Fans Losing Interest

[Dave The Buddie]

As a St Mirren supporter for the last 36 years I don't think there has been a time where I have been less interested in my beloved team. I was a season ticket holder with my son for about 10 years but decided to give it up as it became a chore for us to go along to the games.

I went to about 6 games last year and not only was the atmosphere flat but the style of football was awful. Now don't get me wrong if it was down to entertaining style of football I would not be a St Mirren supporter as we have been some horrendous periods of football but I remember Danny Lennon's 2nd season in charge where we concentrated on possession football. I loved it and couldn't wait until the next game even though we certainly didn't win every game but we tried to play football. Now am seeing direct and long ball football because our manager does not think the players have the skill set to play football. Well forgive me if am speaking out of turn but surely professional footballers can play possession football if not they shouldn't be professional.

I thought maybe with the fans takeover and Gordon Scott coming on board it would bring the whole place alive and bring everyone together but it hasn't so far IMO. I know it's early days but there seems to be more division then ever going with comments on this forum.

I know of other fans that think this but for probably the first time ever I woke up on the match day and had no idea who we were playing. I am getting used to staying in and watching all the football on TV and watching the scores come in. Like am sure many supporters some that follow religiously and some like myself who have sporadically went to games recently out of guilt that I won't be a St Mirren fan if I don't go to a game want to feel enthusiastic about my team again.

I don't know if the board, management team or fans can help as I believe a whole generation of Saints fans could be lost and as for young St Mirren supporters coming through we will lose them to other social activities.

Phew and breathe.

Thoughts?

[beyond our ken]

The takeover really only offers more of the same. Any improvement will need to be funded by more off field revenue and that will take years to come through.

Brian Caldwell had a plan, but is Fitz really the guy to take us on?  

I would have hoped to have seen something from him by now, even if it is only a sketch of where we could be headed

[Lord Pityme]

It is as you say Very Early days in the new scheme of things. I am sure many may echo your comments and thoughts, indeed watching programmes like 'Scotland's Game' might push most of us over the edge with feelings of despair and hopelessness?

we all have an opinion on where our game has gone wrong, or not reacted to changes in life and society. From players paid too much, sub standard foreign imports, youth sidelined, not enough youth, too much emphasis on youth etc, etc, we have actually been here before when Alex Ferguson came in and rejuvenated a seeming downward spiralling club.

what did he do to get the best out of everything, players, budget, facilities, fans???

he along with a few others sought to involve the whole community in the club, taking the club to the community. Yes you can argue different times, with less options to spend your freetime, but he got people who were not previously engaged with the club, and those who had drifted away back involved again.

much is said and made about all the other distractions for youth and armchair fans that sits at the root of our game's demise. But they have Playstations, Xbox and satelite TV in Spain, Germany, Holland, Iceland etc, and it doesnt seem to hamper them!

the club now needs to work to involve and engage with the whole community, as well as embracing and working with all the local youth sides, it is embarrassing we dont have a woman's team to inspire half the population to get involved with the club!

why isnt there a Polish/ Eastern European Saints fans group encouraged? How have the club reached out to the LGBT community, and demonstrated that they can see themselves represented at St Mirren? Why do we not invite groups of our elderly to Tea Dances in corporate or the 1877 club in the afternoons?

there is so much more we can do to take the club to the community, and a lot of that isnt just about football! Its about engagement, re-generation, helping others to do better for themselves and their families, helping to turn lives round by creating opportunities. If we solely focus on how the current manager is coping, then we will continue to repeat our pattern of behaviour that limits all the opportunities to build and strengthen the club.

One thing we can all surely agree on is 3000 odd people doing it the same way time after time doesnt bring the change we need.

[pod]

1 hour ago, beyond our ken said:

The takeover really only offers more of the same. Any improvement will need to be funded by more off field revenue and that will take years to come through.

Brian Caldwell had a plan, but is Fitz really the guy to take us on?  

I would have hoped to have seen something from him by now, even if it is only a sketch of where we could be headed

Like past and present managers, cheap option. Unfortunately.

[stlucifer]

1 hour ago, beyond our ken said:

The takeover really only offers more of the same. Any improvement will need to be funded by more off field revenue and that will take years to come through.

Brian Caldwell had a plan, but is Fitz really the guy to take us on?  

I would have hoped to have seen something from him by now, even if it is only a sketch of where we could be headed

 

[St.Ricky]

Great thread and great posts.

Perhaps an opportunity here for Forum Members to make positive contributions with simple, low cost ideas for change.

To be fair, much has happened to reposition the club but these changes have run parallel to a period where success on the park has not accompanied these.

The status quo is not a viable option however. Managers come and go. Success is temporary. Fluctuations are built in to our DNA as a club of our size.

Positives

The relationship with the University is working - perhaps we could encourage more students along but there has been progress.

