You nasty bitter Berties. You're all too blinded by hatred of anything with a Manchester United association to be able to see the heroic class warriors of FC United for what they are.
I mean, the Czech team they played in their prestigious European tie was a creditable 500th in the Czech pyramid, but our heroes are even better placed in our own national structure. There are only 164 teams in England who play at higher levels than they do, while they're one of 88 in four regionalised divisions of equivalent standing that constitute Non-League Step 3. Now, as they're currently 21st in the table out of 22, we probably can't put them in the top 50% of Step 3 sides at present, but that still probably leaves them between 200 and 250 in the English football pyramid.
If that isn't jaw-droppingly admirable enough, as you must surely agree, in terms of gates, the picture's even rosier. In 2023/24, they pulled in the 28th biggest attendances in non-league, and even reached a whole two-thirds of the average of the worst-supported EFL club. That means they sneak into the top 120 clubs in the whole of England for support, reflecting a following that's simply astonishing.
Are you lot really so lacking in the capability to remove your blue-tinted specs and see what a precious, irreplaceable asset for the city of Manchester this jewel of a club - top 250 in league status and top 120 in gates, remember - really represents. How dare you decry the Council's sagacious choice to treat them as a special case and accord them beneficial financial treatment. Misspending in an era of austerity, cost of living crises and so on? These my friends, are mere trivialities when measured against the noble and august cause of keeping the flame of Punk Football burning.
Some people seem to think that FC United waste money and underachieve given the income at their disposal. Not a bit of it. You seem not to realise what a fine achievement it is to be lying only 12 points behind Lancaster City and 10 adrift of Morpeth Town when those veritable BEHEMOTHS of the game pull in only 1,200 fans less per home game than do plucky little minnows FC.
And you're terribly unkind if you look in a negative light at the bleeding away of support since FC moved to Broadhurst Park. After that heady first season among the pallets, when they averaged 3,394 fans per home league game, FC's gates dropped by all but 40% over the following two campaigns, despite maintaining their status in National League North. Crowds are now less than half what they were in those early halcyon days in Moston, and have been since 2019/20.
But what can one reasonably expect? I mean, it's wholly unreasonable to suggest that they've bucked a trend of rising gates in the lower reaches of the football league and in non-league. Surely nothing can be read into the fact that last season saw half the number of League Two clubs with gates below 3,000 as compared with 2015/16 and none below 2,000 as compared with three in the earlier period, while in the same seasons the number of non-league teams averaging at least 2,000 more than doubled.
No, dismiss FC United at your peril. These followers of the one true path and keepers of the flame of shitty, half-arsed footballing tribute acts should act as exemplars for us all of what really matters in the game. Hurrah say I for local politicians who are prepared to disregard proper delivery of public services so that cash can be funelled to those who really deserve it. And down with you embittered and resentful Blue malcontents, too one-eyed to see it!
I mean, the Czech team they played in their prestigious European tie was a creditable 500th in the Czech pyramid, but our heroes are even better placed in our own national structure. There are only 164 teams in England who play at higher levels than they do, while they're one of 88 in four regionalised divisions of equivalent standing that constitute Non-League Step 3. Now, as they're currently 21st in the table out of 22, we probably can't put them in the top 50% of Step 3 sides at present, but that still probably leaves them between 200 and 250 in the English football pyramid.
If that isn't jaw-droppingly admirable enough, as you must surely agree, in terms of gates, the picture's even rosier. In 2023/24, they pulled in the 28th biggest attendances in non-league, and even reached a whole two-thirds of the average of the worst-supported EFL club. That means they sneak into the top 120 clubs in the whole of England for support, reflecting a following that's simply astonishing.
Are you lot really so lacking in the capability to remove your blue-tinted specs and see what a precious, irreplaceable asset for the city of Manchester this jewel of a club - top 250 in league status and top 120 in gates, remember - really represents. How dare you decry the Council's sagacious choice to treat them as a special case and accord them beneficial financial treatment. Misspending in an era of austerity, cost of living crises and so on? These my friends, are mere trivialities when measured against the noble and august cause of keeping the flame of Punk Football burning.
Some people seem to think that FC United waste money and underachieve given the income at their disposal. Not a bit of it. You seem not to realise what a fine achievement it is to be lying only 12 points behind Lancaster City and 10 adrift of Morpeth Town when those veritable BEHEMOTHS of the game pull in only 1,200 fans less per home game than do plucky little minnows FC.
And you're terribly unkind if you look in a negative light at the bleeding away of support since FC moved to Broadhurst Park. After that heady first season among the pallets, when they averaged 3,394 fans per home league game, FC's gates dropped by all but 40% over the following two campaigns, despite maintaining their status in National League North. Crowds are now less than half what they were in those early halcyon days in Moston, and have been since 2019/20.
But what can one reasonably expect? I mean, it's wholly unreasonable to suggest that they've bucked a trend of rising gates in the lower reaches of the football league and in non-league. Surely nothing can be read into the fact that last season saw half the number of League Two clubs with gates below 3,000 as compared with 2015/16 and none below 2,000 as compared with three in the earlier period, while in the same seasons the number of non-league teams averaging at least 2,000 more than doubled.
No, dismiss FC United at your peril. These followers of the one true path and keepers of the flame of shitty, half-arsed footballing tribute acts should act as exemplars for us all of what really matters in the game. Hurrah say I for local politicians who are prepared to disregard proper delivery of public services so that cash can be funelled to those who really deserve it. And down with you embittered and resentful Blue malcontents, too one-eyed to see it!
