I agree that our away support could be better, but there's a number of points to consider:-
1. Miles travelled. The average distance travelled for us is 152.8 miles, compared with 115.3 miles for Wednesday. So we have to travel on average 33% further. 2. Number of local clubs. We had only 4 clubs within 50 miles, and 6 within 100 miles. Wednesday had 8 clubs within 50 miles, and 11 within 100 miles. 3. Slightly related to 2, but Wednesday had a number of Yorkshire derbys, whereas we arguably didn't really have any derby matches that we were that fussed about. 4. Our 2 £5 matches, and the last game of the season, will have skewed our home support upwards, thus reducing the away 'percentage'. 5. Cost of travel - train tickets to/from London are significantly more expensive that those in the 'North', even at weekends.
Someone on the Wednesday board has suggested that getting out of London is easy, because the rail system is apparently 'centred' on London. I would argue the opposite actually - it takes so long to travel across London to the correct terminal (especially given the number of matches up North), that this significantly increases journey times. I would imagine that the average person living in Sheffield can get to the 'mainline' station much more easily than the average person living in London. If driving, the difference is probably even greater, as Sheffield is right next to the M1!
We have averaged over a 1000 in a very northern league this season, yeah yeah the percentage of away-home is not great (baffles me a little why the percentage is low but that's the way it is) but we have travelled more miles than most (obviously excluding the real outpost teams). With money as tight as it is, and the fact for many it is often a choice of away games, for example for some it may have been Scunthorpe OR Huddersfield, I genuinely don't think we have much to be ashamed about.
In addition, in terms of fixtures, our numbers would be higher if we did not play Yeovil on boxing day AND Orient at a ridiculous time on NYE. We would also have sold more tickets for Stevenage, Brentford, Bournemouth if they had been available.
Looking at our individual away followings, there are only a couple of games where perhaps we should have taken more imho.
"In addition, in terms of fixtures, our numbers would be higher if we did not play Yeovil on boxing day AND Orient at a ridiculous time on NYE"
But that works both ways surely? For example if we'd played Carlisle in November or on a tuesday night then we'd have taken about 200.
True but we were very unlucky to get Yeovil on boxing day, usually the fixtures are such that fans and players do not have so far to travel on Boxing Day, and then to have our fixture pushed back on NYE was a double blow.
This has been done to death, but a couple of factors that do play a part in addition to what johhny said above.
Virtually all our 'local' games were at unappealing times, or sold out where we could have taken more.
Our run in, which always sees a club going for promotion see a big increase in away followings was ridiculously northern skewed. Only two games south of Chesterfield in 2012, Exeter (408 mile round trip), and B'mouth (230 mile). And the latter sold out.
Averaging over 1,000 away with out fixtures was good. Not outstanding, not embarrassing, but good.
Like AFKA I'm more than happy with that. The number of threads I've seen on here slating our away support made me think we would have been much worse than this.
I would have gone to many more than the three games I went to this season had they been closer - four including Fulham (the only local derby where we were offered anything like the number of tickets we could have sold).
If the journeys had been closer I would have gone to both Sheffield games (I only went to Wednesday), Huddersfield, MK Dons and Carlisle. That would have made my total 6 games, or 26% of the number of home games. That number can easily be transferred to assume that, if others did the same, we would have taken more, as a percentage of home games, that Bury who were top.
I honestly don't know why people (well oohahh) make such a fuss about it.
I think oohahh needs a few more topics.We are now out of this dogshit league(tick)-does'nt need to be said anymore. I hope our attendances are up next season,home and away so that does'nt have to be mentioned anymore(tick). Curbishley should have been given a new contract.That has been said so many times that i would'nt think it needs saying ever again(tick).
It is all quite interesting and I'll admit and the Brighton and Soton figures do support the original argument. Genuine question for you though, Oohaah - do you actually have a point or do you just want to put us down?
i can't fathom how /why our numbers aren't similar to clubs with a similar sized home support for similar seasons
i think our home numbers are impressive enough and i can assure you i bore palarse and scum fans about this but i also think our away numbers are poor in comparison to what we achieve at home (and that is down to great club initiatives etc) so if that is seen as a put down so be it but don't worry about my concerns they are irrelevant and i try to keep them in aptly named threads or where someone else has brought up numbers so as not to offend the touchy easily offended, amongst our support
Well, in a way they are irrelevant, in that I doubt that things are going to change all that much. I suspect the low away:home ratio is due to the, how can I put this, 'respectable' nature of our home support compared to some clubs. All the 'bovril and blankets' stuff must have some basis in fact. Just be glad for the decent home numbers (which you are, I know) as we get the money from those, not the aways.
