A sign of mass unrest at St James’ Park?

toonsy

Understanding attendances.
I’ve had this article planned since the weekend but I’ve just got round to writing so bear with me if anyone feels that it’s “out of date” or has passed it’s most relevant period.

I happen to think otherwise and believe that it’s a very important thing, and I hope you agree. Anyway, here goes.

In a nutshell it’s about attendances. The figures show that just 46,894 turned up at St James’ Park for the opening fixture of the Premier League season. It was still the biggest crowd in England over the weekend, but it’s some 5,400ish short of what we can achieve. Is it a sign of the times? What could cause this sudden drop in attendances?

Obviously the place where most people will point the finger is towards Mike Ashley. I’ve read a few comments now asking why people should bother going if the owner of the club can’t be bothered to invest in players. This is of course up to the person in question, although it’s worth pointing out now my belief that the only way to get rid of Ashley should you desire to do so is not give him a penny of your hard-earned cash. It will hurt, but if people really feel that strongly then perhaps actions would speak louder than words?

There is undoubtedly an element of unrest within the fanbase, but is that the only reason? In my opinion, no. We were riding on the crest of a wave last season having just earned promotion back to the Premier League, yet in the first home game of last season we only managed to get 43,546 through the gate for our 6-0 win over Aston Villa. If you look it comparatively, attendances are up.

Not that it replaces the missing 5,000 or so souls that are usually at St James’ Park of course. There has to be more reasons for it.

How about personal finances? Look at any financial newspaper or website, look at the recent decline in the stock market and the price of oil, inflation is high, unemployment figures are high, people are on pay freezes, bills are going up. The economy is not a pretty place at the moment.

Naturally when this happens people tend to look at their own scenario and think that they are alright so everybody else must be alright. Wrong. People are struggling out there and when you have bills to pay, mouths to feed, homes to heat and so on you need to re-adjust your priorities. Would you spend £40 on a match ticket? Or keep it aside in case something happens or to help with a bill? Confidence is shot at the moment and to me that is another factor behind the drop in attendances.

For those who are feeling flush it’s worth pointing out that this is peak holiday time so a proportion of the missing fans will be in various places around the globe sunning themselves. Off the top of my head I know of seven season ticket holders who are away on their jollies at the moment which will affect attendances. Yes it’s only seven, but if I know a few and you know a few and so on it soon mounts up. Thanks to those fancy card reader things on the turnstiles at St James’ Park, NUFC count actual attendances on the day and not tickets sold.

This new seating plan also has something to do with it in my opinion. We heard stories over the weekend how some of those that have been displaced from Level 7 caused problems for stewards and other fellow fans around the ground at the weekend, but there will also be fans who are so pissed off with having to move that they just haven’t bothered going back. The new extended away end is said to be 4,000 seats but not even Arsenal filled that so I reckon other clubs may struggle aswell.

In conclusion I believe that all of these reasons combined are playing a part in our drop in attendances. It’s worth remembering that crowds are down everywhere at the moment and even teams like Manchester United are struggling to shift all of their season tickets. In fact last season was the first season in something like 20 years that they had failed to sell out their season tickets.

It’s all too early to tell to be honest. I mean we still nearly hit a 50,000 average last season despite the first game having nearly 10,000 empty seats. I expect that we’ll see steady growth throughout the season in terms of attendances as that is how it’s happened over the last few years – even in the relegation season.

If that doesn’t happen then we may a problem.

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

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198 thoughts on “A sign of mass unrest at St James’ Park?”

  3. Hitman .. you have no idea what the situation is so stop getting yourself in your usual aggro lather.

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  4. Hitman, you are now defined as someone who does not support the club. You are not capable of saying that you support the club without being hypocritical because all you do is moan and whinge and complain about everything to do with NUFC. When did you last say something positive? Your negativity is astounding. Sorry for you.

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  5. Come on you bunch of miserable gits. Forget about Ashley for once. It’s derby weekend. How can you not get fired up for that?
    Get some fire in your bellys. Makems away, shola to score the 2nd and winning goal in a 2-1 to the toon result.

    HWTL.

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  6. lather,have you ever..
    toonpipes only took the pro ashley stance when he seen stardy being out numberd

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  8. Hitman – why dont you enlighten us on your plans to “oust the ****”
    should be interesting reading
    😳 😳 😳

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  9. Hitman@73, and we got…..

    £35 FKN MILLION FOR ANDY CARROLL

    ….and Shane Long went for £6.5.

    ….why I oughtaaa!!!!!

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  10. 😆 love it @77,just like toonsy isnt a true geordie coz he refuses to give money to ashley..

    toonpipes are you a geordie

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  11. Hitman, you and i know i drive that bus. You on the other hand must drive your lass mad with your endless whinging and moaning chucking fits frustrated oot your heead over MA .. well funny.

