Interesting part comment from ColonelChester.
"Many of the comments here contain valid points. Cowling has alienated people and the club's community out-reach is poor compared to many. However, there is another reason that the crowds failed to respond as we reached the championship. They did go up, but it is not enough to say the increase is due top the size of away teams' support. A Club that can take 10,000 fans for an away cup tie shouldn't struggle to get 5,000 for a home game, but Layer Road undoubtedly did not help to grow the fan base, although it gave a great atmosphere. Who could forget Burnley playing there with Ian Wright in their team, for example. Layer Road was a leveller.
The new stadium was supposed to fix all of the flaws of the old and came just as the championship offered the good times and a chance to win new fans, but I contend it did the opposite. Layer rd's dodgy parking and walking miles, the difficulty getting anything decent to eat or drink, the lack even of cover on one end, and so on, should have been fixed, but if anything it got worse.
The new stadium is rubbish and has lost as many fans as it has gained. The parking and matchday transport are a joke; the steps to seats are so steep that many old people don't feel safe; the place is windy and cold, and the roof so high that depending on the wind direction many seats get as wet as the Clock end when it rains; the catering is rudimentary so although it is easier to buy things, they aren't any more interesting; the pitch is dire; you can't walk into town after a match and have a pint and watch the evening game on TV, in fact you can hardly walk anywhere, you either wait for a bus or you've parked somewhere on the business park and walked to the ground (although the park and ride car park might have improved that, but I haven't been for two years now, nor have any of the 30 people that used to regularly go to the old ground with me)... need I go on?
Sport is a people business, and people don't want to trek for miles to see a line of Bentleys and Mercs parked right outside the door for the fortunate few. A ground that offers a poor team, playing badly in the middle of nowhere which is cold and uninviting is a recipe for disaster. The football may have got better at times this year but Cowling needs to learn how to run a business if he wants attendances to grow. He needs to invest in making the matchday experience value for money, for making sure customers feel valued and that they are getting value for money. That isn't just results or the quality of football, it is much more than that. It is too late to fix many of the access issues, or the fact that there isn't much of note within walking distance of the ground, although he should keep banging on to the Council that the nearby developments and long rumoured pubs and restaurants etc are sorely needed. However, some of the internal access issues, and the wind can be dealt with, for relatively small investment. As can the products on offer on a matchday, and more comfortable places can be provided to enjoy them. Cowling is either running it as his hobby, and doesn't care if people go or not, or he needs to invest in the right areas to attract back the several thousand fans who just can't be bothered to help him out by subsidising his hobby at what is one of the worst grounds (for access/parking, ambience refreshments and comfort) in the professional leagues. I know many of us who go to more away games than home, and that is wrong but Cowling doesn't seem to care."