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Post by sportsman on Apr 20, 2014 13:00:03 GMT
For a team trying to play football and attract better quality players, the wind factor is a bloody nuisance.
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Post by Trouserdog on Apr 20, 2014 13:01:47 GMT
Is this a new thread or the same tramp-outside-Argos style rant we have on this subject on an almost weekly basis?
We get it Tony- if we don't fill the corners in right this second then the sky's going to fall in.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2014 13:02:08 GMT
The best way to confidently fill seats is to grow your fan base.
Fill that corner in and for low category games give tickets to schools, ensuring seats are full and a younger generation will hopefully get the Stoke 'bug'.
Remember the kids for a quid scheme in the dark old days ? I regularly ended up taking my son and 6 or 7 of his mates along to game who wouldn't normally go. Empty seats all over the Brit in those days. The thing is, 5 of them are now adult season ticket holders and have been for a few years.
Obviously when there's a big game tickets will sell. With the amount of season ticket holders for next year it will be hard for 'pay on the day' families to get seats together so fill the corner to accommodate them.
For our club to move forward we need more income. Get the youngsters hooked and they're there for life. Otherwise don't fill the corner and stay exactly where we are in terms of stature
Anyway, if seats are empty throw that Bet 365 blanket over them and it'll be no different than it is now.
Just do it Stoke,do it.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2014 13:02:18 GMT
fill the corners and look like every other stadiums in the league. the new empty seats will look great on television. Maybe it will 'challenge' our Marketing department, who knows? With 22,000 ST holders, a few thousand floaters, 3,000 put aside for away fans, it wouldn't take too much effort? It's not even a decision that will 'take balls', as someone has said we're between a rock & a hard place right now. Invest, finish the ground (let's face it, it's probably the poorest 'new ground' in existence, a pathetic dumping ground with an ambulance in one corner, and a TV smaller than mine at home, in the other). We're almost 7 seasons into the Premier League, ferfuxache.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2014 13:02:57 GMT
I'm not sure how much difference an extra 3000 seats will make other than reducing the wind a bit, better to spend any money on the squad IMO.
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Post by sportsman on Apr 20, 2014 13:05:25 GMT
I remember about a couple of years ago Peter coates said tony scholes main role was to try and increase the fan base. Failed miserably.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2014 13:06:24 GMT
I'm not sure how much difference an extra 3000 seats will make other than reducing the wind a bit, better to spend any money on the squad IMO. Finishing the ground finally would be reason alone. It's shit compared to others, and amongst those with better are much lesser clubs than us (ie our standing is greater than theirs)
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Post by sportsman on Apr 20, 2014 13:06:29 GMT
You stand still in football and you go backwards.
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Post by prettything on Apr 20, 2014 13:08:19 GMT
Not nice to have a stadium filled to only two thirds capacity. Just ask the Sundeland supporters. As for the wind advantage, we have gained many a point from the elements making a difference in games.
Would love to see the corners filled in, as long as we can fill them...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2014 13:08:57 GMT
I think there was a debate as to whether we really needed to move at the time. Is it really the best use of our resources to add more seats at a time when investment is needed elsewhere and there's a very good chance we won't come close to filling them? Is that not putting the horse before the cart? Let's build a good team and put a few more sustainable foundations in place first and then by all means let's go for it. How can we increase turnover without increasing the stadium? What other "sustainable foundations" should we be investing in? We missed a great opportunity to expand after the cup final. I think the current excitement about the team is another decent time to show some ambition and to attract new custom. The academy for starters. I just don't get the idea that increasing the capacity magically brings new supporters in and of itself. It's not Field of Dreams, it's not a question of "if you build it, they will come'.
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Post by AlanHansen on Apr 20, 2014 13:09:36 GMT
fill the corners and look like every other stadiums in the league. will they even be able to sell the seats? are you selling out on a regular basis? there sure have been a noticable amount of empty seats this season. some games have looked a bit embarrassing.... and you want to add more? Spend the money on players. We could have filled the corner in for what Danny Collins cost us. It's a no brainer. Case closed.
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Post by bayernoatcake on Apr 20, 2014 13:10:00 GMT
I think filling in one corner makes sense as things stand. Anything more is a bit daft imo.
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Post by sportsman on Apr 20, 2014 13:10:39 GMT
Where do we find the extra fans for the South stand then for the likes of the hull game?
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Post by AlanHansen on Apr 20, 2014 13:15:14 GMT
Where do we find the extra fans for the South stand then for the likes of the hull game? We got over 27k for the Hull game. Next season we'll have more season ticket holders. We just need to work a bit harder and smarter.
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Post by nononsense on Apr 20, 2014 13:16:30 GMT
Where do we find the extra fans for the South stand then for the likes of the hull game? 40,000+ fans went to the FA Cup semi final. Winning a few more games will miraculously bring more fans out of hiding !
