I've been watching Wycombe since the mid 80's and some of the best Wycombe matches I've seen were under Ainsworth. An extraordinary and rather disrespectful rewriting of history.
I think of the Sheffield Wednesday home game in the 21/22 season. Both play off chasing, Wednesday were really good and we just overpowered them. And it wasn't just physical either, who among us would ever have put Jordan Obita in position to score the winner?
Ainsworth was supreme at winning games of football.
club missed a trick , the prices are on the high side, we could have charged less and got a big crowd, keen to hear from the commercial team on their strategy, we could have attracted more casual fans .I for 1 wont be paying these prices for a game that is also on the sky main event . we could have got 8k plus but we will be lucky to get 5k
I’ve not explained myself well, let me try and put that straight.
With the tools at his disposal Ainsworth worked miracles with very little and gave us some of our highest league positions and could be argued to be our greatest manager.
However I firmly believe the manner in how we won games and played the game is now having an adverse affect on our attendances along with other circumstances previously discussed.
There is no £ value in being a season ticket holder. Think it’s a nominal difference from buying game to game. Which is sad really. Season ticket holders should be getting value. It could be the same for most teams.
Surely you aren't serious regarding the Gaz years?
We got promoted twice. Had three play off finals. Numerous last minute winners and late comebacks. One of the most iconic players in the League (Bayo). Took Spurs and Villa close in the cup. Got to the Championship. Suffered only one relegation, which was by a narrow margin in a division where we were expected to be relegated by Christmas.
Absolutely. I'm always taken back to the 2020 play off semi finals when this debate comes up. There was Oxford v Pompey, two teams widely regarded as playing wonderfully attractive passing football, who produced two of the dullest games I've ever seen, and then there was Fleetwood and Wycombe, the supposed cloggers. The first leg was frankly bonkers and brilliant, full of goals and incident, and the second leg wasn't bad either. I know which I'd rather watch every week.
Whilst not for a minute wishing to diminish any of the achievements of GA we probably do need to recognise that there were some periods where we were a really tough watch (think latter day Hayes and Thompson, for example).
That was more than balanced out by most of what he achieved and he gave us some of the most exciting and impressive games in our history.
We should also recognise that early (hopefully) period MB football was an impossibly dire watch (I shudder for example at the memory of that first half against Fleetwood - as bad Ila’s I have ever seen us - okay I missed Morecambe I admit).
As I've previously bored on about this, £47 for two tickets in the Frank Adams (one for a twelve-year-old) is beyond what I think is fair value. Furthermore, I must admit that paying such sums to a billionaire sticks in my craw! Also, it's easy to quote the saving on season tickets but you have to turn up for every game to see the price reductions and, sometimes, life gets in the way!
As a direct result, we'll miss this game and quite a few others.
Exactly this. With the greatest respect to a lot of the Ainsball fans on this forum, you're not exactly the right sample for this survey. You're the sort that comes rain or shine, win or lose, turgid Taylor 0-0s or Gareth's hoofball. You're addicts. You've Stockholm Syndrome. You're, frankly, not good judges of what might bring back those dipping their toes into the football market; those choosing between a wet afternoon at Adams Park and a nice afternoon on the settee with Sky Sports and some popcorn. And what's more - you're highlighting the very best matches of Ainsworth's time in charge. I remember many grinding, over-cautious 1-0s and 2-1s. Great to have won, but we were all saying at the time that you had to see the bigger picture - grinding our way up the league would be worth it in the longer term. Fine for those with season tickets willing to play the long game; not so much for the casual fan wondering whether they could bare the same experience in a fortnight's time.
I am very shallow. Win, lose or draw. I just like coming to live football. I've had about 15 years of coming to Wycombe...can't even claim to be sticking around because of my addiction to the MON glory years...but I found the Ainsworth period very entertaining myself.
If to get people in we must present football that consists of supremely talented footballers playing scintillating one touch patterns and scoring memorable goal after goal...rather than a team grinding out wins and draws against very similar opposition. I fear whoever is in charge, we're pretty much ****ed.
I shall caveat this with, I have no idea how to increase crowds to our badly placed, poorly served industrial estate ground and I hate watching 'elite' football on the telly.
