after seeing Yeovil or Daggers on the fixture list.

You missed out the "some" at the beginning of your extract from my original quote, which if you had used would have rendered your post as unnecessary unless of course you are speaking on behalf of all doom and gloom merchants.

 

[SwissBlade]

I can see your logic Ghandi and I'm glad to see others are (despite the abuse) willing to still support the TEAM & CLUB instead of taking yet another dig at our former chairman.

 

[lenners]

I can see your logic Ghandi and I'm glad to see others are (despite the abuse) willing to still support the TEAM & CLUB instead of taking yet another dig at our former chairman.

Our former chairman? I can't even remember who it was (MacDonald?) - who's having a dig at him?

 

[ghandi]

I can see your logic Ghandi and I'm glad to see others are (despite the abuse) willing to still support the TEAM & CLUB instead of taking yet another dig at our former chairman.

Don't get me wrong Swiss, I have plenty of adverse criticism for the way the club's fortunes have sunk but it's all well versed (to which I've also contributed) and I don't see any point in stating the same thing ad nauseum. Like I said been here before and got all the scars to prove it and we came through eventually as we will no doubt in the future and it will be just another rise to be followed by a fall. However I still hold to my belief that come June through until Aug there will be renewed enthusiam albeit only until the end of September

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

ST sales will be down next season, the only question is by how much. Our home crowds are down 20% this season and whilst a large proportion of ST holders will renew regardless of the division etc, I suspect it'll be a large proportion of the ones who have maybe come on board in the last 5 years who won't be renewing.

If you look at the crowds in 04/05 which was probably the last time there was a lot of apathy around, we were getting crowds of 16,000 and I think we'll do very well to get that at the start of next season unless miraculous things happen in the Summer. Of course fans support success and if we were to somehow hit the ground running and show signs or promotion then the crowds would come back.

As I've said, maybe we need to go down and have a 'successful' season to re-ignite the flame as it did with Norwich, Leeds and others but the worry is that no-one could say with any conviction that we are guaranteed to do well.

 

[SwissBlade]

Don't get me wrong Swiss, I have plenty of adverse criticism for the way the club's fortunes have sunk but it's all well versed (to which I've also contributed) and I don't see any point in stating the same thing ad nauseum. Like I said been here before and got all the scars to prove it and we came through eventually as we will no doubt in the future and it will be just another rise to be followed by a fall. However I still hold to my belief that come June through until Aug there will be renewed enthusiam albeit only until the end of September

Agreed Ghandi, I think some people think that because we don't spend our days banging on about how things are going with the running of the club, that we're somehow blinkered to whats happening (or not).

I renewed straight away, partly because the cash was there, but to also show my support, regardless of what happens this year.

 

[bricktop]

Personally i'm not renewing next season due to a couple of reasons. The first is that due to financial circumstances which mean that £300 quid for a season ticket is money i can't afford to shell out as much as i would like to, and secondly i'll probably miss quite a few games next season due to work commitments.

Its not really a question of being a bigger blade than someone else, its more a case of having other priorities in my life, and treating them with the respect they need.

At the end of the day Sheffield United doesn't pay my bills, feed me, put petrol in my car. Thats why when i need to cut back on the money i spend and haven't much spare cash splashing about, then spending an excessive amount of Sheffield United is one of the first things that has to go.

 

[Muttley]

Personally i'm not renewing next season due to a couple of reasons. The first is that due to financial circumstances which mean that £300 quid for a season ticket is money i can't afford to shell out as much as i would like to, and secondly i'll probably miss quite a few games next season due to work commitments.

Its not really a question of being a bigger blade than someone else, its more a case of having other priorities in my life, and treating them with the respect they need.

At the end of the day Sheffield United doesn't pay my bills, feed me, put petrol in my car. Thats why when i need to cut back on the money i spend and haven't much spare cash splashing about, then spending an excessive amount of Sheffield United is one of the first things that has to go.

Bang on brownie, For years I put The Blades above everything else in my life, before I woke up and saw what was REALLY important.

 

[raul]

Bang on brownie, For years I put The Blades above everything else in my life, before I woke up and saw what was REALLY impotant.

There's something more impotent than the Blades???

 

[bricktop]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUihP8pZMec

 

[Muttley]

Well spotted Raul. ;-)

 

[Grecian2000]

Quality. Hats off.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

There's always 'natural wastage' for want of a better phrase, for every Brownie there's someone bringing their kid for the 1st time but over and above that there will be people who will not renew because of the football, because we're in division 3 etc etc. At best, we probably gained something like 8,000 ST holders since 2005, all I'm saying is that the 'non-renewals' probably come from this group rather than natural wastage.

Blackpool sold three times as many season tickets this season than their average crowd was 3 or 4 years ago. Most of those won't be around in 3 or 4 years time if they don't stay up. Without checking, our average crowd has probably increased by 7-8,000 over the last 5 years but I fully expect it to drop down there again next season.

 

[lenners]

ST sales will be down next season, the only question is by how much. Our home crowds are down 20% this season and whilst a large proportion of ST holders will renew regardless of the division etc, I suspect it'll be a large proportion of the ones who have maybe come on board in the last 5 years who won't be renewing.

If you look at the crowds in 04/05 which was probably the last time there was a lot of apathy around, we were getting crowds of 16,000 and I think we'll do very well to get that at the start of next season unless miraculous things happen in the Summer. Of course fans support success and if we were to somehow hit the ground running and show signs or promotion then the crowds would come back.

