Can A club with a small support ...

[winalotto]

Ever be a major force in a league that is run by money and the debt that it installs ??
even if we were to go up would 18k be enough to sustain a prem league position?

[Sam-QPR]

of course not but with success comes the added support. im sure teams like wigan wouldn't have dreamed about getting to and staying in the prem with the attendances that they used to have

[winalotto]

Yep i agree with success comes a bigger support, but will it be big enough ?
and what came first the chicken or the egg??

[bushkangaroo]

I'm 53 so remember the glory years, or glory year of 74-75. We came so near. If I live to be 100 I honestly doubt we'll get that near again in my lifetime, but I'd love to be wrong. Just can't really see it happening, though I'm confident we'll spend at least a few seasons back in the Premiership.

[80sCasual]

I'm 53 so remember the glory years, or glory year of 74-75. We came so near. If I live to be 100 I honestly doubt we'll get that near again in my lifetime, but I'd love to be wrong. Just can't really see it happening, though I'm confident we'll spend at least a few seasons back in the Premiership.

That almost year was 75/76. I hope my memory doesn't go at 53, I'm 46 now so not too far behind.

[RamseyR]

In a word NO.
Whilst always the optimist, this talk of champions league is ridiculous. I will be happy to be in the prem a few seasons, and knowing that if we are playing one of the big four that we could realistically have a chance of winning.

I don't think the mittals will do another chelsea, and if they did, we'd all moan anyway about the johnny come latelys...

[Hertford Hoop]

Ever be a major force in a league that is run by money and the debt that it installs ??
even if we were to go up would 18k be enough to sustain a prem league position?

Probably not as it is at the moment but with careful handling and steady growth a small club could acheive success. Success brings support, support brings in money, money mixed with money brings better players, better players bring in success and so on and so on.

If we being the small club can acheive a little of what I have just said then trophies, new ground will follow. As Ramsay R has said we would moan about Johnny come lately's but you need these to expand our fan base.

[davman]

I would have thought not, but then the **** only managed round about 16,000 is the mid eighties and Foolham around about 3,000 at the same time, so support bases can grow.

Funny how all Chelsea and Fulham have 'been going for years' though isn't it? Of the 46,000 at Stamford Bridge, everyone old enough would say they were there in the eighties, wouldn't they?

Only team to buck the trend in recent times is Blackburn Rovers, but that was before the real explosion. Thanks to Sky, and you, its subscribers (well done, by the way...), football as it once was is now officially dead!

[bushcelt1]

no...football was different back then and most teams were closer as far as money goes...if villa struggle getting 40'000 odd then we have no chance. if we went up would be happy to just stay up for a while and then try and push for mid table

[andythefish]

I wouldn't mind a mid table reign in the prem,with the occasional surge for the Europa league!!! I think the board would have to seriously consider a new stadium as you would have people coming to see the 'big clubs' play us. A 30,000 stadium would be perfect as I could see an average crowd of 25,000 just because we were in the Prem!

[W6hoops]

Ever be a major force in a league that is run by money and the debt that it installs ??
even if we were to go up would 18k be enough to sustain a prem league position?

Wigan are a Rugby league town. Apart from home games against Man utd, Arsenal, liverpool chelsea. they are lucky to get 15,000 at their ground. Burnley, Blackburn, Fulham, all small clubs compared to us

[bushkangaroo]

Casual80s, I had a good laugh at that! Must be all the booze I consumed over the years...many games I was at I don't remember a thing about. Given up the booze now (actively involved in Alcoholics Anonymous!)

[qblockpete]

Crowds increase with success.

Whilst Westway is packed with shoppers on a Saturday plus we have a great number who can't be bothered, some others who pick and choose plus some in the scheme of things are so many years in the championship find it boring will all return in the premiership.

We are gong to sell out of the Newcastle game and thats just an example fans are attracted by the bigger games. First season in the premiership we will have no problem selling 12,000 season tickets, as its more appealing to see us play Manchester United or Arsenal for some strange reason though we will probably get thumped. Sustain premiership status and in time crowds will increase, thats when we will have to develop the current ground or move to a bigger stadium. At the moment that is some way off.