Attendances at most clubs in the top flight of Scottish football are UP despite the Armageddon forecasts made two years ago by Neil Doncaster and Stewart Regan.
Research produced by the Scottish Football Monitor, based on figures produced by ESPN, shows that the majority of clubs have found a slight rise in their attendances killing off theories about the power of the ‘blue pound’.
Aberdeen have enjoyed the biggest rise in attendances with an average of 12,835 watching Derek McInnes’ side this season, last term 10,567 fans turned up to watch Craig Brown’s team with just 9,296 filling Pittodrie in the season that Rangers went into administration prior to liquidation.
The SFM has established itself as an independent source for supporters of all clubs to discuss issues related to the game with a lot of time and debate recently given to how Hearts have managed to avoid liquidation.
Among the key issues uncovered in their most recent blog is:
- Since Rangers’ liquidation and subsequent absence from the top league, the average home attendance of the other clubs has INCREASED overall.
- In this season, the other clubs have added 50,000 fans to home attendances compared to 2011-12 (the last year Rangers were in competition).
- In that time the league has been won (twice) by Celtic, and the other honours have been claimed by St, Mirren, Aberdeen, Celtic and (either) Dundee United or St Johnstone.
- In that time, both Dunfermline Athletic and Hearts (who both had historical financial problems) entered – and exited – administration after fan-led buyouts.
- Dundee United have cleared off their bank debt.
- Kilmarnock have restructured their bank debt, freeing the club from a precarious long-term situation.
- League reconstruction has allowed some money to trickle down to the second tier clubs in an attempt to mitigate the immediate effects of relegation and to reward ambitious clubs.
With further problems expected as Sevco over the coming weeks it’s clear that all other clubs are continuing to run in a proper business-like manner and that there is no desperate need for a club from Ibrox to appear in the top flight.
In the latest episodes of the Sevco soap opera John Brown has backed Dave King’s mysterious Ibrox 1872 limited company while there are claims that a non-shareholding South African based glib and shameless liar has been reported to the Alternative Investment Market for impacting the Sevco share price.
On the pitch despite the slump in season ticket income Ally McCoist is expected to hold signing talks with Kenny Miller today with further talks planned with Carlos Cuellar, Barry Ferguson, Kris Boyd and former Charlton ace Madjid Bougherra.