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  16. Mickey – Shola might well score the 2nd goal, but who the **** is gonna score the 1st???
    Its pretty dificult to get up for the derby match when we all know we have a weakened team.
    I want to see if Pardew has it within him to sufficiently motivate the Lads for the win. I hope so, but he is seriously undermining himself with his press briefings.

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  17. @toonpipes

    As long as you are a Nelson Mandella equivalent who hated the regime but spoke of nothing but positivity and hope for the future I could admire you.

    However, you are actually the equivalent of a White landlord who supports the regime and takes any opportunity to down beat the original and natives of the land.

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  19. Perhaps Ashley is hooked on playing God/Devil. Imagine being in his shoes, dipping into this blog, and seeing the power he has to play with people’s hopes and dreams. I could get hooked.

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  20. alreet TP, not bad mate, no longer in my usual day-to-day environment, but looking up through a sea of vowels, in a meandering mass of lists.

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  21. Fuggin riot ❓ PATHETIC..
    after whats just happened recently, yous wouldn’t stand a chance.
    And you think that would solve all the problems.
    That would just be the nail in the coffin of NUFC. But I doubt you have the intellect to see that.
    Unbelievable 👿

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  22. Mickey Toon, 😆

    …get rid of that avatar man, nee one will bother reading yer posts! I just see Owl-heed and leg it! haha 😀

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  23. FFS,bb it was a joke,fkin grow a sence of humor..
    as for toonpipes he only comes on here to abuse people,he brings nowt to the convo..

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  24. Troy, that is a poor effort. Expect better from you. Think a few people have commented that your metaphors were becoming a little weak. What is a White Landlord – is that some terrible link to the Mandela bit? jeeeesh .. go to sleep lets talk tomoz when you arent sicking up drivel like that.

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  25. Aye Mickey that’d be right. A defender to open the scoring and a waste of space for the winner.
    Desperate or what 😕

    I luv your optimism tho.
    HWTL Toon Toon.

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  26. Hitman I know you didnt mean it, but some people will be thinking along those lines eh Troy ❓

    Seriously tho try answering the question ❓

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  27. Hitman, come on .. dont be like that .. i know you dont like conversations + of course you know its a bit daft for you to say someone comes on here to abuse people and brings nowt to the convo when one of your recent efforts was the delightful effort: ‘a knew with comment 61 some slug would crawl out’ …. hardly constructive and certainly a little abusive ..

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  28. @B&B

    Did you read my support in relation to your post about the backlash that is inevitable if we don’t get results this season.

    We are now the equivalent of the immediate selling of Supermac (Carroll) in the late 70s with 40+k crowds. Within 3 years we were playing in front of 11k.

    For me, it’s just round the corner to be playing in front of -40k crowds and the downward spiral is in full flow.

    Dramatic? Ive seen it but many younger fans haven’t.

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  30. Rod, he’s keeping an eye on everyone and reporting back to mike. 😆

    Off topic, anyone watching bbc1? Cracking program on the army in Helmand fighting in 2007. All filmed live by the sergeant. Just had a moment where they throught someone was dead. Top viewing.

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  32. I have been a season ticket holder since I started working in the early sixties
    i have seen the likes of Seymour, Rutherford ,Westwood McKeag the Halls
    Shepherd and now Ashley all of them have left the club with more money than they put in into it I have stood outside the directors box with the sadly departed Peter Knox (big Peter) and demanded the removal of Westwood the pirate and all the others possibly in more colourful language .We have demanded the removal of more than one inept manager why do we do it why dont I go shopping with the wife on saturday afternoon and forget about
    Ashley Lambsarse and Patsy Pardew Its simple black and white blood I couldnt stop going to the match if my life depended on it so blame me and probably another 40,000 like me for lining Ashley and his cronies pockets
    Yes we whinge and whine about what hes doing to our club but the rare days likeUpjest Doza newcastle 5 Man Utd 0 Asprilla hat trick and of course last season Newcastle 5 Mackems 1 no one can take days like that away not even Ashley can stop the dreaded disease of newcastle Daftness nor doe she want because thats what makes us turn up whichever a***holes
    are in the directors box and there aint no cure for it.

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  33. Troy you little black cloud. Doesnt take a great deal of insight to predict negative situations when the country is in recession ..

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  34. @toonpipes

    Ha. That metaphor quip came from someone I’ve had on the ropes for two days and he’s been biting like a piranha .

    Looks like I’ve got another bite . 😛 😛

    Goodnight. 😛

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  36. why the fkn plop ain’t the number one derby game in the c*ntry being shown on Satdi anyway. What a load of budgie sick.

    …I blame it on the fkn unwashed kicking off on camera. And Mike Ashley.

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  38. Bobs, you can make out that you are only on here for a wind up .. but you dont fool nee one wee man. You know that your position is untenable and ridiculous cos you arent as daft as you make out. Secretly you know you support MA.