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Post by roylandstoke on Apr 20, 2014 13:21:32 GMT
How can we increase turnover without increasing the stadium? What other "sustainable foundations" should we be investing in? We missed a great opportunity to expand after the cup final. I think the current excitement about the team is another decent time to show some ambition and to attract new custom. The academy for starters. I just don't get the idea that increasing the capacity magically brings new supporters in and of itself. It's not Field of Dreams, it's not a question of "if you build it, they will come'. If there's nowhere to sit they definitely won't come. I still can't believe we get over 25,000 every game ( probably more than we got in 74-75) but we do. Brighton, Milton Keynes and Bolton have a bigger grounds than us. Wolves had over 30,000 in this week. We have to grow the fan base to stand still. New fans won't come to sit on their own, in the front row, at the corner of the pitch.
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Post by sportsman on Apr 20, 2014 13:22:16 GMT
But we found enough fans for the hull league game to fill the corner.
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Post by johnsmithsupper on Apr 20, 2014 13:23:21 GMT
I agree it should be done now in one corner
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Post by sportsman on Apr 20, 2014 13:24:44 GMT
Our 'off field' department can't get much right regards tickets and match day, and these clowns are in charge of our progression.
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Post by scfcno1fan on Apr 20, 2014 13:26:47 GMT
I do agree with this.
To me it should be done ASAP.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2014 13:31:20 GMT
The academy for starters. I just don't get the idea that increasing the capacity magically brings new supporters in and of itself. It's not Field of Dreams, it's not a question of "if you build it, they will come'. If there's nowhere to sit they definitely won't come. I still can't believe we get over 25,000 every game ( probably more than we got in 74-75) but we do. Brighton, Milton Keynes and Bolton have a bigger grounds than us. Wolves had over 30,000 in this week. We have to grow the fan base to stand still. New fans won't come to sit on their own, in the front row, at the corner of the pitch. And if we're in a position where there's a consistent struggle for neutrals to get tickets then by all means we should. I just think we're not quite there yet given last season's dramatic drop off and the fact that it's taken half a season to get back to those levels again.
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Post by sportsman on Apr 20, 2014 13:31:25 GMT
Would love be able ask the question. 'For the cost of £3m what would it hurt and what is the reason not to fill in the scoreboard corner even if we give the tickets to schools etc'?
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Post by Pugsley on Apr 20, 2014 13:32:52 GMT
Filling the corner in would mean people at the club would have to get off their arses and actually do some work.
It's the cushiest job going 'working' for Stoke City in the back office.
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Post by AlanHansen on Apr 20, 2014 13:33:41 GMT
How much is that grant we get we've used the free away travel for. Fill the corner in and use the cash to give incentives to groups and kids etc.
They've already said the free travel won't continue for more than 1/2 seasons, so why not do this instead.
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Post by Pugsley on Apr 20, 2014 13:35:08 GMT
How much is that grant we get we've used the fee away travel for. Fill the corner in and use the cash to give incentives to groups and kids etc. That kind of creative thinking is frowned upon at Stoke City.
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Post by sportsman on Apr 20, 2014 13:38:23 GMT
Ask the question at the next meeting. You just know the response though. 'Well we have to build up the fan base and be sure of filling them'
Its your bloody job scholes. Coates said it's your main role to do it. Bet I could bloody fill it for you.
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Post by ST5-POTTER on Apr 20, 2014 13:40:31 GMT
We missed the boat a couple of years ago, should have done it then and the plug got pulled because of our on the pitch performance and dwindelling attendances. For the record I'm in the YES camp. We should fill one in at the VERY Least. Shift the away fans in the corner where the scoreboards is (yes I know the away enclosure is not there blah blah blah) sod it... We should make it work and have two massive banks of Stokies behind each goal. I don't see any reason that a walkway from that corner couldn't be made to lead to the away enclosure and then Stokies behind that goal enter and leave behind the club shop.
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Post by sportsman on Apr 20, 2014 13:42:19 GMT
A fish will only grow to the size of its tank.
A new banner for Tony.
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Post by Stafford-Stokie on Apr 20, 2014 13:44:27 GMT
We missed the boat a couple of years ago, should have done it then and the plug got pulled because of our on the pitch performance and dwindelling attendances. For the record I'm in the YES camp. We should fill one in at the VERY Least. Shift the away fans in the corner where the scoreboards is (yes I know the away enclosure is not there blah blah blah) sod it... We should make it work and have two massive banks of Stokies behind each goal. I don't see any reason that a walkway from that corner couldn't be made to lead to the away enclosure and then Stokies behind that goal enter and leave behind the club shop. Surly you wouldn't get enough seats in that corner to put the away fans there. They have to have a certain amount of seats don't they?
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Post by StaffordPotter on Apr 20, 2014 13:48:17 GMT
I have just e-mailed Tony Scholes addressing the fact that Stoke City fans want to know where the owners stand on this. I did request if he did have any knowledge could he or the club make a statement to the fans. I also sent him the link to this thread whether he bothers to read it is a different story.
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