Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 0:12:42 GMT 1
For some it will never rival Gay Meadow but slowly over time, nights like tonight will help to cement it into our proud history. The atmosphere was great and I will remember how it looked and felt when Mangen scored for a long time. More nights and matches like this please
|
|
|
Post by essofsteel on Oct 29, 2014 0:28:52 GMT 1
Fantastic home crowd.
|
|
|
Post by neilsalop on Oct 29, 2014 9:22:24 GMT 1
For some it will never rival Gay Meadow but slowly over time, nights like tonight will help to cement it into our proud history. The atmosphere was great and I will remember how it looked and felt when Mangen scored for a long time. More nights and matches like this please You're right it will never be Gay Meadow, but it's also true that the place is starting to build up a history of it's own. I've always said that the Meadow was home, whereas the Greenhous was just a stadium where we played our home games. I am slowly softening this stance and one day I'm sure I will call it home.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 9:25:21 GMT 1
Gay Meadow was home, but it was also a non league esq ground
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 13:17:15 GMT 1
The Gay Meadow would have hamstrung us so much that we'd be no more than a Club fighting off relegation each season until the inevitable. We'd be getting gates of 2,500-3,000 and struggling to gain new fans due to being so Female/Child unfriendly. A Winter like the last(and even last night's weather would have put 's on the match that's before the standard of Football we could have played on Gay Meadows pitch) could have killed us off. It's quite possible that our only highlight would be a couple of games against Wrexham and Telford or worse Hereford.
|
|
|
Post by stuttgartershrew on Oct 29, 2014 13:23:24 GMT 1
Well if last night proved anything its that it's too small for us... Get them corners filled in...
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 13:33:39 GMT 1
Well if last night proved anything its that it's too small for us... Get them corners filled in... Matt Williams said on sky yesterday that we could have sold out this game 5 times over!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 13:39:52 GMT 1
The Gay Meadow would have hamstrung us so much that we'd be no more than a Club fighting off relegation each season until the inevitable. We'd be getting gates of 2,500-3,000 and struggling to gain new fans due to being so Female/Child unfriendly. A Winter like the last(and even last night's weather would have put 's on the match that's before the standard of Football we could have played on Gay Meadows pitch) could have killed us off. It's quite possible that our only highlight would be a couple of games against Wrexham and Telford or worse Hereford. You could be right and many people share the view that we'd have struggled but plenty of other clubs have survived (or flourished) with smaller crowds and with just as bad (if not worse) facilities. So Im not quite convinced that had we stayed at Gay Meadow then we would be this small fish like people claim. We were a small fish during the Jake King years but that was because we had a minimal budget and survivial was the aim due to previous years of mis-management, during the last few years of Gay Meadow under Gary Peters were were on the up and that meant gates were improving. I wont deny that there's certain players we couldnt probably attract to the old ground and we are now able to so of course there have been benefits of the move, Im just not convinced that we would be struggling at bottom of L2 had we continued at the place. But anyway, the new ground feeling like a proper home isnt going to happen overnight but nights like last night certainly help.
|
|
|
Post by stuttgartershrew on Oct 29, 2014 13:40:36 GMT 1
Well if last night proved anything its that it's too small for us... Get them corners filled in... Matt Williams said on sky yesterday that we could have sold out this game 5 times over! Blimey. Really? Sod the corners then and lets get a second tier sorted...
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 13:43:55 GMT 1
Well if last night proved anything its that it's too small for us... Get them corners filled in... Matt Williams said on sky yesterday that we could have sold out this game 5 times over! Yeah I saw that and wondered if he was getting a bit carried away
|
|
|
Post by buryshrew on Oct 29, 2014 13:52:33 GMT 1
Matt Williams said on sky yesterday that we could have sold out this game 5 times over! Yeah I saw that and wondered if he was getting a bit carried away He's a marketing man... he was simply 'enhancing' the truth!
