Are we a big or smaller club...

[stevecato64]

I was talking on another forum about how I have hope that Town can get to the promise land if the likes of Bournemouth can make it.. I said Bournemouth give hope to all us smaller clubs that we are allowed to dream".. A reply said " you ain't a smaller club, just shite" ha ha..

Got me thinking.. How do we stand in the football league on size, is that down to present/ past/ history/ population size? After a quick scan through the 92 teams in the football league I have us down around 35th in size based on crowds and size of population/ history...

What's says you all???

[Essex Terrier]

Did you not get your answer on the "other forum" then?

So, you HAD to come on here to get REAL feedback?

I agree with you and - you're welcome!

[wtd]

Used to be big, will never be small... we're middling.

[Carl2291]

We're an average club. Not big, not small. We are sitting right at our level.

[DeepSpace]

It's not size that counts but the wad of whoever takes you over. Bournemouth isn't the Roy of the Rovers story people think but a brutal example of where a bored billionaire can get you if you're lucky enough to have one down the road & needing a hobby.

[Deleted]

We're "not too big and not too small" according to the specialists.
www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/fancy-huddersfield-town-themed-send-10599085

[Baby Ate My Eight Ball]

Dec 15, 2015 11:43:09 GMT 1 DeepSpace said:

It's not size that counts but the wad of whoever takes you over. Bournemouth isn't the Roy of the Rovers story people think but a brutal example of where a bored billionaire can get you if you're lucky enough to have one down the road & needing a hobby.

Aye, lost £15m the season we beat them in the play-offs if I remember correctly.

[galpharm2400]

Bournemouth had big debts when he took over..they had built a stadium and not had any great success with small crowds, they were losing lots of money. I dont think it was down to huge wages for the division, unlike us with 5/6 first team squad on 10k plus a week(please dont argue with that its a fact, clibbens spoke to oggy on the radio and admitted as much)..

man came in and paid off the debt..still not sure where the 'massive spending' comes into it as yet? team that beat man utd isnt full of massive earners and massive transfer fees in relation to even the teams towards the bottom of the premier league or most of those at the top of the championship???

debt paid off, well run club with a very, very well run team, perhaps?

[goodshot (FGS)]

Sleepy giant.

[DeepSpace]

Dec 15, 2015 12:06:06 GMT 1 galpharm2400 said:

Bournemouth had big debts when he took over..they had built a stadium and not had any great success with small crowds, they were losing lots of money. I dont think it was down to huge wages for the division, unlike us with 5/6 first team squad on 10k plus a week(please dont argue with that its a fact, clibbens spoke to oggy on the radio and admitted as much)..

man came in and paid off the debt..still not sure where the 'massive spending' comes into it as yet? team that beat man utd isnt full of massive earners and massive transfer fees in relation to even the teams towards the bottom of the premier league or most of those at the top of the championship???

debt paid off, well run club with a very, very well run team, perhaps?

From what I've read there's been no paying off of debt. Reports suggest they spent around £25m to get promoted, lost around £15m last season & currently are about £21.5m in debt. All that on an average attendance last season of just over 10000 (second lowest in the division).

[stevecato64]

Dec 15, 2015 11:34:07 GMT 1 wtd said:

Used to be big, will never be small... we're middling.

Maybe you have nailed it there, ha ha..No I got no answer in the other forum.. I thought I would come among the wise owls on here..

[Doc Halladay 32]

Dec 15, 2015 12:06:06 GMT 1 galpharm2400 said:

Bournemouth had big debts when he took over..they had built a stadium and not had any great success with small crowds, they were losing lots of money. I dont think it was down to huge wages for the division, unlike us with 5/6 first team squad on 10k plus a week(please dont argue with that its a fact, clibbens spoke to oggy on the radio and admitted as much)..

man came in and paid off the debt..still not sure where the 'massive spending' comes into it as yet? team that beat man utd isnt full of massive earners and massive transfer fees in relation to even the teams towards the bottom of the premier league or most of those at the top of the championship???

debt paid off, well run club with a very, very well run team, perhaps?

Or Perhaps not!

In 2013/14, 2 years ago, NOT their promotion season their wage bill was £17m compared to ours of £13.3m.

www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/32611521

They signed 37yr old Sylvan Distin on 40k a week prior to this season.

www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/449673/Bournemouth-Sylvain-Distin-Everton-wages

[wtd]

Dec 15, 2015 12:27:41 GMT 1 stevecato64 said:

Dec 15, 2015 11:34:07 GMT 1 wtd said:

Used to be big, will never be small... we're middling.

Maybe you have nailed it there, ha ha..No I got no answer in the other forum.. I thought I would come among the wise owls on here..

Sssssh! You do know they burn people at the stake on here for that, don't you?

