Barnet 4-0 Aldershot Town - Saturday 26th April 2025 (Match Day Thread)

[chimpster99]

Point to ponder and slightly off tangent, but would anyone like to bet how many seasons it will take before Barnet are back in the NL?

They'll do ok next season but will be back pretty quickly. Support base is small and organisation seems really poor there. Dean Brennan is a class act and has taken Barnet as far as they can go, he will move on if a 'proper' club comes knocking.

[Jason]

If the budget is poor how do we improve it to give ourselves a better chance... the only way seems to be to get more people coming to home games..

We have just sold around 18000 tickets to a one off final in London, there is a golden opportunity there to increase average attendances...

We have a final league game on bank Holiday Monday.. what is the club doing to try and entice some of those additional 15500 fans to the game? **** all is what..

This in a nut shell is why we will all be here next season moaning about the same crap performances thinking ourselves lucky we have just avoided relegation again.

But crowds are above average from last season again, so the argument doesn't add up. Two seasons ago we were averaging less than 2000. Over 2400 this season is a huge boost in revenue

Last season we averaged 2,684

The average this season has dropped 300.

So that argument doesn't add up either.

The point i am making is that hoping for the best is no longer viable if we want to progress.

It seems to me that the BOD has run out of other people's money and so the only option is to increase attendances.

We need to have a plan to get more people coming to games. Somewhere in the region of 15000 people over and above our average have felt interested enough to travel all the way to north London to watch the club.. if 3 to 5% of those start attending games we are in business...

I absolutely agree with you that more needs to be done to increase our attendances and I think the potential is there, with the local area having quite a large population with the number of towns nearby and us being the most established club locally to support.

I would say though this isn't a current BoD problem only. This has been on-going in the entire history of ATFC. Other than the odd promotion, like kids for a quid back in the late 90s/early 00s, I don't really ever remember us doing many promotions.

I also remember since Shahid's tenure, they did the Tuesdays for a tenner promotion one year for a few games in March time, but that didn't seem all that effective.

On the extra Wembley fans, there will be a percentage of those to try and tap into, but there will be a large percentage that will just be perhaps interested persons, but still day trippers that you'll never get. For example, I have 2 extras coming down from Scotland, because they are friends, who follow us because they know me, but will never be coming to games more regularly. I also know some who are bringing people who are fans of other clubs, but will come to this as a one off.

[Birdman]

Re “I also remember since Shahid's tenure, they did the Tuesdays for a tenner promotion one year for a few games in March time, but that didn't seem all that effective.”. I remember that happening when Kris Machala was in charge. I don’t recall it happening since administration. And you’re right insofar as it wasn’t all that effective (if at all).

[Rba]

Attendances will increase. The final has shown this. Aldershot would have a greater support but just ticking over in a 1970 stadium stadium is not what football fans want now.
No disrespect to our board but just ticking over means you have no vision no where to go. Everyone wants success.

[Aldershot]

Woking had discounted tickets for their last home game of the season - £10 for adults. Shame we couldn't do the same for what is now a dead rubber v Yeovil Town.

[Aldershot_Rob]

Woking had discounted tickets for their last home game of the season - £10 for adults. Shame we couldn't do the same for what is now a dead rubber v Yeovil Town.

Given the poor application and line ups in the previous few games and the likely poor performance with another weakened line up, they've a nerve to ask for any admission, let alone full price.

[brian bloomfield]

Re “I also remember since Shahid's tenure, they did the Tuesdays for a tenner promotion one year for a few games in March time, but that didn't seem all that effective.”. I remember that happening when Kris Machala was in charge. I don’t recall it happening since administration. And you’re right insofar as it wasn’t all that effective (if at all).

We did 3 games for £30 in 2015

[Shots2000]

They should pay us to go watch

[Alf W]

As a season ticket holder I wouldn't have an issue with the club discounting prices for the last games of the season, particularly given its a dead game and we are likely to be resting players. It would be good to have an up beat party atmosphere ahead of the Wembley game

[redblueuptoyou]

Woking had discounted tickets for their last home game of the season - £10 for adults. Shame we couldn't do the same for what is now a dead rubber v Yeovil Town.

They also have an end of season party coming up. I received a targeted ad on social media for it.

[A.T.F.C 92]

Woking had discounted tickets for their last home game of the season - £10 for adults. Shame we couldn't do the same for what is now a dead rubber v Yeovil Town.

And lost nearly 1000 fans from their previous home game

[Aldershot]

Woking had discounted tickets for their last home game of the season - £10 for adults. Shame we couldn't do the same for what is now a dead rubber v Yeovil Town.

And lost nearly 1000 fans from their previous home game

It was a derby game with safety on the line v a dead rubber against a team with fans who don't travel in great numbers.

[Old Bob]

Ok, so you're Matt Gray. You're sat in front of Shahid and he explains that there's zero budget for the club. Tell me why you would want to manage Aldershot Town, Matt? Because there's zero money and zero investment. Still want to be manager, Matt? Want to put your managerial CV on the line?

Matt....."Maybe I'll pass, thanks"

Fans say get this guy, he's great. Get this guy, he's got a track record. Get this guy, he's proven at this level. What fans aren't factoring in is that we will never get "this guy" when they are on a hiding to nothing

Last time Azeem followed the fans saying “get this guy” , we ended up with Molesley.

Yes it's a paying job!

And there are good managers prepared to take on a challenge and show what they can do even without a load of cash behind them.

[Old Bob]

So many of our players are clearly either exhausted or unfit. It was so obvious out there today embarrassing at times. They need a two week preparation programme.

(Why they are so exhausted compared to other teams leaves some serious questions to be asked about our coaching.)

Could we also refer similar to your last point to our number of injuries?

Yet the idiot went and played his best player against Woking, he should have rested Ryan and played Theo.

I'm not having that for a minute. The idiocy since the semi-final has been "resting" too many players and trying to avoid injuries, which has trashed our league position and led to us going in to the final on the back of atrocious form with confidence on the floor.

It's THAT that shows the man up to be a poor manager, not playing Ryan Jones at Woking.

[supershots]

Could we also refer similar to your last point to our number of injuries?

Yet the idiot went and played his best player against Woking, he should have rested Ryan and played Theo.

I'm not having that for a minute. The idiocy since the semi-final has been "resting" too many players and trying to avoid injuries, which has trashed our league position and led to us going in to the final on the back of atrocious form with confidence on the floor.

It's THAT that shows the man up to be a poor manager, not playing Ryan Jones at Woking.

I'm not having that, there is no gain from finishing 18th to finishing 12th, but there is a gain to having your best team available to win the cup, Jones is a massive loss and should have been avoided.