|
|
|
Post by pughywasfree on Oct 29, 2014 13:54:09 GMT 1
50000 town fans? we only took 25000 to Wembley.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 14:22:20 GMT 1
The Gay Meadow would have hamstrung us so much that we'd be no more than a Club fighting off relegation each season until the inevitable. We'd be getting gates of 2,500-3,000 and struggling to gain new fans due to being so Female/Child unfriendly. A Winter like the last(and even last night's weather would have put 's on the match that's before the standard of Football we could have played on Gay Meadows pitch) could have killed us off. It's quite possible that our only highlight would be a couple of games against Wrexham and Telford or worse Hereford. You could be right and many people share the view that we'd have struggled but plenty of other clubs have survived (or flourished) with smaller crowds and with just as bad (if not worse) facilities. So Im not quite convinced that had we stayed at Gay Meadow then we would be this small fish like people claim. We were a small fish during the Jake King years but that was because we had a minimal budget and survivial was the aim due to previous years of mis-management, during the last few years of Gay Meadow under Gary Peters were were on the up and that meant gates were improving. I wont deny that there's certain players we couldnt probably attract to the old ground and we are now able to so of course there have been benefits of the move, Im just not convinced that we would be struggling at bottom of L2 had we continued at the place. But anyway, the new ground feeling like a proper home isnt going to happen overnight but nights like last night certainly help. We weren't exactly setting L2 alight at the turn of the Century and were lucky to stay in it on many occasions. Didn't the floods put us on the brink a few times? And would RW have kept supporting us if there had not been a new ground on the horizon? Could he have paid the wages to cover a month or more every couple of years due to Floods? Even at the basement division Football professionalism has improved so much that good playing surfaces are now expected in L2 and If you look at York, Grimsby,Luton and others who have been trying for years to get a new ground and compare them with ourselves, Rotherham and Doncaster or even Swansea then I think that the ''new ground affect'' is THE catalyst for progression.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 18:55:34 GMT 1
The Gay Meadow would have hamstrung us so much that we'd be no more than a Club fighting off relegation each season until the inevitable. We'd be getting gates of 2,500-3,000 and struggling to gain new fans due to being so Female/Child unfriendly. A Winter like the last(and even last night's weather would have put 's on the match that's before the standard of Football we could have played on Gay Meadows pitch) could have killed us off. It's quite possible that our only highlight would be a couple of games against Wrexham and Telford or worse Hereford. All complete conjecture.
|
|
|
Post by mattmw on Oct 29, 2014 19:05:14 GMT 1
The Gay Meadow would have hamstrung us so much that we'd be no more than a Club fighting off relegation each season until the inevitable. We'd be getting gates of 2,500-3,000 and struggling to gain new fans due to being so Female/Child unfriendly. A Winter like the last(and even last night's weather would have put 's on the match that's before the standard of Football we could have played on Gay Meadows pitch) could have killed us off. It's quite possible that our only highlight would be a couple of games against Wrexham and Telford or worse Hereford. Yes much as I miss the old place I do shudder to think what would have happened had we stopped at the old ground. Aside from the wider off field opportunities the new ground brings the old ground would have cost hundreds of thousands to keep going, and works were only put off by the authorities due to the move being imminent To be able to sell the old ground at the peak of the housing boom, pre recession and get the new ground built whilst wiping out the clubs debt really has given us a great opportunity to succeed over the next 20 years
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 19:12:39 GMT 1
Do you honestly believe that, or have you just learnt a new word??
|
|
|
Post by shrewder on Oct 29, 2014 19:15:59 GMT 1
As much as I liked the old ground, that is history and you can't live on history. Look what happened to Hereford United who having been dining out on Ronnie Radfords goal for around 40 or so years.
|
|
|
Post by atcham jack on Oct 29, 2014 19:38:54 GMT 1
shall we guess our next home gate on 15/11/14 against Mansfield? probably 4966, should be 7k+ as a thank you to RW downwards.
|
|
|
Post by chameleon on Oct 29, 2014 20:01:45 GMT 1
Matt Williams said on sky yesterday that we could have sold out this game 5 times over! Blimey. Really? Sod the corners then and lets get a second tier sorted... Lets fill in the corners and add a second tier to the West stand and get ready for the Championship
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 20:05:22 GMT 1
50,000??? Chelsea don't get that!!
|
|
|
Post by champagneprince on Oct 29, 2014 20:07:09 GMT 1
I do think that this performance will put 500+ on the gate. People will come for a second look and perhaps with a view that the 'good feel' from last night can be replicated with a promotion push.
