The Championship as Holdsteady suggests is a big league now.
Just from people I know who dont go, they suggest that they would get STs if we were in the Championship.
Let's hope that we find out soon!!
Club meeting Kassam - 28th May
- Thread starter Northstandboy
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Just from people I know who dont go, they suggest that they would get STs if we were in the Championship.
Let's hope that we find out soon!!
frenchconnection
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....and its the other core .... that need more than a passing interest.... to become die hard...personally id say that starts on the pitch....exciting football success then they will come .. followed by a stadium I would hope
Burnley has a population of 90,000. Small city does not come into it. Same goes for Ipswich
Exactly so. Look at average attendances mid eighties. Cardiff 4500, Palace 6500,Middlesbrough 5000, Fulham 6500...……..Oxford United 10300. Things have changed dramatically.
werthersoriginal
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Yes, like Sunderland, Portsmouth, Charlton ... oh hang on
Manorlounger
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I, like quite a few of the more "mature" posters on here, can remember the days at the Manor when the place was packed every game. (ok some less than others but never quiet)
The atmosphere was the attraction along with, on a good day, some great results. Our present home will never, ever match the eccentricity of the Manor but, if it was brought up to standard I see no reason why crowds could not be maintained at above 9000. However, as it stands, we have a three sided wind tunnel with decaying facilities, a lack of anything other than football as entertainment, catering outlets struggling to make even, let alone take chances on their offerings, a pitch neglected by the stadium owner, and derisory access limitations for the club which provides the raison d'etre for the concrete mess in the first place. It's a horrible place to spend a wet, windy Saturday afternoon (even worse on a Tuesday evening)
The club needs to get out, get it's own home or, at the very least, buy out FK and finish the job. ( I don't hold with the latter myself but it's an option for someone with more money than sense)
A modern, comfortable stadium with proper facilities coupled with Championship football would bring in those crowds. My own introduction to OUFC was through a neighbour who, having just moved to Woodstock from outside of the county, wanted to introduce his young lad to football. He offered to take myself and my two brothers along and we loved it! ( Eventually graduated to the London Road)
Right now, the "package" is flawed. The ground is just not conducive to holding onto the families that are needed to fill the North and South stands, as folk move away from the East, there is no apprentice waiting to step into their shoes.
The atmosphere was the attraction along with, on a good day, some great results. Our present home will never, ever match the eccentricity of the Manor but, if it was brought up to standard I see no reason why crowds could not be maintained at above 9000. However, as it stands, we have a three sided wind tunnel with decaying facilities, a lack of anything other than football as entertainment, catering outlets struggling to make even, let alone take chances on their offerings, a pitch neglected by the stadium owner, and derisory access limitations for the club which provides the raison d'etre for the concrete mess in the first place. It's a horrible place to spend a wet, windy Saturday afternoon (even worse on a Tuesday evening)
The club needs to get out, get it's own home or, at the very least, buy out FK and finish the job. ( I don't hold with the latter myself but it's an option for someone with more money than sense)
A modern, comfortable stadium with proper facilities coupled with Championship football would bring in those crowds. My own introduction to OUFC was through a neighbour who, having just moved to Woodstock from outside of the county, wanted to introduce his young lad to football. He offered to take myself and my two brothers along and we loved it! ( Eventually graduated to the London Road)
Right now, the "package" is flawed. The ground is just not conducive to holding onto the families that are needed to fill the North and South stands, as folk move away from the East, there is no apprentice waiting to step into their shoes.
frenchconnection
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Woodstock? Cool bladon exile here
If we has the right stadium thise 3 would have been what 10000 to 12000 crowds in League 1?
Sunderland was 10000 restricting Sunderland to what 1700 supporters.
Sarge
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12000 crowds are more than we had at the Manor in old Division one (now the Prem' League)
though wasnt the Manor restricted to a maximum attendance of 11500 at the time?
^ restricted to about half of the all time Manor attendance ( V PNE in FAcup round 6 early 60s) !
