1st home game of last season crowd 7593 1st home this season 5552 that's a decrease of 2041 .
Other home gates on Saturday

Flyde 1090
Heed 1242
Maidenhea 1379
D& R 1523
Altrincham 1548
Halifax 1634
Tamworth 1676
Aldershot 2564
Boston 2578
Southend 7962

Over all crowds from Championship down over will be in decline.
The Cost of Living now gone a bit silent is Gunna kick in big style from October.
Projected gas/Leccy to sky rocket. C tax already high. From April with riots tax added on for sure.

Pensioner's taking a major hit on the winter bills.
Xmas etc etc.

The football bubble is set to burst. Plus there's hardly any decent players nowadays.

Bad economic news forecast in the USA this week.

You got any figures for the amount of decline?

You have to admire Gateshead's performances with poxy gates of 850-1250.
Last season's FA Trophy winners and in an abortive playoff spot yet only 1242 to witness a 5-1 home win. How many would have turned up to the Vic if we had such a recent record?
So the question is, how do Heed do it?

Witchcraft. There's a coven meets in the centre circle at the IS every Friday evening, dances three times backwards round Kenton Richardson then flies off to drop stink bombs on the Vic. Down with that sort of thing.

End of season

Generous backers who put their hands in their pockets to subsidise the club, no way could they survive if the relied on paying players wages with the crowds they get.

Generous backers who put their hands in their pockets to subsidise the club, no way could they survive if the relied on paying players wages with the crowds they get.

Double post

So there's nothing to show crowds are in decline as yet. Oldham have been poor and that's why theirs crowds went down. Same reason our season ticket numbers have reportedly suffered.

another problem is now with sky streaming a game live on saturday that people can watch it surely is going to put some off if they have to drive to some grounds where parking is difficult. without counting for the season we can watch pools live stream 5 out of our first 8 games without a funny stick. attending games is habit forming and this could break the habit for some. i for one never go to midweek games anymore since covid even halifax away which is a short trip.

Irrespective of the weather if you are a die hard fan you can’t beat watching a live game in the ground, the fans who watch it home instead of going to the game are not true football fans.

got to admire Sarffend with nearly 8k gates when at home - imagine we got those numbers. No reason why we shouldnt get 7k if the team was doing well and back in the EFL. Madness to think how many come out the woodwork when we go to finals and decent cup games etc.
shame those fans cant be here weekly and the team they only want to support when doing well would do better and get to more finals because of extra pennies in the coffers. Goes full circle - im sure some of the lads i know who stopped supporting years ago only took an interest again when we got back in the league that time

thats a bit of a wild statement. some cannot attend due to ill health, lack of money or the distance they have to travel especially if they are paying for a sjy subscription anyway. that would go down well at many homes if a football fan told his family they were cancelling sky to buy a season ticket for themselves to watch their club.

There are wide and varied reasons for not being able to attend the ground, which you may find out as you get older. Some of the fans who you refer to as not football fans were going before you were born.
Think before you ink sunshine but I've advised that before I seem to remember.

Reality check - even in the 2 seasons Pools were making the play-offs in the third-tier of English football and contending for a place in the Championship, average home gates never quite reached 5,500 - and that was with some teams bringing massive away support to the Vic.

If we have a fantastic, promotion-winning season in the NL we might average close to 5,000 for home games - and that in itself would be terrific. Don't forget the away end will be empty most weeks.

I was not referring to ‘disabled’ , infirm or housebound people Derwent who for some reason can’t attend, I was referring to fair weather fans who deprive the Pools income by using a ‘magic stick’ then complaining we need new players, think before you ink sunshine Derwent.
I don’t think there are many on here who were going to the footy before I was born tbh ?

Think i was going to football around the same era as you, Me and Sir Jeff and others(kids) were nicking into pools anyway we could.
Better than a funny stick i think.
Thats why my title is "Grayhoundend" sometimes had to nick into the Grayhound Stadium and climb over the Townend fence and into the Vic.
Happy Days

Remember being at a few night matches when the dogs were on next door too. If you could hear the hare going round it meant there wasn't much to shout about happening on the pitch

In recent years pools crowds have been way bigger than crowds they got in the past for the types of games they have been watching. I think we can take a lot of past games at pools years gone by with a pinch of salt, crowds were fiddled big time by100s if not more.

A poor pools team was getting well over 4 k last year, i think if we were top of the national league consistently and not for half hour here or there we could bring in 5000 to 5500 on a regular basis now. We saw a glimpse of what could be achieved under challinor, one day who knows we might see our potential released on a more regular basis.

