Biggest club

[Simpo]

Don't forget, all ticket holders for the Biggest Club In League One competition can get half price admission for the Tallest Midget Contest.

 

[PuB]

I think folk underestimate just how demoralising getting thumped every week is.

To remind everyone, we amassed 2 away points over the whole of last season and suffered mainly hammering along the way.

We went down from League One having not won an away match all season in 09/10. Still managed to take over 2500 to Charlton along the way though.

Comparable to your local trips to Leeds and Sheffield, maybe quite a bit further, and in a division below. Not that I'm in the least bit interested in arguing over club size. Just SERNWA's excuses are shit.

 

[RobboPOSH]

We went down from League One having not won an away match all season in 09/10. Still managed to take over 2500 to Charlton along the way though.

Comparable to your local trips to Leeds and Sheffield, maybe quite a bit further, and in a division below. Not that I'm in the least bit interested in arguing over club size. Just SERNWA's excuses are shit.

We averaged 790 when we went down the second time. As i've said above Rotherham are a middle of the road League 1 side our two clubs.

 

[seasider]

We must be the only club that wants small gates.

 

[StevieEvansRedNWhiteArmy]

We went down from League One having not won an away match all season in 09/10. Still managed to take over 2500 to Charlton along the way though.

Comparable to your local trips to Leeds and Sheffield, maybe quite a bit further, and in a division below. Not that I'm in the least bit interested in arguing over club size. Just SERNWA's excuses are shit.

What excuses?

Is it not true we were wank all season?
Is it not true we played Wednesday a week before Christmas at £40 a ticket and the week after Christmas at Leeds at £40 a ticket?

They're perfectly valid explanations for our poor followings. You see in the real world up north, £40 just for the ticket a week before Christmas isn't feasible for some people as is another £40 just for the ticket a week after Christmas.

 

[StevieEvansRedNWhiteArmy]

Tbf, that was Villa's first season down in the Championship and I'd expect most team to take 2500+ there. Especially when you've not played them in the league for donkeys years and that it's a quality ground.

As for Barnsley, it's a local derby, aided by the fact you're in the Championship, so again hardly surprising.

I don't doubt that taking a pounding all the time would be detrimental, but it's still the highest division you've ever been in, against plenty of teams you won't have played in the league before as long as you can remember, and with you just being 3 years in it's still relatively 'new'.

You should have seen the football us fans had to endure under Steve Robinson up until January - think we scored 12 goals in all comps in about 24 games and were adrift in the relegation zone - honestly, it was fucking shambolic - yet we still averaged 650ish over the season.

We had already took 4000 to Villa a couple of year ago, so wasn't a new ground.

Also there wasn't plenty of teams we hadn't played before, that was our third year in the division. The only team we hadn't played for years was Newcastle and correct me if I'm wrong, we were the only ones to sell it out last season.

Oldham wouldn't sell out the away end St.James' park in any league.

 

[Walkley_Owl]

We had already took 4000 to Villa a couple of year ago, so wasn't a new ground.

Also there wasn't plenty of teams we hadn't played before, that was our third year in the division. The only team we hadn't played for years was Newcastle and correct me if I'm wrong, we were the only ones to sell it out last season.

Oldham wouldn't sell out the away end St.James' park in any league.

Plenty sold out St James, we didn't mind as it was Boxing Day night and Sky and we only took 3,076.

 

[StevieEvansRedNWhiteArmy]

Plenty sold out St James, we didn't mind as it was Boxing Day night and Sky and we only took 3,076.

I knew you'd know haha

I know we were highest they had all season at the time but that was at end of January.

 

[Walkley_Owl]

I knew you'd know haha

I know we were highest they had all season at the time but that was at end of January.

Leeds surpassed it late on.

 

[shoddycollins]

As an outsider to this division, the biggest club in League One is Portsmouth, all other answers are wrong.

 

[Walkley_Owl]

As an outsider to this division, the biggest club in League One is Portsmouth, all other answers are wrong.

Pompey that struggled to get 9k averages just twenty years ago? Not sure it is that simple IMHO.

 

[Hurrikeen]

We had already took 4000 to Villa a couple of year ago, so wasn't a new ground.

Also there wasn't plenty of teams we hadn't played before, that was our third year in the division. The only team we hadn't played for years was Newcastle and correct me if I'm wrong, we were the only ones to sell it out last season.

Oldham wouldn't sell out the away end St.James' park in any league.

If you don't think we would sell out for a trip to Newcastle in the league, a team we haven't played since the Premier League days, at the first opportunity, then you're more deluded than I thought.

 

[PuB]

What excuses?

Is it not true we were wank all season?
Is it not true we played Wednesday a week before Christmas at £40 a ticket and the week after Christmas at Leeds at £40 a ticket?

They're perfectly valid explanations for our poor followings. You see in the real world up north, £40 just for the ticket a week before Christmas isn't feasible for some people as is another £40 just for the ticket a week after Christmas.

Another wank excuse. If £40 is too much, in the real world up north, why would other northern teams charge that much for a ticket?

(Waits for another conspiracy theory)

 

[SF_]

The price at Leeds is a joke to be fair, we would usually take 2k there easy but our last visits have been around 800-900 with plenty refusing to pay it.

 

[OUFC Dan]

This thread is absolutely tragic, I hope Rotherham struggle, if these guys are posting regularly all season I don't think many others will be

 

[Lance Stoe]

I agree. What a boring club.

 

[MillerWhale]

Perhaps Oldham would've averaged more, I really don't know the answer.

The only 'pull' fixture was Newcastle away as we'd not played them for so long and it's a big draw. All the others we'd played recently so part and parcel. Also, whilst it's the highest division we've been in, worth noting we've been there for 7 of the last 16 seasons so it's hardly novelty for us like it would be if Oldham got there now.

