TYPICAL isn’t it? A club goes to great lengths to drum up a campaign to boost season ticket sales for the next season, and the team responds by giving fans who were on the verge of dipping into their pockets reason to reconsider.
It’s more like a curse than a coincidence.
Such fate has befallen Burnley in the last two games, just as ticket prices have been announced and brochures have hit the doormats of existing, previous and potential holders.
Whatever you think about the prices, the way it has all been put together is certainly eye-catching.
‘This Is Our Turf’ is an impressive package.
A lot of thought and hard work has gone into the club’s latest marketing strategy behind the scenes – and a touch of technology, with manager Eddie Howe and captain Chris McCann delivering rallying cries through the clever use of a QR code.
“You’ve been right behind us every week, and now we need you more than ever,” is the stirring message from Howe.
It draws you in. It will all serve little purpose, though, if results aren’t being delivered on the pitch. Because at the end of the day that’s all that matters to supporters.
The Clarets defied good performances against Barnsley, at home, and Reading, away, when they returned to Turf Moor to face Millwall.
A feeble surrender to the Lions failed to whet the appetite of anyone looking ahead to next season. Similarly at Watford, where they threw away a two-goal lead, and presumably any last shred of hope of a play-off challenge.
They say you’re only as good as your last game, and on that evidence there aren’t many reasons for fans to part with their hard-earned cash, no matter how appealing “football from £13” sounds.
But for clubs like Burnley, season ticket sales are the lifeblood; the bar by which budgets for the season after are set. The more they sell, the more money the manager should have to improve the squad.
It’s a Catch 22 situation.
If players want to improve, then they need to take as much responsibility as supporters, if not more.
You can have as many logos, slogans and sound-bites as you want. Actions speak louder than words.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here