Matches Lack of supporters

Missed a great game
it certainly was a goodun to watch, ( despite it being cold n wet- and drips from the leaking South stand roof cascading down into SSL seats- and me losing a nearly full pack of ciggys ), superb attacking play from the U's , and a decent game of football despite weather conditions
 
it certainly was a goodun to watch, ( despite it being cold n wet- and drips from the leaking South stand roof cascading down into SSL seats- and me losing a nearly full pack of ciggys ), superb attacking play from the U's , and a decent game of football despite weather conditions
Best thing for losing a half pack of ciggie’s ……..give em up @Sarge 😊🤣🤣🤣
 
Bang on, I was going to mention Brighton. When they played at their last temporary ground, if I remember correctly, the capacity was finally put up to around 9000, but never seem to sell out. Their first season at the Amex, they had over 20000 season ticket holders. It's not because of other attractions of shops as it is built smack bang in the middle of a national park. I've called it numerous times that they were plastics, from an average of 8000 to 25000 plus, but maybe that was wrong, it was the bounce of moving to a new ground with fantastic facilities.
They have something called the 1901 club, at the top end of the hospitality tree, an exclusive bar/restaurant, that is, I've been told hugely over subscribed. Would we encourage more top end supporters with the demographics in Oxfordshire?
I'm not saying that is the answer, as there are other outlets people arrive to use a couple of hours before, and after the game fans are encouraged to stay and mingle with bars open.
It's not a one fits all answer, it should also include a huge community effort; giving free tickets to school, after school clubs run in the clubs name. Now it might be going on at the moment, but could it be scaled up with a bigger ground, to include wider areas, that are currently seen as supporting other clubs. Brighton pulled back a large support base from Charlton in the far north east of the county, by expanding their community program.
Brighton’s forum, is called “North Stand Chat”. When they were playing at Withdean, an athletics track, I suggested they rename the forum to “No Stand Chat”.
Touchy, touchy!
 
Was that the one where Ruffs got an outrageous last minute winner? That’s exactly the sort of thing I go for, and why I dont walk out.
I think he means the 1-0 win where Obika scored a header near the end. One of Clotets last games.
It was an awful game though!!
 
I think I know the game he's on about where Ruffles scored an almost 90th minute long range winner. Can't remember who it was against - maybe Doncaster? I also chose not to go to that game either.
 
I think I know the game he's on about where Ruffles scored an almost 90th minute long range winner. Can't remember who it was against - maybe Doncaster? I also chose not to go to that game either.
Yep that's right. About 6 games before the Blackpool one!! Another awful game.
 
Best thing for losing a half pack of ciggie’s ……..give em up @Sarge 😊🤣🤣🤣
slowly getting towards stopping , down to 5 or less on 'school' days ( don't spark up before 10am or after 8pm)... but the two (current) exceptions are when Im out working (DJing- though obviously not when Im playing tunes) at weekends, and... pre/ post watching live OUFC matches, when the 5 or less a day, and self imposed times kind of go out the window....for now
 
I think I know the game he's on about where Ruffles scored an almost 90th minute long range winner. Can't remember who it was against - maybe Doncaster? I also chose not to go to that game either.
Yes it was their player went down in the 90+2 min rolled around for an age and thought as soon he gets up and they kick off the ref will blow, as soon as we were walking past the North East corner the ground erupted and we missed Ruffs goal, totally passed off and that was a lesson learned not to leave before the final whistle.
 
Bang on, I was going to mention Brighton. When they played at their last temporary ground, if I remember correctly, the capacity was finally put up to around 9000, but never seem to sell out. Their first season at the Amex, they had over 20000 season ticket holders. It's not because of other attractions of shops as it is built smack bang in the middle of a national park. I've called it numerous times that they were plastics, from an average of 8000 to 25000 plus, but maybe that was wrong, it was the bounce of moving to a new ground with fantastic facilities.
They have something called the 1901 club, at the top end of the hospitality tree, an exclusive bar/restaurant, that is, I've been told hugely over subscribed. Would we encourage more top end supporters with the demographics in Oxfordshire?
I'm not saying that is the answer, as there are other outlets people arrive to use a couple of hours before, and after the game fans are encouraged to stay and mingle with bars open.
It's not a one fits all answer, it should also include a huge community effort; giving free tickets to school, after school clubs run in the clubs name. Now it might be going on at the moment, but could it be scaled up with a bigger ground, to include wider areas, that are currently seen as supporting other clubs. Brighton pulled back a large support base from Charlton in the far north east of the county, by expanding their community program.
Brighton are a curious one. I never expected them to have as many fans as they do after leaving the Withdean, but a colossal jump from c. 7000 at their awful athletics track to 20,000+ at the very smart Falmer Stadium is great going.

Note that when they moved to that stadium, they had just been promoted from League 1. The first season they played at the second tier in it, it was a massive novelty for away fans and they had the double bounce of a new stadium and a decent side playing in it. In fact, average attendances continued to climb in the seasons after their first season there. Compare that to the KasStad - a three-quarter finished, poorly designed, cheaply assembled stadium in which we moved to it after a season that saw 33 defeats in 46 league games. Once 2001-02 had gone with Oxford finishing in 21st and staying up by virtue of Halifax Town being more hopeless than everyone else, the good feeling of the move had filtered away into the smelly KasStad air. No bounce whatsoever, more of a thud to the floor. A generation lost as the dreary football of Atkins and the even worse performances under Rix, Talbot and Smith saw the stadium hosting fifth tier football.

