It amazes me how poor some of our support is. For a start, there were lots of empty seats last night - what's it going to take to attract greater support?! People leaving before the end has always intrigued me. Surely last night gave every reason to stay till the final whistle. I reckon the greatest excitement at NYS has been in the last 5 minutes of games. Finally the atmosphere. It's questionable whether tension on the field fuels anxiety in the crowd or vice versa. But when you see the contribution crowds at places such as Accrington and Palace make to encourage their team, it's such a pity that we can't replicate that effort at NYS.

I think your final sentence is a key statement Smiler. TS has developed an institution in Rotherham which is a shining beacon compared to the general dismal surroundings and the poor image of the town that hangs over us like a dark cloud. He's assembled a management team which is focussed on being a great example to the local community and which have strived to make the club a family affair. His efforts are something which should be embraced by the Rotherham public and there should be enormous enthusiasm to see his ethos not only survive, but to thrive. Yet there seems little reciprocation from locals.

The danger is that either TS or PW, or both, will decide that the sacrifices they are making (have you seen how Warney has aged!) are just not worth it and they'd be better plying their wares elsewhere. That would be a grim day for Rotherham!

There's no doubt the club has a small core of hardened and devoted supporters. The faithful 3000 as they were known in the past. We may have a few more these days but I wouldn't think there are that many more true diehards. It's a conundrum as to why, (despite having a top class stadium and a levelheaded and astute chairman, and currently top of the league having a record breaking unbeaten run) the club is just not increasing It's gate to any significant extent. There is of course the usual point that a large number of football supporting Rotherham people support other clubs, the main being Wednesdayites. When I was at school in Kimberworth in the late 60's my class was full of them and I understand they meet up in The Green Dragon these days. My son lives in Wickersley and he tells me Wickersley is heaving with the sons of the blue and white. I doubt all of that will never change. The other point is the Rotherham mind set. There is a cynicism with regards to the town's club, a view of 'we've seen it all before', a notion that the club promises much but delivers little. I saw the beginnings of this way back at the end of the Anton Johnson period, after the Lord Mayor's show. Two fantastic seasons then back down into the 3rd division with dwindling crowds. Since then we've been up and down like a brides nighty. There is a growing number who, despite any amount of on field success, are waiting for the fall and will, with sneering glee take delight in saying 'I told you so'. I do understand, to an extent, that sentiment as there is some truth in that notion, look at the last five years. I don't say that as a justification, but I do believe it to be true. The current blip in form and results, in my opinion indicates this thesis. I think a high profile marketing strategy would be a start. An attractive pricing policy and promotion this season would help. but I wouldn't expect to see any upturn in regular gate receipts until we get a strong foothole in the Championship which may take a number of years, if at all. A bit of a glum outlook I'm afraid but I believe the problem is so ingrained in those potential 'supporters' that I think it will take more than promotion, even if we go up as Champions, to get the faithful core up to anywhere near enough to help sustain the club in the Championship.

Couple of quick comments. The marketing of our club seems 100% to be directed at the corporate opportunities and ignores the general public. Secondly the ground is not big enough to attract casual(potential) support. You can argue we can't fill what we have but i'll give you an example of lost business. On repeated occasions my neighbour and his brother have tried to get tickets for themselves and 4 kids and,because of the scattering of season ticket holders,they can never get seats together and have given up trying.Multiply this by how many times ? If we do go up there are many reasons for getting the ground extended close season.