Let's kill this attendance nonsense myth
- Thread starter Carlos- the- jackal
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fathellensbellend
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liverpool v dundalk european cup 1982' despite bossing the competition, winning it 3 times in the previous 5 years, they mustered a whopping gate of 12021
whp.blue
Well-Known Member
Spot on but as the Perennial Victims they are just showing Empathy, mind you learning to sing in a foreign language does prove they go the extra mile, fair play to the special ones of the Kop
They are doing justice to their Istory.
Elbow beards
Well-Known Member
Was at a party last night, only blue surrounded by about six rags, banging on about emptyad, the sheik buys the season tickets to inflate the attendance?!? Then with glee my brother in law took his phone out to show all the rag scum a picture of the crowd again juventus and the empty seats, oh how they all laughed, until I pointed out that was the top tier of the away section.... muted silence. I then proceeded to show them comments from their very own rag cafe stating attendances of 45000 again Ipswich in the lc, and the police report stating official figures at maccano land. Oh the smug look on my face.
Their attendance Vs Ipswich was 56,607 which included 4,500 Ipswich......20,000 empty seats
gordondaviesmoustache
Well-Known Member
This man was still alive when Liverpool last got a home attendance in excess of 50,000.
Yes kids, he was a real person.
Yes kids, he was a real person.
crazyg
Well-Known Member
They're also very good ventriloquists as well. The noise seems to come from the other end of the ground.
Wilf Wild 1937
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This man was still alive when Liverpool last got a home attendance in excess of 50,000.
Yes kids, he was a real person.
But only an honorary Colonel.
gordondaviesmoustache
Well-Known Member
He clearly told his costume designer "I want something that loudly screams 'Yewtree' ".
W
W
worsleyweb
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29,736 v villa - first year they won the premier league. Cockroaches.
Sir peace frog
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we have thrown every jibe they've ever had back into their face ,even that song this is how it feels to be city, i honestly couldn't listen to the proper song until a few years ago, fergie time, aguerooooooooooooo sorted that out ,the banner, eventually this cant fill the ground will come back and bite them on the arse like every other piss take of theirs.
Wilf Wild 1937
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It will be interesting to see what attendances Liverpool draw in their soon to be expanded relic of a stadium. They have never averaged over 50,000 for a season (unlike Everton), never had 60,000+ for a league match and weren't that far ahead of us attendance wise in the 1970s when they were at their zenith. They have enormous global support but their match going support is actually pretty average for a "big club" despite all their 'istoreee.
middleton___blue
Well-Known Member
What I don't get is why All the rival fans of the teams that have played us so far this season (bar west ham as usual so respect to them for that) have sang 'wwywyws' yet the same set of fans accuse us of having no supporters cause they spotted 5 empty seats in the north stand. Laughable really...we'll never brush this off as this is literally the only thing they can slag us about which is amusing really.
Neville Kneville
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I imagine they will fill that with the extra tourists Sky have brought them.
W
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worsleyweb
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They managed an average attendance per game at above 50000 11 times in around 100 years to 1990. Compare that to real and Barcelona. Biggest club in the world my arse.
Wilf Wild 1937
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Initially they will but if they complete the second stage of their expansion and go to 59,000 (?) I think that they will struggle to fill it on a regular basis. Its interesting that they have adopted the same policy as us in expanding to 54-55,000 first, assessing the situation and only then committing to the final stage if they feel confident that the demand is there. In the last 40 years we've only really been competitive for about 10 of them at the most and plumbed the depths whilst they have won 5 European Cups yet currently there is little difference between us. Our potential match going support is much greater than Liverpool's imo.
Mikejl
Well-Known Member
Press are utter cunts, just having a private laugh about digs over ickle Citeh
Gary James
Well-Known Member
A reminder of an attendance related blog I wrote some time ago (Sept 2104): https://mcfc.co.uk/news/club-news/2014/october/gary-james-blog-7
Here's the full text as published (note City's disclaimer):
Gary James has been writing about the Blues for over 25 years - here is the seventh in his series of blogs...
There’s one football chant that irritates more than most at the moment.
