Crowd for sat

[ErichZann]

There’s the simple economics argument as to why the crowd is lower than expected.

For season ticket renewers there has been a payment this month. Most will be around £65.
Add that to the cost of a ticket tomorrow.
Add that to a potential visit to Wembley.

Some people have got to make sacrifices somewhere. A lot of folk don’t have access to an extra £100 - £200 (more of you’re planning on doing the weekend) disposable income that hasn’t been planned for.

For some, the additional cost of the Portsmouth game will have been sacrificed in the hope we get a Wembley return.

I still think people just can't be arsed....if it was against The Mags there'd be 47k there.

 

[Alfa]

Our lowest league crowd this season was 28,364 vs Gillingham. At this point we’ll do well to beat that.

Almost 23k now by half three, I’d be amazed if we top 28k. Add in 2k Portsmouth and say another couple of hundred max before the ticket office closes that’s 25,500 at an ambitious guess.

Is the ticket office selling tickets tomorrow at all?

 

[SAFC 2012]

So the point you decide to pack in is a play off semi final rather than 2 years ago when we were being Royally shafted and bottom of the league, or last season when the same happened? It is embarrassing, its beyond embarrassing, I just hope I never hear the words "best fans in the land" ever mutterd again as its complete horse shit. I absolutely gaurantee every other club, in every division will get their biggest crowds of the season in the play off semis. We as a club are on for our lowest home gate of the season. That is both embarrassing and a disgrace.

Have to say if I were the owners then I would certainly start questioning what I had got into, they are starting to see what our fans are really like when things dont go their way. Too many self entitled arseholes letting down the brilliant core we have.

 

[Deleted member 6830]

3.30pm Friday.
2 people infront of me.
Hasnt been that busy apparently.
28000 maximum imo.

 

[The Muffin Man]

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, this game is difficult to get to for exiles with 30% of our season card holders living outside of a northeast post code. A London based fan for instance would normally travel up on Saturday morning have a couple of drinks then travel home in evening, the timing of this game would entail an overnight stay for the same fan and with the half marathon on its impossible to find a hotel room at anything approaching reasonable prices. The result is that the timing of the ko has had a significant affect on ticket sales

Hmmmm, nice try, virtually all 45,000 fans we took to Wembley stayed in London hotels on the Saturday which even at their cheapest are more expensive than Sunderland hotels. Similarly if we go to Wembley again in a couple of weeks the same will happen.....Its bull shit, they are not going because they aren't arsed, plenty on here admitting it.

 

[Smiter]

On course for about 28K, that's about 3-4K short of what we could have expected, mostly due to the 10K ST's that didn't buy (at least not by their deadline), will the 10K skip Wembley too I wonder??

Even if they did that’s there prerogative, they are the lifeblood of the club, and without them the club would cease to function.

Also a LOT of ST holders waited to get tickets with friends, there is knowhere near 10k season ticket holders missing.

Hmmmm, nice try, virtually all 45,000 fans we took to Wembley stayed in London hotels on the Saturday which even at their cheapest are more expensive than Sunderland hotels. Similarly if we go to Wembley again in a couple of weeks the same will happen.....Its bull shit, they are not going because they aren't arsed, plenty on here admitting it.

I said at the time of the Checkatrade and haven’t changed my opinion since, the demand for the play off final will be a LOT lower than Checkatrade final, due to cost.

I think we will sell out still but just, and with season ticket holders being a bale to go back and purchase more tickets on there account.

 

[The Muffin Man]

Almost 23k now by half three, I’d be amazed if we top 28k. Add in 2k Portsmouth and say another couple of hundred max before the ticket office closes that’s 25,500 at an ambitious guess.

Is the ticket office selling tickets tomorrow at all?

Jesus, if its 25k then its more embarrassing than even I thought, its going to look horrific on TV and whatever anybody thinks about that it matters. We have seen the impact of the Netflix stuff putting us on the map, big crowds shows massive potential and attracts investment. Shit crowds does the opposite. This will be a massive low point in our support and will be humiliating.

 

[McMackem]

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, this game is difficult to get to for exiles with 30% of our season card holders living outside of a northeast post code. A London based fan for instance would normally travel up on Saturday morning have a couple of drinks then travel home in evening, the timing of this game would entail an overnight stay for the same fan and with the half marathon on its impossible to find a hotel room at anything approaching reasonable prices. The result is that the timing of the ko has had a significant affect on ticket sales

Not criticising at all, a myriad of genuine reasons mostly directly related to a one-off situation with KO time and marathon . The 30% outside of NE postcodes still includes a big wedge travelling home after and being home by midnight - I'll be back in Edinburgh by then. And there is a chunk with family in the area where they can stay for a big one-off. ST are the life-blood of the club and not having a pot at anyone and a small take up occurred with Championship play-offs. BUT, what I'm saying is over 1 in 3 not going (or even passing on) is a surprise, surely.

Even if they did that’s there prerogative, they are the lifeblood of the club, and without them the club would cease to function.

Also a LOT of ST holders waited to get tickets with friends, there is knowhere near 10k season ticket holders missing.

