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Walsall hoping for a bigger gate
Friday 3rd September 2010, 12:00PM BST.
Walsall boss Chris Hutchings hopes the Banks’s Stadium’s ailing attendances can be boosted by the absence of the West Midlands’ big four from action.
With neither of the top two tiers in action and internationals now being played on Friday nights rather than Saturday afternoons, the Saddlers have the traditional Saturday 3pm kick-off to themselves tomorrow when Colchester come to town.
Hutchings’ men played in front of just 1,793 in Tuesday night’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy defeat to Chesterfield – the lowest in the Banks’s Stadium’s 20-year history.
The manager insists attendances in the competition have been disappointing even at the biggest clubs in the lower divisions but, with the Saddlers the only professional team on the patch in action tomorrow, is hoping for a much-improved turnout.
He said: “The fans’ support is always important at any football club. There are no games this weekend in the Premier League with the international break so it would be nice if some came along.
“I think that’s the case in all Johnstone’s Paint Trophy games. I was at Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday night, it’s a big club and there weren’t many there.
“I think if you look at the attendances in this competition in the early rounds, I don’t think it’s well supported at all for whatever reason.”
The Saddlers boss is eager for his team to record their first clean sheet of the campaign, but admits he would always settle for them conceding if they still deliver three points.
He said: “If we won every game 2-1 we wouldn’t be too worried about keeping a clean sheet. But it’s important to have something to build on.
“Arsenal were a great advocate of that when George Graham was there – it was all about clean sheets because if you do that you’re always going to get something out of the game.”
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Chris don’t worry about the ‘big’ four not playing, if this is the only time we can get a good crowd then we will get 1 every 2 months?
Start playing some exciting entertaining football, winning home games and that is the way to a better crowd..simple as.
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A way to increase crowds :-
- New owner (key reason)…rent etc.
- Show some ambition.
- Don’t sell key players at key stages in the season (comes with ambition I suppose).
- Have a cup run.
- Get a manager who knows how to play the game.
- Show some respect to the fans that you do have.
- Reduce prices… you can go and watch the Villa for less.
- Try to better the atmosphere in the ground… why do we only have that fat bloke and Roy Whalley doing the 50/50 draw as half-time entertainment now?? The club is stale and needs a fresh outlook (ties in with a new owner)
- Stop blaming everyone else for your own failings and telling everyone ‘we’re a well run club with fantastic training facilities’!!
Just a few suggestions!
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ALL QUIET AT THE BANKS”S STADIUM
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start winning home games 3 out of 4 up to yet.not very good hutch
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very true sad saddler the club needs to get its head out of the sand.many of the fans looking for a game to see tommorrow will most likley go to a non league game its cheaper better entertainment.
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I missed the Chesterfield game but the Plymouth match was great entertainment and a good result.
If we could reproduce that kind of match supporters should start coming back – and stop moaning.
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Great, so now our only tactic to increase the turnout is to plead to fans of other clubs?
No wonder this club is withering away when that is the total sum of their proactiveness.
Let’s not find out the true reasons for many Walsall fans staying away (the truth might hurt I suppose).
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Thats it get fans of other clubs in for one game, dont bother finding out why fans like myself have stopped going after 30years home and away
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As I stated in a previous article, YOU WANT THE FANS TO COME BACK WALSALL FC, THEN BYE BYE BONSOR AND TAKE YOUR BF WHALLET WITH YOU!!!
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your probably right kev.
lots of nonleague clubs are dping deals with no prem clubs or chamionship ones laying.
four quid at rushall with a ticket stub for the ‘big four’ and a voucher for more off another game. Thats clever marketing
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What happened to the days of catching the free train from walsall town center to the ground, having a nice pint in the saddlers club before the match (which dont let you in any more) then buying a nice 9 pounds ticket to watch the game and you still had enough change to buy a balti pie and a programme out of 20 quid!!!! even better when the 2 for a tenner was running. lets fast forward 4 years ………… do i get any change just for the ticket out of 20 quid??? no. does any of the team show belief for the club like legends ian roper or jorge leitao? no. to sum it all up i would say a good 2000 fans are not coming to the ground because of the cost issue and lack of entertainment or value for money as we people from walsall love !!! 500 fans are part of the hate bonser campaign which i find really amusing because if they where real fans they would relise we are a small club and going about it in this sort of manner will affect the team in the long run, bonser out doesnt solve nothing,bonser to listen does. the other 1000 fans missing are wolves supporters who in my eyes where loyal supporters to our club and much appriciated !!!……………. i challenge any one that has an idea about making matchdays more fun and enjoyable to send an email to the board at walsall fc. they cant ignore the 3000 fans missing
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need to win games to bring in crowd
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