The club (and SP?)perhaps need to concentrate on helping this to be an easier experience for these floating supporters IMO. When do the parking arrangements at the ground and around Sutton Farm etc get reviewed? Super Blues way lighting? Away end/home end swap? Ticketing ease? Ticket pricing? The same old 7 year old issues that prevent people from attending regularly.
Big chance for the club IMO, and great to see the town of Shrewsbury shown in a (very)positive light because of its football club. Strike while the irons hot and all that. The council and people of the town must love us at the moment!
5,600 versus Mansfield, but that strength of support will either dwindle or increase depending on what the club does next, the good feel of a good performance against Chelsea isn't enough to keep increasing the attendance, but it's a bloody good start that needs to be built on - and quick!
|
|
|
Post by atcham jack on Oct 29, 2014 20:21:46 GMT 1
perhaps MW will start a corner fund, and events could be organised to raise funds for the corners 1 at a time. I suspect we have to learn to fill existing stands with bread and butter games, first.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 20:23:39 GMT 1
Do you honestly believe that, or have you just learnt a new word?? Our last season at GM saw a play-off final and highest average attendance for a fair while, if memory serves me correctly. No one knows what would have happened had we not moved, so to present as fact that we'd be half way to folding by now, as people keep doing, is conjecture (sorry if the long word confused you).
|
|
|
Post by champagneprince on Oct 29, 2014 20:41:57 GMT 1
perhaps MW will start a corner fund, and events could be organised to raise funds for the corners 1 at a time. I suspect we have to learn to fill existing stands with bread and butter games, first.
Very true AJ.
I would guess the 2 corners filled properly in would add 2000 to the attendance which as it stands would be a waste as we can't fill what we've got.
However, one circular complete stand (or at least a 'U'-shape) would add to the atmosphere and comfort IMO, and this would encourage more fans to attend. Therefore it could be looked on as being a long term investment not a cost . I quite like the idea of a U-Shape, I think it would help to bring our fans together more and leave the away fans out in the cold!
That adds to the 'soul' of the place, one of which many fans have complained about since moving to the new stadium. It also shows ambition!
It could be seen as a cost given current attendances, but you can put a positive case for the ends being filled in which make it more of an investment.
|
|
|
Post by chameleon on Oct 29, 2014 20:51:01 GMT 1
Maybe if we had a good run in the F.A.Cup and got a rematch against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge we could start at the end of the season !
|
|
|
Post by mattmw on Oct 29, 2014 21:26:10 GMT 1
Our last season at GM saw a play-off final and highest average attendance for a fair while, if memory serves me correctly. No one knows what would have happened had we not moved, so to present as fact that we'd be half way to folding by now, as people keep doing, is conjecture (sorry if the long word confused you). It's not really conjecture though is it, as the club accounts clearly show a big jump in income and a reduction in debt since we moved to the new ground Even in the last season at the old meadow, where the play-offs and good bye Gay Meadow attendances boosted income turnover was only around £3 million; where as most seasons at the New ground it's been around £4.2 to £4.5 million. The new ground also wiped out the debt and gave us cash in the bank which we wouldn't have had staying at the old ground. Its slightly simplistic I know to say more cash equals more success but its hard to see how the club could have wiped out its debt and increased turnover without the move; and as a result wouldn't have been able to invest as much in the playing side as we have done
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 22:16:15 GMT 1
You could be right and many people share the view that we'd have struggled but plenty of other clubs have survived (or flourished) with smaller crowds and with just as bad (if not worse) facilities. So Im not quite convinced that had we stayed at Gay Meadow then we would be this small fish like people claim. We were a small fish during the Jake King years but that was because we had a minimal budget and survivial was the aim due to previous years of mis-management, during the last few years of Gay Meadow under Gary Peters were were on the up and that meant gates were improving. I wont deny that there's certain players we couldnt probably attract to the old ground and we are now able to so of course there have been benefits of the move, Im just not convinced that we would be struggling at bottom of L2 had we continued at the place. But anyway, the new ground feeling like a proper home isnt going to happen