The Craig Smith Column

Thursday 13 March, 2003

What has happened to the fans?

So there we were, in the Premiership, some people didn't expect us to stay up, and I know some people who thought we shouldn't have been there in the first place. (I took that as a shock too) But nevertheless we earned our right to be there, and to attract decent crowds.

Obviously fans took it hard being relegated after our second year in the top flight, but even in our first season back in division one we were drawing in decent crowds. I believe our highest home attendance was 20,209 against West Brom, and fair enough it may have been the last home game of the season, but still we were in the bottom half, and not really pushing for promotion or battling relegation.

Only twice did we not reach the 13,000 mark on a home game and that was against two clubs who ended up being relegated. (One of which I don't believe were good enough for the division, but managed the double over us. But I'm not naming names)

So last season under 13,000 could be considered a poor attendance for us. These days we are lucky if we reach the 13,000 mark, with our last three home games floating around the 11,000 mark. This season's highest is currently a 14,575 against stoke on a Thursday night, which proves that the fans aren't coming to watch the opposition play football.

So I ask, were have those 6,000 fans gone that used to go last season? If we pulled in that extra 6,000 every match how much better off would we be financially? It is the comparison to us losing the gate receipts of a normal Grimsby home game, or about five Wimbledon home games.

So where have the fans gone?

Is our football not as exciting without the likes of Benito Carbone? Have fans lost confidence in the financial side of the club?

Whatever it is, if on our last home match of the season against Portsmouth, we manage to pull in 20,000 it would make my year, I would love to see that many fans filling the stands again, and if we could pull in 20,000 on our last home game, I think Gordon Gibb would enjoy his summer a little more.

Index of column & Biography | mail