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The next home match is against Chesterfield. By then even if by some miracle we have won 2 away games :} on the bounce we will not be safe. But we have to be realistic, the chances are we will be in the relegation zone and needing to catch up those above us.

Some ideas to get the crowd back on side for the Chesterfield match

- All tickets £10 and kids go free

- All fans given a hand out from the club, thanking them for their support with "bounceback" vouchers for the remaining 4 home games

- Let the crowd move between the popular side and the "away" end during the match

- Any players not involved to sit in the family stand, signing autographs for the younger fans etc and meeting the supporters

- Finally I would like to see Knill and Mansell address the crowd before the next home match, maybe by way of a recorded announcement which could be played a couple of times before the match, get the crowd going, even by way of the big screen.

If Knill and Mansell are not seen as charismatic enough then maybe the likes of Brian Saah, who seems to be a pretty good speaker, could do similar, the club somehow have to get the crowd going a bit.


I know the chairman reads this board so maybe some of these ideas and others people care to post may inspire him to do something, certainly the worse action is no action

The club are doing some sort if ticket offer whereby a season ticket holder can bring a women along for free. What's the point in that? 1) sexist saying women don't go to football and 2) if the season ticket holders aren't bothered in going, how are they going to bring along a women, who isn't into football or Torquay United? A silly offer from the club, why don't they do an offer like £10 for Adults and £3 for under 16's or something?

I like your idea MidDevon, although the club won't open the away end due to more money needed to be spent for more stewards.

i was at the plymouth argyle v Barnet match last week a season ticket holder could buy 2 tickets for tenner my mate cousin is a season ticket so all i paid was a fiver to get in, the crowd last week was over 8,200 at home park,

Yes, Argyle have really pulled out the stops with their marketing to get bums on seats and we should do the same.

However, it will be no good if the extra "supporters" spend the game criticising and abusing the team (see another thread on the forum for context).

We also all need to get behind - and stay behind - the team if it is to work!

Speaking to a few Spireites fans the other day and there won't be much need for more stewards as there won't be many making the trip. There were a load of them who went down on the friday before the original game and had to come back when it was postponed and most of them either can't be arsed due to the ineptness of their team and also because it's a night game.

As for getting the fans back on side, there are a million and one things the clubs should be doing both out of necessity and out of a sense of responsibility to the fans who keep the business afloat. But they aren't.

The 'bring a woman along for free' offer is simply hilarious and highlights what comedy there is to be enjoyed down at Plainmoor this season. Why don't some of you dress up as women and say you've had a sex change and when the stewards ask for id then accuse them of sexism / racism or whatever and threaten to call the police!

Or sue the club for breaching the trades description act by having the words "football" "United" and "club" in the title

There is no quick fix for getting the fans back onside and sadly, time is not on our side. One obvious way is for the team to put in a spirited performance and win convincingly...however, this seems a pretty unlikely option at the moment. For me, personally, if I feel like the players appreciate us fans, it makes a huge difference. Now I haven't been to a game this season so don't know if the team do acknowledge the crowd particularly. I do recall games though where we have fallen behind and seen the likes of Hilly, Saint and Manse rousing the crowd and getting the Popside nearly roaring. It may sound ridiculous but if the players could stop the apparent resentment a lot of fans are feeling, and make us believe there is fight and passion within the team, we could get the 'David and Goliath' mentality back. Don't know if it's the job of the Chairman, manager, captain or Gilbert, but somebody needs to make us feel that we all want to beat the drop. Christ, I feel like Delia Smith...

Knock us up a beef stroganoff then............................ :~D

seems whatever simon baker and co do aint going to be right, kids went for free against wycombe and what was the gate, 1,700, the bottom line is the general public in torbay and surrounding areas couldnt give a flying f--k if we had a team in the bay or not, i think if they let everyone in for free we still wouldnt fill plainmoor, they are all arm chair man utd fans.

This has been a problem in Torquay for many years. I think it's down to club promotion at the primary school age. Get the kids on side when they are young. The local baseball team here Traverse City Beach Bums do so many things around the schools. Right now my 5 year old daughter has a book reading chart given to her by the school. It's called "Read Around The Bases" I think it's a great idea. I know on the link it says 2010 but they do it every year. They do so many things for kids including after some games the kids go out and run the bases with the players and get autographs.

http://www.tcbeachbums.com/community/

I agree about the apathy in the bay RR and i admit the club try different initiatives to try and get fans in but my gripe is about treating the actual fans that DO go like cash cows, not offering THEM any breaks or rewards for their loyal support. It's always about bending over backwards to try and get the people in who don't give a toss about the club whilst the die hard regulars get taken for granted and are expected to come week in week out without so much as a free coffee! It's a joke and the board need to remember that it's these die hard fans who will keep the club afloat if we go down to the BSP whilst the absent floaters won't come within 10 miles of Plainmoor if that happens. Look after the ones that turn up and carry on doing the offers and incentives BUT FOR BOTH PARTIES.

yes i see what you mean andy but most clubs manage to pull extra people in as morecombe did, they offered everyone in for free and did manage to pull in an extra 4000 fans the other week, bradford did £1 for everyone and pulled in 18000, perhaps we could try this for one game only and see what the response is, maybe when we play chesterfield, but i have my doubts that the football fans of torbay will respond, also i feel that we need to get into the schools and offer them the chance to watch a game for free, anything is worth a bash.

ROADRUNNER wrote:seems whatever simon baker and co do aint going to be right, kids went for free against wycombe and what was the gate, 1,700, the bottom line is the general public in torbay and surrounding areas couldnt give a flying f--k if we had a team in the bay or not, i think if they let everyone in for free we still wouldnt fill plainmoor, they are all arm chair man utd fans.

The only problem with that deal was that you had to get the kids tickets during the day or 2 hours before kick off, with people working it is difficult to get there at those times. If the deal was on the gate then maybe a few more may have made the trip.

dannyrvtufc4life wrote:The club are doing some sort if ticket offer whereby a season ticket holder can bring a women along for free. What's the point in that? 1) sexist saying women don't go to football and 2) if the season ticket holders aren't bothered in going, how are they going to bring along a women, who isn't into football or Torquay United? A silly offer from the club, why don't they do an offer like £10 for Adults and £3 for under 16's or something?

I like your idea MidDevon, although the club won't open the away end due to more money needed to be spent for more stewards.

Disagree to an extent Danny. It isn't sexist, it's just trying to encourage more females to come and have some live entertainment (I use this word loosely).

The crowd shouldn't be offside anyway.
Ok Sorry I'll get me coat