Is Southampton the worst affected area in the country by the credit crunch ? the answer is yes judging by the drop in attendances at St Mary's. 

I have heard many excuses in recent weeks as to wh our crowds have been dropping like a stone, mots of them seemingly to be centred around the credit crunch, however a quick look at the Championships attendance averages over both last season and this show that Saints are out on a limb when it comes to plummetting crowds.

Last season saw Saints average 21,253, this season 15,757, you do the maths its as near as damn it a 26 % drop and its on a downward spiral, our last attendance against Norwich of 14,480 is 32% down on last seasons average an amzing drop.

But how does that compare with the rest of the division, taking a few random samples from Club who were in the Championship last season

Norwich 1% drop

Ipswich 7% drop

Sheff Utd 5% Drop

Sheff Weds 9% drop

Burnley 0.5% Drop

Watford 13% drop

Palace 7% Drop

Plymouth 10% drop

Preston 13% plus

Barnsley 16% plus 

Thats a fairly comprehensive sample and whilst i would say that with many clubs there are certain games that would push up their averages etc, it still gives us a good overview of how attendances have been affected, if we take those 8 clubs that have shown a drop then the average drop is 6.5 percent, we are more than four times the average.

But even more worringly we are double the next club with a drop in attendances, Watford are with 13% drop are now virtually on a parwith Saints attendance wise, a shock for the system for those that winged in 2003 about not being able to go to Villa Park and was it right that Watford should get the same number of tickets as us.

So our drastic reduction in support is not down to the credit crunch but other factors, the credit crunch has seen an average drop in the Championship of about 6.5 % ( in truth I havent included clubs like Cardiff who are showing a 34% increase nor any of the other increases, but 6.5 5 is there or thereabouts, but our gates have dropped by 27%, so either our fans are feeling the crunch more than others, and all recent surveys showed that our supporters were amongst the most affluent in the country with regard to household incomes, so I dont think this is the case, or taking away the 6.5 % affected by thecrunch nationally, 20% of our supporters cant be bothered to turn up for other reasons.

This being the case, and dont forget that other clubs are also affected by periods of disenchantment, Norwich and Preston are two that spring to mind, yet their fans havent deserted in such droves, the conclusion is that for most money or lack of it isnt the reason for non attendance.

So what is the reason, well it cant be the football as its generally agreed that this seasons team is playing the most attractive football in five years or more, it cant be just general disenchantment with the game, as the divisional trend is nowhere near ours, so is it down to the fact that

1. The fans are unaware of the plight of the club and the potentially fatal situation if they dont attend.

2. They genuinely dont care that the club is in crisis.

3. They hate one man, Rupert Lowe so much they are prepared to gamble with the future of the club to see it fail.

In truth its a combination of all three alongside the perception of the club amongst supporters at present, to be blunt the position of the club would be a lot more stable and brighter if even last season' average was maintained , even if it took the 6,5% average drop.

The circle has to be broken, will it be the fans who step up to the plate or the Chairman, manager & players who bring the fans back by showing leadership both on and off the field. 

Photo: Action Images

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