The dome has encouraged more use of facilities.

Community work is developing. No doubt funding is an issue here but work has started.

Facilities have improved following the move to the new ground.Yes - I miss Love Street but that is nostalgia talking. 

Sitting, at my age, is the preferable option and we are all seated.

The, apparently, much maligned pie stalls have also improved in numbers, range and service.

The 1877 Club has been introduced.

Kids area created, free tickets distributed.

I could go on, but won't.

What would I like to see?

I support the ideas already put forward on this thread.

If I had one wish it would be to make St Mirren's Ground the first Non Swearing Ground in the country as a voluntary action by fans.

Now that small change would change the atmosphere and costs nothing.

 

 

[shull]

Tannoy is still absolutely shite.

If it is not fixed for the next home match then the the game is up for the new Board. 

How hard is it to fix a f**king speaker or two? 

[antrin]

25 minutes ago, St.Ricky said:

 

Sitting, at my age, is the preferable option and we are all seated.

 

Kinda I'm all right, Jack isn't it?  "Preferable" for your age.  Complacent and selfish.

What about all the students you seem happy to encourage along?  I bet that not all of them are lazy twats... indeed, for many their health would be much improved by standing.

 

 

*****

If I had one wish it would be to make St Mirren's Ground the first Non Swearing Ground in the country as a voluntary action by fans.

Would a sincere GTF to that wish be deemed acceptable? 

Your wish could be easily achieved by the simple expedient of the football team occasionally delivering effort, skilled play and victories.

 

 

*

I am offering these as sincere rebuttals to those suggestions.  In general, I'd endorse your wish for improvement and progress for St Mirren.

 

 

 

[pod]

39 minutes ago, St.Ricky said:

 

If I had one wish it would be to make St Mirren's Ground the first Non Swearing Ground in the country as a voluntary action by fans.

 

 

 

More chance of us winning the Premiership. 

[Dave The Buddie]

Some fantastic points on here some I agree with others I don't.

Surely this starts on the pitch. Whether we like it or not football has become a business in the entertainment industry so to get punters and kids on seats we not only have to be doing things off the park but also on it.

We have no DNA as a club regards to style of football. I would love to go back to having a manager who likes to play it on the deck and play possession football and implement this all the way through our youth teams so that when our younger players come into the 1st team it is seem less transition. Have ex players such as Goodwin, Thompson when then hung up there boots taking the youth sides and promoting them through eventually they would take the managers job. Just using them as examples.

It would give us an identity of playing good football maybe not always winning but entertaining and with keeping long serving players giving us continuity and it would not matter when we changed manager.

[STGBuddy]

Journeymen players and no direction on the pitch isn't helping us right now

The club , in my opinion, needs a management team who want to build the club not just the team...we need to start really focusing on youth and get a team on the pitch which has energy and the fans can get behind.

Yes you need some experience , but we need to start really investing in the club and how it interacts with the fans, youth clubs locally and the community.

I know that sounds a bit wishy washy but if the fans see energy and some kids coming through into a team they can get behind....then at least they can see a plan, a direction....and then the identity and the willingness to come back in numbers will start to get some momentum.

I want the next manager (whenever that is) to show that they have a plan about building the club and planning for the future as well as just now ...because like I've said before ...6 players over 30 in the starting line up isnt even medium term planning ...at any level of football

having said all that ....3 points today would be a start !!

[gc_SMFC]

Some of these ideas are fantasy material.

The club and fans will not except anything other than short term success. Betting on a program that would potentially reward us after 6 years just doesn't work at this level. We can't afford to potentially waste that capital on something that's more likely to fail.

The youth set up, needs to be run as a separate entity to the first team. With the primarily focus on selling players. If a couple make first team appearances that's a bonus. But the only success is from income from transfers. Which can then be used to increase youth scouting and sign better players for the first team.

The idea of a footballing identity just doesn't make sense for a club our size. We rely on being able to sign any player who's cheap that's better than what we have then build a tactic that suits the group. We don't have the resources to pick and choose who we can sign because they don't fit our system. The same with managers.

People need to accept our limitations of our club. But there is quite a few things we can definitely improve in.

[Dave The Buddie]

Some of these ideas are fantasy material.

The club and fans will not except anything other than short term success. Betting on a program that would potentially reward us after 6 years just doesn't work at this level. We can't afford to potentially waste that capital on something that's more likely to fail.

The youth set up, needs to be run as a separate entity to the first team. With the primarily focus on selling players. If a couple make first team appearances that's a bonus. But the only success is from income from transfers. Which can then be used to increase youth scouting and sign better players for the first team.

The idea of a footballing identity just doesn't make sense for a club our size. We rely on being able to sign any player who's cheap that's better than what we have then build a tactic that suits the group. We don't have the resources to pick and choose who we can sign because they don't fit our system. The same with managers.

