I write this the day after we secured our Championship status for the 2016/2017 campaign, following the point we needed to achieve safety without relying on any other club's results, and taking care of the job in hand ourselves.
I wanted to publicly place on record my thanks for the job that Neil Warnock, and his support staff, have done since arriving at the Club in February. We weren't in a great position at that time and it was certainly a challenging task to turn around our fortunes and steer us clear of the bottom three but, nevertheless, nobody at the Club had given up and that task has now been done and dusted with two games to go - a quite remarkable achievement.
Huge praise has to be given to everyone involved including the manager, everyone involved in the 'on the pitch' side of the Club and not to mention the players who have shown terrific commitment, work rate and togetherness that makes me proud beyond belief of every single one of them. They have shown what they are made of as individuals, as a team and represented this Club with outstanding pride - a Chairman can never ask for more than that.
It is worth noting the 'off the pitch' team too who work tirelessly to support everything we strive to achieve. We are a close knit group who go that extra mile to get the job done. We have a strong 'club culture' throughout and what I mean by that is we are respectful and understanding of everybody else's pressures and look to support each other through those times. That creates unity and unity is what you need to dig deep and achieve what has been achieved this season.
Last but by no means least, you - the supporters, home and away we've been in it together whether we sit in the Directors' Box, corporate hospitality areas or in the stands, we kick and head every ball together and we share the same emotions - we are as one.
The last home game of the season on Saturday against Blackburn Rovers gives us an opportunity to give this current campaign a good send off. Why not make this 'Millers Day' amongst us? Make it colourful and represent our red and white Club colours with pride. We should also reach out and connect to someone that maybe hasn’t been for a while, maybe someone that hasn’t been at all, who knows but connect with them and bring them with you. We have been working on continually growing our fan base over the last four seasons and the quicker we can do that the more reason it gives me to dust off the stadium expansion, plans which will help generate more revenue that will always cascade into the player budget.
Season Tickets are on sale now for the 2016/2017 season and sales are very encouraging, we're already through the 6,000 mark.
Finally, and again, thanks to all involved in what has been a truly remarkable achievement, this Rotherham is truly UNITED.
See you all on Saturday.
Tony
Read more at http://www.themillers.co.uk/news/article/rotherham-united-tony-strewart-3079574.aspx#mpCba16UPXuXsC8x.99
Even at the 8-8,500 mark its less than inspiring to get to choose from the away end corners and one has to wonder how many more hundreds might be more inclined to repeat their experience on a more regular basis if the family stand were bigger, etc.
Good point Ian. My own experience might illustrate further. I go to almost every home game. One of my daughters likes to come with me but can't come every week. I've a good mate who goes to a lot of midweek games but can't do Saturdays. I've a work colleague who is actually an Ipswich fan but has lived up here a long time and he has been to NYS a few times this season and enjoys it. I would like a season ticket myself (through loyalty and to get a good seat because as a non-season ticket holder you sometimes get scrag end seats or near the away end where I don't always want to be with a youngster) but I can't can I? If I did I wouldn't be able to sit with my daughter when she comes along (unless I get her one too and don't use it sometimes) nor my mate nor my work colleague if they want to come. So I rely on getting tickets match by match early and hope for good seats. Sometimes i end up with seats that wouldn't encourage me to come back if I was a newbie. I applaud the kids for a quid and bring a mate initiatives and calls, but if you want season ticket sales as well they just aren't compatible. So in a way being close to capacity in the home section most weeks encourages more season ticket sales as people want to secure their seats, but it discourages walk up extra fans who might be the new ones Tony is after. I hope he understands that.
True. I have a season ticket and for my two boys. They can't make midweek games due to school and we live 75 minutes away. I had a mate who came every game for the first 2 seasons but when we got season tickets it put him off and he hasn't been since as we can't get seats together. Bearing in mind he isn't a fan of anyone but came to almost every home game before we got tickets suggests this is repeated and lends more weight to your example. He is of a nature and personal cir***stance where a season ticket was something he wasn't comfortable with.
The conclusion has to be that more seats would encourage more casual fans or people of a particular cir***stance or nature.
-- Edited by ian on Tuesday 26th of April 2016 07:47:57 AM
Smiler as a season ticket holder you always have the possibility to swap your seat for a particular game so you could, for example, get a ticket for your daughter and them to swap your seat so you could sit next to her.
Smiler as a season ticket holder you always have the possibility to swap your seat for a particular game so you could, for example, get a ticket for your daughter and them to swap your seat so you could sit next to her.
Thanks. I didn't know that. To be honest with you the cost for her at £180 or thereabouts means that I don't mind getting her a ticket and her missing a few games. It is when a casual supporter wants to come with me/us that I thought it was a problem. You've just sold the club a couple of season tickets S8!
