Stickied League One Away Support Thread 2023/24

[WFC]

Few season of failure? We have been struggling for the last 10, albeit in different leagues. Sub 6000 crowds would be there in league 2 I agree. Problem is, Walsall are what they are and to comment on Wigan crowds is patronising don't you think.

Walsall, I have stooped to arguing with Crewe and Walsall fans, when did things get this bad. Walsall though...fuck me

You haven't struggled in league one yet, every other division still has that 'stature' especially the prem which will always bring in supporters regardless.

Things haven't gotten bad you've just gone back to the real Wigan athletic, you've had your success and as most clubs do, you've ended up back to your natural level.

Did you only start supporting Wigan when they reached the prem? That'd maybe explain why you're so blinkered and think you're bigger than Leeds.

 

[WFC]

Struggle all you want it don't hit home until you drop to this level or worse.

 

[WFC]

For the record, no problem with Wigan, good away day, top ground.

Just a right load of bollocks when a poster is trying to big them up ala Leeds and that we should all roll out the red carpet when they come to town. Good period in your history fair play but that's all.

 

[JJH]

For the record, no problem with Wigan, good away day, top ground.

Just a right load of bollocks when a poster is trying to big them up ala Leeds and that we should all roll out the red carpet when they come to town. Good period on your history fair play but that's all.

Aye, I found the Wigan rise to glory far less nauseating than the Bournemouth one of recent times, that has seen the press fall in love with them and describe it as some sort of obscene fairytale, when in reality with the money they've spent and the money their owner has invested in the club in recent years they're where they should be.

 

[BCFC]

Wigan season tickets were 255 in the Prem, that's cheaper than every L1 club apart from Bradford?

Fleetwood and Coventry are cheaper than that as well.

 

[BCFC]

Loads go to both games?
Leave Bury at 5 and be in the ground at OT for 6....Hardly any would do that, costs also a factor.

Its a good away following without considering that anyway. You took just shy of our following at Oldham didn't you? So similar numbers away so far isn't it?

I suppose it could be quite expensive but 1 hour is more than enough time.

 

[darren gregory]

280 from us reasonable nothing more. Crewe following utter disgraceful. Wigan massive !!

 

[Reaper]

146 Crewe at Barnsley.

In any circumstances that is atrocious.

 

[NorthernSoul]

This whole big debate, is pointless and tiresome. Let's face it no big club would find themselves languishing in the 3rd tier of English football. Sheffield United, Coventry City and Bradford City are bigger than the rest purely down to the fact they're largely populated City clubs which enables them to attract a larger fan base than the other 21 clubs, which are all based in towns bar Millwall who are based in 1 of many districts in London. So those 3 clubs mentioned are bound to be bigger than the rest. The other 21 clubs mentioned aren't too much apart and you can also include the majority of Championship clubs as not being much different in size either.

Wigan are a very small club, like probably 80% of the 92 league sides. To summise in general we're not as small as people believe we are but we're definitely a small club. We've grown as a club massively over the last 20 years and are now big fish in League One, however as we've proved ourselves a lot changes in football. We've had a fantastic period over the last 15 years, 8 years in the Premier League, beating the biggest sides home and away frequently, winning the FA Cup reaching the Semis another year, League Cup runners up and playing in Europe. It's a decade of success that most clubs haven't had in over 100 years.

You never know what's round the corner, Wigan, Swansea, Blackpool, Hull, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Bolton, Fulham, Wolves, old Wimbledon all made the journey to the Premier League from the 4th tier in a short space of time, so some current League One teams, you never know may go on a similar journey and have a similar successful period that Wigan have had, if there's one thing that everyone can agree on, what we achieved as a club gives everyone in this division hope to aspire too.

As for our fanbase, over the past 20 years we've worked hard at reaching out to youngsters and we had for many years the highest % of season ticket holders under 16 than anyone, they're growing up now and having kids of their own and we've now got a bigger 'core' support than before we had this good run, with the shit we've put up with the past 2 years, I don't think we'll drop much lower than 8,000 core fans at games now, even if we're stuck here for a while. No doubt if we improve suddenly a couple of thousand will instantly return, but that's the same with any other club.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Bury have won more FA Cups than Wigan, we have spent more time in the first division and have finished higher than Wigan ever will (4th in 1st Division) and have achieved a higher average (16,821 1949) and record attendance (35,000 in 1960) than Wigan have ever achieved... Bury have done everything and more than Wigan have achieved in their history, make of that what you will..

Also, as for yesterday's crowd being lower than any Wigan crowd for years... Yesterday's crowd was 5,931... Wigan pulled in 5,400 for the reverse fixture last month

Come off it, Bury won 2 FA Cup's in 1900 and 1903 and last played in the top flight in 1928, in a period were small town clubs could mingle with the big boys because the money that is involved today wasn't back then. No Bury fans were even alive then, to try and bring up what happened at the beginning of the 20th Century to describe the stature of your club, is downright bizarre.

Our highest average attendance was 20,610 in 2006, which you will find is larger than your 16,821 in 1949, why are you dragging up something from 1949? Given the leap in prices, football was much more affordable to the working class back then, so it's nothing to shout about.

35,000 in 1960, again little point, we got 27,526 in 1953, the stadium was over full, who knows many more thousands may have crowded in if allowed, which is also a pointless stat. I'd hazard a guess like me, you weren't born back then.

