getting to the bottom of small cup crowds

[dadnlad]

nothing personal in it but i'm sure people dont considerd bob's tactic's before buying a ticket for a cup game, league games maybe. i think cost and work come first then the oppersition

 

[cibaman]

Too much TV, and too little competition...simple as that.

30 years ago, the FA Cup was the main game televised live during the season, along with an international or two. The league Cup took place at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon and wasn't televised live. There was usually a different winner of the cups to winner of the league, so there was an interest amongst supporters & clubs....none of this "I have to play for a top four club" shite.

For example the League and FA Cup double was done 5 times between 1888 and 1986. Since 1994 it’s been done 6 times by three different clubs. There is no competition, no hope of someone different winning trophies.

Now, supporters can pick and choose when to attend a game. If they don’t want to go they can either catch it live on sky, or get the salient points on SSN in a handy bite-sized package every hour.

IMHO, the clubs who qualify for the Champions League, shouldn’t play in the FA Cup the following season. It gives everyone else an opportunity to win something, and limits their revenue making possibilities to a degree. It may also benefit the national team without the need for a midwinter break.

Those are my thoughts, some you may agree with, some you may not.

I'd also add:

1 Season tickets - clubs have become very good at selling them. In the 70's, 80's fewer fans bought season tickets and, if they couldnt afford to go to every match, would go to cup matches rather than less attractive league matches.

2 Weakened teams. You can fool some of the people...etc. Clubs just dont take cup games, other than CL, as seriously as they did.

 

[Bilboblue]

Comes down to finances pure and simple for me these days.
I live in Southampton, I'm self employed so if it's a midweek game, thats around £60 on fuel PLUS half a days lost wages, plus getting home at 2/3a.m. and having to be up again at 5am.

Weekend games I can get to, but for a lesser game (like last Sunday) I struggle to get people to be interested enough to come and split the fuel. I'm not going to pay out over £100 for a game like that sorry to say.

Finances are tight due to having 3 months out of work last year, luckily I am working again right now but it is week-to-week so taking time off would put it in jeopardy again. Something I am not prepared to do.

Long gone are the days when I quit 3 jobs in one season as they wouldn't let me have time off to go to matches.

 

[itsnevereasy]

For me money.

Last Sunday was the day before pay day and after paying or the family holiday I was broke. Going on Thursday as my better half treated me to the posh seats for my birthday (which are still cheaper than most league matches).

I can see a future where up and down the country there will be empty seats due to the rising costs of everything, most working class people just cannot afford the outlay any more and until clubs see this we will have 2/3rd's full for most cups games.

It's easy to say it's "only" £15 quid etc but in reality it's not just £15, it's £5 to park, £10 for fuel, £15 to eat, £10 for drinks, £15 for a ticket for the misses - thats £70 or a tank of fuel! Most families just cannot afford it.

 

[Manx Blue]

IMHO, the clubs who qualify for the Champions League, shouldn’t play in the FA Cup the following season. It gives everyone else an opportunity to win something, and limits their revenue making possibilities to a degree. It may also benefit the national team without the need for a midwinter break.

I strongly disagree with that. The FA Cup is the greatest knockout competition in the world and is open to everybody. No chance to do the double, either.

Trafford Red & White Sox drop out of the FA Cup. We don't.

The FA Cup IS the greatest competition. However short of a mandatory £10.00 for adults and £5 for kids at every tie up to the semi finals (in order to get bums on seats) what else will work?

 

[cockneycarparkm32]

I went on Sunday ,but had to graft all day Saturday and then Sunday morn to catch the game,self employed so I have to . Wont be able to make such sacrifices in the future . They are paying too much to players and staff and all the agents ect.. time to overhaul football in general for me . I still think The F.A. Cup has more prestige than the Champions league, I just see it as a merry go round for the big clubs, until they put the names of the sides in a hat to make the draw it will always be a farce to me.

 

[itsnevereasy]

I went on Sunday ,but had to graft all day Saturday and then Sunday morn to catch the game,self employed so I have to . Wont be able to make such sacrifices in the future . They are paying too much to players and staff and all the agents ect.. time to overhaul football in general for me . I still think The F.A. Cup has more prestige than the Champions league, I just see it as a merry go round for the big clubs, until they put the names of the sides in a hat to make the draw it will always be a farce to me.

Spot on!

 

[1.618034]

It's all about money for me. I went on Sunday after much soul (and bank account) searching because potentially we've a lot of home games coming up and it's difficult to justify the expense of the whole thing (ticket/travel/sustenance) for every game. I was the only one of my mates who went as the others who attend every PL game just couldn't afford it and since it was on TV then it wasn't a priority.

Just the way it is.

I think the club are helping with reasonable ticket prices but sometimes it's just not possible to afford every game.

 

[brianstrousersnake]

that's fair enough,done it myself
just wish more would be more honest like this!
20'000 missing sunday and quite a lot will be in the can't be arsed camp.
there will of course many genuine reasons for not going, so be it that's the way it is.
the crowd sunday was standard for city v that type of opposition.
we would need years of success to have the sold out signs similar to utd, arse,chavski etc in the lower cup games

I am really struggling with the situation here - you've both got thousands of posts on a City fans' forum yet you still have a "can't be arsed" attitude at times.

Not being judgemental, just don't get it at all.

what is there to get?
you either go or you don't,you don't need an excuse or need to explain yourself to anyone.
i've not been to a cup game this season because.........i didn't want to.
not goin to the villa game but if we win i'll go to the QF if we play Everton and yes,i'll want a ticket for the semi and final if we get there

 

[Colins Bellend]

Money, family and work fair enough

Too many tossers on here complaining about dull cup games,we do not have a devine right to beat anybody and in all honesty 16 goals in two cup ties (4 games) is not dull. I'd rather watch us play Leicester or Notts County than Everton in the cup.Each to their own but 40K will be there against Villa.

why do you say that?
the bigger/better the team surely would grab your attention.
by that reasoning you would turn the other way when we eventually get to grips with barca.

Have you seen Everton play? putting them in the same sentence as Barca is too much.
There is still a buzz for me regarding the FAC ,5K Villa or Everton fans not the same as 5k from lower divs even non league.I love the atmosphere in the cup H and A