It's happening. 

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/17405193.bolton-wanderers-close-to-takeover-from-uk-based-consortium/

Thank fuck

12 minutes ago, Traf said:

I'd wager you'd not even half fill it on a regular basis unless we were winning plenty.

Correct 

history proves cheap tickets don’t fill it 

Some bolton folk would want picking up and dropping off included in a £10 ticket

3 hours ago, radcliffewhite1 said:

Correct 

history proves cheap tickets don’t fill it 

Some bolton folk would want picking up and dropping off included in a £10 ticket

Well if it's on offer........

4 hours ago, radcliffewhite1 said:

Correct 

history proves cheap tickets don’t fill it 

Some bolton folk would want picking up and dropping off included in a £10 ticket

I do get picked up & dropped off and have a ST but there were still a couple of occasions last season when I just couldn’t face it..

£10 per match last season would have still been a rip-off!

7 hours ago, leadfrog1 said:

Haha Yeh had enough of nepotism. I'd like them to adapt a German style ticket pricing system. £10 for adults and £5 for kids under 18. Nice and simple fill the stadium bet you'd make more money too as well as improving the atmosphere. 

If you think that is German style ticketing you clearly have never been.

Also its been proved the price doesn't realyl change our attendances. the good honest folk of bolton prefer beer than football.

2 minutes ago, Big E said:

If you think that is German style ticketing you clearly have never been.

Also its been proved the price doesn't realyl change our attendances. the good honest folk of bolton prefer beer than football.

A buttered hotdog and pint every game with a season ticket and we’d pack the place out

8 hours ago, leadfrog1 said:

Not sure this needs a new thread but when/if we do get a new owner, what's on your wishlist, for what they will do? New manager for example or investment in the youth setup.

1. Play the kids and invest in a good scouting system - we cannot afford to go down older players route with no sell on value anymore.

2. Tickets £20 adult price whatever game, remove any category pricing. It will not fill the stadium but it would be clear and sensible. U18's/seniors £10. Cup games free for ST holders.

3. Hire a young coach with progressive style, no dinosaurs.

7 hours ago, Kane57 said:

Make sure we shoot right to left in the first half. I might just move seats

That will only work if we leave someone up top when defending corners...

1 hour ago, Big E said:

If you think that is German style ticketing you clearly have never been.

Also its been proved the price doesn't realyl change our attendances. the good honest folk of bolton prefer beer than football.

I agree with everything you say. I do believe that can change and Bradford and Huddersfield have shown the way. It won’t happen overnight but if someone who comes in is brave enough to take a hit the first few years then I think the rewards will come.

This is not a complaint on pricing on my part as I’m ok with what I pay but I think we need to do something as KA will have seen off a lot of regular fans with his stewardship.

6 hours ago, radcliffewhite1 said:

Correct 

history proves cheap tickets don’t fill it 

Some bolton folk would want picking up and dropping off included in a £10 ticket

£10 ticket - they struggle to turn up when its a £5

16 hours ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Watching that Sunderland documentary, did you see all the empty seats? No way have they stayed any more loyal than us, our ticket sales have hardly dropped whereas you could ask where Sunderlands usual 40k crowds have gone, now under 30k despite giving away kids season tickets free.

If you compare the average crowds from 11/12 (last time both us and Sunderland were in the premiership) we averaged just over 23K Sunderland 39K. 

Then compare this season for Sunderland vs our season in league one they averaged 32K we averaged 14.9K. 

Their crowd is 82% of what they averaged in the premiership - in league one.

Ours was 63% of our premiership crowd. 

So yes. They have as a proportion of their fanbase been far more loyal. 

37 minutes ago, tomski said:

I agree with everything you say. I do believe that can change and Bradford and Huddersfield have shown the way. It won’t happen overnight but if someone who comes in is brave enough to take a hit the first few years then I think the rewards will come.

This is not a complaint on pricing on my part as I’m ok with what I pay but I think we need to do something as KA will have seen off a lot of regular fans with his stewardship.

Both teams you mention just got relegated. 

The happy clappy stuff does not take away from the need to get the football side right. 

