World of Sport
Well-known member
And South Today and Meridian Tonight had convinced me that the SAINTS were BIG club 
14k at Scumhampton last night !
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Tooting Gull
Well-known member
- Jul 5, 2003
- 11,035
They are a big club. This season's crowds reflect years of shambolic mismanagement, board infighting, a team of kids, no decent signings, an unknown manager, huge debts, likely relegation and no hope. In the circumstances, with Champs League on the TV, not too bad.
Agreed. If we were at Falmer in similar circumstances to those you've described I reckon we'd be lucky to get 7,000 (and that assumes the 'Falmer Factor' had already inflated our core support to about 12-14,000)
You know how fickle the Albion fanbase is.
house your seagull
Train à Grande Vitesse
people in glass houses and all that ... i've never seen a 14k home crowd at the albion and i've been following for over 15 years.
seagullsovergrimsby
#cpfctinpotclub
It seems strange looking back , when we used to comment about how poor the attendances were at the Goldstone when they dipped below 20,000
Lord Large
Keeping the faith
Only five times since 1947 have we averaged over 20,000.
We have also not averaged over 10,000 since 1985.
Southampton are a far bigger club that us. Anyway, so what if they only get 14,000. The Dell didn't hold many more than that so even when they were in the top flight they were only getting 15,000 odd.
Southover Street Seagull
Well-known member
Southampton's record attendance of 31,044 was against Man Utd in 1969 in the First Division, ours was 36,342 against Fulham in the Third Division South in 1958!
You call them a bigger club?
Barrel of Fun
Abort, retry, fail
Southampton are looking like relegation candidates already. They should never have callously sacked (an innocent) Dave Jones. A timely reminder that a new stadium does not promise success.
Soul Finger
Well-known member
- May 12, 2004
- 2,314
Sorry to be a massive pedant, but it was 36,747, and it was in the Second Division.
Saints are a bigger club. They've spent over 30 years in the top flight and finished runners-up in 1984.
They've won the FA Cup and been finalists on a further three occasions.
They lost the 1979 League Cup final too.
Tooting Gull
Well-known member
- Jul 5, 2003
- 11,035
You think so? I would never call Reading a bigger club than Southampton. It's like calling Chelsea bigger than Liverpool. They just aren't.
You what? Southampton are in the worst trough they've experienced in most of our life times! Reading on the other hand have just been relegated from the top flight, but still have a strong squad and have never had a bigger fan base on which to build.
Yet until yesterday, Soton were still getting gates comparible or bigger than Reading's.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
But the pendulum is swinging and Reading are now bigger than Southampton imo. I expect the downward spiral for Saints to continue as Reading will be there or therabouts to promotion again. Southampton are closing parts of their ground and employing 2nd rate unknown Dutch managers and using their youth system to get players.
What they were is in the past and they have been overtaken in the big club stakes by Reading. It may not continue but it's a bit of a fact at the moment
There's an element of truth in that, after all Preston North End used to be bigger than both Man U and Liverpool. Even Blackpool were once a 'big' club.
However I tend to agree with Simster; Reading have never been as 'big' as they are now and unlike up in Lancashire I can't see the Southampton/Reading big/little switch being permanent.
But I could be wrong, maybe Reading will keep their fans and Southampton lose theirs permanently - although actually I don't give a toss either way.
Garry Nelson's Left Foot
Well-known member
I must admit I am enjoying Southampton's current shiteness. They clogged up the top division for far too long with their regular relegation dogfights. How many times in their 25 or so years in the top flight did they trouble the top half of the table?
Lord Large
Keeping the faith
A lot more times than we have...
Garry Nelson's Left Foot
Well-known member
And?
BensGrandad
New member
I have always disputed that as our record gate as I am fairly certain that the night we beat Watford to get promoted to Div 2 the official gate shows as less but the ground was full as was the edging track that was around the pitch at the Goldstone with children, so I reckon the gate was larger for the game.