Sons' sorrow

[Silverton End]

3 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

Pretty depressing those figures. It's almost criminal how the town has been left to decay over the last 40 years, not only in the way it looks but employment wise.

Yes. The loss of Denny's, Ballantines, various Bonded Warehouses, Foster Wheeler, & a variety of high street 'big name' stores has been grim.

 

[son hawk]

In regards to trying to hold on to Stevie, do we offer him a one year or two year contract?
If he stays and continues to be successful then we can guarantee a fee if he is headhunted for another job.
If it turns back to the type of form at the start of this season then we could be stuck with him or require to pay him off.

[The Moonster]

I'd give him a year. I doubt he'll be interested in much more than a year anyway - if he keeps us up again next season what more can he realistically do for us? If he takes us down we may see it as best for both to part ways. Of course, if we're spanking everyone by October then we can offer him an extension if we need to, but that's unlikely IMO.

[Benito Robles]

17 hours ago, Young gun said:

A sign of the times but I find it sad that during arguably the best run of seasons for the Sons, there has been no increase in fans through the gate.

1972 - 1976 was the only other time Sons had any sort of success 

It's a sign of football though,the match experience is good and Sons hospitality is great value but still the old story buses leaving the town on a Saturday.

Morton are the  same ,having a great season ,yet their crowds are only around 1500.

Stevie Aitken should be manager of the year for what he has done 

I wish Sons every success net season and hope they hang on to their manager

 

 

Times have changed and Scottish football is no longer the attraction to potential and even existing punters as it once was. All the bits and pieces of inconvenience when added up make a day out pretty rubbish and expensive. I believe that fans are seen as a pain in the backside by many folk who 'run' and own football clubs and that attitude came home to roost many years ago. For the Sons, it may be a big catchment area for potential supporters when Helensburgh, Balloch and perhaps even Argyll is factored in, but the competition for those folks leisure time is fierce. Success on the pitch, for which DFC are to be rightly praised for, is simply not enough anymore, sadly.

[O'Kelly Isley III]

3 hours ago, Benito Robles said:

Times have changed and Scottish football is no longer the attraction to potential and even existing punters as it once was. All the bits and pieces of inconvenience when added up make a day out pretty rubbish and expensive. I believe that fans are seen as a pain in the backside by many folk who 'run' and own football clubs and that attitude came home to roost many years ago. For the Sons, it may be a big catchment area for potential supporters when Helensburgh, Balloch and perhaps even Argyll is factored in, but the competition for those folks leisure time is fierce. Success on the pitch, for which DFC are to be rightly praised for, is simply not enough anymore, sadly.

This.

The Bonnyrigg awayday was nostalgic reminder of what attending football in this country used to be like, and backs up Benito's argument.

He's right too about the 'attitude' thing; DFC has an abysmal PR reputation in the local community.  For a branch of the so-called sports entertainment business it has the modus operandi of a private members club, and sadly I don't expect anything short of a Boardroom personnel change to alter that situation.

There is still a lot of goodwill out there but channelling it into bums on seats would require a sea change in attitudes and actions.  A good start would be to stop regarding supporters and the general public as some sort of necessary evil.  Aye, at times it's that bad.

[DumbartonTheSons]

If a bigger club came along would he say no?I think if he were to jump ship it would be to a premiership club like hamilton for example.A lot will depend on who is playing where next season.That goes for us too.If changes are afoot i would like to see Darren Young given a chance.

I'm not sure a club like Hamilton would take the risk on someone like Aitken.

I know they did I suppose with Martin Canning and ICT did with Foran, but I think the two major differences are that they came from 'in house' and had, relatively distinguished playing careers.

I'm not sure a club like say Hamilton would look at Aitken just now and be able to justify the risk that it went pear-shaped.

I think the clubs that Aitken would be seen by as an attractive proposition would be the likes of Raith, Dunfermline, QOS. I think he'd still be largely regarded as a rookie at this level and genuinely, with the tinted glasses off if possible, another year or two with us could see his stock rise to being on the radar of someone like Hamilton, even Partick Thistle or the likes.