[detox]

I'd categorise us the same as Preston, Bolton, Burnley.Blackburn, - we get crowds of around 10,000 to 13,000 at the moment but if we got in the top play offs area we'd be pulling in 16,000 to 20,000 and if we went up to Premier we'd likely get over 20,000 . That's if size of crowd is the measure..and that's pretty much the same as the aforementioned clubs get/would get/have got. Yeah,Blackburn 'were' big and Bolton and to some degree Burnley..but they drop back to 12,000 crowds or so when not doing so well. Big clubs are usually the big city clubs with a wider fan base to draw on, that's geography more than anything else... teams like swansea were getting 8,000 crowds before they became 'something', then look at Blackpool..once a big club...? Luton town were a league one club many years ago... So in answer to the question, size is relative.. Bournemouth will never be a BIG club, and I guess neither will we...our town is too small for that to happen but that doesn't mean to say we couldn't fill our stadium every game if we became a TOP club...?

[boofers]

When we were at the Old ground We were often considered Sleeping Giants, that hasn't been Quoted since we moved, so it could be We have shrunk.

[Deleted]

Just a small town in Liversedge

[stevecato64]

Dec 15, 2015 12:44:49 GMT 1 detox said:

I'd categorise us the same as Preston, Bolton, Burnley.Blackburn, - we get crowds of around 10,000 to 13,000 at the moment but if we got in the top play offs area we'd be pulling in 16,000 to 20,000 and if we went up to Premier we'd likely get over 20,000 . That's if size of crowd is the measure..and that's pretty much the same as the aforementioned clubs get/would get/have got. Yeah,Blackburn 'were' big and Bolton and to some degree Burnley..but they drop back to 12,000 crowds or so when not doing so well. Big clubs are usually the big city clubs with a wider fan base to draw on, that's geography more than anything else... teams like swansea were getting 8,000 crowds before they became 'something', then look at Blackpool..once a big club...? Luton town were a league one club many years ago... So in answer to the question, size is relative.. Bournemouth will never be a BIG club, and I guess neither will we...our town is too small for that to happen but that doesn't mean to say we couldn't fill our stadium every game if we became a TOP club...?

The other forum was a not a Town forum, ha ha.. Just a general one on Facebook..

[3Pipe]

They all look like little clubs from far away.

[de1terrier]

Were a club with good potential, a decent history and hopefully a bright future, some of us may never see that future come but one of these days one of those false dawns won't be false, I am still naive enough to choose to Hope its this one, or the next one, I don't blame some of the moaners for their skepticism but I just wish sometimes they'ed be slightly less critical when its obvious that the current board are bloody trying to do things the right way.

[Deleted]

On the playing side, we are short.....of ability, of ideas, of arse......and of numbers.

[jqhtfc]

I see us pretty much in the same bracket as quite a few of the lanc clubs like burnley, Preston etc based on crowds, history and such, not what anybody would class a big club but certainly not a small club either.

[detox]

It's only 20 odd years ago Blackburns average crowd was 8,000 ..but they see themselves as always having been a big club - bigger than preston, Bolton, Burnley and Blackpool anyway...since they dropped out of the premier league they have lost 10,000 fans with an average gate now of 15,000 ..I'm not picking on Blackburn but just that they are similar to us in terms of population..it was only jack Walker that bought them success and a title win, and brought in the crowds...anybody can do that...can't they ?

[Macduff]

We're a comatose giant, and recently a German doctor has arrived with a new treatment. Apparently an eyelid twitched just over a week ago but then we fell back into the coma. The prognosis is unknown but the family (well most of them) remain hopeful and optimistic. Dr Powell was replaced when it was suspected he might turn off the life support machine.

[reverendstarbuck]

Dec 15, 2015 12:44:49 GMT 1 detox said:

I'd categorise us the same as Preston, Bolton, Burnley.Blackburn, - we get crowds of around 10,000 to 13,000 at the moment but if we got in the top play offs area we'd be pulling in 16,000 to 20,000 and if we went up to Premier we'd likely get over 20,000 . That's if size of crowd is the measure..and that's pretty much the same as the aforementioned clubs get/would get/have got. Yeah,Blackburn 'were' big and Bolton and to some degree Burnley..but they drop back to 12,000 crowds or so when not doing so well. Big clubs are usually the big city clubs with a wider fan base to draw on, that's geography more than anything else... teams like swansea were getting 8,000 crowds before they became 'something', then look at Blackpool..once a big club...? Luton town were a league one club many years ago... So in answer to the question, size is relative.. Bournemouth will never be a BIG club, and I guess neither will we...our town is too small for that to happen but that doesn't mean to say we couldn't fill our stadium every game if we became a TOP club...?

Dec 15, 2015 13:55:18 GMT 1 detox said:

It's only 20 odd years ago Blackburns average crowd was 8,000 ..but they see themselves as always having been a big club - bigger than preston, Bolton, Burnley and Blackpool anyway...since they dropped out of the premier league they have lost 10,000 fans with an average gate now of 15,000 ..I'm not picking on Blackburn but just that they are similar to us in terms of population..it was only jack Walker that bought them success and a title win, and brought in the crowds...anybody can do that...can't they ?

