What would it take for United to lose supporters en masse?

[steffyr2]

Not trying to start a flamewar. Just legitimately worried. Hear me out before you get all up in arms.

Our problem is club ownership. Not temporal thing that can be fixed in several years, not a bad manager, not bad squad, or any of that. We have club ownership that has proven to be absolutely hopeless and completely uninterested in us winning, as long as their wallets do well.

Case in point: we are still in Champions League, still in very tough fight for top 4 (next year's Champions League) which has direct impact on what footballers we can attract and maybe even which manager for rebuild, we are still in FA Cup. And our ownership refuses to buy a defensive midfielder to give us a fighting chance! They basically threw away the season when we still have a lot to fight for. Tells you a lot about who our club is owned by.

It is very realistic under the circumstances, under this ownership that we will see decades of decline and not winning anything worthwhile. Many long-time fans will obviously love this club for the rest of our lives, but what happens when we realize - this club has reached the point of having nothing to do with the club we've loved, other than the name? What happens when Glazers ruin everything to that point? Is there a breaking point when millions of supporters decide, Man United doesn't exist anymore and will move on?

United is not just some club. It is one of world's most decorated, important, biggest and important clubs. Can we really get adjusted to long-term becoming a club that can't even fight for high titles?

When does the club stop being itself? Is title and legal status enough even if everything else is lost?

Why is this thread a thing? Why would it be a problem for the club owners to be concerned about the business side of the club?

Honestly, do people have any idea how to run a business?

I’m hoping the glazers worry about the business and leave the football side of Utd to football people. Which it seems like you agree they did; it’s just the football people haven’t been very good. So blame the football people if you aren’t satisfied with the results.

 

[Oranges038]

no it has not

in the last 60 years the average attendance has ranged from 21,000 to 52,000
in that time the capacity has fluctuated but has never fallen below 30,000

It would be fair to say that the stadium has been sold well since the premier league era.
However the average was only 22,000 in the season they were promoted which rose the 34,000 the first season the premier league
There have also been some notable drop off in attendances as things have gone badly on the pitch, in the relegation season of 08/09 average attendance was 47,000. The next year in a promotion season from the championship it was down to 43,000 and the first season back in the prem it was 48,000.

Up to 2000 the capacity was around 30,000. They averaged close to full capacity most seasons. There were a few bad seasons in the 80s where they hovered around 20-25, nearly every other year it was 30k+. Since it was upped to 50000+, they have averaged between 45 and 50000 each season.

Like I said, almost full every week, unlike some stadiums.

 

[manc exile]

Since it was upped to 50000+, they have averaged between 45 and 50000 each season.

except when it wasnt and was 43,000 in 09/10

capacity rose above 50,000 in 2000

 

[manc exile]

Up to 2000 the capacity was around 30,000.

that would be 36,000,

 

[manc exile]

They averaged close to full capacity most seasons. There were a few bad seasons in the 80s where they hovered around 20-25, nearly every other year it was 30k+.

by a few bad seasons in 80's you mean all of the 80's and some of the 70's and some of the 60's

I include the 60's and the 70's as the original poster was talking about high attendances over the last 60 years

 

[TheRedHearted]

Fellaini or Sanchez as manager

and I'd love to see a player try to step on Fellaini's toes

 

[DanielofLeyland]

Perhaps an odd statement to make but our decline could be our saving grace in the coming years. Fans will always stick with their club. Look at Newcastle. Years of winning nothing, relegation etc yet retained a big support. Now they have the investment to perhaps ascend the ladder.

If United decline on the pitch then advertising revenues eventually suffer. If we are no longer a cash cow for the Glazers they will go. Hopefully we would still be attractive to a set of football investors who want to bring us back to former glories. For every bad owner (Glazers, Ashley) there are good (City, Leicester). United will always have an allure because of their history. I think fans will always stick by their side regardless. If they didn't we'd all be following FCUM instead.

 

[Oranges038]

except when it wasnt and was 43,000 in 09/10

You're cherry picking seasons, they were relegated and the fans were pissed at the owners, they still have over 40,000. That's more than City get for CL games. The average attendance was lower in the 80s because of development works.

 

[manc exile]

You're cherry picking seasons, they were relegated and the fans were pissed at the owners, they still have over 40,000. That's more than City get for CL games. The average attendance was lower in the 80s because of development works.

then why not say over 40,000 instead of claiming 45 and 50,000 each season

in what context is City's champs league attendance relavent to this thread

development works for 12 years straight? are you sure? when the official capacity didnt drop below 30,000?
Its not a dig at the toon, everyones attendance was down in the 80's, hooligans and all that.
Its just if you are going to make claims they should at least be factual

 

[Oranges038]

then why not say over 40,000 instead of claiming 45 and 50,000 each season

in what context is City's champs league attendance relavent to this thread

development works for 12 years straight? are you sure? when the official capacity didnt drop below 30,000?
Its not a dig at the toon, everyones attendance was down in the 80's, hooligans and all that.
Its just if you are going to make claims they should at least be factual

I said they had almost full capacity every year for 60 years, there's been about 10 where it hasn't really been, some of those were in the 80s due to development works. They have had up on 50k for the last 20 years aside from 1 or 2.

I put in the City comment because I find it ironic that a City fan is getting so bent out of shape about factual attendance figures.

Good night.

 

[manc exile]

You're cherry picking seasons, they were relegated and the fans were pissed at the owners, they still have over 40,000. That's more than City get for CL games. The average attendance was lower in the 80s because of development works.

i had a little think and will concede i am cherry picking seasons, but thats because its the most relavent one to this thread
the thread is about what it would take to lose supporters. your contention is that the toon have won feck all for half a century but still get big support so united should be fine and wont lose support
the season the toon lost support was, according to your good self and i concur, when the fans didnt like the owners and they had just been relegated.
so lets look at united.
owners that the fans hate? yep united have that
so all it would take would be relegation for united to be in the same position as the toon.

is relegation likely in the next few years, no
however the continuing mismanagement of the club going forward makes it more and more of a possibility

 

[manc exile]

I said they had almost full capacity every year for 60 years, there's been about 10 where it hasn't really been, some of those were in the 80s due to development works. They have had up on 50k for the last 20 years aside from 1 or 2.

I put in the City comment because I find it ironic that a City fan is getting so bent out of shape about factual attendance figures.

Good night.

closer to 20 years when they were substantially below capacity but i take your point

i am not going to argue the city fan thing with you, i am not, but people think i am and the mods saw fit to change my support status. cant be arsed changing it back or arguing with the mods and cant be arsed arguing about who i support any more.

 

[dave1956]

In season 1946/47 the average attendance was 43,768 and in the following season that increased to 53,623, then fluctuating between the 40 Thousands plus to the lower 30 thousands. In 1958/59 season saw an average of 53258 and then falling away, resulting in the 1961/62 season with the all time lowest average attendance of 33,490, climbing again to in the 1967/68 season to 57,573. Then for a number of season the avearge attendance hovered in the high 40 thousands and after 1990 climbed up to the present figures.

 

[lefty_jakobz]

The rise of City and the eventual rise of Newcastle will affect future fans of the club. More successful clubs = further spread fanbase.

People don’t like to admit it, but the reason the top clubs have larger fan bases is because they win.

If this were true, City would sell out every game, and we all know that they ‘cook the books’ in terms of selling out their stadium