[Nowhereman]

Forty five years ago to the very day since this. Wednesday 3rd May 1972

 

[Jumbo Muir]

This.
The Bonnyrigg awayday was nostalgic reminder of what attending football in this country used to be like, and backs up Benito's argument.
He's right too about the 'attitude' thing; DFC has an abysmal PR reputation in the local community.  For a branch of the so-called sports entertainment business it has the modus operandi of a private members club, and sadly I don't expect anything short of a Boardroom personnel change to alter that situation.
There is still a lot of goodwill out there but channelling it into bums on seats would require a sea change in attitudes and actions.  A good start would be to stop regarding supporters and the general public as some sort of necessary evil.  Aye, at times it's that bad.

Spot on.

[Sons FC]

1 hour ago, Nowhereman said:

Forty five years ago to the very day since this. Wednesday 3rd May 1972

 

Fantastic night.

I remember running round with the players on the lap of honour - I think everyone joined in!

[Nowhereman]

1 hour ago, Sons FC said:

Fantastic night.

I remember running round with the players on the lap of honour - I think everyone joined in!

And then down to the fountain in the town centre after?

[BallochSonsFan]

4 hours ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

This.

The Bonnyrigg awayday was nostalgic reminder of what attending football in this country used to be like, and backs up Benito's argument.

He's right too about the 'attitude' thing; DFC has an abysmal PR reputation in the local community.  For a branch of the so-called sports entertainment business it has the modus operandi of a private members club, and sadly I don't expect anything short of a Boardroom personnel change to alter that situation.

There is still a lot of goodwill out there but channelling it into bums on seats would require a sea change in attitudes and actions.  A good start would be to stop regarding supporters and the general public as some sort of necessary evil.  Aye, at times it's that bad.

Absolutely.

We're sleepwalking towards a potential disaster. We're a club with an ageing fanbase and we're not seeing enough new fans coming through the doors. Whether it's kids coming along with parents (or even grandparents) or it's new fans, we desperately need to start getting more people through the turnstiles. It's not a problem that Dumbarton is facing alone - the whole of Scottish football is going to face this to some degree over the next few years. I'm 37 and I could probably count the number of regular football attendees who were going to games when I was in school on my fingers. We've known that this was coming for a generation and yet we've done nothing to put football at the centre of our culture on a saturday afternoon or give fans a reason for turning up and supporting their team.

The growth in crowds at Scotstoun and at Braehead is something we should be looking at. Simply copying what works for The Warriers and The Clan isnt an option as some of the things that those teams do well wouldn't transfer over to football. The last thing we should be doing is dumbing down football, taking the competitive focus away from the game and making it a glitzy day out where the action is often of secondary importance to fans compared to the actions of a dancing highland cow. But we need to look at how those sports have attracted fans, even if we can't simply copy what they've done to attract them, and put a far bigger focus on building up the club within the local community.

How many people in west Dunbartonshire and parts of Argyll would we be able to attract to games if we could convince them that we're worth following and that football as a whole is worth falling in love with?

[pleslie99]

Absolutely.
We're sleepwalking towards a potential disaster. We're a club with an ageing fanbase and we're not seeing enough new fans coming through the doors. Whether it's kids coming along with parents (or even grandparents) or it's new fans, we desperately need to start getting more people through the turnstiles. It's not a problem that Dumbarton is facing alone - the whole of Scottish football is going to face this to some degree over the next few years. I'm 37 and I could probably count the number of regular football attendees who were going to games when I was in school on my fingers. We've known that this was coming for a generation and yet we've done nothing to put football at the centre of our culture on a saturday afternoon or give fans a reason for turning up and supporting their team.
The growth in crowds at Scotstoun and at Braehead is something we should be looking at. Simply copying what works for The Warriers and The Clan isnt an option as some of the things that those teams do well wouldn't transfer over to football. The last thing we should be doing is dumbing down football, taking the competitive focus away from the game and making it a glitzy day out where the action is often of secondary importance to fans compared to the actions of a dancing highland cow. But we need to look at how those sports have attracted fans, even if we can't simply copy what they've done to attract them, and put a far bigger focus on building up the club within the local community.
How many people in west Dunbartonshire and parts of Argyll would we be able to attract to games if we could convince them that we're worth following and that football as a whole is worth falling in love with?