Massaging gates downwards definitely happened under Gary Gibson and were a regular cause of laughter on the terraces. IOR never had any reason to do it and I'm sure they didn't. I agree we'll get 5,000 to 5,500 in on a (fairly) regular basis this season if we do well, but not over 23 home games. Happy to see who was at the end of the season - as long as it doesn't go tits up on us again

ill also add to the reason for most of my lack of home game time is due to work related ventures. Overseas or not, The magic stick is a god send when travelling or abroad to catch the matches. But in perspective my money goes into the club in other ways so i dont feel like im robbing peter to pay paul if you get me !
Few of my other pals who dont frequent the games anymore is simply down to becoming new dads etc <<< but their time will come again and bringing along the new crop of harty Pools Fans (poor sods).

Ior probobly didnt but gate staff were letting people in for nowt or taking a cut at the time. If and its a big if we get off to a great start, top 2 or 3 i think 4500 plus regualrly will happen. If we are there after xmas time 5000 plus will come.

Prices and cost of living and a poor last few years will hit us hard this year unless we have a top team.

Try qualifying your remarks then if you are just meaning a particular group instead of making sweeping statements.
Like I said, and others have, the reasons are wide and varied, and not just confined to being physically incapable.
My last appearance at the Vic cost me over £80. Some of us have to plan a visit and spend more than someone who can keep the cost down to the ticket price and a bit of shoe leather.
I don't think there will be many bunker members who were born before you either but that comment is irrelevant because you referred to football fans and didn't restrict your comments to bunker members.
Technically by using the words football fans to describe the gadgies you were referring to, there are probably thousands within your original category.

Spot on.

That is one pig ignorant shit stirring statement if ever I heard one. I was going there when they were needing them, not feeding them.
I can’t go now for the past four years because of my knee and the simple factor I highlighted on here was because there was no handrail to get up the stairs .
I miss it like shit and can still smell the wet grass and mud and don’t need some fuckwit rubbing my nose in it.
I am fucking fuming.

Ignore him snowy..I remember having same sort of attitude when I was a kid, then I grew up (a bit) and learned something called life makes everything a little more complicated, no one knows peoples circumstances as they aren’t peoples business, but no doubting you are a true (if somewhat over optimistic) fan

When Snowy announced his problem with his knee I promised then that when, I win the lottery I would put a lift in the CK, organise two heated armchairs for me and Snowy and woe betide any of you daring to sit in them. That intention still stands.

I would probably prefer people to be interested enough in Pools to watch it (thieved or not) than buying Liverpool shirts (etc). Vacuous plastics. At least those following Pools from afar might start coming if and when we do well.

True fans manage to make every post on here negative ones, and sometimes outrageously stupid ones.

"Over optimistic"
Compared to WHO, I wonder

Sorry could not resist.

Favouritism that, Can,t you have a row of heated chairs for the Bunkerites.

Don't bother including me I'm not swapping my usual perch right next Raj.

Whos going to sit next to you.

Strange but it always seems to be just the 2 of us with no other mates????

So thats you and Loyal sat next to each other.

Need another seat for Jamie

What’s pig ignorant about my post Snowy, why do do you take my post so personally, it wasn’t aimed at you directly, I said you can’t beat going to a live football game or do you have a dodgy box or magic stick where you watch the games for free, I doubt it as you are very honest upstanding citizen.
If feel so strongly about not being able to go to the games ask the club too accommodate your needs, they will say though there are places in the ground for the infirm and the disabled, you are not disabled but they are not providing you with adequate access and egress re handrails in the stands.
A law called the Equality Act 2010 says that football clubs must treat disabled people fairly. Football clubs must make it easy for disabled people to go to football matches and use football stadiums. Other laws before the Equality Act 2010 also said this.

I like too stand.

The type of fan you are quoting would be in the minority, I am not on about subscription tv I am on about dodgy boxes and fire sticks which there is no subscription to pay depriving the club of funds.

Don’t have the utter crassness to lecture me about how I feel, are you on a wind up?
Your reply shows what a cold fish you are with all the passion for that game of a rats fart.
In fact I genuinely don’t believe you exist, but are a made up character by a few daft lads on a wind up, because your grasp of the true football is as a thin veneer to cover your other lectures. You’re like some Harry Enfield character.
You don’t get it and never will.

When I’ve wired it up.

Will the shirts have to get new strap lines from Poolie Till I Die. toPoolie if you Go.……

exactly. there is nothing worse in any town to see people in premier league shirts who are not exiles or have a family link with that club. if someone would pay the cost of my fuel every week i,d but a season ticket now so i could see every home game instead of 10 a season which is all i can afford and thats with driving a car i do not like apart from its fuel consuption.

Do you watch the games at the grounds or do you watch the games at home .Do you class yourself as a true football fan. How do people qualify as true fans.

Join a message board and slag their club off continuously.

What’s it got to do with you what I do with my life although I am a true Pools fan, I get the impression you are always trying to emulate Snowy, you couldn’t lace his boots.

I lace my own boots, I wouldn’t dream of patronising anyone to do it.
Leggie is a canny lad.

That's exactly my point What's it got to do with you how or when others watch Pools. Wind your neck in old boy

Depends on how much I have to spend and of course there would be a selection process.