Absolutely - and there is the likely explanation then...

 

[Left For Dead]

Almost 23k now by half three, I’d be amazed if we top 28k. Add in 2k Portsmouth and say another couple of hundred max before the ticket office closes that’s 25,500 at an ambitious guess.

Is the ticket office selling tickets tomorrow at all?

So we have lost 10k fans as they have already lost faith- hope we win it to stick it up those negative twats

Jesus, if its 25k then its more embarrassing than even I thought, its going to look horrific on TV and whatever anybody thinks about that it matters. We have seen the impact of the Netflix stuff putting us on the map, big crowds shows massive potential and attracts investment. Shit crowds does the opposite. This will be a massive low point in our support and will be humiliating.

Will be 30k as no rallying call

 

[JimHep]

28k will be very poor since we've had two 40k plus during season

 

[Northumberland Rocks]

You seem to be saying its going to be a poor gate because of the negative play but we had a poor attendance in the Man U semi without the negative tactics I think its more down to the fact the game is live on sky like the league cup semi.

Possibly mate. However the Sheff Utd 98 Play off game was on Sky and we had a sell out.

Hey Im as loyal as they come and will be there but the fact is we have only sold 22,000 tickets tells me there is an underlying story and way too simplistic to blame on TV.

I want to see a full house I really do but can also understand why many supporters have become disillusioned and choosing not to attend even though I wish they would. Hopefully a lot turn up and pay on gate.

 

[The warthog]

28k will be very poor since we've had two 40k plus during season

and 40k down in London

 

[Left For Dead]

Jesus, if its 25k then its more embarrassing than even I thought, its going to look horrific on TV and whatever anybody thinks about that it matters. We have seen the impact of the Netflix stuff putting us on the map, big crowds shows massive potential and attracts investment. Shit crowds does the opposite. This will be a massive low point in our support and will be humiliating.

Insane over reaction mate- take a step back and think what you just said- 30k gate in div 1 game

 

[Baghdad McBadLad]

People have given up on us this season it is clear as day. I haven't
People are getting sick of football in general and the shit they have watched this season. I haven't
People are using the most mental excuses I have ever heard. I haven't.

Whether it is 25k or 40k it really doesn't matter to me as I will be supporting the lads from the first to last whistle and we play better in front of a crowd who cares and supports rather than show up 10 mins late, head down for a pint after 20 mins and leave on 81 mins.

 

[Alfa]

Insane over reaction mate- take a step back and think what you just said- 30k gate in div 1 game

Each to their own - I’m not going to criticise people for not going but from recent figures we aren’t going to hit 26k never mind 30.

Regardless of the reasons for non-attendance the drop off from 41k in the recent league game to 26k in a playoff semifinal is astonishing.

 

[Kubicki85]

Including away fans it's currently at about 25k. I don't think we are going to even hit anything about 28k. Our support has been amazing this season but this is a low point.

 

[McMackem]

So we have lost 10k fans as they have already lost faith- hope we win it to stick it up those negative twats

Reading on here and hearing fans int' real world I begin to wonder if you can have 40K+ attending fans in League One beyond it being clearly understood as a one-off temporary situation. A common view was that we were too good for this level, that as a club we belonged higher up. I agree 100% IN THE LONG TERM. But it is what it is, the disaster, the re-build, stopping the rot and starting to recover- I suspect to not only miss automatic promotion but to end the season in relegation form was a harsh dose of unwanted reality for many about where we are right now. I think that's why this extra game is being shunned by many - call it a sub-conscious protest or being punch drunk, whatever, but effort levels to attend have dropped, even allowing for the timescale, the KO time and the complication of the marathon. I think I was always going to go, but why did I only buy tickets last night then? Was I sub-consciously ready for a reason I couldn't make it?

 

[foggyballa]

I remember under O'Niell we played Arsenal on a Saturday night in the FA Cup and the crowd was only about 26,000 then too and the atmosphere that night was brilliant and we deservedly won (Richardson scored I think)

Atmosphere at final home game of last year against wolves, while not exactly rocking was decent. Knew we were already relegated and ground 2/3 full but atmosphere was good. Probably helped by the new found optimism surrounding the takeover. But a decent performance and a few goals helped. Point being that even at a low ebb and with a small-ish crowd we’re capable of generating a positive atmosphere in our ground. Get stuck into those Pompey fcukers and grab an early goal and I’d guess the 20 odd thousand inside will have the place bouncing.

 

[Keith S30S]

Almost 23k now by half three, I’d be amazed if we top 28k. Add in 2k Portsmouth and say another couple of hundred max before the ticket office closes that’s 25,500 at an ambitious guess.

Is the ticket office selling tickets tomorrow at all?

The ticket office is open 10AM until kick off selling tickets but you need a purchase history.

BTW our lowest crowd this season was 27,580 against Blackpool. Night match which are always lower crowds.

If we get more than that it's still a good effort. We only had one crowd over 30K last season!

 

[Gonzo Mackem]

With fewer people than usual at the game will this mean the match thread will be better or worse in terms of general overreaction?