I've got a mate who lives in Preston, & who as a kid was a PNE fan. He's in his 50s now & won't go any more becuase he just doesn't enjoy today's match day experience. He reckons that the average man in the street is slowly turning away from Premiership football because of all the reasons that are often stated on here - from unbelievably high player wages, to ever increasing ticket prices, to over zealous stewarding etc. etc.

 

He reckons that in the not too distant future, some clubs will end up having to pay supporters to attend games. His theory is that football is now all about sky money. Sky don't want to televise half empty stadiums, but ticket prices/wages continue to increase because of sky money, thereby reducing crowds. A vicious circle.

 

I thought it was a bit radical, but as he pointed out, 20/30/40/50yrs ago the idea of having to provide free travel for supporters to encourage them to go, or to drop kids prices to less than they were 20yrs ago (kids for a quid etc), or to offer refer a friend for a fiver etc. incentives, is just the start.

 

Any thoughts?

Life with football would be suicidal for me! I am looking forward to the Euro 2008 because I love footy! Times move on and with it, peoples attitudes! The old days will never return! Fans can't afford it nowadays! The whole matchday experience is different from what it used to be! I was lucky to experience the 70's, 80's, etc watching BWFC and those memories will never be forgotton!

Its becuse you're now watching a mans game.

 

i think you have a point there. i may have to convert to leigh though so i can drink in me seat

Life with football would be suicidal for me! I am looking forward to the Euro 2008 because I love footy! Times move on and with it, peoples attitudes! The old days will never return! Fans can't afford it nowadays! The whole matchday experience is different from what it used to be! I was lucky to experience the 70's, 80's, etc watching BWFC and those memories will never be forgotton!

 

I agree with you Andy. Football = Prem = BWFC isn't the only way of looking at it.

There's a whole world of football out there to enjoy and to get away sometimes from the sterility of the Prem. Try Chorley or Atherton LR or Radcliffe Borough sometimes - gives you a new perspective on the game.

Big E mate dot do it!!!!

 

miss those lisbon trips my friend

 

i am not sure if i have miss read the post but it is not a money issue. its an enjoyment issue. i only enjoy away games and to be honest i am beginning to only enjoy away games abroad.

to be honest i am beginning to only enjoy away games abroad.

 

Move to Wales then.

Move to Wales then.

 

i practically have

to be honest i am beginning to only enjoy away games abroad.

 

so wrong. so wrong.

 

We didn't have them for the best part of 120 years.

Most on here have done without for 20-30 years of following Bolton and enjoyed their football.

I imagine being in your early 20s, you've not really had the chance to experience lower league football and following your team all over the country....... now that is fun and never to be surpassed IMO.

I agree with you Andy. Football = Prem = BWFC isn't the only way of looking at it.

There's a whole world of football out there to enjoy and to get away sometimes from the sterility of the Prem. Try Chorley or Atherton LR or Radcliffe Borough sometimes - gives you a new perspective on the game.

 

Rossendale United

Rossendale United

 

 

 

Crawley Town Nickname ; The Red Devils

I'll hold fire on whether to get an ST or not until the prices are out....football is very expensive for what it is....and the PL isn't even competitive anymore (I imagine we can all make a guess as to who's going down next season).

 

I still enjoy getting tanked up before the game....and at times the ESL bouncy corner has had some good atmosphere's lately....but stewarding/over-zealous coppers & the Reebok itself are a big turn-off.

 

I don't blame anyone who's packed it in....I enjoyed the games where we never left Flying Flute as much as any in the actual stadium last season. A decent number of us had ST's and now we're down to two....that's just the way things are going.

so wrong. so wrong.

 

We didn't have them for the best part of 120 years.

Most on here have done without for 20-30 years of following Bolton and enjoyed their football.

I imagine being in your early 20s, you've not really had the chance to experience lower league football and following your team all over the country....... now that is fun and never to be surpassed IMO.

 

 

i have done my fair bit of lower league travelling however i accept i need o do more. i find no real interest in going to the same prem grounds

i have done my fair bit of lower league travelling however i accept i need o do more. i find no real interest in going to the same prem grounds

 

Old trafford being the worst of the bunch. Sat ont railings of burnden terrace wanting to see "the theatre of dreams". Now we all know its fooking wank!

 

Bring on the KC stadium. 'Ull city come on!

Move to Wales then.

 

i thought frodsham was abroad?

There are some miserable moaning feckers on here, get your pipe and slippers on, if you want the crack it is still there, but you have to make the effort, the walkden lads still manage to make a day of it both home and away, the passion is still there, but a lot of you have lost it, along with the plot.

Edited May 28, 200818 yr by Mounts Kipper

I may only be in my late twenties and never thought i'd end up saying things like this, but todays football is not the same game that i loved so much in my younger days. Sure i still love the game and bwfc but somehow don't feel part of it anymore. gone are the days when the fans were the heart and soul of the football club.

 

i mean with all the talk of season tickets, i for one will not waste my money. not because i don't want to go to the games, more that i don't know when the games are likely to be. having to work weekends used to mean booking a saturday afternoon off work but now we have lunctime games, tea time games, 2 kick off times on a sunday and monday nights. how are fans meant to know whether they are coming or going.

 

bigger tv money means more pressure to stay in the top leagues which means more money needed for clubs to buy players and pay wages which means it's going to cost us more money to go through the turnstiles regardless of whether it's 3 o'clock on a staurday or more likely now 12 o'clock on a sunday.

 

my main gripe with todays footballers is do they actually give a shit like we the fans do - definitely not. they still pick up their salary at the end of the week win lose or draw. they are not the same players i could once identify with and whilst i struggle to pay a mortage and bills, i can't justify spending my money to line theirs and the clubs pockets further when they don't care one bit for the average fan.

 

now i'm off to moan about something else if only i could remember what i did with my pipe and slippers....

There are some miserable moaning feckers on here, get your pipe and slippers on, if you want the crack it is still there, but you have to make the effort, the walkden lads still manage to make a day of it both home and away, the passion is still there, but a lot of you have lost it, along with the plot.

 

It's all very well you coming out and saying all that, giving it the big one and thinking you have the moral high ground over everyone here, but there's a flaw in your post Mr. Traf (If that IS your real name) - you haven't said where to get the pipe or the best type of slippers to wear, nor did you mention that people from Walkden are so mind-meltingly simple they'd have a good time watching frog baiting. Lazy and unlike you as you tend to be a sage in these parts.

 

I believe I have struck a victory for the moaners.

Been watching quite a lot of non league football this season amongst Bolton games, and its very addictive.

i don't like football, so the prospect of freezing me rocks off on a field in the middle of nowhere and paying for the honour

 

no chance

It's all very well you coming out and saying all that, giving it the big one and thinking you have the moral high ground over everyone here, but there's a flaw in your post Mr. Traf (If that IS your real name) - you haven't said where to get the pipe or the best type of slippers to wear, nor did you mention that people from Walkden are so mind-meltingly simple they'd have a good time watching frog baiting. Lazy and unlike you as you tend to be a sage in these parts.

 

I believe I have struck a victory for the moaners.

 

This aint a moral high ground discussion, I am not traf, the walkden lads were just an example, there a lot of other lads from other areas who do have the crack, and regarding slippers and pipes you may not have the slippers but pretty sure you have been on the crack pipe.