It’s the one that questions the loyalty of City fans by asking, “Where were you etc….” You all know the one I mean. It has been heard at most domestic games this season and for the past few seasons. So for today’s blog I’ve decided to take a look at City’s support.
Let’s start off with our current attendances. Some have pointed out that these are lower than last year, but there’s a simple explanation – our capacity has been reduced by about 2,000 due to the much-needed stadium expansion.
Once the new tier opens our average attendances will rise to 50,000-plus, and for those who say ‘you won’t fill it’, take a look at Newcastle. Their average in 1991 was only 16,834 and look at their crowds in recent years.
It’s also worth remembering that research published in December last year by Barclays identified that 55% of City fans had attended games for over 25 years. This was the highest number in the Barclays Premier League and was described by them as “impressive levels of loyalty.”
I’m sure some would question the specifics of the research but as an indicator of supporter loyalty, the general findings are significant.
From a historical perspective, City have a proud record for support, topping the attendance charts for the entire League on four occasions but, more significantly, the Blues have been one of the most consistent sides for attendances throughout history.
In fact, of last season’s six best-supported sides (United, Arsenal, Newcastle, City, Liverpool and Chelsea) only City, Chelsea and Newcastle have consistently received good support in every era of football’s existence.
There have been occasional dips of course for City but, unlike United, Arsenal and Chelsea, the Blues have never attracted the lowest crowd in their division, nor have they attracted the division’s lowest average crowd – a fate that United have endured.
Pre-war City had the most consistent attendances of today’s six best supported sides with the Blues being one of the six best supported clubs on 30 occasions, followed by Newcastle and Chelsea managing 28 top six appearances. Liverpool had 22, Arsenal 17, and United had 10 top six attendance appearances during 43 seasons.
As early as 1895-96 the Blues were the third best-supported side, behind Everton and Aston Villa. From 1898 to World War 2 City were always one of the eight best-supported clubs. As a comparison United were outside the top eight on 20 occasions during the same period, with their lowest position being 34th (1931). That same season United’s lowest home crowd (3,679) was the lowest in the top flight.
Okay, all of this is irrelevant you could say, but what it shows is that City have always had one of the most loyal fan bases in football when compared to the other leading Premier League teams.
In general many people believe success increases support, and while that is true to some extent, for City it is often periods of adversity that prove the loyalty of the Club’s fans. It is highly significant, for example, that the first time City were the best-supported side in the entire League (1910-11) Manchester United (sixth best-supported side) won the League title for the second time in three seasons.
Similarly, in 1925-26 when City were the best supported side in Division One and had established a new record average, the Blues were actually relegated. This, coupled with significant poverty and hardship in Manchester at the time, should have reduced support but loyalty increased!
In my book “Manchester A Football History” I explore the relationship between attendances and Manchester’s major sides and it is fair to say that City fans can feel immensely proud of their loyalty throughout the history of the game - something that cannot be said by all of the League’s biggest names.
In fact, it is worth highlighting that City have never been the worst supported side in their division but Arsenal (1912-13 – average = 9,100) and Manchester United (1930-31 – average = 11,685) have.
The Blues’ worst average of the 20th Century came in the desperate 1964-65 season and was 14,753 (a third of City’s 1957-8 average). However it is significant that for every League season the Club’s average has always been above the divisional average (including 1964-65) and, apart from 17 seasons, has always been in the top 11 nationally.
Again, few of today’s giants can say that – as a comparison United’s 20th Century low stands at 4,650 and Chelsea averaged 15,731 as recently as 1988-89.
I could go on, but the general point of this is to say that City have been one of the most consistent sides in terms of pulling power throughout history. But critics will say, ‘ah, but what about your support in the 1990s onwards?’ Okay then, let’s look at that.
Between 1992 and 2003 Maine Road’s capacity limited support with the stadium’s capacity being less than 20,000 at one point in the mid-1990s. There were many reasons for this but the simple fact is that the club’s management took steps to fill almost every spare space with temporary seating by the end of the decade as demand easily outstripped supply.
