So what SHOULD we/the fans do?!

Boycott all home games do not spend a penny in the club shop.
Protests outside the ground.

 

That isn't right though. Its "**** it, go to game, support the team, watch some football, realise he will never change and stop investing valuable energy into hopeless causes". There is no evidence to suggest anything will change him regardless what people do. There is plenty to suggest he'll dig his heels in further.

 

Disagree here. He's never had the ground half empty for a period of time so you don't know how he'd react. He's a business man at the end of the day and everything revolves around money for him.

The fans have not once hit him in the pocket, we have for the entirity of his reign though continued to fill 90% of the ground every match day. Attending games has proven it achieves nothing and is basically settling for mediocrity. Staying away from games hasn't happened so we're yet to see the results of that.

I just don't see what harm it can do.

It will either force him in to showing a bit more ambition as new players etc will bring the fans back or it'll make him want to sell. The third outcome will be that we'll continue as we are with the aim of staying up and not winning a cup so it's basically a no lose situation for us if the fans stay away. He's not exactly going to flog all of our best players and not replace them as we'd go down then and he'd lose a lot of money (something he's clearly not comfortable with, hence not spending in the summer etc).

 

But fans don't have you seen the queues at the tea bars, fans are still buying pies and drinks.

 

The fans will never do this. The protest the other week is a case in point. You get 51,000 supporters in the ground. You have 100's of thousands regionwide. 300 turn up for the big protest. It isn't going to happen and is nothing more than hot air to be blunt.

 

But it's not going to work because of this type of attitude. I'm sorry but if a march of 400-600 people can make Ashley ban the local press then 10k-15k fans staying away will also have SOME sort of impact.

 

I still think he'd be unmoved. He has shown previously he will not be dictated to. If people threatening his family doesn't bother him, I'm not sure a few bob will. You say "this kind of attitude" but the reality is pro protesters/stays aways are in a vast vast minority. The 300 proves this. I have heard this talk for years, the movement is still stumbling on without progress

 

He'd have to react.

If 20k fans stayed away at £30 a ticket he's losing out on 600k per game. If you then say that on average those 20k spend £10 on food, drink etc then that's a further 200k so he'd be losing out on 800k per game. Boycott 10 games and he's lost out on 8 million.

You can't tell me he wouldn't react to that.

 

I can and will. I think you underestimate him massively. It is difficult to for any of us to comprehend. However I don't think applying normal logic works. Best way I can sum it up - appointment of JK.

Its all pie in the sky anyway, it won't happen because the majority just want to go to the match, and most are well aware it could be much much worse. It has been before.

 

His decision making isn't logical in the slightest, however 95% revolve around the cheapest option because he is so money orientated. It won't happen you're right, but if it did there would be a reaction of sorts. Good or bad nobody knows.

 

Sorry Hacky but I'm with Pardew's 45 10k-15k fans staying away would have an impact on Ashley.
The problem is getting fans to do it, even though I have a season ticket I would be willing to stay away.

 

I simply don't there is any guarantee it would affect him.

As I say its a bit of non starter discussion. You say you would but it would take a minor miracle to get that number above 5000. Lets not forget either the numbers dropped to 43k average in championship and that didn't bother him.

 

I think he may well react to 15 - 20k people not turning up to home matches for a month or so. It's a moot point however as is shown by the number of people that actually turned out for the protest march.

You may be able to persuade those people to stay away but that's only 2% of the people that are going to the matches. You need to persuade another 28% of the people that they shouldn't go and watch the team they've grown up watching, you have to be more persuasive than their kids that want to go and watch the match. It's just not gonna happen.

All of these protest ideas are sound in principle with a chance of making changes happen at the top but changing the mindset of 15k loyal supporters is basically impossible.

 

I agree but on a personal note just complaining isn't working so I would be willing to boycott games.

 

I agree completely that some change would be good. Achieving it is the problem. The problem being supporting a club has never had dictating club direction in its remit. Less so now than at any time in its history. The sad thing is it wouldn't take much action to positively change our fortunes. The squad is literally 2 or 3 short with a tweak towards getting a british spine in place. I think its this lack of care and interest that upsets everyone

 

What I will say is that Liverpool fans saw off Hicks and Gillette so it can be done.

I'd personally live to see 25k taking part of a protest march, staying away from match days etc. I know it's the short term pain of not getting to see the team play but the long term goal should mean so much more than that. It would be extremely difficult to get everyone to buy in to it etc but as i've said, Liverpool fans saw of their owners so why can't we?

 

Have to say that if a boycott was large enough and prolonged enough, he would have to react in some way. It may be that his reaction was to dig in and become worse than he already is, but at least it would be a reaction.
Also don't think that just one stance is enough, boycotting games, plus no merchandise, inclusive of food and drink, getting the papers to report all this stuff and anything else we can think of, including bombarding the press office with thousands of letters of concern regarding the local press ban and just anything to make a bloody nuisance of ourselves for long enough, has to be better than nothing. Also don't think you can read too much into the turn out for the protest march . Lots of supporters agreed that a march was better than nothing, but also worried that any media attention of it might focus on the one or two idiots who always end up being interviewed at these types of gatherings, and for that reason were concerned that it may be seen as humiliating. We need a multi- pronged and sustained attack if we are going to wear the stubborn arrogant git down.
I don't live local, but l will write to the press office and the three or so matches via hospitality l normally book per season is not going to happen either. A small drop in the ocean, maybe, but at least l am going to try to do what l van. If everyone did one small gesture, then we might have a bigger impact than you may imagine.

 

Ashley has already seen off worse than what Hicks etc were faced with. Different breed. The mans self love knows no bounds, look at the banning of the media. He really doesn't care.

 

I don't think he has seen of worse, Liverpool fans stuck to their guns and got Hicks and Gillette out, they also got ex players on their side.
Funny he hasn't banned Sky and they reported the protest but we all know he loves the money does Ashley.

 

Never stopped going to games. They held no bigger a protest than the one at the peak of the anti Ashley campaign. They didn't have the stomach to stand up to their support. Different dynamics too, they were fighting with each other too.