Carlisle United managing director John Nixon spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Paul Newton on Friday evening as he talked about the recent drop in attendances at Brunton Park. Nixon also chatting about the need for the club board to take their time on any managerial decision on the playing side :
" The dip in attendances is a concern obviously because it's part of our income stream and our income stream comes from two areas, from the commercial side and the other from the people that come through the gates. So obviously at this stage of the season it's a real concern but it's a concern that I raised yesterday at a Football League meeting in Oxford.
" I think that we've looked at it from about two or three points of view. First of all obviously the credit squeeze and the fact that there is less money around is an issue, that is borne out by talking to other clubs yesterday. Secondly we increased our prices by £1 on pre-match tickets so that has had an effect as well, and obviously the smoking ban has had an effect. I think of all the three smoking is probably the issue that we can do something about but we have entered into an agreement with the Football League that Brunton Park will become a smoke-free ground.
" I think price is just one factor, we've raised the prices by £1 and we compared ourselves with the rest of the Football League and we compared ourselves with the rest of League One. We are bang in the middle and infact people who are travelling supporters will know that. Going away to Hartlepool for example on Tuesday night they will find that their admission prices are more expensive than ours. The average admission price, on the day, is £19.98 and our price is £20 so we are right there on the average which means that there are about 50% more expensive than us and 50% less expensive than us.
" At this very early stage we are obviously looking forward to next season and we would look at various different ways at trying to get people to come to the football match. Again yesterday I spent quite a bit of time with the commercial manager from Norwich City and they raised their gates from 7,000 to an average of 20,000 by particularly targetting set groups of people. So I have spent quite a bit of time looking at the best practice in the Football League to try to implement it at Carlisle United.
" It's interesting, last year we moved into League One for the first time in about ten years. Our main aim was to stay in League One, the last two times that we have been in that league we have dropped back down into League Two and our criteria last year was to stay there. We have stayed there and I think this year reflects that a little bit, it's much the same as last year and there is probably a little bit less excitement. There is probably a feeling around when you talk to the fans that infact we are a League One team and we are going to stay there, and what we are going to do from here-on in is improve.
" I've got to question you saying that there is slow take-up on tickets for the Hartlepool game. I think we are over 700 tickets sold as of tonight and we are going to be selling them again on Monday, and we won't stop selling them until Tuesday. So 700 away supporters is a really good away support that Carlisle are taking to Hartlepool. At the end of the day all of that money, with the exception of 5% of it which is our cut of that ticket price, goes to Hartlepool. So we have an excellent travelling away support and I think 700, and on the night it might be 800-900, is an excellent travelling away support for us. "
" For the Swansea away game we were quite content to have the game on the day that it was and the time it was. The police in South Wales requested, and infact instructed us, to move that game to Friday night because Wales were playing Australia the next day in Cardiff. They instructed that the game was moved to Friday night and we had no choice in that, that was a police issue.
" Likewise on the Yeovil game, they asked because of an England match that the game be brought forward. Sometimes we have to adhere to the requests of other teams, likewise we did last year, we asked for games to be moved and it happened in our favour. At other times we have got to respect what other teams want, and what the police want. When the police say they want it we have to do it.
" At the Football League meeting we discussed youth policies, we did discuss crowds and I felt that I made an impassioned plea on behalf of Carlisle United. That I felt that we were probably one of the few teams that were losing support because the average attendances, particularly in League One, are up. Infact though if you take out the effect of Leeds United who are bringing in 25,000- 30,000 people per week when they are at home then the attendances generally are down.
" Seven or eight teams approached me afterwards to say what they were doing and why they were concerned as well that attendances were down. They felt similar to us that smoking, ticket prices and the credit squeeze were all having an effect. We are all looking for that magic solution.
" I think the situation on the managerial side is that we have to be sure of what we are doing. I don't think that we are in any rush, I think that we are in a situation where we can wait and see, we have a caretaker manager (Greg Abbott) who is doing very well at this point in time. It's not a situation that the club needs to rush into, it's a very, very important decision that we make.
" When we make that decision as a board we have to make the right decision because we are making a decision that will potentially take the club forward for the next year to eighteen months to two years. We have to make it right, therefore taking our time, weighing up the options, looking at where we are and making sure that we make the right decision is absolutely vital.
" I think that the fans and the players will respect the fact that the board are taking their time over this issue and when the board get it and make the decision then they will make absolutely the right decision. And the decision is to take Carlisle United forward and make them stronger, and a better team, and a better unit, and a better company than we are now. "