Average attendances of around 30,000 may look small compared to today but these were at capacity, give or take a few hundred away fans. This was part of the reason the club was so willing to sacrifice its home of 80 years for the current stadium – a move that has been very popular although at the time some fans said a 48,000 capacity stadium would be too small. They were right!
Like all – and I do mean all – English clubs there have been some average attendance lows over the years, but when the entire history of our club is reviewed and our average figures are compared with the national average it is clear that the Blues have consistently been one of football’s most attractive draws. Take a look at the following:
Since the beginning of the Football League in 1888 only nine sides have topped the table for average attendances. In chronological order of their first appearance at the top of the average table they are: Everton (1888-9), Villa (1898-99), Newcastle (1904-05), Chelsea (1907-08), Tottenham (1909-10), City (1910-11), Liverpool (1922-23), Arsenal (1929-30), and Manchester United (1956-57)
As early as 1895-96 City were the third best supported side in the entire League despite being a Second Division side. Only First Division sides Everton and Aston Villa could better the Blues. Modern-day giants Arsenal were 10th; Liverpool were 19th; United were 21st and Chelsea had yet to exist.
The 1910-11 season saw us top the attendance charts for the first time. Our average was 26,000 and was the Football League’s eighth highest average of all time at that point.
Regularly amongst the best supported sides throughout the inter war period, our average exceeded 37,000 for the first time in 1927-28 when we established a record average crowd for the Second Division. This was also the entire League’s highest.
So next time someone asks where you were when City were not quite so successful as today, smile and be confident in the knowledge that City fans have been amongst the most loyal throughout football’s competitive history.
Gary is a member of the Sports & Leisure History Group at MMU. He is a ‘must-follow’ for City fans: Twitter: @garyjameswriter and facebook.com/garyjames4 His recent paper on the establishment of Manchester’s football identity can be downloaded here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14660970.2014.961378
*The views expressed are those of Gary James and not necessarily those of Manchester City FC.
Here's the full text as published (note City's disclaimer):
Gary James has been writing about the Blues for over 25 years - here is the seventh in his series of blogs...
There’s one football chant that irritates more than most at the moment.
It’s the one that questions the loyalty of City fans by asking, “Where were you etc….” You all know the one I mean. It has been heard at most domestic games this season and for the past few seasons. So for today’s blog I’ve decided to take a look at City’s support.
Let’s start off with our current attendances. Some have pointed out that these are lower than last year, but there’s a simple explanation – our capacity has been reduced by about 2,000 due to the much-needed stadium expansion.
Once the new tier opens our average attendances will rise to 50,000-plus, and for those who say ‘you won’t fill it’, take a look at Newcastle. Their average in 1991 was only 16,834 and look at their crowds in recent years.
It’s also worth remembering that research published in December last year by Barclays identified that 55% of City fans had attended games for over 25 years. This was the highest number in the Barclays Premier League and was described by them as “impressive levels of loyalty.”
I’m sure some would question the specifics of the research but as an indicator of supporter loyalty, the general findings are significant.
From a historical perspective, City have a proud record for support, topping the attendance charts for the entire League on four occasions but, more significantly, the Blues have been one of the most consistent sides for attendances throughout history.
In fact, of last season’s six best-supported sides (United, Arsenal, Newcastle, City, Liverpool and Chelsea) only City, Chelsea and Newcastle have consistently received good support in every era of football’s existence.
There have been occasional dips of course for City but, unlike United, Arsenal and Chelsea, the Blues have never attracted the lowest crowd in their division, nor have they attracted the division’s lowest average crowd – a fate that United have endured.
Pre-war City had the most consistent attendances of today’s six best supported sides with the Blues being one of the six best supported clubs on 30 occasions, followed by Newcastle and Chelsea managing 28 top six appearances. Liverpool had 22, Arsenal 17, and United had 10 top six attendance appearances during 43 seasons.
As early as 1895-96 the Blues were the third best-supported side, behind Everton and Aston Villa. From 1898 to World War 2 City were always one of the eight best-supported clubs. As a comparison United were outside the top eight on 20 occasions during the same period, with their lowest position being 34th (1931). That same season United’s lowest home crowd (3,679) was the lowest in the top flight.