I don't think we'll ever be a side generating 20k like Brighton on a regular basis but with the demographic of football fans changing since the rise of the PL, we should be looking at Brighton as a good example of what a new stadium can do. Good transport links, a welcoming atmosphere (Brighton fans are generally a pleasant, inclusive bunch), a pleasurable day out for away fans, inclusive for all. Turning our core 4500-5000 to a regular 6500-7000 would see us pushing 10k for most matches. 10k games at the KasStad are great during the game but hellish before and after trying to get a parking space or getting on a #1 or #5 bus back to the centre. Logistics should be essential for whatever move we plan away from it.
 
Brighton are a curious one. I never expected them to have as many fans as they do after leaving the Withdean, but a colossal jump from c. 7000 at their awful athletics track to 20,000+ at the very smart Falmer Stadium is great going.

Note that when they moved to that stadium, they had just been promoted from League 1. The first season they played at the second tier in it, it was a massive novelty for away fans and they had the double bounce of a new stadium and a decent side playing in it. In fact, average attendances continued to climb in the seasons after their first season there. Compare that to the KasStad - a three-quarter finished, poorly designed, cheaply assembled stadium in which we moved to it after a season that saw 33 defeats in 46 league games. Once 2001-02 had gone with Oxford finishing in 21st and staying up by virtue of Halifax Town being more hopeless than everyone else, the good feeling of the move had filtered away into the smelly KasStad air. No bounce whatsoever, more of a thud to the floor. A generation lost as the dreary football of Atkins and the even worse performances under Rix, Talbot and Smith saw the stadium hosting fifth tier football.

I don't think we'll ever be a side generating 20k like Brighton on a regular basis but with the demographic of football fans changing since the rise of the PL, we should be looking at Brighton as a good example of what a new stadium can do. Good transport links, a welcoming atmosphere (Brighton fans are generally a pleasant, inclusive bunch), a pleasurable day out for away fans, inclusive for all. Turning our core 4500-5000 to a regular 6500-7000 would see us pushing 10k for most matches. 10k games at the KasStad are great during the game but hellish before and after trying to get a parking space or getting on a #1 or #5 bus back to the centre. Logistics should be essential for whatever move we plan away from it.
Brighton to me are the equivalent of Swindon, for various reasons. I used to be able to get free tickets for the Withdean, a souless place of 8500ish capacity that they seemed to never fill, yet in the first year of the Amex they had 20000+ season ticket holders. Many times I would get the same answer from their fans, whether they lived in Brighton or Portsmouth that until they got a permanent decent ground they would never go to the Withdean. Hence this is why, they argue, that numbers rose immediately at the Amex, first season. Some hadn't seen their side play since they had lost the Goldstone.
They had about 2500 hardcore fans that used to journey to Gillingham their first port of call, after the Goldstone was sold. The Amex is a fantastic ground, access though is horrific. A small station, Falmer that connects to Brighton, but no parking options seemingly at all.
 
slowly getting towards stopping , down to 5 or less on 'school' days ( don't spark up before 10am or after 8pm)... but the two (current) exceptions are when Im out working (DJing- though obviously not when Im playing tunes) at weekends, and... pre/ post watching live OUFC matches, when the 5 or less a day, and self imposed times kind of go out the window....for now
Good work Sarge.
Maybe smoke one a day for each goal Oxford score and concede that week :)

5-1 would have been a good week this week!

(FWIW the big step for me knocking it on the head after having cut down a few times was (1) decide that I didn’t want to “be a smoker” anymore (2) allow myself to smoke on “special occasions” (eg night out), but not by habit and (3) avoid stress-induced smoking (go for a walk, deep breaths, punch a pillow). After that change of mindset I was over it in a couple of months.)
 
There seems to be a fixation on good transport links, but if you look at many grounds the transport links are worse than us yet they get a good support.
 
Good work Sarge.
Maybe smoke one a day for each goal Oxford score and concede that week :)

5-1 would have been a good week this week!

(FWIW the big step for me knocking it on the head after having cut down a few times was (1) decide that I didn’t want to “be a smoker” anymore (2) allow myself to smoke on “special occasions” (eg night out), but not by habit and (3) avoid stress-induced smoking (go for a walk, deep breaths, punch a pillow). After that change of mindset I was over it in a couple of months.)
For me it was finding a vape that worked for me - I swapped instantly.
 
Good work Sarge.
Maybe smoke one a day for each goal Oxford score and concede that week :)

5-1 would have been a good week this week!

(FWIW the big step for me knocking it on the head after having cut down a few times was (1) decide that I didn’t want to “be a smoker” anymore (2) allow myself to smoke on “special occasions” (eg night out), but not by habit and (3) avoid stress-induced smoking (go for a walk, deep breaths, punch a pillow). After that change of mindset I was over it in a couple of months.)
I had no choice really I had to give up smoking. I’m chuffed to say after 27 years I have up with ease which surprised me had a smoking patches from the Nurse who dealt with smoking, I smoked 5 very skinny roll ups over the first week ie one drag and the roll up was gone. I returned to the smoking nurse a week later and she asked how I was doing and she bollocked me because I had the same patch on.
I first realised when I had managed to quit when Mrs Bazzer said after 3 weeks that my horrible coughing Had stopped and then talking to someone who absolutely reeked of smoke.
So it is possible so myself quitting was will power which believe you me I didn’t think I had.
 
I had no choice really I had to give up smoking. I’m chuffed to say after 27 years I have up with ease which surprised me had a smoking patches from the Nurse who dealt with smoking, I smoked 5 very skinny roll ups over the first week ie one drag and the roll up was gone. I returned to the smoking nurse a week later and she asked how I was doing and she bollocked me because I had the same patch on.
I first realised when I had managed to quit when Mrs Bazzer said after 3 weeks that my horrible coughing Had stopped and then talking to someone who absolutely reeked of smoke.
So it is possible so myself quitting was will power which believe you me I didn’t think I had.
well done @bazzer9461 ...... though arent the patches hard to light? ;) :rolleyes: :LOL:
 
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