I think our average price is something like £8, which tells you more about our ratio of adults : concessions than anything else 

We do need to attract more adults back to the Reebok, ticket pricing is part of it but then again it’s not the only part. Look at what Spurs have done with the food and drink offer in the new stadium! Quality fare at decent prices in order to drive revenue. Our offer isn’t great whichever way you look at it 

Granted to make a sea change you need investment in facilities but the club could make a small step to improve things. I’d imagine a bottle bar would be easier to manage and offer a better beer (plastic of course). A slightly better hot food offering would also help, the Carrs pasties thing could be rolled out further, introduce the cheese and Jalapeño slice! 

Small steps but we are so poor under the stand, so poor on the pitch, it all takes its toll 

7 minutes ago, bwfcfan5 said:

If you compare the average crowds from 11/12 (last time both us and Sunderland were in the premiership) we averaged just over 23K Sunderland 39K. 

Then compare this season for Sunderland vs our season in league one they averaged 32K we averaged 14.9K. 

Their crowd is 82% of what they averaged in the premiership - in league one.

Ours was 63% of our premiership crowd. 

So yes. They have as a proportion of their fanbase been far more loyal. 

Not quite a true comparison 

This is their second season out of the prem, we had many more fans on the first season or two down here 

It takes it’s toll over 5, 6 or 7 years 

If Sunderland are still in the championship / League 1 in another three or four years then it will be a better comparison 

3 minutes ago, birch-chorley said:

Not quite a true comparison 

This is their second season out of the prem, we had many more fans on the first season or two down here 

It takes it’s toll over 5, 6 or 7 years 

If Sunderland are still in the championship / League 1 in another three or four years then it will be a better comparison 

In our second year out of the premiership (where we were in the championship not league one) we averaged 16.1K.

Which is 69% of our average premiership crowd in the relegation season. Still way below Sunderland and we were a division higher. 

Our fans are not that loyal. I don't know how to spell this out any clearer. 

1 hour ago, Farrelli said:

1. Play the kids and invest in a good scouting system - we cannot afford to go down older players route with no sell on value anymore.

2. Tickets £20 adult price whatever game, remove any category pricing. It will not fill the stadium but it would be clear and sensible. U18's/seniors £10. Cup games free for ST holders.

3. Hire a young coach with progressive style, no dinosaurs.

Bang on the money - exactly what I've said. Only thing we can't do is the free cup games, it needs both clubs to agree or Bolton to subsidise the freebie

3 minutes ago, bwfcfan5 said:

In our second year out of the premiership (where we were in the championship not league one) we averaged 16.1K.

Which is 69% of our average premiership crowd in the relegation season. Still way below Sunderland and we were a division higher. 

Our fans are not that loyal. I don't know how to spell this out any clearer. 

Think the way the club has slowly, and at times without us realising, been run down over the last 10yrs or so due to tighter budgets has had an effect. There has been little investment and an cutback if i am honest in the entire fans match day experience compared to some other clubs. This has to have had a knock on effect on crowds especially if the football itself is not that good. 

What new owners, if we get any of course, need to look at is getting rid of the daft ban on food sellers around the ground for example, encourage t shirt and bobble hat sellers and think about the fans having a base within the ground pre match, but not the happy clappy fanzone type thing. This is a way to reengage support much like the Burnden days some people go all dewy eyed about.

Just now, hughmungus said:

Think the way the club has slowly, and at times without us realising, been run down over the last 10yrs or so due to tighter budgets has had an effect. There has been little investment and an cutback if i am honest in the entire fans match day experience compared to some other clubs. This has to have had a knock on effect on crowds especially if the football itself is not that good. 

What new owners, if we get any of course, need to look at is getting rid of the daft ban on food sellers around the ground for example, encourage t shirt and bobble hat sellers and think about the fans having a base within the ground pre match, but not the happy clappy fanzone type thing. This is a way to reengage support much like the Burnden days some people go all dewy eyed about.

That's happened at Sunderland too. We aren't special. Other clubs have had this sort of decline. In both the stadium and matchday experience and the on pitch product. 

All I'm trying to point out is that we seem to shed fans to a greater extent than at other places when things get hard. And that is evidenced in the numbers and also season ticket holders not being prepared to renew unless they know we'll be in a better place.