You had 5,931 for a league match on Saturday. We had 5,400 for round 1 of the League Cup on a Tuesday night, hardly a direct comparison is it. The return leg in the league would be the fair comparison.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Wigan is not such a small place population wise, while the town has 100k it's borough has a population of 320k on which to draw support from

Skelmersdale is in the Wigan Borough, however it's 40,000 people, with the majority of people moving there out of Liverpool and is definitely seen as a Scouse area. 46,000 are in Leigh, which is a completely different town and see the town of Wigan as rivals. Then you've got 34,000 in Tyldesley which is on the outskirts of the Manchester area. Golborne, Lowton, which are nearer to Warrington. A couple of small towns that are also nearer to Bolton than Wigan as well. I believe it was the 70s were a large number of people moved to Wigan from Liverpool, which is why there's a large number of Liverpool and Everton fans that have gone back generations that we have to compete with. As for Manchester United and Manchester City fans in the main part of Wigan, not including the outskirts bordering Manchester, they're just glory hunters. A lot of this Borough expansion occured in the late 70s and a number of these areas added to the Wigan Borough, so families going back generations before the border changes aren't suddenly going to see themselves as Wiganers now and automatically support Wigan.

 

[Jamo]

Latest table:

Still not managed to find Southend's at Burton the other day. Oh, and that Crewe following is the lowest I've seen at Oakwell on a Saturday. Which is some feat given we've had Yeovil, Crawley and other clubs much further away come here recently. Very poor from them

 

[Walkley_Owl]

378 Southend at Burton I've seen....

 

[Jamo]

 

[DH84]

Blimey, the difference between the distances Gillingham and Sheffield United have to cover this season. Sheffield United are the best placed team in the league with 3,966 miles to cover, which works out as an average of 172 miles every away game. On the other hand, Gillingham are the worst placed team with a massive 8,747 miles to cover which works out as an average of 380 miles every away game. Nothing on Carlisle though - they have 11,810 miles to cover, a whopping 513 mile round trip every away game.

 

[Camborne Gills]

Blimey, the difference between the distances Gillingham and Sheffield United have to cover this season. Sheffield United are the best placed team in the league with 3,966 miles to cover, which works out as an average of 172 miles every away game. On the other hand, Gillingham are the worst placed team with a massive 8,747 miles to cover which works out as an average of 380 miles every away game. Nothing on Carlisle though - they have 11,810 miles to cover, a whopping 513 mile round trip every away game.

And that's if you live in Gillingham. I wonder what the round trip from Camborne to Sheffield (via London) is.

Even a round trip to Plymouth on the train is 140 miles

 

[F!RTHY]

It's there own stupid fault for living so far away. Zero sympathy from me.

 

[darren gregory]

Not sure why Gills complaining !! 2 attractive local games v Colchester and Sarfend , what more do they want

 

[Shrimpurh]

Not sure why Gills complaining !! 2 attractive local games v Colchester and Sarfend , what more do they want

They want to be closer to Burslem :\

 

[Jamo]

It's there own stupid fault for living so far away. Zero sympathy from me.

This tbf. "Ooh we'll just be located in Kent/Essex/Devon so opposition teams have to travel miles to get here and our own fans can piss and whinge about the nearest team being 150 miles away". Nobheads.

Spoiler

Just kidding

 

[darren gregory]

They want to be closer to Burslem :\

Is Gillingham wanting to be closer to Burslem the same as Mark Marshall wanting to be closer to London and then signs for Bradford?

 

[Camborne Gills]

Hopefully we can get promoted out of League 1 (North) and you lot won't have to put up with our 'whingeing' again

 

[Bartonyellow]

And that's if you live in Gillingham. I wonder what the round trip from Camborne to Sheffield (via London) is.

Even a round trip to Plymouth on the train is 140 miles

You could go watch Truro...

 

[joethegill]

It's a bonus to be so far away from you whippet-hunting, flat-cap wearing lot. Means you're all knackered by the time you get down here so our home record should be pretty handy all year! Started off that way anyway.

Also, for the record - us Gills are used to long trips, most conversations about our mileage this year have come from opposing fans who are used to having half a dozen teams within an hour away!

 

[Bartonyellow]

Don't forget our cobbled streets where the horse and carts go up and down..
And of course bread and dripping before the game as a treat.

 

[Camborne Gills]

You could go watch Truro...

I do sometimes. I also run the line for my local social club side (free beer afterwards)

 

[Evans1883]

Not sure we will take many to Rochdale tuesday , we have swindon on the saturday aswel which has sold 600 so far , but 2 away days in 5 days and with midweek notoriously lower..be happy with 600 to rochdale in all fairness

 

[Shrimpurh]

Another away game on a school night next Tuesday at Chesterfield - I reckon we will take close to 400

 

[DH84]

Not sure we will take many to Rochdale tuesday , we have swindon on the saturday aswel which has sold 600 so far , but 2 away days in 5 days and with midweek notoriously lower..be happy with 600 to rochdale in all fairness

Do you know whats going on with Swindon? They gave us 600 tickets which sold out 2 days ago...seems the ticket office is as informative as ever

 

[Westbars_Spireite]

Another away game on a school night next Tuesday at Chesterfield - I reckon we will take close to 400

Hope so. Might keep it reasonably respectable. It may be day one of the #PantsOnHeadProtest if we lose on Saturday.