so attendances are down in the fa cup this weekend.  the weekend after a long, expensive holiday break.  football is ultimately a treat. a luxury if you will – it’s certainly something you choose to buy.

the fa cup has a romantic history.  it featured some of my first real memories, particularly alan sunderland against united in 79.  the fa cup is the one for ambitionists, maybe dreamers.

football is expensive though.  really expensive some places.   supermarkets have long had loyalty schemes.  chain restaurants have reduced their prices, offered discounts, emailed subscribers.  clothes shops have constant sales.

pop concert tickets are often compared to football tickets in the pricing debate. but gig tickets are bought based on a transistional, zeitgeisty fashion basis. you go see the band you like at the time.  football instills, relies and depends on a loyalty. true - fans are loyal.  we won’t change teams every few years.   the more overseas investors pile in in with their elaborate, brokered deals offering quick money based on hugely borrowed reserves the further the normal fans are pushed away.

at the bigger clubs – cool, plenty of peeps waiting in line.  but at the others, there ain’t.  why would you buy stoke or even  notts county for gods sake?  there must be something behind it.

it has got silly now – financiers playing around with clubs.  everyone, including the top teams, have to worry.  football’s not the cash cow it was in england –  people are getting cynical, bored and wandering off but you’re all  leveraged up to the eyeballs.

i only get manchester local radio and city seem to do a lot of kids free or family discount tickets.  this is city – the richest club in the world.  clubs not offering ticket incentives is short-sighted.  managers picking weakened teams is stupid,  bbc commentators literally slagging off fans for not turning up is simply wrong.

“people can stay home and hear you sing, but when they pay their money and come out and see you, they want an appearance.  those people want to see a show.  they come out to see some action.”  - elvis presley.

and it’s snowing.

on a more positive note – a new dewaele interview – at last the radio thing is happening…..soulwax interview

that paul chambers track:

and some here’s demos of soulwax/crookers – we love animals