Nowt in it for me. Two proper, traditional town clubs with strong away support.

As for Gillingham and Peterborough, not a prayer.

 

[shoddycollins]

Pompey that struggled to get 9k averages just twenty years ago? Not sure it is that simple IMHO.

It is that simple. To anyone else Pompey and Blackburn are the 'big fish' in League One. but I'd put Blackburn just behind Pompey. It is only the likes of Rovrum and Wigan that need to come up with arguments as to why they are bigger, Pompey don't need to give reasons why they are because everybody knows that they just are.

 

[Millerbri]

I can’t really understand why my fellow Millers are getting involved in this debate.

In estimated size we are clearly a mid-ranked team in this league and having suffered the administrations and near closure like we have in our recent past.
You would have thought/hoped we would at least have the class to not gloat about our supposed superiority over some of the perceived smaller clubs.

TBH, I am surprised Walkley Owl hasn’t posted having a good laugh at our expense.

After all we never stop bleating about “The Massives” claiming they are something they are not.

And yet here we are doing exactly the same thing. Football fans are weird aren’t they?

We are all what we are, being smaller doesn’t stop you winning football matches and anyway we are all supporters of these clubs because they were chosen for us, usually inherited from immediate family.

I don’t know how we will do this year but I’m pretty sure we will lose to some of the smaller teams and beat some of the bigger ones, but these games will be decided on goals not past glories or the size of the crowd watching.

 

[Bobbin']

It is that simple. To anyone else Pompey and Blackburn are the 'big fish' in League One. but I'd put Blackburn just behind Pompey. It is only the likes of Rovrum and Wigan that need to come up with arguments as to why they are bigger, Pompey don't need to give reasons why they are because everybody knows that they just are.

I've certainly never considered Pompey 'big fish' in my lifetime and have fully expected to beat them every time we have played them and that includes in the Premier League, Championship and next season and more often than not, we have done.

That's not to say I don't think they are bigger than us, I've already said they are.

Same could be said of Blackburn actually, thinking about it.

 

[StevieEvansRedNWhiteArmy]

Another wank excuse. If £40 is too much, in the real world up north, why would other northern teams charge that much for a ticket?

(Waits for another conspiracy theory)

Wednesday fans complained at the ticket price as much as we did the week before Christmas with numerous debates on it on local radio.

Leeds knew week in week out they were being shafted.

Next.

 

[StevieEvansRedNWhiteArmy]

If you don't think we would sell out for a trip to Newcastle in the league, a team we haven't played since the Premier League days, at the first opportunity, then you're more deluded than I thought.

Oldham would not take 4,000+ to Newcastle. You barely cover that in home fans on your average home attendance.

 

[Hurrikeen]

Oldham would not take 4,000+ to Newcastle. You barely cover that in home fans on your average home attendance.

If we are quite prepared to take around 3k to Forest (which was hardly a new fixture at the time for us), over 5.5k to Everton and over 6k to Liverpool, we would take 3.5k minimum to Newcastle, certainly at the first time of asking, whether it be a cup game or a league game. No question about it.

If we played them again in successive seasons then no, most likely not, but don't kid yourself to believe you taking 3.2k to Newcastle is untouchable for us, or a few others in this division.

 

[Lance Stoe]

Most sides would take that much to Newcastle, including our good selves.

 

[Hurrikeen]

Most sides would take that much to Newcastle, including our good selves.

I agree.

My point isn't meant to make us out to sound massive, more that it's not a following that wouldn't be matched or bettered by most in this division let alone the Championship, particularly in similar circumstances.

 

[Walkley_Owl]

Most sides would take that much to Newcastle, including our good selves.

You didn't in 2010

 

[THE LAST WALTZ]

Perhaps Oldham would've averaged more, I really don't know the answer.

The only 'pull' fixture was Newcastle away as we'd not played them for so long and it's a big draw. All the others we'd played recently so part and parcel. Also, whilst it's the highest division we've been in, worth noting we've been there for 7 of the last 16 seasons so it's hardly novelty for us like it would be if Oldham got there now.

Nowt in it for me. Two proper, traditional town clubs with strong away support.

As for Gillingham and Peterborough, not a prayer.

You let yourself down with your first three paragraphs there. Nearly got expelled from the "I am Rotherham so I must behave like a penis" club.
Redeemed yourself at the end though so no harm done.

 

[Lance Stoe]

Wednesday night to be fair. I bet it was near that mark.

 

[shoddycollins]

I've certainly never considered Pompey 'big fish' in my lifetime and have fully expected to beat them every time we have played them and that includes in the Premier League, Championship and next season and more often than not, we have done.

That's not to say I don't think they are bigger than us, I've already said they are.

Same could be said of Blackburn actually, thinking about it.

It's more the sense I had that when Pompey got promoted into the Premiership they just seemed like a team that should be there on general bigness, even though clearly their best days were behind them, like a grand old hotel on the seafront, whereas Charlton always seemed more like a second-flight team getting a go (or two) at the top table.

 

[Bobbin']

It's more the sense I had that when Pompey got promoted into the Premiership they just seemed like a team that should be there on general bigness, even though clearly their best days were behind them, like a grand old hotel on the seafront, whereas Charlton always seemed more like a second-flight team getting a go (or two) at the top table.

Agree with most of that, generally. We are historically a second tier team.

I would say, 'getting a go (or two)' is a bit harsh when we have spent 20 odd years playing in the top flight. The three years leading up to the Second World War we were challenging for the title finishing runners-up, 4th and 3rd. We won a war cup and were in the first two FA cup finals after the war, we had a good side and who knows what might have happened for us had the war not happened when it did.

Just your original post made it sound like everyone sees Portsmouth and Blackburn as big fish but I don't think that's necessarily true.