I am often slated on forums. I am called a moaner. Fair enough. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. And I genuinely mean that. But that includes me. I’m entitled to an opinion. I’ll be honest, I read many opinions that are quite often not backed up by research and statistics. I sincerely hope that’s what I bring to the discussion. Fine if you want to slag me off. I have broad shoulders. My sincere preference is that you engage me. Prove to me I’m wrong. Argue with me with facts and figures. Seriously, if I’m wrong I’ll more than happily admit it (but message me privately first, I might know something you don’t). I do believe, however, that more often that not I have been proven right. Trust me when I say it doesn’t make me happy. All I want is for my team to be successful. MY team. And if you don’t know what I’m talking about yet read an old blog post from a few years ago.
https://wordpress.com/post/winnyssite.wordpress.com/797
I have my qualifications. I have my Shed Stripes. I have my away tours, my Euro tours. I moved to Glaws in ’94 and have been a Shed head for 25 years. A Quarter of a century. Not a patch on the likes of Danny who has been a Shed Head for around 125 years. But a Glaws fan I am. I have engaged with world leaders in the sport, players & coaches. Challenged & grilled them.
I am told that there are “Leaders” at GRFC that do not have a clue about rugby. I am told there are “Managers” that do not have a clue about “management”. These same managers didn’t have a clue in car sales apparently. This from people I have a great deal of respect for. Leaders in commerce. One has to query the huge turn over of staff at GRFC. So many adverts for vacancies recently.
It has often been said there are “Lies, damn lies & statistics”. And this is true. You can make statistics say pretty much whatever you want them to say. So how about the following……..
Attendance Figures (now, forgive me, but sell outs seem to be at 16,115)
16//17
Friday Nights Average Gate 13,565
Saturday Nights Average Gate 14,377
Total Average for Season 16/17 14,156
17/18
Friday Nights Average Gate 13,616
Saturday Nights Average Gate 13,830
Total Average for Season 17/18 13,765
18/19
Friday Nights Average Gate 13,717
Saturday Nights Average Gate 14,612
Total Average for Season 18/19 14,287
19/20
Friday Nights Average Gate 13,551
Saturday Nights Average Gate 13,943
Total Average for Season 19/20 13,747
20/21
Total Average for Season 10,940
In 16/17 we had three sell outs of 16,115. In 17/18 we had two sell outs. We haven’t had one since, more than 2 years. The great Gloucester. The greatest fan base in the Prem. We haven’t sold out The ‘Holm since 30th December 2017 (although we came close on 4th January 2020), both against Barff.
Our average home gate this season (albeit just two home games in) is 10,940, for the last four seasons 13,989, a disparity of 3,049. With Shed prices around £35 that’s at least £106,000 without after sales for beer and food. Say 13 home games per season. Almost £1.4m. And the forums are awash with comments from fans not purchasing in the ground. Fans loading in pubs outside before & after KO.
StQ, are you still happy with your appointment of Bradley? I hear he was in The Shed on Saturday and asked by a Shed Head when he was going. Apparently not a happy man.
Many choose to discredit what I say but I do not say it unless I have stats to back it up or the information comes from at least three separate reliable sources. But if I say it it’s because I love my team. And when I say my team I am talking about something very different to the business.
From my previous comments you may understand that I back Skivs and the players 100%. And I do. But they are very separate from the “business” of GRFC.
I said when Skivs joined that I saw a 3 year plan. That last season we would survive. That this season we would finish top 6 and in 22/23 we would finish top 4. I stand by that. As long as “The Business” backs Skivs. And for anyone questioning the D, Dinger took three seasons to get that right.
Yes, I love my team. But Gloucester is and always will be a working class city. Our current owners seem to suggest we are muppets but we wont pay £5.50 a pint when we can get it cheaper in the Deans or the Jockey or The Peli, or many other locals. What you will see instead is a Shed that doesn’t start filling 2 hours before KO. And that is a very sad state of affairs. That is history being dismembered.
All for a man (sic) who, in my opinion, was not thought highly of at Mitsubishi.
winnyssite 