Also if you read any other football forums you will see most fans at our level think their team is one dimensional, has no plan B and has a manager that is struggling to change things during a game. (Though they do seem less bothered about crowd sizes admittedly.)
As usual, Wendoverman has got it spot on. I sometimes wonder if people really appreciate what our club has achieved in a relatively short period of time as a professional outfit. Several promotions, trips to Wembley, appearances in the semi finals of major cup competitions and regular victories over much bigger clubs are things the followers of the vast majority of clubs in the lower divisions can only dream of achieving.
Nah, the football under Taylor was a tough watch and I would agree that would put off people from watching. Defensive and dull, and the most weirdly disappointing promotion of all time. Leagues away from the direct football we played under Ainsworth.
Of course there were bad games and poor performances under Ainsworth, but that argument could be made for any manager. I'm sure there's plenty of fans who remember when Wycombe were booed off the pitch following a 0-1 defeat to Mansfield under O'Neill! And much as I loved the football we attempted and sometimes succeeded in playing under Gorman, my abiding memory of that era was a whole host of tedious 1-1 draws where we'd have all the possession, but were unable to break down packed defences.
Crowds in the later Ainsworth era were also on par with those under O'Neill. Personally I enjoyed our football under Ainsworth for the most part and our playing style had very much evolved during his time anyway. The win against Derby in one of his last matches was one of the most exciting games I've ever seen at Adams Park.
Comments
What an extraordinary re-imagining of our recent history.
Did wonder if it was just me, as no-one else picked up on the hilarity of the brush off of Ainsworth's success.
I've been watching Wycombe since the mid 80's and some of the best Wycombe matches I've seen were under Ainsworth. An extraordinary and rather disrespectful rewriting of history.
I think of the Sheffield Wednesday home game in the 21/22 season. Both play off chasing, Wednesday were really good and we just overpowered them. And it wasn't just physical either, who among us would ever have put Jordan Obita in position to score the winner?
Ainsworth was supreme at winning games of football.
club missed a trick , the prices are on the high side, we could have charged less and got a big crowd, keen to hear from the commercial team on their strategy, we could have attracted more casual fans .I for 1 wont be paying these prices for a game that is also on the sky main event . we could have got 8k plus but we will be lucky to get 5k
I’ve not explained myself well, let me try and put that straight.
With the tools at his disposal Ainsworth worked miracles with very little and gave us some of our highest league positions and could be argued to be our greatest manager.
However I firmly believe the manner in how we won games and played the game is now having an adverse affect on our attendances along with other circumstances previously discussed.
I think you're utterly bonkers.
Because watching defenders pass the ball around between themselves is so much more entertaining.
There is no £ value in being a season ticket holder. Think it’s a nominal difference from buying game to game. Which is sad really. Season ticket holders should be getting value. It could be the same for most teams.
Surely you aren't serious regarding the Gaz years?
We got promoted twice. Had three play off finals. Numerous last minute winners and late comebacks. One of the most iconic players in the League (Bayo). Took Spurs and Villa close in the cup. Got to the Championship. Suffered only one relegation, which was by a narrow margin in a division where we were expected to be relegated by Christmas.
How much more do you want!?!
There is a approx 25% discount through holding a season ticket (or six free games a year)
What more do you expect?
Absolutely. I'm always taken back to the 2020 play off semi finals when this debate comes up. There was Oxford v Pompey, two teams widely regarded as playing wonderfully attractive passing football, who produced two of the dullest games I've ever seen, and then there was Fleetwood and Wycombe, the supposed cloggers. The first leg was frankly bonkers and brilliant, full of goals and incident, and the second leg wasn't bad either. I know which I'd rather watch every week.
So it’s the current style of football wot’s the problem.
Whilst not for a minute wishing to diminish any of the achievements of GA we probably do need to recognise that there were some periods where we were a really tough watch (think latter day Hayes and Thompson, for example).
That was more than balanced out by most of what he achieved and he gave us some of the most exciting and impressive games in our history.
We should also recognise that early (hopefully) period MB football was an impossibly dire watch (I shudder for example at the memory of that first half against Fleetwood - as bad Ila’s I have ever seen us - okay I missed Morecambe I admit).
frank Adams block P @£514 yearly works out £4 cheaper per game. Unless I’ve missed something it’s not 25%.
