Lesscambe

[GodalmingYellow]

4,800? Really? That would suggest only a few hundred pay on the day. I demand a recount.

Great first half. Best home display of the season. Really well thought out passing. No hoofing from the back. Lots of movement and everyone demanding the ball. Good finishing in terms of taking risks and getting into positions to score. Great finishing in terms of Ryan Williams' cheeky chip. We could, and maybe should, have scored more. Particular praise to Ryan Williams, who I really hope we are able to hang onto until at least the end of the season. He could so easily become the difference between promotion or not.

Second half we sat back and let them come at us much more. Our persistent closing down from the first half all but disappeared and so Morecambe had much more of the ball than previously. But we stood firm and defended very well, restricting Morecambe to only a couple of serious chances, whilst still causing problems for them on the break. I don't like this typical Wilder style when defending a lead. It is unnecessarily risky.

Overall, a very good result against a half decent side, who were made to look poor in a dominant first half and highly skilful football worthy of a higher division. Lets hope that becomes the turning point for our home form.

Only sad thing about the day out, was the terrible attendance.

[Kernow Yellow]

It's certainly rather embarrassing for a club of our stature to be attracting fewer than 5,000 fans when top of the league, but I wasn't surprised by the attendance. Let's not forget that recent results and performances at home have been very poor indeed. A few more games like Saturday should see numbers pick back up again.

Also, I know I've banged on about this before but I don't think anyone should underestimate how poor the matchday experience is for many fans these days. I think the novelty factor of our stadium - and of being back in the league - has well and truly worn off for many fans who can remember what a decent football ground is like.

This is not to criticise the club at all - their hands are largely tied, and I appreciate their efforts with the 12th Man bar et al. But I'm not sure what they can really do to woo back fans who like to drink real ale in an actual pub with like-minded friends, and for whom that is as much a part of a desired matchday as the act of watching football itself. Especially when the casual fan is unlikely to be able to watch the football with their mates in their preferred part of the ground because of our all-seater, reserved seating policy.

There are many reasons why away games are a far more attractive proposition to many at the moment. But a few home wins on the bounce will certainly help matters no end.

[OUFC4eva]

4,800? Really? That would suggest only a few hundred pay on the day. I demand a recount.
Only sad thing about the day out, was the terrible attendance.

I walked past the ticket booths at around 2.35pm on Saturday - there was a "queue" of six people
waiting to buy tickets.

Our club is not viable at these attendance levels I would suggest.

The good thing is that the team is clearly improving, winning and this may attract back
some of the stay away fans.

[GodalmingYellow]

4,800? Really? That would suggest only a few hundred pay on the day. I demand a recount.
Only sad thing about the day out, was the terrible attendance.

I walked past the ticket booths at around 2.35pm on Saturday - there was a "queue" of six people
waiting to buy tickets.

Our club is not viable at these attendance levels I would suggest.

The good thing is that the team is clearly improving, winning and this may attract back
some of the stay away fans.

Our club isn't viable below 5,500 and probably realistically 6,000 or more at this level to break even. At the top of the league we should be getting gates nearer 7,000.

I think a lot of what KY has to say on matchday experience is true.

[OUFC4eva]

This annoying phrase or cliche "the matchday experience" has crept into
our football vocabulary over recent seasons.Ever since the BBC started
surveying grounds etc.

What was the matchday experience like ten years ago when we were top
under Atkins for example - was the Priory even open in 2003?

I say that things have improved in this area and are getting better.
I am not a drinker so ales and pubs are not an issue for me. I want to park
safely and leave quickly after watching an interesting game that hopefully we win.
Meeting friends and seeing old faces is part of it as is a good match programme and
a decent cuppa (unlikely at footie) I have had a good burger and chips at the van
if I am short of time. No complaints. The 12th Man bar is fine also.

My biggest gripe - leaving the unstewarded and uncontrolled car park grrrrr!

[tomoufc]

It's certainly rather embarrassing for a club of our stature to be attracting fewer than 5,000 fans when top of the league, but I wasn't surprised by the attendance. Let's not forget that recent results and performances at home have been very poor indeed. A few more games like Saturday should see numbers pick back up again.