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  39. Hitman, cos you said i only come on here to abuse people, which is not true, when you had patently been abusing people as an exanple, comment 61!

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  41. Rodz .. what do you mean not in your usual day to day environment? .. agree with you that its shambles the toon match not on tv wtf!

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  42. haha gan on Hitman .. any way you arent usually on here this late .. any reason you knockin around on here this time?

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  43. Troy- Aye, read it. We seem to be agreeing with each other too much. Bit worrying.
    Steve O – Rousing stuff, old man. That Barcelona night when the stands were rocking; that Shearer goal against Everton; Tiote against Arsenal …

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  44. TP, got made redundant on Monday. Didn’t want to draw attention. I’m currently head consonant booker at club ‘list-a-go-go’.

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  45. Rodz .. *****! .. sorry mate, f cking pain in the a ss that like .. hope you get something else sorted out .. at least you have the consonants to work on .. seriously, hope you get someat sorted. A win on satd would be good for a start ….

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  46. Rodz just watch it for free on your pc.

    Thats what the makems do, apparently. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

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  47. Anyway they cant show it live as the makems ahve had their quota of live matches til next year. 1 match :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

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  48. Bring back “Shoot” with Roger Tames on a Sunday for the derby highlights, eh Steve O? Tommy Craig with his body swerve sending the kid for the papers …

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  49. aye lads, it’s ****, but av had plenny of it chucked mi way in the past. Just as well mi Mam taught me the HAAARNG KAAARNG booka KARNG FU at the age of 5.

    Roll on Satdi, be a very interesting midfield battle between Twattermole and JB. As much as I dislike Cattermole, I can see the similarities between him and wor Joey. There’s a diminishing respect between midfield players, year on year. As much as I hate to say it, the m*ckems under Steve Bruce seem to be moving in the same direction as us, at a pace I’m uncomfortable with.

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  51. ‘I’ve had this article planned since the weekend but I’ve just got round to writing so bear with me if anyone feels that it’s “out of date” or has passed it’s most relevant period.’

    Toonsy. Welcome to the out of date club. 😉

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  52. Oh Im too drunk to comment and for some reason I always miss commenting on my own stories. Perhaps I drink too much. 🙁 but for now I’m not going to give up hope until the transfer window shuts and then I will give my verdict.

    All I can do till them is hope we beat the Scum.

    Seriously hope we get the.quality.left back and striker.in.we.need. not confident it’ll happen though… F Ashley till then.

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  54. I worry about Saturday.

    This is too big a must win game (always is but this pot’s close to boiling over)

    Don’t think some of them will be able to take the pressure…..just glad we aren’t at home as the new boys may just soil themselves….

    Like it or lump it, a loss against the mackems and THEN we will see some fan unrest.

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  55. Please give pardew some toilet roll to wipe his chin with, Nudgin Mike for some transfer money, what a joker

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  56. JJ…you are a good writer mate. Really enjoy reading your threads. I don’t know what to say; I haven’t got much faith in Newcastle either at the minute. Keep going though, I will, never knoe we might pull it off. I’m really starting to think Ashley is taking the proverbial though. He knows it aswell and could prevent it, which is the most disturbing thing for me.

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  57. Moreno – Cabaye was in shock 1st half last sat eve. Not used to big crowds.
    All part of the settling in tho.

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  59. Jostoon – aye its a bit embarrassing.
    If you’ve got nowt to say, better to say nowt than try and bullshit.
    It always comes back to bite him on the ***. 😳

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  60. Yeah well he best hurry and settle in tomorrow. Cos it ain’t gonna be easy settling in to a despondent dressing room and a livid city if we lose against the makems.

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  63. BB, read that earlier mate. Everyone Loves Joey, unfortunately most humans envisage themselves as righteous and inoffensive beings, and with Joey Barton being the victim of his own success through the media spotlight, he’s scarred himself with his own passion.

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  66. Moreno – I doubt the result on Saturday will make a blind bit of difference to some of the miserable buggers on here. 😐

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  67. Toon Chicken and stevey c

    Divvn’t waste your time typing out posts if you are going to swear in them, it’ll just get gobbled up 🙄

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  70. Ha ❗ Ditto mate. gotta keep the wheels of industry turning 👿 👿 👿

    My son is going with his mate tho. His 1st away Derby match. Git 😥

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  72. I swear some so called fans will be happy if we lose, just so to use it to stir up even more anti ashley hate.
    And I told you so’s.

    Well I’m going for the win as I always do 😆
    1-2 Toon Toon.

    Nite lads

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  73. Have I missed anything?

    I certainly didn’t miss a **** day at work 😐

    Are people incapable of driving without smashing into other stuff?

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  75. “I certainly didn’t miss a **** day at work ”

    Ditto.

    Just the usual Toonsy. Stardust thought the article was irrelevant whilst everyone else enjoyed the debate.

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