overnight but nights like last night certainly help. We weren't exactly setting L2 alight at the turn of the Century and were lucky to stay in it on many occasions. Didn't the floods put us on the brink a few times? And would RW have kept supporting us if there had not been a new ground on the horizon? Could he have paid the wages to cover a month or more every couple of years due to Floods? Even at the basement division Football professionalism has improved so much that good playing surfaces are now expected in L2 and If you look at York, Grimsby,Luton and others who have been trying for years to get a new ground and compare them with ourselves, Rotherham and Doncaster or even Swansea then I think that the ''new ground affect'' is THE catalyst for progression. A few points in response to this: 1) In our last season at Gay Meadow we finished in the play-offs and I remember fellow managers commenting on our playing budget (getting the likes of Drummond, Asamoah & Ben Davies to sign for us over other clubs). Hardly a sign of a club that was struggling to survive 2) I stand to be corrected but pretty sure that the floods debate is something that gets exaggerated. There was one season where we didnt have a home game for 2 months or so but generally there wasnt many games called off. 3) Regarding the pitch, the pitch at the new ground arguably was actually our downfall under GP as we struggled to adapt. But yes I accept the pitch wasnt the greatest, however 'clever' managers used it to their advantage like GP did. 4) New grounds dont necessarily mean progress, there's plenty of clubs in shiny new stadiums who havent progressed or gone backwards (Oxford, Darlington, Coventry). Equally there's plenty of clubs who have remained stable or progressed (on the field) with lack of funds and/or not the greatest of grounds and gates (Yeovil, Scunny, Walsall, Rochdale, Vale, Crewe etc) 5) What do you class as progression? At Gay Meadow in the final season we were in L2, at the new ground we are currently in L2 and clearly struggled to compete in L1, is that progression? I dont doubt for a moment that the new ground has attracted new fans, brought us in extra revenue, made us a more professional club, attracted players we previously couldnt afford and generally taken the club to a different level in stature. However Im just not convinced we would be on the verge of bankruptcy at the old ground, of course we will never know.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 22:17:55 GMT 1
Our last season at GM saw a play-off final and highest average attendance for a fair while, if memory serves me correctly. No one knows what would have happened had we not moved, so to present as fact that we'd be half way to folding by now, as people keep doing, is conjecture (sorry if the long word confused you). It's not really conjecture though is it, as the club accounts clearly show a big jump in income and a reduction in debt since we moved to the new ground Even in the last season at the old meadow, where the play-offs and good bye Gay Meadow attendances boosted income turnover was only around £3 million; where as most seasons at the New ground it's been around £4.2 to £4.5 million. The new ground also wiped out the debt and gave us cash in the bank which we wouldn't have had staying at the old ground. Its slightly simplistic I know to say more cash equals more success but its hard to see how the club could have wiped out its debt and increased turnover without the move; and as a result wouldn't have been able to invest as much in the playing side as we have done What was the debt when we left the old ground?
|
|
|
Post by El Presidente on Oct 29, 2014 22:28:37 GMT 1
For me progression has a lot to do with professionalism.
Now, football generally has moved on massively in this department since the mid 90's. Coaching staff are formally trained, licenced, continuously developed; back room staff are actually recruited with formalised skills for their posts; fans forums are increasingly working hand in hand with the Club, who are increasingly engaging with their fans.
This professionalism is filtering down through the leagues. It allows detailed analysis of performances, leading to accurate and efficient training plans for the players to work on and improve.
Gone are the days (or they should be) of the Luke's, Jamie's, Ryan's mashing it up in the Buttermarket at 2am before a match later that day.
Professionalism = progress, and will lead to success.
|
|
|
Post by champagneprince on Oct 29, 2014 22:52:36 GMT 1
I think we would have.
It's 7 years on and the lower leagues are very different places. They are more professionally run and The Conference is especially difficult to get out of. Surviving on 3k crowds (probably more likely 2k) and with people reluctant to pay more than £15 because of the cesspit conditions, I suspect we would now be mid-table Conference and with a dwindling fanbase, heading towards Hereford-like status if we hadn't got there already.
|
|