I had the pleasure of playing for Bladon for a few seasons in the 90s. Lovely pitch to play on.
H
horseman
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The added cost to attend in the championship would prevent many from attending regular, when we were still in with chance of a play off place we had small crowds against 2 of the top 3 sides at home as many preferred the day out at Boro in the cup. That was a sign of lack of interest from wider support and perhaps affordability for many others.
i've said previously the wrong games are pushed hard by marketing team, trying to fill the place against sunderland is all well and good but what attracts new fans to Oxford v Fleetwood? a few similar games with free entry may just swing it for some and perhaps have them return but of course it all comes down to the on field product and the powers that be must also realize that for many the Leisure spend is already stretched.
i've said previously the wrong games are pushed hard by marketing team, trying to fill the place against sunderland is all well and good but what attracts new fans to Oxford v Fleetwood? a few similar games with free entry may just swing it for some and perhaps have them return but of course it all comes down to the on field product and the powers that be must also realize that for many the Leisure spend is already stretched.
Manorlounger
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I used to travel into Oxford with two Bladonites. Nick and Dave, if I remember right. How many years ago was that?!!
frenchconnection
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I used to travel into Oxford with two Bladonites. Nick and Dave, if I remember right. How many years ago was that?!!
Yes the duke of marlborough spared no expense maintaining the pitch pmsl
Nick and dave? Or is the memory fading lol
Manorlounger
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Good pair of lads. Always had my back, Nick was a scooter man. Dave was as mad as a box of frogs but a good mate.
D
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No restriction, but the capacity had been lowered due the the removal of much of the Osler Road terrace. The PNE game also had a temporary stand built at the back of the Beech Road terrace.
Crowds were low everywhere. In our first season in Div 1, Arsenal (19.6k at home to us) and Spurs (17.6k at home to us) were often only getting in the low 20k's during that period. We averaged 10.2k with a high of 13.9k at home. The away average was only 17.2k! Hooliganism and football's image had taken their toll on attendances. It was Italia 90 that relit the flame and the introduction of Sky also pushed things forward (until they ruined it for many).
Reading had lower crowds than we did for years and they've built a much larger core now. Their town is hit even harder than Oxford by the London clubs taking support, yet still they average north of 15k in the Championship. It takes time but it can be done. It needs vision, money, success on the pitch and supportive local government. Where could it possibly go wrong?
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I think that when we were promoted from League 2 under MAPP the average attendance was only marginally less than the last season in the Top Division.
Times have changed and despite people's objections to the current ground, for kids and families it is far more preferable to the Manor.
Sarge
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sadly agree on that .... but, The Manor did have a unique charm , and really was 'home'
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From what I remember, 14,500 in 84/5, think there was around 14,000 for the Everton game in 83/4. Then we had work done down the Osler in the summer of 85, along with the installation of a fence which was so big it would have made Trump blush. This dropped the capacity down to 13,000ish I think it was.
holdsteady
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I think you have hit the nail on the head there, people keep going on about the eighties but that’s not relevant, crowds were smaller and (this is a hard thing for some people to accept) it was a long time ago, loads has changed and it’s a completely different situation now.
Any club that can take 30,000 to the tinpot trophy final two years in a row, a competition nobody cares about, yet only gets 6,000 through the gates has a hell of a lot of latent support it can, with the right improvements on and off the pitch, bring into the fold.
Oxfordshire has next to no competing similar leisure attractions, in fact Oxford for a place of its population (and a place at the centre of a county of nearing a million people and growing) is very badly served by the leisure industry, without poor facilities compared to the rest of the country.
Their is a lot going for us now in terms of location, if we could rid ourselves of Kassam who has held back our potential and nearly killed the club we could push on, just need someone to get him out of the way.
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Sarge
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I stand corrected .... memory aint what it was.... that said I vaguely recall something along the lines of 9500 being average home attendances at the Manor during our 3 years in the top flight (mid 80s) ? though that too could be me memory playing tricks on me?
