To be honest I can't understand why there's so many people who want to watch us, we play boring football and charge extortionate prices, it's not like we're great to watch and real entertainers and have a host of world stars like in the past.
To be honest I can't understand why there's so many people who want to watch us, we play boring football and charge extortionate prices, it's not like we're great to watch and real entertainers and have a host of world stars like in the past.
Of course you don't because you probably haven't seen the team play in the flesh for absolutely ages, rarely watch our games and watch next to no football. On the other hand, football fans want to go and see their team. There is an entirely different set of logic for paying football fans to armchair fans.Originally Posted by Özim
I've seen us play and have seen plenty of comments on matches from others as well, fact is to me we're boring to watch and have been for quite a while, the reason I don't watch so much nowadays however is because quite frankly we're boring to watch.
Regardless of mindset people only have so much money so this get's factored in, the amount we charge is a lot of money to most people and there's plenty of things you could do with your money that would be far more rewarding and enjoyable than going to watch a side who aren't very entertaining and don't have many star players.
I could understand it if prices were reasonable and we played great football, but neither of these are true.
No, mindset and the need to for an escape to watch something you love clearly counters a lot of peoples financial situations. That applies across the country for fans who travel home and away, paying for tickets, travel, food and accommodation. That desire to be part of a group, bonded together supporting your team through thick and thin isn't decided on most occassions by the cost or what you directly get back from it in tangible terms. If that was the case, there would be no away fans in the lower leagues.
Don't really agree with this, lower league clubs have fans because they are cheap to watch, have a community feel due to the size of the clubs and often attract locals who support their hometown, in addition they aren't really run as business so much, that's not really the case for us.
PL football is an entirely different animal to lower league football.
Sigh. Yes the point is the tickets are cheap but the travel is the same, the food, any accommodation. It all adds up. Fans do not make most of their judgments based on pure financial commitment. Or how many 'stars' or glorious football you are going to be given. Those are the cherries on top. The time and effort to do all that every other weekend on top of the home games. The principle remains the same whether you are in the PL or conference. You love your club, you love going to watch a football game, so you make the sacrifices. The tribalistic element of football, being part of that community of likeminded people is valued far higher than the financial cost. Hence the full houses around the PL every week.
If that's the case why did Juventus has to downsize their stadium due to not being able to fill it, why did Wimbledon FC in the 90's only 1/4 fill their ground, why do Carling Cup games often end up being played in 1/2 to 3/4 full stadiums, didn't someone also mention Chelsea's falling attendances as well?
It's clearly not as simplistic as that or else every club would have full stadiums through thick and thin every game, I think with Arsenal a lot of it is also to do with perception and the perception that we're actually entertaining and that it's a privilege to be able to watch us, when it clearly isn't, it becomes apparent that the club have done a great job of marketing themselves in that sense, as some peope buy into this nonsense and are happy to accept being treated however the club wants to treat them.
Whilst I agree their are those fans who follow us through tick and thin (those who generally go away as well) and perhaps that's due to a community of likeminded people, I think that's only a small percentage of the crowd in the PL these days, you're talking about how football use to be 15 years ago, not now so much IMO.
Last edited by Özim; 12-02-2016 at 02:10 PM.
It's a bit of both and more. No point in arguing over why people go to games because nobody has a concrete answer and this is all presumptuous. But there is no denying the entertainment factor. Even Wenger acknowledges that and has always said when linking it to our style of play. Heck, he even made a comparison to theater in one of his quotes I posted.
Juventus' old stadium was falling to pieces and plagued by hooliganism, as is the case across Italy and still remains the case. It has never been addressed because the Government lack the balls and the owners are terrified of the hardcore fans that drive it. That is a huge reason why fans stay away in their droves across Italy, along with the corruption that still remains. Wimbledon had their highest ever attendances during the mid to late 90's. Even when they won the FA Cup in '88 the attendances didn't shift. By the time they left Plough Lane a decade later the ground was sold out. I'm not sure what your point is there. Chelsea's average attendance is near capacity. Again, I don't get that one.
And you cannot seriously be using Carling Cup games as an example now. We are talking meat and bread of league games that fans are committed to through season tickets, which make up the large bulk of fans returning for most games and account for the group that then follow their team away.
Going to Arsenal in particular is seen and sold as a 'luxury' experience, hence the rip-off London prices. The perception is that we play good football but in reality, at the moment, it is as garbage as all the other 19 teams in the league. Still, the season ticket holders go every season, watch nearly every match in the flesh or at the home and know fully well what they are paying so much for. There are no surprises in store for them but they still cough up. Fans aren't as stupid as their clubs believe them to be but they are allowing themselves to be exploited so they can keep watching and enjoying the game they feel is still theirs.
Your stand point is from someone who bitterly dispises a football manager, doesn't watch many of the games (for whatever reason) and hasn't been to a live football game in God knows how long. So after a while your connection with fandom changes, which is normal, along with your understanding of the mentality of those who spend ridiculous money season after season to follow their club. An armchair fan can't always rationalise or understand just why fans keep going to games because the comfort zone at home wipes away a lot of that zealous commitment.
LOZ, Wenger saying fans shouldn't miss a moment of happyness by missing the match, has he actually watched our football recently.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35560475
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