People need to accept our limitations of our club. But there is quite a few things we can definitely improve in.

I don't agree a club our size can't have an identity or what is the point. Just survive as a club? We have the potential to be as big as anyone in the country other that the Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen clubs.

I agree due to the financial climate we along with just about every other club in the country will always be a selling club and the best way to do that is bring through your own players but not run separate from the 1st team.

[TopCat]

Tony does have a plan. He says we can be champions of Scotland by 2019, that's the plan.

Duh.

[faraway saint]

2 minutes ago, TopCat said:

Tony does have a plan. He says we can be champions of Scotland by 2019, that's the plan.

Duh.

And poor Oaky said this was a reasonable plan. 

[gc_SMFC]

We have an identity St. Mirren, a 'style' of football doesn't improve that. The only thing that matters is results, even if comes from short passing or long balls, a win is a win.

Name any club in the world that can boast having a home grown squad? It just doesn't happen. Our scouting range for youth players probably doesn't extend out of Scotland, teams with a world wide scouting network can even achieve promotion of a team of their players. The youth set up should have little input from any manager. There should be a youth development manager who oversees the youth groups, with each youth group coach allowed certain freedoms when it comes to tactical set up.

Imagine letting someone like Tommy Craig have any influence on a long term youth set up...

If people want the youth set up to be the main thing we should throw money at it. Cut the first team budget as much as possible and cross our fingers that we sell any youth player for decent money on a regular basis.

[stlucifer]

1 hour ago, St.Ricky said:

 

If I had one wish it would be to make St Mirren's Ground the first Non Swearing Ground in the country as a voluntary action by fans.

 

 

Perhaps this Mr Rae's plan. Soon it could become a reality as the stadium will be a ghost town.

[antrin]

1 minute ago, helpmaboab said:

Stlucy, do you know what an oxymoron is, naw, nothing to do wi a dumb welder, it's yir talk of Rae having a plan.

If we win 3-0 today that would be a nice...

...miracle? 

(Saints are already one down...)

[smcc]

4 hours ago, gc_SMFC said:

Some of these ideas are fantasy material.

The club and fans will not except anything other than short term success. Betting on a program that would potentially reward us after 6 years just doesn't work at this level. We can't afford to potentially waste that capital on something that's more likely to fail.

The youth set up, needs to be run as a separate entity to the first team. With the primarily focus on selling players. If a couple make first team appearances that's a bonus. But the only success is from income from transfers. Which can then be used to increase youth scouting and sign better players for the first team.

The idea of a footballing identity just doesn't make sense for a club our size. We rely on being able to sign any player who's cheap that's better than what we have then build a tactic that suits the group. We don't have the resources to pick and choose who we can sign because they don't fit our system. The same with managers.

People need to accept our limitations of our club. But there is quite a few things we can definitely improve in.

Maybe I have not got the brains to follow your argument. Can you please explain how, if you consider a couple of youth players making first team appearances a bonus, you think we would be able to sell any of our youth players. I can't think of any clubs who are likely to offer us big transfer fees for young players who have not appeared regularly in the first team.

[Dave The Buddie]

Maybe I have not got the brains to follow your argument. Can you please explain how, if you consider a couple of youth players making first team appearances a bonus, you think we would be able to sell any of our youth players. I can't think of any clubs who are likely to offer us big transfer fees for young players who have not appeared regularly in the first team.

Spot on. How are we meant to sell youth players unless they actually play in the 1st team

[Seaside Nipper]

9 hours ago, Dave The Buddie said:

 

As a St Mirren supporter for the last 36 years I don't think there has been a time where I have been less interested in my beloved team. I was a season ticket holder with my son for about 10 years but decided to give it up as it became a chore for us to go along to the games.

I went to about 6 games last year and not only was the atmosphere flat but the style of football was awful. Now don't get me wrong if it was down to entertaining style of football I would not be a St Mirren supporter as we have been some horrendous periods of football but I remember Danny Lennon's 2nd season in charge where we concentrated on possession football. I loved it and couldn't wait until the next game even though we certainly didn't win every game but we tried to play football. Now am seeing direct and long ball football because our manager does not think the players have the skill set to play football. Well forgive me if am speaking out of turn but surely professional footballers can play possession football if not they shouldn't be professional.

I thought maybe with the fans takeover and Gordon Scott coming on board it would bring the whole place alive and bring everyone together but it hasn't so far IMO. I know it's early days but there seems to be more division then ever going with comments on this forum.

I know of other fans that think this but for probably the first time ever I woke up on the match day and had no idea who we were playing. I am getting used to staying in and watching all the football on TV and watching the scores come in. Like am sure many supporters some that follow religiously and some like myself who have sporadically went to games recently out of guilt that I won't be a St Mirren fan if I don't go to a game want to feel enthusiastic about my team again.

