Sky pay the minimum they can get away with for the EFL. Their money goes up because other broadcasters/streamers are competing. Is that guaranteed to continue? Amazon seem to be pulling back.

So the people who bought, for example, Gillingham and Wycombe are expecting to spend millions every year with very little to show for it and in many cases antagonism from fans. Is there really that much kudos in owning a lower league football club? Can someone explain what pleasure such US owners get?

Also there will be a massive sterile area around the 200 Franchise fans

Thursday won’t be full either - it’s a school night, plus there will be those who won’t ever attend vs MK…

Also, I think that player wages aren't going to go down too much in the future, TV rights will remain relatively similar to what they are now, but you'll see more consortia coming into clubs rather than individual owners

Reduced crowds are happening IMO because 1) Wigan and Donny aren't as enticing for the more casual supporter as they once were. 2) Ticket prices are too high for L1. 3) People don't have much disposable income these days, with cost of living, utilities etc. They're picking and choosing, if they are coming. 3) Football isn't great. 4) Novelty of PL generally is wearing off, though not a bad thing. 5) A saturation of football generally. Probably some others, although minor things like bag searches don't really put all bar the (very) odd individual off.

Braz - I wonder whether super-rich super-fan JG was at either of those games….

Lol @RB yeah that theory stood out eh?

No-one buys an EFL club thinking they can invest none of their own money and then rise up the leagues and then sell to a bigger idiot for a nice profit in a few years.

Are we really relying on tourists flying in for games like home to Doncaster to boost the attendances?!

Well done to Peter Reid for running the Great North Run today for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation following his own daughter's cervical cancer diagnosis… [Link]

The 'bigger idiot' theory works fine until suddenly it doesn't and that is when bubbles burst. The lower league football one may have quite a few years to run but when the end comes it tends to end suddenly. The football losses are not being reinvested into the game unless the likes of Billy Sharp invest in a club when they retire, which seems unlikely.

Neither Wigan nor Doncaster are particularly attractive opponents for the neutral casual fan (and not even for the away fans, judging by the following they both brought), plus Wigan was on a Sunday, which no doubt skewed things for some people…

If only the club could find a couple of overseas crypto billionaires who were willing to donate £72,000,000 to us for absolutely nothing in return whatsoever, we’d be laughing…

That is a good point leddy re the mess around match days.

Does anyone know how much prices went up in close season? From memory, i thoughr it was just "inflationary" increase

Yes attendances do look a bit lower but Wigan and Donny were always going to be two of the less well supported teams and probably two of the least interesting on paper. We have been extremely fortunate with the opening fixtures, bar Huddersfield, and had we played better teams we would have lost all three home games. We have got to be quicker, more assertive and not so bloody sloppy all over the pitch.

It's only the middle of September and we have played on every day of the week except Friday. That can't of helped with attendances. The EFL only needs a minimum of 72 people willing to put the money in to remain sustainable and there are plenty of those around the world. A few clubs will struggle due to the circumstances of owners but I can't see the bubble bursting any time soon.

It's because the tickets are too expensive. I don't think people are too fussed about sideways / backwards passing and the occasional defensive cock up as we've had that for years. I hope if this investment comes through it allows us to reduce the prices a little because it is too much now

8% down is not good but the quality of football is pretty poor (not just us). Wonder if that’s a relatively average number across the division.

I thought the ref had cautioned the keeper for trying to take the quick free kick, which I thought both strange and incorrect. But as pointed out below it was another player for gob.

It"s the market Silk, which is why, if Sky upped their contract, it will just mean that players' costs go up and to stay competitive, we have to pay the going rate. Sky are the real villians

I worked out that home attendances are 8% down and with at least five evening games inc thursday. I doubt that will get much better

In the long run the EFL as is cannot be sustainable. Why should players love a club that is quite happy to dump them at the end of a contract? The PFA is supporting players making use of the laws and the people willing to throw money away in the hope of fun or finding 'a bigger idiot' in the future. Eventually the bubble will burst, the question is where will we be when that happens and what steps should we take so there is the best possible outcome for us. The next generation of players or the one after that will not get the riches unless they are really elite, but it isn't the job of current players to say that they are being paid too much.

Back 3 was all over the place for the first 30 minutes, as Hanlon and May were taking up positions across the park, and defenders were trying to stay with them rather than passing them on. The break in play seemed to nullify Hanlon.