I think the next 2 matches are vital for us this season. We need to build on HKR game with wins over catalans and Crusaders, not just to get points on the board, but to show casual supporters we DO have a decent team and they should get down to watch. If we lose against catalans I feel a lot of supportters will still see us as a 'yo yo' side and be put off. Lets hope we can get the win this weekend and get on a bit of a roll!!

anyway, my main point is the expected crowd for the Crusaders game. I believe this match is on TV and I wondered if the club are doing anything to boost the attendance. ITs gonna look poor with just 3000 there. Could we not do somehting like we did against swinton few years ago when we got 6000. it would look GREAT on TV and its a winnable game (i hope) which may encourage some of them to come back again.

I really hope the club are doing something for the mtach....otherwise i fear we could expect a real poor crowd, even with any feelgood factor from a couple of wins.

Totally agree, I would rather us let new fans to their first game for free and get 5,000/6,000, Or let all kids in for free who go to school in Salford. Some sort of deal to get the fans in! Ticket + Free Pint in The Willows before 5pm for £20?

A girl I know who works at the special school in Ellesemere park went to the Swinton home game a couple of weeks ago as the Lions came round and offered a load of free tickets, surely Ellesemere Park is an area we should be targeting.

Never understood why the club hasn't intigrated more of these special offers with the Trafford Centre, put the game from last Friday on the big screen and get players going round the foodcourt offering families free tickets would I'm sure get you a fre more bums on seats.

Personally the offer of a "free" pint in the club would put me off ... it's awful.

However much I agree with the above, I feel the major marketing needs to be if (when?) we get the BBC showing a cup game. I cannot see them not turning up to show off the Willows for the last time and for Mr French to wax lyrical (?) about the olde tymes. A full Willows would have more impact.

Here we go again 'lets give out free tickets cos more free tickets guarantees us an increase in crowds!!!'

Walking around the TC giving out freebies MAY IN THE SHORT TERM get one or two extra bods in, but by enlarge is totally detrimental. The difficult thing with free tickets is once they are out there you cant control who gets them - plus us S/T holders rightfully get a bit grumpy about our hard earned cash being devalued.

Sustained growth is the way forward. Encourage people to attend a match as a guest of the club my all means, but you have to be able to go back to these people after full data capture in the first place and make sure they begin to pay full whack in the long term.

There will be 3-4k in the Willows for the Crusaders game and as long as these are all paying im happy with that.

Totally agree personally, but would like to see what percentage have come back more than once after their freebie entry. Still yet to work out what Freebies the season ticket holders get after spending their money before Christmas. Dont get me wrong, iam more than up for increasing the crowd, but let them in for a tenner say for the first time then full price after that. After all if they want to come, then they will come.

Sod it with all the freebies, permanently drop ticket prices to £10. That'll get the crowds back, and get plenty more in food and drink sales.

If they got some proper ale on rather than warm plastic bottles of cooking lager that would help even more.

Lets hope to god that we've now turned the corner. With the recent run of games all being winnable there should be no reason why we can't go on and gain some momentum and claim the table. The shed this has been great so far this season and last Friday was the best I've heard it in recent years (Yes a win and good performance always help). I just hope we continue supporting the team as vocally as possible at every game whether that be at the Willows against the Wigan and Wire of the world or away in the cup against Hunslet. We pride ourselves on being a passionate bunch who support our team no matter what so lets prove it starting on Saturday away in France. A few sherbets always loosen the vocal cords as well!!

If we do our bit, I'm sure the players will respond in a positive way. You could see on Friday that believe it our they actually enjoyed winning and now they've got a sniff of what it feels like I'm sure they won't want to let it go.

C'mon Solly

Taken from the KR board, lets have a few more comments like that eh? Minus the numpty bit that he mentions of course!!

Not sure if the shed will be as good for Crusaders and Bradford with them being on tele, and of course the Bradford game clashing with the derby, but after that lets really get the shed rocking again like the old days, everyone try and take a few mates along and if the teams playing well, like against KR and the shed is rocking, they'll enjoy it and come again.

Strongbow and Holts now that would get the crowd going(in more ways than one)

Bury Broncos are at home that afternoon so I'm hoping to drag the side down to the game...

Dude both of those things will never happen. EVER!

from the BBC site,

"Three Crusaders players stranded in Australia have been given the go-ahead to link up with the club.

Rhys Hanbury, Frank Winterstein and Hep Cahill have missed the opening six weeks of the season due to delays in getting their visas.

But they are expected to arrive in the country in the next few days having received the paperwork from the UK Border Agency

It is a timely boost for the club, who are currently bottom of Super League.

The trio will join up for the squad next week and they could be in contention to face Salford in the Super League at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday week."

BEST OF LUCK TO THE TRIO

WHAT WITH THE GAME BEING PLAYED at AT WILLOWS...