I don't know if the board, management team or fans can help as I believe a whole generation of Saints fans could be lost and as for young St Mirren supporters coming through we will lose them to other social activities.

Phew and breathe.

Thoughts?

Thoughts ?

My team are presently shite, the corporate govenance appears equally inept. It will change, sometime for the better bo doubt,  presently thought we are mired in a downward spiral that shows no sign of changing.

Fwiw personally I've  struggled to enjoy us at all since we relocated. This is me, fine, fair play its a so so generational thing. We are where we are, so suck it up and get on. The new ground though for me is a completely soulless wind tunnel, the product to date , has been lacking any decent bluster and is promising nothing whatsoever that encourages return visits.

I'm struggling to support a team and club that seem intent on disaffecting the core support and sticking by an absolutely horrendous method of playing and obtaining anything resembling a positive result.

All this to swallow in a second tier joke level of the 'Scottish game'.

Edited September 17, 2016 by Seaside Nipper

[norrie82]

I have to say that at present I am absolutely bored out of my brain watching this team. They have no pace no dig no exciting players. it is atrocious fare. We're worse than last season at this point

[spoogy1]

the way I see this summing up this year so far is team's playing pish poor fitba, fan's aren't interested in parting with there money to go to games and crowds will dwindle. the ? is what is the board going to do to get the fans back in to watch the saints.

[Gordy 1877]

12 hours ago, Dave The Buddie said:

 

As a St Mirren supporter for the last 36 years I don't think there has been a time where I have been less interested in my beloved team. I was a season ticket holder with my son for about 10 years but decided to give it up as it became a chore for us to go along to the games.

I went to about 6 games last year and not only was the atmosphere flat but the style of football was awful. Now don't get me wrong if it was down to entertaining style of football I would not be a St Mirren supporter as we have been some horrendous periods of football but I remember Danny Lennon's 2nd season in charge where we concentrated on possession football. I loved it and couldn't wait until the next game even though we certainly didn't win every game but we tried to play football. Now am seeing direct and long ball football because our manager does not think the players have the skill set to play football. Well forgive me if am speaking out of turn but surely professional footballers can play possession football if not they shouldn't be professional.

I thought maybe with the fans takeover and Gordon Scott coming on board it would bring the whole place alive and bring everyone together but it hasn't so far IMO. I know it's early days but there seems to be more division then ever going with comments on this forum.

I know of other fans that think this but for probably the first time ever I woke up on the match day and had no idea who we were playing. I am getting used to staying in and watching all the football on TV and watching the scores come in. Like am sure many supporters some that follow religiously and some like myself who have sporadically went to games recently out of guilt that I won't be a St Mirren fan if I don't go to a game want to feel enthusiastic about my team again.

I don't know if the board, management team or fans can help as I believe a whole generation of Saints fans could be lost and as for young St Mirren supporters coming through we will lose them to other social activities.

Phew and breathe.

Thoughts?

100% agree. It appears very little is being done to make us proud to be St Mirren fans again. Meanwhile Tony Fitz and Campbell Kennedy are having a laugh at the prolife, one looking for a bird the other finding it hilarious he's never been in a gym before. Our club are in good hands. http://www.saintmirren.net/pages/?p=58040

Edited September 17, 2016 by Gordy 1877

[Stuart Dickson]

Are fans losing interest? It doesn't look like it to me. Average gates have held up, season ticket sales are solid, over 1,000 people bought into a fan ownership scheme and another 400 paid out money to become members of a "club" that has no constitution or elected committee which helped the club fund the building of a new bar. I'd say that was pretty impressive given the state of the performances on the park over the last few seasons. Patience might be wearing thin but the fact that the OP has started a thread on a forum on a St Mirren fan website would suggest that he hasn't quite lost interest yet. 

There's loads of things wrong at the club. If I criticise loads of people on here get all defensive but you've got to ask yourself why the clamour to get rid of the clubs 5th manager in 30 months if there's no evidence that the new board or the CEO has any idea what attributes make a successful football manager, or how to go about getting one. There's not much point in having a youth academy where players have been taught from an early age that the only way to play football (I don't know why they aren't taught different playing styles either) is to keep the ball on the deck and to pass it around lots only for them to make it into the first team and be told the club manager wants them to stop all that silly passing and running around and to play hoofball instead. There's not much point in handing out loads of free tickets to kids if the only entertainment they are going to get during their day out is to laugh at one of the many nutters in the St Mirren support, veins popping out their head, screaming at and abusing everything in a St Mirren strip. Do you think their parents will be encouraged to pay to bring their child back?

The new owners need to find a plan and a strategy and they need to start working towards it with commitment, passion and desire. They need to sort out all the little details to make the club more professional, more competent. more welcoming and more committed. 

Edited September 17, 2016 by Stuart Dickson