Quote: PopTart "If your only measure of success is us winning 3 challenge cups and 2 league championships then no we are never going to get a crowd.
But other teams manage it without that success.
For me, we will lift our crowd slightly with a decent mid table finish but I don't think it would go higher even with a run in playoffs till the facilities are better.
Facilities getting better will mean more people will come with success.'"
New people and casual fans want to follow a team who are at least in with a shout of competing in the play-offs or getting to Wembley. It's become a yearly certainty reading about us being the relegation favourites in pre-season predictions. Nobody is going to read that and say, "I can't wait to give watching Wakey a go this season. I might even convince a few more to come along".
The improvement in facilities may increase footfall, it may not. What will really increase footfall is consistent, solid home performances, following up good away wins with home wins, and a string of seasons when we're not trying to survive in the last few games. It's telling that even mid-table mediocrity looks appealing right now.
Michael Carter was in a predicament. He wanted to balance the books but this left no money for investment in the team. The only way he could invest in the team was by getting attendances up. The only way to get attendances up was by investing in the team. And round and round in "relegation favourites" circles we go.