| 10 years at Weston Homes 15:55 - May 1 with 900 views | Leadbelly |
I thought it might be interesting to see how things have changed (or otherwise) since we left Layer Road. There could be any number of statistics to mull over but I think final league position is a reasonable guide to how we've fared on the pitch and average attendance ought to be a fair reflection of how fans see things.
Season Finish Average attendance
08/09 12th 5,084
09/10 8th 5,529
10/11 10th 4,223
11/12 10th 3,865
12/13 20th 3,530
13/14 16th 3,631
14/15 19th 3,782
15/16 23rd 4,299
16/17 8th 3,637
17/18 10th -13th 3,320
Weston Homes no longer, that much can be agreed. But what do the above numbers show, if anything? Can the chairman rest easy and continue running the club as he does or do those figures cause even him some concern? Do these figures cause concern at the highest level within the club? If there is no concern how do those figures validate the current philosophy?
There have been a number of recent redundancies at the club due, I'm told, to difficulties on the corporate hospitality front. Is this a sign that not everything is as it should be? Will there be more to come in other areas of the operation?
My own view is that Colchester United has been in a steady decline for some time. Not everyone will agree and I'm sure lots of people still derive enormous enjoyment from attending games. The problem, in my opinion, is that there are becoming fewer of them as time goes by. From my seat in the south stand it is patently obvious that fewer people are attending games, regardless of what the official attendance may show. Some are season ticket holders which bodes ill for imminent renewals.
There seems to me to be a significant disconnect between the club hierarchy and much of the fanbase. Very limited information escapes into the public domain and when we do hear something from the chairman I usually wish he'd stayed quiet! Much of the decision making seems baffling to me, with no obvious meaningful consultation with fans about what they would like to see. We are supposed to be United...I wish it felt that way.
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| 10 years at Weston Homes on 17:37 - May 1 with 889 views | bwildered |
Ten years of decline could result in the U's finish in there lowest position since the first season return to the Football League (17th) , if they fail to win and other results do not go our way for the final game of the season .
Can fully understand the chairman going down the academy choice given the fair play rules etc, and producing players for the first team, however the club and supporters need to be repaid by performances which should improve our league position .
However at present the system seems not to be productive, has many players potentially have not made career improving moves to higher clubs after improving our own finances and league position. |  |
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| 10 years at Weston Homes on 19:22 - May 1 with 872 views | noah4x4 |
I am not convinced that the pattern of attendances has any relevance to the real debate that we should be having. If these aggregate numbers were split into home support and away support I suspect that home has remained static and it is the away support that has waned. After all, we no longer see the large contingent of away support that was once provided by Norwich, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield United. Today's Division Two is also particularly northern centric. We also no longer have local derbys versus Southend, Millwall, MK Dons etc, but next season things that will improve given the likely promotions and relegations.
Where I do agree with you Lead' is that we have a disconnect between fans and WHCS back office management. Whatever we think of John McGreal I don't feel he has been remote from fans. But there has been some lack of respect for ordinary fans from the higher Executive Tier of the West Stand. It is equally true that some fans personal attacks on the Chairman have been disgraceful. Fair criticism should be made of both camps. But I believe only senior WHCS management can now take the heat out of the situation and restore the club to what it was barely more than a decade ago.
Being at the "forefront of the fight against knife crime" and publicity on TV visiting distinctly upper class schools where that isn't a problem is not the solution. Instead, getting into the town centre and into the true heart of the community might improve things. Beyond CO4 5UP (the stadium) when do we see any engagement with the public other than Christmas hospital visits and the good work of the Community Sports Trust that does some sterling work with youngsters? What is the plan to better engage the adult population of this town........and of course encourage the existing loyal fans that have become disillusioned by the apparent decline?
The prospect of drinking Green King IPA in the South Stand in a breeze block environment indistinguishable from the urinals won't ever encourage me to arrive early or stay late. Compare that to the excellent fan facilities at struggling Grimsby and Barnet. Only Forest Green and Wycombe offer less appealing facilities than WHCS. It should be easy to improve, especially if we break away from Green King.
I use the excellent shuttle bus service, but transport must be frustrating for fans exiting the car park that are held up for so long. It is equally frustrating and dangerous for fans trying to cross Stadium Way to get to (say) Highwoods. Surely it is possible to safely route a single file of vehicles around the back of the North Stand and East Stand and segregate them from pedestrians by similar steel barriers to those existing behind the South Stand rather than have pedestrians and cars converge at the same two pinch points at the corners of the South Stand? To speed up exit from the stands why are the gates in each corner never opened? Instead fans must struggle down steps that are far too narrow and channelled into too few exits. I reckon the South Stand and East Stand would empty in half the time so encouraging the flow of vehicles earlier.
Maybe we should dedicate this thread to ideas that should be considered and implemented between now and August that would improve the fan experience and help re-engage fans and management? |  | | |
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