I agree with your points. I for one can't stand rugby or ice hockey but they have their business model spot on. They do something right as they get bums on seats. It's too easy for young people to watch BT/Sky and get their football fix when we needed to go to boghead when we were young to catch a game. There's too much on TV in my opinion and the money in TV revenue is ruining the game as it's stopping young fans going to see the action close up.

[Howlin' Wilf]

5 hours ago, Nowhereman said:

Forty five years ago to the very day since this. Wednesday 3rd May 1972

 

Absolutely brilliant night for this 12 year-old! Went home and watched the (very poor quality) highlights on Scotsport. The film had been taken with ancient old cine cameras. They sent these out to less important games. Montford's Movies was the nickname of such broadcasts.

[Scottylintonstowel]

10 hours ago, Benito Robles said:

Times have changed and Scottish football is no longer the attraction to potential and even existing punters as it once was. All the bits and pieces of inconvenience when added up make a day out pretty rubbish and expensive. I believe that fans are seen as a pain in the backside by many folk who 'run' and own football clubs and that attitude came home to roost many years ago. For the Sons, it may be a big catchment area for potential supporters when Helensburgh, Balloch and perhaps even Argyll is factored in, but the competition for those folks leisure time is fierce. Success on the pitch, for which DFC are to be rightly praised for, is simply not enough anymore, sadly.

As I have said many times before children are the lifeblood of the game and should be let in free for all but ticket only games. To attract children we will also have to attract their mothers or other female companions and if it means letting adult females in for half price then do it. I know that concessions are allowed for OAP's but I would reduce their entry to a fiver each .Also as I have said before our ground is child unfriendly and if they are daft enough to build a new stadium then at least have a standing area. It would also be a good idea if our beloved leaders would occasionally smile and talk to the supporters and stop disdaining them.

 

[DumbartonTheSons]

It would also be a good idea if our beloved leaders would occasionally smile and talk to the supporters and stop disdaining them.

Now you're just being silly.

[Nowhereman]

Absolutely brilliant night for this 12 year-old! Went home and watched the (very poor quality) highlights on Scotsport. The film had been taken with ancient old cine cameras. They sent these out to less important games. Montford's Movies was the nickname of such broadcasts.

Yip. And the highlights of this game, the St Mirren game and the Celtic league cup semi have been shamefully wiped at some time in the past

[lionel wickson]

Did the BBC also junk their highlights of the Celtic game? Been hoping they might turn up on You Tube eventually.

[spratte]

honestly dont know if its coincidence or not but recently our attendances have been growing year on year and it seems to coincide with us letting under 12's in for free. i'd love us to adopt the jags take where its under 16's. dont know what their attendances are like and would be difficult to assess with them now in the top flight.

yeah i know we love a crowd w**k but its been quite positive at the bairnebeu. the last couple of years have been decent in the sense we have been in the playoffs but i honestly wonder if we do go up and struggle and not neccesarily get relegated but find wins being few and far between will the crowd still attend?

[roman_bairn]

honestly dont know if its coincidence or not but recently our attendances have been growing year on year and it seems to coincide with us letting under 12's in for free. i'd love us to adopt the jags take where its under 16's. dont know what their attendances are like and would be difficult to assess with them now in the top flight.
yeah i know we love a crowd w**k but its been quite positive at the bairnebeu. the last couple of years have been decent in the sense we have been in the playoffs but i honestly wonder if we do go up and struggle and not neccesarily get relegated but find wins being few and far between will the crowd still attend?

For a season or two, yes. However when the novelty factor wears off the crowds do appear to decline.

[spratte]

1 minute ago, roman_bairn said:

 

 

For a season or two, yes. However when the novelty factor wears off the crowds do appear to decline.

so are we better being a big fish in a small pond, straight question?