Carlisle United managing director John Nixon spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria on Friday evening as he talked about the disappointing attendances at Brunton Park recently as well as discussing how the club is moving on off the field :
" The Swindon crowd was a concern really but I think that we have got to take it in context with the rest of the season so far and what the rest of the division is doing. With the exception of the Leeds game we were somewhere in the region of 14-16% down on gates all the way through the season so Swindon wasn't an exception. Unfortunately it was the rule that has been happening all the way through this season.
" We've obviously looked at the models of other clubs and we're obviously trying in the Swansea game to do a little bit of an incentivisation by bringing in a parent and child. In all honesty though we are providing a good level of football, we're in the top four of League One and we really are stuck as to what to do next to try to bring people in through the gates. Because we seem to be in the same sort of a trend as the rest of the league are in.
" Categorising games has been considered but I think that you have got to remember that there are 2,700 season ticket holders and they have bought their season tickets on the basis that they were going to get four of five games free of charge effectively. When you start then to lower the prices it means that those people who have made an investment upfront in June this year will feel a little bit cheated.
" They are the regular supporters, they are the people who put their money upfront, the £350 or whatever it happens to be and say to Carlisle United that they want to be there every week. When you start cutting back on prices they are the people who rightly come to us and say that it isn't fair.
" I'm relatively happy with the development off the pitch, we are moving forward, we have solidified the base in the club. It is going to be a more difficult year this year but I think the difference between this year and last year is that at this time we had secured transfer fees coming into the club of about £400,000. That being for Michael Bridges and one or two other small transfers like Glenn Murray.
" This year we haven't had that income coming in so it is going to be a much more difficult year this year because in these lower leagues and at these lower levels we have to act as traders and we have to have players coming in. Likewise though we have to have players going out as well.
" The business community are really to never ask twice, they have rallied round, they rallied round in the Conference, in League Two, League one last year and to be honest that is the least of our worries. We've got more sponsors this year than we've ever had, we've got a restaurant tomorrow for example that has got 145 meals going and we've really only got a capacity of about 120 but they are filling all the small boxes around the restaurant. So the local businesses and the local people that are in there are really doing very, very well.
" Obviously in 2008 we've got to bring into play our training pitch that this year has obviously got to develop and start to work. We're trying to get better training facilities, and we're working closely with the local council to ensure that our youth team, who are doing really well, get a base in Carlisle to play from. We are working on those sort of situations and we are currently just converting another away ticket office at the far side of the ground in the Cumberland Building Society. So we are continuing all the time, as money comes in, to invest it and reinvest it back in the club. "