Also, I know I've banged on about this before but I don't think anyone should underestimate how poor the matchday experience is for many fans these days. I think the novelty factor of our stadium - and of being back in the league - has well and truly worn off for many fans who can remember what a decent football ground is like.

This is not to criticise the club at all - their hands are largely tied, and I appreciate their efforts with the 12th Man bar et al. But I'm not sure what they can really do to woo back fans who like to drink real ale in an actual pub with like-minded friends, and for whom that is as much a part of a desired matchday as the act of watching football itself. Especially when the casual fan is unlikely to be able to watch the football with their mates in their preferred part of the ground because of our all-seater, reserved seating policy.

There are many reasons why away games are a far more attractive proposition to many at the moment. But a few home wins on the bounce will certainly help matters no end.

I was thinking about this last night. In many ways the best thing about the Priory wasn't so much the pub itself, but the marquee outside that sold ale out of barrels, hot food and had little concession stands. Perhaps there could be a look into just having a 'match day marquee' of this sort? This could also be used for LW games, so we could get some money from them for it too, and the pub wouldn't have to make a living when sports aren't being played. Also there would be scope for live music and...whatever you like really. It would possibly need to be heated and lighted etc, but surely the costs would be covered by sales? The potential stumbling blocks are obviously the police and FK. Don't Plymouth do a similar thing, with comedians and bands etc in a marquee before the match?

[Werthers Original]

Well I enjoyed it tonight! Crisp evening, game that was involving if not massively exciting, and a couple of entertaining friends. I just walk and cycle down so am not too worried about facilities but there are some obvious things.

The concourse bar is a grim space though I appreciate the efforts to improve the vibe. It's big - lots of unused space. They could easily have some live music or comedians but really the thing that would make the difference is a stall selling good quality local sausage or bacon rolls plus a few barrels of Hook Norton - one of the world's best breweries is just up the road!

The other thing that struck me is how few bikes are parked there. There are probably 10,000 cyclists within half an hour's ride, where are they? All those cars - do all our fans come from Kidlington or Witney?

(Yes I'm a middle class ponce, so shoot me!)

[Jimski]

I cycled there tonight (and do so every time I go) - reckon I'm home before some cars even leave the car park.

[neilw]

Have our non-season ticket attendees EVER been lower than the last two games? .... and whilst we are top (with three wins from ten home games). It's a strange season, one in which Lenagan must wonder why and how he ever got involved.

[Snake]

A good question Neil, but the answer may be a combination of many seasons of hope turning into eventual despair, a soulless three-sided open-cornered ground that Oxford United don’t own and the cost of match day admission in tough times. And how can you play decent football when the wind blows in from the West at times?

Another good question would be what the attendance rates of those who are ST holders are? As we all know the published attendances figures are lower than the ‘turnstile clicks’.

[Brahma Bull]

The gates are a real worry. Top of the league, sub 5000 home fans. Last night (Newport) the 5000+ was achieved through a decent away following. The fare isn't great and second half we didn't manage a decent effort. I don't think the Board are overly concerned about the numbers flocking in or out and this is evidenced by Ian Lenagan's comment about this subject at our recent OxVox meeting with him at the start of this month. He said "Attendance revenues are currently up against those budgeted for the season". So is it a problem? I think it is.

However that said, I am enjoying myself at games at the moment simply because I am meeting up with my mates and having a catch-up. Maybe it was because I missed the last two home matches and my ST seat has been vacant.

[YF Dan]

I know I'm opening myself up to the usual bombardment from the "we're top of the league, what more do you want" brigade, but the attendances to me are a reflection of the kind of football we play under Wilder.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first half on Saturday. We had Morecambe out for the count after half an hour, we could have gone on to pulverise them. If we'd won 5 or 6-nil, I bet there would have been another 300 fans there last night. If we'd won bigger on Saturday, the team would have been so full of confidence, we'd have been flying last night too. If we won again last night, there would have been another few hundred more on the gate for the next home match.

Instead, we sat back on Saturday. Morecambe probably had the better of the second half, and had that shot gone in instead of hitting the post, it might have got more nervy. We lost our momentum in that second half, which may have had an impact on last night's match. Last night's 0-0 will merely confirm to stay away/fairweather fans what they already feared...there's a high chance of low entertainment at the Kasstad.