I'm not crticising anyone. God, going to the games right now is a chore. I don't blame anyone for packing it in. But we have to face reality - the size of our club is not relative to what it might get in the premiership. Its relative to the here and now - and our support doesn't stick with it to the same extent as support at other clubs does and this may well have a knock-on effect in these times.

We have a core fan base. But I suspect its 8-10K fans. Who will come more or less whatever. 

29 minutes ago, Ani said:

Both teams you mention just got relegated. 

The happy clappy stuff does not take away from the need to get the football side right. 

Correct but both are sticking with the team going off ST sales for next season. Suggests the rapport/bond is good which we could do with a bit of.

3 minutes ago, bwfcfan5 said:

That's happened at Sunderland too. We aren't special. Other clubs have had this sort of decline. In both the stadium and matchday experience and the on pitch product. 

All I'm trying to point out is that we seem to shed fans to a greater extent than at other places when things get hard. And that is evidenced in the numbers and also season ticket holders not being prepared to renew unless they know we'll be in a better place.

I'm not crticising anyone. God, going to the games right now is a chore. I don't blame anyone for packing it in. But we have to face reality - the size of our club is not relative to what it might get in the premiership. Its relative to the here and now - and our support doesn't stick with it to the same extent as support at other clubs does and this may well have a knock-on effect in these times.

We have a core fan base. But I suspect its 8-10K fans. Who will come more or less whatever. 

The core support is higher now than in previous 'decline' eras but it erodes away slowly year after year much the same as it builds slowly when things improve.Comparing us to Sunderland is meaningless PNE/Burnley/Rovers/Blackpool  in similar circumstances is more relevant

Fwiw I think your estimate is on the high side.

21 minutes ago, bwfcfan5 said:

In our second year out of the premiership (where we were in the championship not league one) we averaged 16.1K.

Which is 69% of our average premiership crowd in the relegation season. Still way below Sunderland and we were a division higher. 

Our fans are not that loyal. I don't know how to spell this out any clearer. 

I think if you compare us a lot more locally to Wigan/Blackburn/Burnley (probably more relevant) our fans are incredibly loyal considering the shit served up. 

Boo the fans blah blah blah 

The reason I was proposing such a low price ticket, would be to increase the size of the core fan base. If you're interested in watching a game but not fully committed I think £10 is a far easier to justify, this obviously has to be linked with good football on the pitch. The concessions would play a big part in making up the difference. We have to try something because 10k fans in such a big town is pathetic, we need to stop them become manu and manc fans. 

15 minutes ago, tomski said:

I think if you compare us a lot more locally to Wigan/Blackburn/Burnley (probably more relevant) our fans are incredibly loyal considering the shit served up. 

Boo the fans blah blah blah 

The point of percentages is that it doesn't matter on size of the fanbase as we're looking into relative decline.

Sunderland are the closest to us having been a premiership side and then slipping to league one and having ownership issues. 

58 minutes ago, bwfcfan5 said:

If you compare the average crowds from 11/12 (last time both us and Sunderland were in the premiership) we averaged just over 23K Sunderland 39K. 

Then compare this season for Sunderland vs our season in league one they averaged 32K we averaged 14.9K. 

Their crowd is 82% of what they averaged in the premiership - in league one.

Ours was 63% of our premiership crowd. 

So yes. They have as a proportion of their fanbase been far more loyal. 

I will preface this by saying these are ticket sales, as nobody knows the attendances or even if tickets have been paid for, as many are given out free and may still not be used.  But Sunderland’s average crowd in 2016/17 was 41,287 and in 2017/18 fell by 33% to 27,635.  That's a heck of a drop in 1 year and doesn't show loyalty.  An increase in 2018/19, helped by the cheap/free tickets, a good new manager and proper owners, saw a proportion come back (31,749) but that's still a drop of 10,000 in 2 years.

Over these traumatic 3 seasons our averages have been 15,194; 15,887; 14,636, only an 8% drop this season.

 

According to the local Stoke newspaper former Port Vale owner Norman Smurthwaite is looking at our situation as possible new owner. 

Hmmmm, cheap tickets.

OK, so we currently lose money, so let's half the cost of tickets, meaning you have to effectively double the crowd to stand still financially?