ADG I think you are spot on, there used to be about 4 or 5 of us who would all meet up prior to the game, a few beers and then on to the ground..............none of the others bother going now. if i am to go when i come home i go on my own. im unsure that if i was based in Hartlepool wether i could be bothered to go every week. I am talking about lads who where season ticket holders and would go to all away games also.

I don't see crowds at many other clubs suffering.
Look at the crowds in league 2 yesterday.
Anyone who blames the manager for not going is not a true supporter.
This town has a population of 90,000 people, higher even than a few championship clubs.
If we can't get 4000 genuine supporters there's something wrong.

There is something massively wrong, hence why we've lost so many supporters. People aren't going to change their feeling towards the club at the click of a switch so something has to be done. Results aren't going to instantly get better (especially given the run we have) and I'd be massively surprised if we got above 11th in the league between now and May.

The attendances for crowds on the day after Boxing Day in the last 4 seasons have gone from 4654 to 4379 to 3877 to 2634. Thats 2000 fans lost in 3 years and I think that figure will only increase the way the immediate future looks.

Poor performances and management politics aside, the prices are steep in the current climate granted but the club hardly do anything to sell themselves

I see adverts in the mail for 10 game passes for Sunderland and reduced prices for games for kids and yet the price always stays the same at Pools, when a premiership club can give kids the next 10 home games for £50 and the get to see some of the big four in action how can pools compete. . .they need to do more to attract kids and casual fans that seem to appear when there's a day out at Cardiff or a day out at Sunderland, the lot who don't give a shit about the politics of the club management

As I've already said before, the pools lads do enough work out and about with schools and stuff so the link is already there with the kids . . .what would you rather have, 300 kids paying a tenner to get in or a thousand kids paying a fiver?

I mention kids primarily as without getting them hooked early the club has no future and the crowds will only shrink as the next generation miss out

Likewise I'm sure there is some balance to be had in adult prices which could bring in more supporters

parmopooly told me he wasn't going back till CT replace. Do you think he's not a HUFC supporter?

Darlo is a bad example to use as they are massively in decline. You could make it £5 to get in and people wouldn't bother.

People need a cash incentive to attend at the moment, I think there must be a way a medium could be met to work for the benefit of both the club and supporters.

It may not have worked at other clubs, that's not to say it'll work here but atleast give it a try, I don't think the club have anything to lose by promoting the club and games a little more

No, I have picked the only person I know who has told me they aren't going to games because of CT. Parmo hasn't mentioned the game that I've read so I presume he wasn't there.

You should never answer a question with a question by the way!

How about something along the lines of what Bradford City have been doing for the past few seasons? Offering season tickets at very, very low prices providing enough supporters take up the offer? The emphasis here has been on filling the stadium rather than filling the coffers. Bradford are constantly getting high crowds after they made this offer.

I agree the population is a lot higher but I still think the idea is an interesting one and possibly worth exploring.

I'll make a start once you answer my question!

I wouldn't say go as far as to fill up the ground at a ridiculouly low price, I think there has got to be somthing in it for the club too

Like finding that happy medium which makes club and supports happy, I'm sure we'd much rather have 5000 paying £13 rather than having 2500 paying £20, I guess its getting that support at the lower price is the trick to all of this

I know the year is only a few days old but thats the post of the year so far Dibble.

I cannot disagree with any of that.

Im sure I read an article in the 'media' that Hartlepool and surrounding areas have been affected less than most areas in the UK by the current financial crisis. Im not sure how true this but house prices have certainly dropped less (proportionately) than many other areas. I dont think the local financial situation has a huge bearing on our dwindling attendances. From just speaking to other poolies (and many of them 'former' poolies) the usual reason given is that of our current manager. Im not saying it is right or wrong to stop going as a result but the fact is that it is happening. The sense of optimism around the club has vanished despite us being in a relatively successful 'position'. The negative defeatist talk from Turner is largely responsible I feel.

ADG makes a lot of excellent points but I think the football under Danny Wilson was far superior to what we are seeing now even if he was distant from the fans.

Saying that people who aren't going aren't HUFC supporters is a joke. We are too small a club to have a divide amongst fans. I've never been one for this real / true supporters shite. As far as I'm concerned Pools isn't a closed shop, any manc, mag or mackem wannabe is more than welcome at the vic and more should be done to try and get people from the town who are interested in football to ditch their arm chairs and get themselves along to the vic.

