If I was TS - and I'm not - I'd be more inclined to invest in January than at any other time since I'd owned the club. The club is stable, is under excellent management and has demonstrated that it has the ability to compete at Championship level with a squad that has not cost a small fortune. During our previous time in the Championship, I don't think the cir***stances have ever been so favourable for sensible investment to secure a longer term future in the second tier.
Should TS be thinking along similar lines, I wonder where he would be prepared to spend his money? My wish list would be a proven goalscorer to play alongside Smith - along the lines of Billy Sharpe. Second would be a right back - we could afford to go for a young prospect to understudy Jones who I think is excellent when fit. Finally, a gritty, mobile midfielder to give us that edge which Frecks used to provide. A few canny signings could improve our current capable squad into something special.
What's the point putting more investment in with the crowds we get with what our chairman has achieved we should sell that ground out every home game then we can give dee dars minimum seats.The apathy from the Rotherham public is one of the main factors no new investment will come in.
I wish we could compete better I love it when we beat the big time charlie's in this league Paul Warne is doing a great job and a group of players playing up to there best every game.
If we are to improve it starts with the Rotherham public the old excuse grounds no good teams not performing dosn't wash with me the poeple that go regulary are brilliant but we just need more support.
I share your concerns about the crowds TH. However, the chance of increasing attendances is remote given the ease with which people can now stay at home and watch games in the comfort of their own living room. Just look at the dismal crowd at Wembley last night to watch Spurs v Man City!
The only hope for Rotherham is that we rise up the table and start to look as if we can have a tilt at the play-offs. Then watch the fickle supporters come to claim their part in the promotion push! It's a vicious circle though - without the crowds we're unlikely to see the investment which will help pull in bigger crowds!!
First you have to overcome the cynicism of the football watching public of Rotherham; brought about from years of promises that have either not materialised of have not lasted long. Over the years I've spoken to many ex Millers who lost heart under the Booth regimen and who have got out of the habit of watching the club, my son is a case in point. Its going to take a lot to win these people back again.
The only way that you are going to win these people back through the turnstiles on a regular basis now that the novelty has worn off NYS, and not just for the odd day out at Wembley, is to give them a product that will, over a sustained period prove to be worth the while making the effort for.
We are all dyed in the wool Millers, some more active, vocal and committed than others, so it is difficult for us to understand why they are not flooding in. For us it is tribal and a big part of life to follow the Millers. For others it just entertainment and if they are not being entertained or grown cynical and are quite happy to trudge along behind the missus doing the shopping, then they aren't going to pay to come along.
It will take time but its all down to the directors, manager and players to deliver the goods. We are edging in the right direction.
Glen Miller I agree with you apart from I don't want Sharp though you might have meant a goalscorer like Sharp. Also Jones is only a squad player not a 1st choice player. Got to send Vyner back cause Jones has a 2 yr contract. Need a Right back.
I wouldn't want Sharp full stop. He's a blade. He wouldn't want to be here. Problem we've got with getting a new striker is the formation we play. We will always have to play 5 across the middle else we'd get overun in midfield. Striker we get will have to be able to play wide, linking with Smith when he can.
Not that we could afford Sharp or that the Blades want to release him anyway, but what does the fact that he is a Blade have to do with anything? He is a professional footballer. Getting released by the Blades didn't stop him getting a goal every other game at S****horpe or Doncaster did it? Almost all of our greatest players over the years grew up supporting someone else and many of them grew up supporting one of the Sheffield clubs. Its a complete irrelevance.
I don't know why anyone would think that Mr Stewart, who is a clever man and successful businessman as well as demonstrably committed to the interests of the football club, would deliberately underinvest and set out to get relegated when the prize for staying up is so obvious. Why would he do that? Why would we commit on deadline day to paying several thousand a week to Towell when we didn't have to and could have saved the money and kept the squad weaker? The 'he doesn't want to stay up' theories don't hold any water. They are a conspiracy theory based on a frustration at the fact that we haven't spent more and without any reference to the facts. Partly because the facts aren't known outside of a few at the club. Actually Stewart could kill the debate off by being more open and transparent so he brings some of it on himself.
I don't know why people keep saying its' the fault of not getting big enough crowds.
A few years ago we got 3500 at Don Valley
We get decent crowds of 9,000+ consistently, that's an OK crowd for the size of the ground capacity.
We often under allocate away end - so we'll never show a capacity crowd.
But over and above this - there are two main points :
Having an extra 2,000 fans per game is VERY SMALL REVENUE compared to everything else we get in, it's not a good argument for not investing in the future, and
IF we ever got in the premiership, and the ground capacity was increased, people WOULD come to see premiership games and our crowds would be 20,000 plus, as currently there is no premiership games to be seen at a home ground for miles around apart from Hudders... we would get people in no bother... and in any case the money coming in which is nothing to do with crowd revenue is VAST in the Premiership.
Arguments about crowd sizes are irrelevant.
-- Edited by Davidedin on Wednesday 31st of October 2018 04:15:47 PM
-- Edited by Davidedin on Wednesday 31st of October 2018 04:16:29 PM
The second top goalscorer in the Championship with 10, hat trick last weekend, a goal every 91 minutes of game time. Bet the Blades can't wait to get rid.
Incidentally, he was on The Millers books as a junior before he went to Sheffield United.
Crowds: An extra say 1,500 home fans every game think over a season would taking everything in to account would generate around £500,000 in revenue. Doesn't seem irrelevant too me.
Saying people can stay at home & watch games in the comfort of there own home. Can see that for away games but for home games depends if you've got real fans. Doesn't seem to effect the crowds for Sheff U. Any excuse for the Rotherham public. It's a bank holiday, it's my aunties birthday ect… Rotherham public don't back the side. Wouldn't mind if we were not worth watching. Warney can't do anymore. Players battling, worth watching. Lift it would give the players running out to the home seats being full would be like an extra man.
-- Edited by gwru on Thursday 1st of November 2018 08:04:20 PM
