1/23/2007

When only 13,000 fans turn up to watch, do Watford deserve to stay in the Premiership ?


I'm not a football fans who demands that so called "big" clubs deserve a premierhsip place just because they have more fans. However, by the same token, if a club's own fans are not interested in premiership matches, how can they expect to stay up.
Looking at tonight's results on the BBC website, I saw tonght's scores and attendances.

Well done to Watford tonight for sealing only their second league win of the season, but with just 13,766 fans turning up to a stadium that will hold more than 22,000, you have to ask why should anyone else care.

I like Aidy Boothroyd the Watford manager. He has performed miracles with little money, but his spending power will be further diminished with attendances like tonght's. A few years ago Norwich said they needed 16,500 people to turn up to break even. Norwich average 24,000 in the Championship (near the bottom as well) so 13766 Watford fans speaks volumes.

12 comments:

Jeremy Jacobs said...

Who cares about the over-paid prima donnas in the Premiership?

It's the non-league game that needs our support. Who's yours King's Lynn, Wisbech?

Nich Starling said...

I am a season ticket holder at Norwich City, have been an Everton fans since I was seven (and beleive me there is little "glory" in being an Everton fan), but if push came to shove, I check out the Kings Lynn score and Fakenham Town.

Anonymous said...

I'm so sick of listening to Wolves fans whinge about how unfair it is that a club as big as theirs is stuck in the Championship that I'm afraid I take a very simple view - you are good enough if you win enough matches...

Anonymous said...

To be fair we noramally get 16k plus this season in a ground that actually hold only 19k because half the old East stand is closed off but for some reason the data still says the Vic holds 22k.

Was a poor crowd but I guess the part-time support could not be bother to turn up at all.

Anonymous said...

Maybe if you looked at our overall attdences this season you will see 13k was well below average.

Anonymous said...

Maybe we only have 13k really loyal fans?

I shouldn't think crowds next season (still think we are going down) will be much above 15k unless we start romping away with the Championship and then those fairweather fans will stay.

Sadly we do have quite a few I fear.

My first few seasons of watching Watford only had 8,000 on average.

Anonymous said...

I remember going to see watford play almost every home game when I was about 15 (I used to live in Hemel Hempstead) and it was always pretty packed.

Then they started doing well, the ticket prices went up and we couldn't afford it anymore.

So we started to go an see Hendon Town play instead - much more of an atmosphere to be honest

Proper football fans in flat caps handing out programmes :)

Iain Dale said...

34,900 at Upton Park every game. Forever blowing bubbles...

Jamie said...

Don't let the facts get in the way of a good old fashioned bleating sunshine.

A. This was a rearranged game so some people that would have originally made the Saturday game would be less likely to make the alternative fixture.

B. Our capacity is ~20,000 so already your conclusions are wrong.

C. Do take time to consider the away fan contingent. Blackburn brought around 1,000 when allocation would have been nearer two and a half times that.

Nich Starling said...

Jamie,

I wish Watford well. i like the club and manager and have no axe to grind, so why are you so jumpy ?

Is 13,700 a figure to be proud of in any circumstances in the premiership ? I know Blackburn's travelling fans are not good, but comapred to many Championship attendances, 13,700 is low, no matter what the excuse.

As for questioning me about the capacity, I did quote a source, not simply pluck it from nowhere.

Anonymous said...

Infact there was 16k at the game which does sound more right.

Nich Starling said...

I went by the stats on the BBC website. If they are wrong, then that is good news for Watford.

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