As has been said people need a bit more to justify spending 20 quid every week or so. The low attendances were always going to happen when Pools gave fans little incentive to buy season tickets.

..

Great post ADG.

This season i never renewed my season ticket the season ticket i've had for donkey's years because no new manager was announced still went to the early season games.
Kettering was the last game that i attended and here are my reasons that i have not being going.

1.Terrible football.
2.no atmosphere.
3.Turner as manager.

Yesterday i had my thermals on and ready to go but just could not raise the passion to get me across the door.

There is no feel good factor at the club anymore. Over the last few years upto the first year back in league 1 there would be a buzz at the ground. Pools went and attacked teams and tried to score. It was enjoyable to watch and yes even Wilson had us playing some nice football. Unfortnatley CT is there to try get points on the board and not worry about style. We dont seem to have much of a style of play going forward but thats a different matter.

We dropped our prices down to £10 for a game against Chester (I think) which was due to take place on a saturday. It got called off and the offer was kept in place for the rearranged game and we got about 2500 so it made no difference whatsoever. If people dont want to go they will make the excuse of the cost at first, then when something is done about that they will find some other excuse. Like I said on that other thread, once you lose the gloryhunters you will need to be pissing the league to get them back and even then its not guaranteed because theyll have found something else to do with their saturdays.
What works for Sunderland doesnt always work in the lower leagues. I wouldnt use Bradford as a good example either since they were needing to sell tickets for the next season halfway through the first just to keep their cash flow right.

Extra bodies through the turnstyles equals better players.
I'm sure that after every successful season we have had IOR have made funds available to bring in better players.
What exactly do people want?
I'm not going until the manager goes!!
I'm not going until the team mproves!!
It's a no win situation at the moment.
The team is not good enough to make the top six.
The manager arguably is tactically naive despite our league position.
The fans are not coming through the gates.

The last manager who the fans seemed to be very happy with was cooper.
After the heavy home defeat against Wrexham even some fans then were questioning his ability to lead the team.
How many hounded Newell!!
How many hounded Wilson!!

There's none more fickle than football fans in this town.
Any foooking excuse.

i agree with this to a certain extent.

Many people said they wouldn't go to Pools til Wilson had gone. He went. Attendences remained low.

Haven't we already discovered that those not going aren't going just because of Turner?

I haven't been to any away games since Carlisle - me missing the last two home games were work related, although admittedly I made no attempt to take the time off. Away games are a write off when the manager talks up the opponents -he should keep his stupid mouth SHUT.
And no I don't WANT to go and watch Turner's brand of football, but I have a ST so whether I go or not I am not withdrawing my financial support of HUFC in any way.
I will never be convinced that Turner is anything but a poor manager - there are far better managers than him in our division with less money from their respective clubs' owners, eg Steve Tilson. People like Nigel Adkins are on a different planet to what Turner can do.
Danny Wilson wasn't committed to Pools, Turner is - but sadly he will hold the team back because he isn't good enough himself. I will be at the next home game as I am not working that day as things stand. However I would rather earn the overtime at the moment!!!
As for away matches, when the manager stops saying how hard it is going to be and how we are unlikely to get anything from the game BEFORE a ball has even been kicked, then I might consider attending my next away match. I want to hear how we are going to give them a game, how we are going to have a go - I see what he's doing and securing his own position and looking to pass the blame rather than accept the responsibility himself.
If he wants the manager's job then he should be a man and accept the responsibility and not shirk it and always look to blame other things. There's always the possibility he can prove me wrong, but I would be truly amazed if he ever did.

in short - I haven't "stopped" attending Pools because of the manager - but rather because of work and not making the attempt to get the time off because I don't want to, basically. Am I a criminal for doing that?

There's none more fickle than football fans full stop.

budoom bish!!!

no I am on 12 hour days Saturday and Sunday!!! Ker-ching!!!!

if we got relegated, were in the promotion places most of the season, crowds would be 4/5000, like they were last time. Mid table in league one = poor crowds, they are conference level at the moment.

nah I went in to work to see if there was any news on my job application!!! It was after 3pm when I left there!! I'm going in tomorrow to check my e mail inbox again!!!