The World Is Ending! Except It’s Not

They Won't Be There Next Year… Will They?

After that season ticket survey was publicized yesterday, did you think that Manc supporter The Stretford End would stay silent? Of course not…

So I wake up this morning after puking my guts out yesterday (curse you, Subway) and I have a note about the latest Virgin Money survey of football season ticket holders. The headline and photo point out that as many as 59 percent of United season ticket holders will consider not renewing their tickets next season.

Whoa! That’s huge! The Glazers must be quaking in their boots… until they read beyond the typically English hyperbole.

In fact, only 15 percent of those surveyed say they actually plan to give up their season seats. That’s a little more manageable. Especially when you consider it’s in the area of about 3,000 tickets.

To further poke holes in the “Glazers Suck!” story, let’s take a little trip back in time, shall we?

From last year’s version of this same report: “Three of the Big Four Premiership clubs are most at risk where 33 per cent of hardcore fans plan to go to fewer games.”

Those three were Arsenal, Liverpool and Man Utd. The year before? Chelsea was at risk of losing a whopping 44 percent of season ticket holders and yet, no major headlines in the Times.

And from 2005, the year of the Glazer rebellion: “19 per cent of Manchester United fans asked in the survey said they would not renew because of the cost.”

Wow, so at this rate, there should be nobody at Red Devils games already.

Surveys like this are always used to spin an agenda. They do show that it’s tougher for the average punter to go to an EPL match – let alone 30 or 40 of them per year. But they also fail to show that what people say in the middle of a season vs. the end of a season vs. when it’s time to buy tickets can be very different.

So let’s look at attendance, shall we? This year, Manchester United is averaging more than 74,000 per match this season, and attendance has increased each year since 2006.

Look, I have no problem with the anti-Glazer group. I’ve stated how I think it’s gone off the rails, but I understand the point of view. The fact is that people are riled up right now. But when July comes around and it’s time to pony up again, most of these rebels will either back out and buy anyway or they will be replaced by someone all to happy to see games at Old Trafford.

The threat of losing money is a big one. But like the failed protest today against AC Milan, they rarely hit as hard as the headlines would have you believe.