Season ticket £514
23 matches at £31 = £713
Saving £199
Saving 28% (or £6.40 per game)
theres my shite maths. I was going by 20 games left.
I’m not sure anyone could have chosen a better example than this.
Just got my ticket....£29.
Checked the Villa site and an adult away ticket is £27.........wait what?
As I've previously bored on about this, £47 for two tickets in the Frank Adams (one for a twelve-year-old) is beyond what I think is fair value. Furthermore, I must admit that paying such sums to a billionaire sticks in my craw! Also, it's easy to quote the saving on season tickets but you have to turn up for every game to see the price reductions and, sometimes, life gets in the way!
As a direct result, we'll miss this game and quite a few others.
The league cup these days only has a tiny bit more prestige than a pizza cup game. Needs binning.
Not correct in the Frank Adams.
£514 by 23 games is £22.30.
Hence £29 for Villa feels steep.
I see Dev has already laid this out although he's done it the politician way and used the highest price £31 to exaggerate it a bit.
Exactly this. With the greatest respect to a lot of the Ainsball fans on this forum, you're not exactly the right sample for this survey. You're the sort that comes rain or shine, win or lose, turgid Taylor 0-0s or Gareth's hoofball. You're addicts. You've Stockholm Syndrome. You're, frankly, not good judges of what might bring back those dipping their toes into the football market; those choosing between a wet afternoon at Adams Park and a nice afternoon on the settee with Sky Sports and some popcorn. And what's more - you're highlighting the very best matches of Ainsworth's time in charge. I remember many grinding, over-cautious 1-0s and 2-1s. Great to have won, but we were all saying at the time that you had to see the bigger picture - grinding our way up the league would be worth it in the longer term. Fine for those with season tickets willing to play the long game; not so much for the casual fan wondering whether they could bare the same experience in a fortnight's time.
I am very shallow. Win, lose or draw. I just like coming to live football. I've had about 15 years of coming to Wycombe...can't even claim to be sticking around because of my addiction to the MON glory years...but I found the Ainsworth period very entertaining myself.
If to get people in we must present football that consists of supremely talented footballers playing scintillating one touch patterns and scoring memorable goal after goal...rather than a team grinding out wins and draws against very similar opposition. I fear whoever is in charge, we're pretty much ****ed.
I shall caveat this with, I have no idea how to increase crowds to our badly placed, poorly served industrial estate ground and I hate watching 'elite' football on the telly.
Also if you read any other football forums you will see most fans at our level think their team is one dimensional, has no plan B and has a manager that is struggling to change things during a game. (Though they do seem less bothered about crowd sizes admittedly.)
As usual, Wendoverman has got it spot on. I sometimes wonder if people really appreciate what our club has achieved in a relatively short period of time as a professional outfit. Several promotions, trips to Wembley, appearances in the semi finals of major cup competitions and regular victories over much bigger clubs are things the followers of the vast majority of clubs in the lower divisions can only dream of achieving.
Nah, the football under Taylor was a tough watch and I would agree that would put off people from watching. Defensive and dull, and the most weirdly disappointing promotion of all time. Leagues away from the direct football we played under Ainsworth.
Whatever the opposite of Stockholm syndrome is, you’ve got it.
Of course there were bad games and poor performances under Ainsworth, but that argument could be made for any manager. I'm sure there's plenty of fans who remember when Wycombe were booed off the pitch following a 0-1 defeat to Mansfield under O'Neill! And much as I loved the football we attempted and sometimes succeeded in playing under Gorman, my abiding memory of that era was a whole host of tedious 1-1 draws where we'd have all the possession, but were unable to break down packed defences.
Crowds in the later Ainsworth era were also on par with those under O'Neill. Personally I enjoyed our football under Ainsworth for the most part and our playing style had very much evolved during his time anyway. The win against Derby in one of his last matches was one of the most exciting games I've ever seen at Adams Park.
Little known fact to blow your mind.
The 15 most northerly capitals in the world are all based in Europe.
Stockholm comes in fifth.
Not a lot of people know that…..
That’s excellent knowledge Dev. Following a quick google I’m pleased to have been to both the most northerly capital and the highest.