Middlesbrough FC Gibson explains dropping Riverside attendances
Steve Gibson chairman of Middlesbrough Football Club fears that attendances at the Riverside will keep falling as a result of Redcar’s Corus closure.
Steve Gibson was born in Middlesbrough, he is passionately fighting to prevent the closure of the steelworks, Corus have announced 1700 redundancies, and Gibson said Corus closing will have a massive negative knock on effect on the Teesside economy.
Middlesbrough are having a hard time adjusting to life in the Championship, their find themselves trailing local north east table topping rivals Newcastle United by a massive 17 points, Boro are still only 3 points behind a playoff place but have only picked up 5 points from 18.
Last Sunday Steve witnessed Boro’s lowest attendance for a league game played at the Riverside and Gibson feels that the trend will get worse because of the financial problems that the area faces.
“There’s going to be a ripple effect of these job losses through the town.”
Gibson said: “I can’t measure the effect but it’s going to be devastating.
“There’s going to be a ripple effect of these job losses through the town.”
Middlesbrough fans have reacted angry to his comments.
Peter (Boro fans since 1961) Said” it’s all excuses attendances are falling because the football we are playing is boring, this will be my last year as a season ticket holder.”
Bobby, 38 from Middlesbrough “it’s funny that Gibson is banging on about Corus, ask him where the steal came from to build the Riverside, the guy is an hypocrite, he bought it from Germany when he could of got it from Corus and helped the local economy.
Ricky, 44 from Billingham “it’s No good making excuses for the big mistake made, I think it’s more to do with sacking Southgate never mind steelworks closing.”
Leave your thoughts below.
A big drop in the attendance is caused by poor quality of football and the failure to finish teams off at home. The sale of all the top players, granted to reduce the debt, has left fans with a bitter taste in there mouths. But Gibson is right in the fact that the closure will have a huge effect on teesside economy. Himself maybe effected with his haulage company and if thats the case it would leave Middlesbrough FC seeking outside financial help. Something which many fans believe we need anyway if we are to compete at the top.
Just to finish off, Bobby, the contract to build the stadium was given to the cheapest firm. It is the company who built the staium, not Gibson himself, who chose to use steel from Germany.
I agree with everything Peter and the other Boro fans in the article have said. Gibson is, quite cynically in my opinion, using the Corus closure as an excuse – Yes, it will have a devasting effect here on Teesside but no amount of spin can hide the fact that MFC are playing diabolically bad football, at least at home. The Club is in a mess on all fronts and needs a root and branch shake-up starting with those at the top of the organisation.