Wilder's default position is to conserve points and winning positions, not extend them. This is not a bad thing, but it does mean we will never be fun to watch. A 1-0 is no better than a 5-4 in terms the table, but what adds more to the crowd?

For many Oxford fans, supporting Oxford is about habit, tradition, pain, suffering etc and those fans will always turn up, but for the rest, football is entertainment. And to pay £20-odd quid knowing that there's a high chance that home matches will be disappointing is a risk most people can't afford at the moment.

So the club faces two options: either demand a wildly open attacking style of play from the management and team to guarantee excitement, I accept this is unrealistic; or drop prices to an extent that if the fayre is rubbish, at least the punter doesn't resent having coughed up half a days wages for it.

-----

I called the club a while ago, to talk about the policy Accrington have of giving hundreds of free season tickets to local schools to give to their kids, to encourage the kids to get their parents to take them along. Yes, we offer free tickets for children, bot only once they turn up at the ground. Accrington's method proactively takes the tickets to the kids and creates demand.

I was told the club had a much better plan line up, which turned out to be the not especially inspiring Boxing Day promotion.

We all know the faults with the ground, but I really don't think the club does enough to attract fans back to the stadium in the first place. And with crowds as low as they are now, this is a dangerous game.

[YF Dan]

I know I'm opening myself up to the usual bombardment from the "we're top of the league, what more do you want" brigade, but the attendances to me are a reflection of the kind of football we play under Wilder.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first half on Saturday. We had Morecambe out for the count after half an hour, we could have gone on to pulverise them. If we'd won 5 or 6-nil, I bet there would have been another 300 fans there last night. If we'd won bigger on Saturday, the team would have been so full of confidence, we'd have been flying last night too. If we won again last night, there would have been another few hundred more on the gate for the next home match.

Instead, we sat back on Saturday. Morecambe probably had the better of the second half, and had that shot gone in instead of hitting the post, it might have got more nervy. We lost our momentum in that second half, which may have had an impact on last night's match. Last night's 0-0 will merely confirm to stay away/fairweather fans what they already feared...there's a high chance of low entertainment at the Kasstad.

Wilder's default position is to conserve points and winning positions, not extend them. This is not a bad thing, but it does mean we will never be fun to watch. A 1-0 is no better than a 5-4 in terms the table, but what adds more to the crowd?

For many Oxford fans, supporting Oxford is about habit, tradition, pain, suffering etc and those fans will always turn up, but for the rest, football is entertainment. And to pay £20-odd quid knowing that there's a high chance that home matches will be disappointing is a risk most people can't afford at the moment.

So the club faces two options: either demand a wildly open attacking style of play from the management and team to guarantee excitement, I accept this is unrealistic; or drop prices to an extent that if the fayre is rubbish, at least the punter doesn't resent having coughed up half a days wages for it.

-----

I called the club a while ago, to talk about the policy Accrington have of giving hundreds of free season tickets to local schools to give to their kids, to encourage the kids to get their parents to take them along. Yes, we offer free tickets for children, bot only once they turn up at the ground. Accrington's method proactively takes the tickets to the kids and creates demand.

I was told the club had a much better plan line up, which turned out to be the not especially inspiring Boxing Day promotion.

We all know the faults with the ground, but I really don't think the club does enough to attract fans back to the stadium in the first place. And with crowds as low as they are now, this is a dangerous game.

[ty cobb]

I'd also raise the point I made sometime ago, if you're not able to get to many games anymore (in my case due to a move away from Oxford and a young baby) it is hard to keep the matchday routine going, when I lived in Oxford I would always listen to Radio Oxford for a game I couldn't make. Now I can't so I end up watching football on the box and so have slowly started losing interest as one would when they can't be involved.

Ok yellow player is avaliable but paying nearly half the cost of the licence fee again to pay for commentary which I already fund through my licence fee is something I'm not going to do.

[ty cobb]

Oh and if anyone is still staying away because of Wilder they may be able to see mid table football soon but at least the manager will be different!

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news ... nagers-job