Is there a conspiracy surrounding the official attendance at Wednesday matches? Theres been a rumour going around for a few seasons now and I didn't take much notice but the Hull game and the boxing day game has got me wondering.

The away end at the Hull game had sold out virtually. The boxing day programme states that Hull brought 6,383 fans but the home end wasn't that full. The attendance that day was 28,701 out of a Hillsborough capacity of 39, 814.

However on boxing day Walsall only brought i'd say about 1000 fans at least and the home end was virtually old out apart from the odd seat scattered around and the now segregated area on the south stand. The attendance was 26,996. It was so obvious that there were more fans at Hillsborough than at the Walsall match.

Now, the conspiracy goes that the club are fiddling the numbers so that we don't have to pay as much gate reciept tax. Its been going around for a few seasons now, boxing day just got me thinking thats all.

well being at the game yesterday (yes i know im a blade) there was a fair few seats left available!!

yes you had a lot there, but walsall brought maybe 800, and there was chunks on the kop missing, then you have to remember all the seats that blend in that are not taken up,

also other things you have to remember, if weds was that full, then they would have made it all ticket on home enclosures, which they did not, an indication there was many tickets left to be sold on the day of the game!!

its not like a few turnstiles was pay on day, it was 1 in 2 tunrstiles!!

totaly agree with you nez75 in the star it said walsall brought 800.

Theres always spaces on the kop robbie if you went every game you'd realise those spaces are restricted view due to some stupid engineer placing two poles in the way so no one can see.

other than that the only other spaces that were free was the sections that the police cordon off... ie the last blocks of the north and south.

Ive been told its a tax dodge but i also know some stewards on the gates arent always honest either!!!

Yeah, the areas on the Kop are restricted view. The large areas on the south stand are cordoned off by the coppers so they're never used anyway. I go on the crows nest and that was packed. People were'nt sitting in their normal seats which meant the part timers were standing in the aisles.

I've not seen the home end that full since the sheffield derbies yet the attendance was lower than the Hull game even though the home end for that game was nowhere near as full. There's definately something dodgy going off.

A mate of my brother's used to be a steward at hillsborough, ten years ago. He used to bring up this subject from time to time, about the crowd volume having seemingly little to do with the attendence figure quoted. Although his opinion about it was something to do with the fee paid to the police, which was higher if there was a larger crowd.
If I remember rightly if the away supporters were from a club which behaved itself, then they used to get away with paying for less police.

Originally posted by nez75
I go on the crows nest and that was packed.

Eh?, if you are going on about the boxing day game v Walsall, then no one was sat in the crows nest! as the crows nest is the corner between the north stand and leppings lane (the uncovered seating bit!

Originally posted by ZEDEX48K
Eh?, if you are going on about the boxing day game v Walsall, then no one was sat in the crows nest! as the crows nest is the corner between the north stand and leppings lane (the uncovered seating bit!

i think he was referring to the corner section of the kop next to the north stand

Originally posted by ZEDEX48K
Eh?, if you are going on about the boxing day game v Walsall, then no one was sat in the crows nest! as the crows nest is the corner between the north stand and leppings lane (the uncovered seating bit!

The corner bit between the kop and the north stand has always been known as the crows nest for as long as I can remember by wednesdayites. Its not the official name.

Originally posted by nez75
The corner bit between the kop and the north stand has always been known as the crows nest for as long as I can remember by wednesdayites. Its not the official name.

you are wrong!


West Stand - quote:

"The 1966 World Cup meant that the West Stand had to demolished and rebuilt and the North West corner followed a year later to form the basis of the existing structure, seating 4,471 in an upper tier above a standing enclosure. This remained the same for 20 years until that fateful day in 1989, after the terracing had been replaced there was 2,494 seats in lower section and a further 1,382 in the crows nest."

taken from

http://www.sheffieldwednesday.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=894&p=2&stid=8361813

Originally posted by nez75


Now, the conspiracy goes that the club are fiddling the numbers so that we don't have to pay as much gate reciept tax. Its been going around for a few seasons now, boxing day just got me thinking thats all.

So what is the process for checking? If it was as simple as this, then every club would lie about their attendance.

Or do you think they bribe the people who are supposed to check?

Originally posted by ZEDEX48K
you are wrong!


West Stand - quote:

"The 1966 World Cup meant that the West Stand had to demolished and rebuilt and the North West corner followed a year later to form the basis of the existing structure, seating 4,471 in an upper tier above a standing enclosure. This remained the same for 20 years until that fateful day in 1989, after the terracing had been replaced there was 2,494 seats in lower section and a further 1,382 in the crows nest."

taken from

http://www.sheffieldwednesday.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=894&p=2&stid=8361813

I didn't know that, cheers. I'm not wrong though. The corner bit between the north stand and the kop has always been called the crows nest. Ask any wenesdayite. I have never heard the north west stand called the crows nest and i've been going years. The name has probably been forgotten.

ZEDEX48k, just asked me dad and he says everyone used to call the away end corner bit the crows nest. So theres 2 crows nests! Learnt something new there then. Cheers!

always been a big fiddle at hills with attandances know a few stewards who use to pocket cash on turnstiles then fiddle how many crowds go in

Originally posted by nez75
I didn't know that, cheers. I'm not wrong though. The corner bit between the north stand and the kop has always been called the crows nest. Ask any wenesdayite. I have never heard the north west stand called the crows nest and i've been going years. The name has probably been forgotten.

I am a wednesdayite for many years!, probably a few more than you and your mates due to age difference!. I never known the kop bit next to the north stand as the crows nest!

Listen to your dad, he knows best!

I will, cheers! Learnt something new there mate. Cheers again pal.