Come to Millmoor or players may have to go - Coleman

Last updated : 23 September 2006 By Bigrich.....

It is rumoured on the messageboards that the Millers budgeted for an average crowd of 4000 at Millmoor, at present we are averaging 4800. However Coleman urged the people of Rotherham to support the club or risk losing it.

Speaking to the 'Tiser he said;
"These are hard times for Rotherham United but many people in the town don't realise it, Many of them rallied round to help the club in its hour of need, but where have they gone? We are back to the die-hards. We had the next to lowest crowd in League One the night we played Tranmere and we were one of the few clubs to reduce prices for the Carling Cup yet still couldn't pull in 4,000."

He went on to remind the stay away supporters that the clubs existance relies on the people of Rotherham supporting the club and that the club is still losing money; "People forget that when we went into administration we got rid of the debt but not the costs.All the staff at Millmoor are working hard to reduce them but it won't happen overnight. While we appreciate the backing of the people who do come to matches, we desperately need more through the turnstyles."

He also took the opportunity to warn of possible player sales if crowds do not improve.
"If crowds don't increase, the future of the club will remain uncertain and the pressure to off-load some of our best players during the January transfer window increases. We are bending over backwards to get people in, but they're still not coming through in big enough numbers," he said.

"Alan Knill has got an exciting young side together. We are playing some terrific stuff and working really hard to pull back from the points deficit. I think we are entitled to expect 5,000 home supporters per match. The people who sit at home on a Saturday afternoon wondering whether to go down to Millmoor should not just ask themselves whether they want to go to the match, but whether they want to help secure the club's future. Come down, you might be pleasantly surprised with the quality of the football."

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