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Biggest clubs in League 1 next season?
- Thread starter BcbC2312
- Start date
Argyologist":2dc8dtly said:
There needs to be some sort of algorithm that combines historic attendances with achievement. If I was a Wigan fan I'd accept that Argyle have usually attracted higher gates, but I'd have two trump cards to play: 10 years in the Premier League and an FA Cup win. We can't compete with that and surely it gives them the edge over us.
Take these two clubs as an example: Strasbourg and Monaco. One attracts crowds in excess of 25k, the other less than 10k. One has been French champions just once while the other has won the title eight times and appeared in European finals.
Who is the bigger club?
In my view that’s confusing success with size.
For me ‘biggest’ = fan base stature.
Argyle have always been a bigger club than Wigan or Bournemouth but because those two have elongated periods of ‘success’ doesn’t change the fact we’re still bigger than them and always will be...
In the same way we have always been bigger than Bristol Rovers but admittedly always a little bit off Bristol City..
For me ‘biggest’ = fan base stature.
Argyle have always been a bigger club than Wigan or Bournemouth but because those two have elongated periods of ‘success’ doesn’t change the fact we’re still bigger than them and always will be...
In the same way we have always been bigger than Bristol Rovers but admittedly always a little bit off Bristol City..
I think that all this big club small club stuff is all in your head and fueled by ego, or maybe foolishness. If you think Argyle is a big club, then its a big club. If you think its a small club, then its a small club. Best to let others do the thinking though as you may come across a touch simple if you start telling a Liverpool fan that Argyle is a big club, or even a Cardiff fan or a Burnley fan. Hate to say it, or even that lot up the road. When we have won something or have been in the Premiership, maybe we could go up the rankings but until then, we are a minnow. . . or maybe a sardine.
Steamer":3qsqci4n said:
Yep, that's how I look at it. Crowd size is only part of the equation. We've had sod-all to get excited about in our entire history and when you compare our record to clubs who get similar or smaller gates it's embarrassing.
We're a small-to-medium sized club and will be until we break into the top flight.
Agreed, Argyle are a smaller club than Cardiff or Burnley - not by much but would agree that we are not as big.
There is nothing stopping any Argyle fan arguing our case related to our size and stature - which is often underestimated particularly in the last period kicking around in the bottom 2.
If you are happy to believe and argue that we should be seen or perceived alongside clubs like Exeter or others constantly in those two divisions - that’s up to you.
There is nothing stopping any Argyle fan arguing our case related to our size and stature - which is often underestimated particularly in the last period kicking around in the bottom 2.
If you are happy to believe and argue that we should be seen or perceived alongside clubs like Exeter or others constantly in those two divisions - that’s up to you.
I know Argyle have not ever been in the top Division of professional football in England, but I am sure there are 1,000's of supporters, who shared with me, the excitement of the magnificent F A Cup run in 1984, and similarly in the previous decade when Argyle reached the semi-final of the League Cup versus Man City.
Argyologist":2vr6fpyb said:
To all intents and purposes we should be perceived alongside the likes of Exeter. Look what we've got in common:
Never been in the top flight: Check
Never been in Europe: Check
Never won the FA Cup: Check
Never won the League Cup: Check
Never had a full England international: Check
Never spent £1m+ on a player: Check
Historically we've had bigger gates than them and been in higher divisions. Big deal. While we're arguing with them about our superior gates, clubs like Blackpool and Wigan are laughing their heads off at us knowing they've fulfilled almost all of the criteria I laid out above.
You could argue until the cows come home about how 'big' a club we are, but the only metric that matters to me is this: Have we fulfilled our potential as a club? The answer is very clearly 'no'.
Exeter almost certainly have, which is the key difference between us and clubs like them.
WoodsyGreen":2uny5l6y said:
So its not a 'big deal' that we have been in higher divisions than E#e#t#r? :crazy:
I can see you’re a glass half empty sort of bloke.
Your measure for stature and size are clearly different to mine.
Taking 35k to Wembley
Taking 2 k away on a Tuesday night up north
Pulling 16-18k At home in League One and in Two
Having close to 10K at Home when we are in the bottom six of the Football League.
Playing competitive Football in the Championship
These are my metrics.
Just ask Ryan Lowe why he joined Argyle
‘ as soon the interest came in - I said to Schuey, they are a big club them’
Do you think Lowe would have gone to Exeter if they had come in for him when he left Bury?
If you want to let Exeter live rent free in your head telling you they are the same size us then that’s entirely up to you ...
Your measure for stature and size are clearly different to mine.
Taking 35k to Wembley
Taking 2 k away on a Tuesday night up north
Pulling 16-18k At home in League One and in Two
Having close to 10K at Home when we are in the bottom six of the Football League.
Playing competitive Football in the Championship
These are my metrics.
Just ask Ryan Lowe why he joined Argyle
‘ as soon the interest came in - I said to Schuey, they are a big club them’
Do you think Lowe would have gone to Exeter if they had come in for him when he left Bury?
If you want to let Exeter live rent free in your head telling you they are the same size us then that’s entirely up to you ...
Nowhere have I said Exeter are the same size as us, just that we are equally as unsuccessful.
It's a pointless debate because you win nothing for being bigger than a club that has been more or less just as unsuccessful as you.
I wish it was different but we've underachieved hugely as a club and bragging about being bigger than Exeter is nothing to be proud of.
It's a pointless debate because you win nothing for being bigger than a club that has been more or less just as unsuccessful as you.
I wish it was different but we've underachieved hugely as a club and bragging about being bigger than Exeter is nothing to be proud of.
Argyologist":2t35bc7k said:
When did we last take 2k away on a Tuesday night? Sure it's happened, but how often in the last say 15 years?
When did we last have 17K at home in L1/L2? Again, how often?
Much prefer nearly 10K when we're doing badly as a persuasive stat, to 35K at Wembley. The latter just shows we have got a huge number of fairweather "plastics".
Yes, we are a bigger club compared to other L1/L2 clubs, but are we a "big" club (whatever that means)?
No, not really. A few years in the last few decades in the 2nd tier. Only one notable Cup run out of the 3 Cup comps we would be in.
Yes, we have a good sized fan base for the size of our club, but we have the advantage of having not many clubs in the catchment area but in my opinion, we are about half way up the L1 "we are a big club" league table.
Also, if we finish 20th, we are the 20th biggest club at that time because ultimately, all that matters is the final table
No, not really. A few years in the last few decades in the 2nd tier. Only one notable Cup run out of the 3 Cup comps we would be in.
Yes, we have a good sized fan base for the size of our club, but we have the advantage of having not many clubs in the catchment area but in my opinion, we are about half way up the L1 "we are a big club" league table.
Also, if we finish 20th, we are the 20th biggest club at that time because ultimately, all that matters is the final table