Bang on. Further afield, I'd also add Bristol Rovers, Plymouth, Coventry. In London, QPR and Fulham. Luton's average has never dipped below 5,000 even in the conference and they took over 40,000 to Wembley a coupe of season's ago for the tin pot paint final. But if you look at the bottom two divisions now compared to a few seasons ago, there's only really Sheff U that you'd call 'big'. Definitely don't want to be dropping back down this season.

[detox]

Portsmouth too I suppose...a classic example

[sabailand]

If we ever got into the top flight we`d get similar crowds to what burnley got,we`d only fill the ground when the really big clubs visited.If we were successful then obviously they would get bigger.We were getting as bigger crowds in league 2 as we are now at times,we seem to get decent crowds for the lower divisions but they dont get that much bigger when we get promoted.

[waltzingthecowshed]

Dec 15, 2015 17:44:53 GMT 1 sabailand said:

If we ever got into the top flight we`d get similar crowds to what burnley got,we`d only fill the ground when the really big clubs visited.If we were successful then obviously they would get bigger.We were getting as bigger crowds in league 2 as we are now at times,we seem to get decent crowds for the lower divisions but they dont get that much bigger when we get promoted.

Utter shite ...Barnsley sold out when in prem of course we would all the woodworkers from the affluent areas like shepley etc would buy season tickets you wouldnt be able to get a ticket for any game it would take off massive if we got to the promised land and the season card/ticket price was reasonable,,,,folk in Kirklees just waiting for a decent footballing prem side to get behind and ditch their prem telly teams

[Deleted]

Dec 15, 2015 18:03:47 GMT 1 waltzingthecowshed said:

Dec 15, 2015 17:44:53 GMT 1 sabailand said:

If we ever got into the top flight we`d get similar crowds to what burnley got,we`d only fill the ground when the really big clubs visited.If we were successful then obviously they would get bigger.We were getting as bigger crowds in league 2 as we are now at times,we seem to get decent crowds for the lower divisions but they dont get that much bigger when we get promoted.

Utter shite ...Barnsley sold out when in prem of course we would all the woodworkers from the affluent areas like shepley etc would buy season tickets you wouldnt be able to get a ticket for any game it would take off massive if we got to the promised land and the season card/ticket price was reasonable,,,,folk in Kirklees just waiting for a decent footballing prem side to get behind and ditch their prem telly teams

First season maybe, but if Town survived it would soon drop off. Third season of regular defeats, ridiculous kick off times/days, West Bromwich at home on a Monday night in early December, 15000 would be pushing it.

Even massive Bradford couldn't fill their "stadium" in the premier league, not even for the visit of Leeds, 18000 crowd, capacity 24000 at the time.

[Deleted]

Dec 15, 2015 13:55:18 GMT 1 detox said:

It's only 20 odd years ago Blackburns average crowd was 8,000 ..but they see themselves as always having been a big club - bigger than preston, Bolton, Burnley and Blackpool anyway...since they dropped out of the premier league they have lost 10,000 fans with an average gate now of 15,000 ..I'm not picking on Blackburn but just that they are similar to us in terms of population..it was only jack Walker that bought them success and a title win, and brought in the crowds...anybody can do that...can't they ?

Bolton Blackpool Preston and Burnley averaged less than Town when they were in the lower divisions in the 80s. Blackburn used to get 7000 in old division 2 before Walker. The thing is they seemed to move back to their old level fairly quickly while Town spent years in the lower leagues. For all Bolton's issues right now I bet their back in the premier league again before Town.

[kennyk2]

Dec 15, 2015 18:36:45 GMT 1 @hmm said:

Dec 15, 2015 13:55:18 GMT 1 detox said:

It's only 20 odd years ago Blackburns average crowd was 8,000 ..but they see themselves as always having been a big club - bigger than preston, Bolton, Burnley and Blackpool anyway...since they dropped out of the premier league they have lost 10,000 fans with an average gate now of 15,000 ..I'm not picking on Blackburn but just that they are similar to us in terms of population..it was only jack Walker that bought them success and a title win, and brought in the crowds...anybody can do that...can't they ?

Bolton Blackpool Preston and Burnley averaged less than Town when they were in the lower divisions in the 80s. Blackburn used to get 7000 in old division 2 before Walker. The thing is they seemed to move back to their old level fairly quickly while Town spent years in the lower leagues. For all Bolton's issues right now I bet their back in the premier league again before Town.

We're the same size club as the four mentioned and also Portsmouth, Blackburn, Brighton, Burnley. The only difference in clubs about this size is the amount of money that is or isn't invested to chase the dream.