As I've said, maybe we need to go down and have a 'successful' season to re-ignite the flame as it did with Norwich, Leeds and others but the worry is that no-one could say with any conviction that we are guaranteed to do well.

Nope, it'll be more long-termers walking I'm afraid. Of all the people who didn't get one that I know this year, all of them had been season ticket holders for well over a decade and nearer two.
Despite everything, I don't think the club realise what they've done. The interest in, passion for and trust in the club for many, many people has simply been broken.

 

[Highbury_Blade]

I was going to come up this weekend for the boro match, but i really can't be bothered now. I just can't muster up the enthusiasm anymore for this season.

As soon as August comes round though i'll be reinvigorated. Strangely enough if we go down i'll be more invigorated than if we stay up.

 

[raul]

Fleety, you've been doing well this morning, don't revert to type now

Off the top of my head, I can think of eight to ten STH's who have slowly disappered from regular matchday attendance these last three or four years and the one with the fewest number of years under their belt is me, with just the fifteen years behind me.

The "it's the glory supporters" bit is too easy.

 

[ghandi]

Fleety, you've been doing well this morning, don't revert to type now

Off the top of my head, I can think of eight to ten STH's who have slowly disappered from regular matchday attendance these last three or four years and the one with the fewest number of years under their belt is me, with just the fifteen years behind me.

The "it's the glory supporters" bit is too easy.

You may well be right but as I previously pointed out these things are cyclical and our ST sales will go up whe the team's fortunes improve. My OP was a reflection on my personal views as to why I have renewed. Various people will have many varied and valid reasons for renewing or not but for people like me the match day experience is about much more than the 90 minutes on the pitch and I still believe that even after a relegation many supporters start to look forward with some enthusiam rather than back at the previous season.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

Fleety, you've been doing well this morning, don't revert to type now

Off the top of my head, I can think of eight to ten STH's who have slowly disappered from regular matchday attendance these last three or four years and the one with the fewest number of years under their belt is me, with just the fifteen years behind me.

The "it's the glory supporters" bit is too easy.

Fair enough and to Len as well, obviously you locals have a better handle on it than me

It does seem logical though that if success brings 5000 extra fans that a fair proportion will disappear when the success drains away. Not as easy as that I'll grant you.

 

[muttsnuts]

No I haven't I gave the money willingly for a ST. I'm perhaps a little more fortunate than most these days in as much that I do not have to sacrifice anything for the ST.

I had a ST ticket when we were in the 3rd tier (both times) and the 4th tier so having one again does not faze me at all, it's what I do go to games and have a social drink/days out with like minded people. Don't get me wrong the club and team deserve nearly all the criticism thrown at them but why should their performance determine how I choose to enjoy myself.

McCabe won't be here forever neither will Mickey Adams and I definitely won't be but unless I pop off this mortal coil unexpectedly in the next couple of years I be here longer that those two. I've seen off all the chairmen and managers we've had since the mid sixties and it isn't going to change anytime soon.

I said in the past if you go to games I believe it makes your critcism more valid and puts you in better position to judge performances (team and individuals) over a run of matches.

BTW ....Will you be renewing?

---------- Post added at 11:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:38 AM ----------



You missed out the "some" at the beginning of your extract from my original quote, which if you had used would have rendered your post as unnecessary unless of course you are speaking on behalf of all doom and gloom merchants.

Well said Ghandi, mine and all my blade mates too

 

[super_pig]

is it me or are most people at the game in their mid 40's.. is it because they have the most money or were caught by the currie/woodward tractor beam and can't escape?

 

[lenners]

The reality is that SUFC will be begging fans to come to matches next season.
Going to be fun watching the club attempt to stick to its idiotic pronouncement there won't be any cheap tickets for League One football after they've put the prices up.

 

[ZoneManWilf]

What are people's though about where the gates might end up next year? 14-15k? Been a long time since we were down at that level, but the pigs are tending towards that right now, can't see us being much different, especially with the early deadline.

 

[super_pig]

well i'm not a true blade so i'm not bothered (i am really.. just trying not to admit it).. am i the only long term supporter who is really insulted by this bollocks?

 

[Tuns]

I'm one of the long term Blades that hasn't renewed. I've actually quite enjoyed the relief of doing what I want on a weekend for pretty much the first time in my life. I've made massive financial, personal and other sacrifices including turning down good career moves that would have stopped me watching United every week but not any more.

It's a shame cos I understand now why it is so hard to get fans back to games and buying STs when you've lost them and why United should have tried so much harder to keep fans these last couple of years instead of giving up on it.

It'll take a promotion back to the prem or a really innovative ST offer to increase attendances or even stop the rot now.

I will borrow mates STs for the odd game next season and go to the special offer games - is anyone really taking the idea seriously that United won't have any offers on?

But - assuming we get relegated and assuming I can get tickets - I hope to go to quite a few away games compared to none this season or if we'd stayed up.

 

[ghandi]

is it me or are most people at the game in their mid 40's.. is it because they have the most money or were caught by the currie/woodward tractor beam and can't escape?

I wish I was still in my mid-forties and it was the Jones/Birchenall tractor beam that got me and it wasn't long before we got relegated after their sale....Like I said nothing changes and thus it will ever be