think the last table is slightly embarrassing. No way Should a team walking this league have the 2nd worse away following percentage to home support
London sides are always going to fare worse in this stat because there are so many "ex-pats" living in London that go to watch their side at ours, while there won't be too many Charlton living in, say, Sheffield.
think the last table is slightly embarrassing. No way Should a team walking this league have the 2nd worse away following percentage to home support
I thought the fact we walked the league was due to having the best players. I think it is a dynamic of our club that we have more home supporters as a percenatge in relation to away ones. That doesn't bother me at all - Our away support always do the necessary and our home support is the important thing to grow for the benefit of the club.
Comments
And Carlisle as well, considering the distances they must have to travel each week.
1. Miles travelled. The average distance travelled for us is 152.8 miles, compared with 115.3 miles for Wednesday. So we have to travel on average 33% further.
2. Number of local clubs. We had only 4 clubs within 50 miles, and 6 within 100 miles. Wednesday had 8 clubs within 50 miles, and 11 within 100 miles.
3. Slightly related to 2, but Wednesday had a number of Yorkshire derbys, whereas we arguably didn't really have any derby matches that we were that fussed about.
4. Our 2 £5 matches, and the last game of the season, will have skewed our home support upwards, thus reducing the away 'percentage'.
5. Cost of travel - train tickets to/from London are significantly more expensive that those in the 'North', even at weekends.
Someone on the Wednesday board has suggested that getting out of London is easy, because the rail system is apparently 'centred' on London. I would argue the opposite actually - it takes so long to travel across London to the correct terminal (especially given the number of matches up North), that this significantly increases journey times. I would imagine that the average person living in Sheffield can get to the 'mainline' station much more easily than the average person living in London. If driving, the difference is probably even greater, as Sheffield is right next to the M1!
In addition, in terms of fixtures, our numbers would be higher if we did not play Yeovil on boxing day AND Orient at a ridiculous time on NYE. We would also have sold more tickets for Stevenage, Brentford, Bournemouth if they had been available.
Looking at our individual away followings, there are only a couple of games where perhaps we should have taken more imho.
But that works both ways surely? For example if we'd played Carlisle in November or on a tuesday night then we'd have taken about 200.
Virtually all our 'local' games were at unappealing times, or sold out where we could have taken more.
Our run in, which always sees a club going for promotion see a big increase in away followings was ridiculously northern skewed. Only two games south of Chesterfield in 2012, Exeter (408 mile round trip), and B'mouth (230 mile). And the latter sold out.
Averaging over 1,000 away with out fixtures was good. Not outstanding, not embarrassing, but good.
I would have gone to many more than the three games I went to this season had they been closer - four including Fulham (the only local derby where we were offered anything like the number of tickets we could have sold).
If the journeys had been closer I would have gone to both Sheffield games (I only went to Wednesday), Huddersfield, MK Dons and Carlisle. That would have made my total 6 games, or 26% of the number of home games. That number can easily be transferred to assume that, if others did the same, we would have taken more, as a percentage of home games, that Bury who were top.
I wondered who'd emailed me asking for the figures
If you go you go if you don't you don't.
I honestly don't know why people (well oohahh) make such a fuss about it.
I hope our attendances are up next season,home and away so that does'nt have to be mentioned anymore(tick).
Curbishley should have been given a new contract.That has been said so many times that i would'nt think it needs saying ever again(tick).
What is oohaah going to post? Any suggestions?
How much did ours go up this year compared to last?
http://www.football-league.co.uk/staticFiles/ad/88/0,,10794~166061,00.pdf
soton 1,487
us 1,089
i think our home numbers are impressive enough
and i can assure you i bore palarse and scum fans about this
but i also think our away numbers are poor in comparison to what we achieve at home (and that is down to great club initiatives etc)
so if that is seen as a put down so be it
but don't worry about my concerns they are irrelevant and i try to keep them in aptly named threads or where someone else has brought up numbers so as not to offend the touchy easily offended, amongst our support
http://www.carlislelondonbranch.org/
http://www.helpaddicts.com/
An average of 40 miles extra per journey over Sheff Weds is what, half hour extra on the train?