QUEENS v STENHOUSEMUIR

[fatfan]

fatfan wrote "but in truth this town in general doesn't deserve a successful side" and QOS_MAD_ADMIN followed this up with "It is an absolute disgrace that the Dunfries public have not turned out to support what is a very attractive Queen's team". I am first and foremost a football fan and secondly a Queen of the South fan of long standing, the former probably because there were few alternative sources of entertainment when I was young and the latter solely because I was born and bred in Dumfries. Had I been born in Aberdeen I would almost certainly have been a fan of the Dons and had I been born in Glasgow the likelihood is that I would have supported one or other of the so called Big Two. However, I also recognise that there are many, many people who have absolutely no interest in football whatsoever and as a consequence absolutely no interest in Queen of the South - and why should they? On any given Saturday during the football season approximately two per cent (2%) of the population in Scotland pay to watch a professional game of football which means, of course, that around ninety-eight per cent (98%) don't (which is their absolute right). Members of the general public will not pay for something they neither want nor need. Yes, I had hoped there might be a few more at Palmerston on Saturday and yes, I'd like to return to the days when Queens played in front of average attendances in excess of 10,000 - but it isn't going to happen. Is it not now more the case that Scottish football gets the crowds that it deserves and that Queens are no exceptions; and is it not arrogance on your part to expect or even to insist upon our fellow citizens having the same interest in football and the team that you have?

Sorry cresswell got to disagree. I wouldn't say it's arrogance. What is arrogant is the Dumfries public slagging the club off. I still hear on a regular basis that queens are this or that, and the most common one "queens don't want to get promoted". Most of these people have only supported the club when they reach a cup final etc, then you see thousands out suddenly supporters of the club, the same club that gets slagged off from a lot of the local public.

I think of the Morton game under Connolly to win the league. The ground was full and almost all queens fans. Then I point to winning the league under magic and the average attendance was around the 2000 and that was without rangers in the league. That's probably about 400 more than we get the now.

I used to blame the club for not attracting the supporters to the ground but I couldn't say that now. They have tried and tried hard but the public still don't come. Now we have a side that is showing so much promise and still they don't come and it was only today that I heard someone say that queens are crap so stenny must be quoting him here "a ladies team", and this is from someone who hasn't been at palmy for years.

I wish I could say this is a one off, but it's not. It makes me wonder if the local public love it when the club fails. So when I continually hear this and the lack of attendance at the games I ask you, is it arrogance to get annoyed at the constant criticism of the club by many of the locals who refuse to look and see to form there opinions. You are quite correct we can't expect people to just turn up and I'm not saying we should. but at the same time is it right that a lot of these people slag the club off without seeing what is going on or be critical of the club if we slump to the third tier when they haven't shown their support!

[Cresswell]

I accept, fatfan, that people should "taste and try" before they slag off a team: but you've equally got to accept that many, many people are just not interested in football or Queens - and being born in Dumfries does not put anyone under an obligation to have such an interest. The television programme, Strictly Come Dancing, began another series on Satutday night with an audience of several millions: but I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in Strictly Come Dancing and there is nothing that the producers could do that would induce me to watch it. So it is with football for some people. Oh, I expect that if Queens got into the Premiership (which I don't think they will in the foreseeable future) some of our half-hearted supporters would re-connect with the club just as around 15,000 (I think that was the figure) turned up for the Cup Final against Rangers: but equally there are those who just could not care less whether Queens are in the Premiership or Division Two or even if Queens went into liquidation. As I pointed out above, only around 2% of the population of Scotland pay to watch a professional football match on any given Saturday: that is a tiny proportion. That's life, I'm afraid, and you'll just have to grin and bear it.