Okay, all of this is irrelevant you could say, but what it shows is that City have always had one of the most loyal fan bases in football when compared to the other leading Premier League teams.
In general many people believe success increases support, and while that is true to some extent, for City it is often periods of adversity that prove the loyalty of the Club’s fans. It is highly significant, for example, that the first time City were the best-supported side in the entire League (1910-11) Manchester United (sixth best-supported side) won the League title for the second time in three seasons.
Similarly, in 1925-26 when City were the best supported side in Division One and had established a new record average, the Blues were actually relegated. This, coupled with significant poverty and hardship in Manchester at the time, should have reduced support but loyalty increased!
In my book “Manchester A Football History” I explore the relationship between attendances and Manchester’s major sides and it is fair to say that City fans can feel immensely proud of their loyalty throughout the history of the game - something that cannot be said by all of the League’s biggest names.
In fact, it is worth highlighting that City have never been the worst supported side in their division but Arsenal (1912-13 – average = 9,100) and Manchester United (1930-31 – average = 11,685) have.
The Blues’ worst average of the 20th Century came in the desperate 1964-65 season and was 14,753 (a third of City’s 1957-8 average). However it is significant that for every League season the Club’s average has always been above the divisional average (including 1964-65) and, apart from 17 seasons, has always been in the top 11 nationally.
Again, few of today’s giants can say that – as a comparison United’s 20th Century low stands at 4,650 and Chelsea averaged 15,731 as recently as 1988-89.
I could go on, but the general point of this is to say that City have been one of the most consistent sides in terms of pulling power throughout history. But critics will say, ‘ah, but what about your support in the 1990s onwards?’ Okay then, let’s look at that.
Between 1992 and 2003 Maine Road’s capacity limited support with the stadium’s capacity being less than 20,000 at one point in the mid-1990s. There were many reasons for this but the simple fact is that the club’s management took steps to fill almost every spare space with temporary seating by the end of the decade as demand easily outstripped supply.
Average attendances of around 30,000 may look small compared to today but these were at capacity, give or take a few hundred away fans. This was part of the reason the club was so willing to sacrifice its home of 80 years for the current stadium – a move that has been very popular although at the time some fans said a 48,000 capacity stadium would be too small. They were right!
Like all – and I do mean all – English clubs there have been some average attendance lows over the years, but when the entire history of our club is reviewed and our average figures are compared with the national average it is clear that the Blues have consistently been one of football’s most attractive draws. Take a look at the following:
Since the beginning of the Football League in 1888 only nine sides have topped the table for average attendances. In chronological order of their first appearance at the top of the average table they are: Everton (1888-9), Villa (1898-99), Newcastle (1904-05), Chelsea (1907-08), Tottenham (1909-10), City (1910-11), Liverpool (1922-23), Arsenal (1929-30), and Manchester United (1956-57)
As early as 1895-96 City were the third best supported side in the entire League despite being a Second Division side. Only First Division sides Everton and Aston Villa could better the Blues. Modern-day giants Arsenal were 10th; Liverpool were 19th; United were 21st and Chelsea had yet to exist.
The 1910-11 season saw us top the attendance charts for the first time. Our average was 26,000 and was the Football League’s eighth highest average of all time at that point.
Regularly amongst the best supported sides throughout the inter war period, our average exceeded 37,000 for the first time in 1927-28 when we established a record average crowd for the Second Division. This was also the entire League’s highest.
So next time someone asks where you were when City were not quite so successful as today, smile and be confident in the knowledge that City fans have been amongst the most loyal throughout football’s competitive history.
Gary is a member of the Sports & Leisure History Group at MMU. He is a ‘must-follow’ for City fans: Twitter: @garyjameswriter and facebook.com/garyjames4 His recent paper on the establishment of Manchester’s football identity can be downloaded here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14660970.2014.961378
*The views expressed are those of Gary James and not necessarily those of Manchester City FC.
r.soleofsalford
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Manc in London
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Thanks, Gary. Interesting read.