Source - Fans Forum minutes from 15 October meeting with Katrien Meire and Mick Everett. "Final figure for season tickets sold was 10,115. The Club said that on average about 3,000 per game were 'no shows' and that the attendance announced consisted of all tickets that were issued". So, far from the "negative 2%" , it's a staggering and sobering 30% of our most loyal fans who have stopped going despite paying up front. This proves two things IMO - Meire is once again exposed as being disingenuous at best, and our real home gates are already well below the 10,000 mark as I think most of us long suspected.
No wonder they wanted to withhold these minutes until after the meeting with Meire. The 3000 is an average so I reckon it is more now. http://www.cafc.co.uk/documents/fans-forum-minutes-15-october83-2803194.pdf
I've thought since relegation from the premier league the powers that be lied about the attendances. Think that I've estimated this season that we get between 1,500 to 2,000 in east and west (west upper is desolate). About 2,000 North Lower and 3,000 North Upper depending on games they may fluctuate. That's anywhere between 8,000-9,000 As we've seen away attendances fluctuate massively. We must have one of the worst this season. Back when Powell was in charge, over a 1,000 at Middlesbrough. This time round 231 I believe.
Did they ever give final ST numbers? I can't remember them being published. It shows the madness of 'Target 20,000' The actions of the Douche and Bubbles are driving fans away from the Club and with the present crowd in charge it will soon be 'Target 10,000' rather than 20,000
The final Season ticket number was 10115, it is on Royston's original posting and the minutes of the Fans Forum
This meeting took place on 15 Oct, it is hard to escape the conclusion that Meire was being dishonest when she said on 10 Nov that 2% were negative. She knew that 30% of ST holders have stopped going. Another whopper.
I'm sure it's much more now. The attendance for the Massives game was given as something like 16,300, which was bizarre, even given the a high level of away support. It was only when I watched the highlights that I realised just how heavily the empty seats outnumber the occupied ones. It shows the futility of dialogue with someone as dishonest as our CEO. There must have been 11,000 max at the Massives game, which means over 5,000 ST holders are giving up, which would be about 50%.
Another highlight from our CEO: The POTY presentation should be held immediately after the last (home?) game of the season, because so many players leave the club after that. So the revolving-door policy is so successful it will be set in stone? She's like a bull in a china shop.
An old boy I sit near texted me that he had "never seen our end so empty" v Sheff Wed I do find KM's half truths offensive - she spouted about the 2% knowing full well how many ST holders were no shows - her own figures!! This info should have been in the public domain before last week's meeting with her - another own goal by the Fans Forum.
Interesting comment from Rick Everitt who would know about these things - the real attendance is on average 3,000 lower than that given out due to no shows and the high level of comp tickets. He goes on to give a couple of recent examples where the official gates of 15,000-17,000 were in truth 8,700 to 12,000
Rick's figures- Home v Doncaster. 14140. Actual gate 8461 Home v Huddersfield 20012. 15034 Home v Peterborough. 17377. 12886 Home v Huddersfield( 2014)12974. 9568
To be fair, these false attendance figures predate Roland's arrival. But I expect a massive slump in ST sales next season, as many fans like myself who gave Roland the benefit of the doubt won't do so again. It's clear we have a deluded CEO doing the bidding of a mad scientist, and until that changes the whole feel of the club will drive fans away, both diehard and occasional.
The problem what I'm seeing coming along is that the fans don't have a strong leader, or de facto leadership. If we did, I think our protests could be taken more seriously. Too many individuals and splinter cells are doing their own thing. It's good that people are doing things which is more than I can say about our Supporters Trust.
Should anyone wish to be creative in their approach, or be a ''voice of the people'', the Trust are there waiting to condemn them, and quick to tell anyone who will listen on CL that they are wrong and everything has to be ''planned''. It's exactly how KM wants it.
Personally I think that we should take either the Anonymous or Dread Pirate Roberts approach. The concept that "we are one, we are many, we are legion!" If we voice ourselves in unison, through the right channels, the Powers that Be, and their hideous puppet the CASupportersTrust cannot simply fight back. Who could they ridicule? They won't know us, or condemn us, for we are many.
The thing with Anonymous - they've declared so many wars, and followed through on.. few. This should be their time with the technology afforded to them, but they don't seem to have pushed on since the 00's. Jesus, they are Charlton!!
I am in favour of a good old fashioned, raucous hostile protest. 12 noon in the West Stand car park (our "platform") pre the Ipswich game. I also hope the real attendance is around 8,000 and that an equal number of inedible pies and hot dogs have to be slung away uneaten.
