Mackem Delusion
- Thread starter Quicksilvera
- Start date
parmoboy
Well-known member
We have very good away support and our home support is fine really. If we had their prices I'd imagine you could add on an extra 2/3k onto our average.
The atmosphere ar the riverside is far better than the sol. 30,000 boro fans make a far better atmosphere than 40,000 mackems but then again 20,000 boro fans tend to make a better atmosphere than 30,000 boro fans.
FishofContemplation
Well-known member
I think our support is, given our league position and catchment, a tad underwhelming in numbers. You can’t deny they get more. it wasn’t even that great for atmosphere last night. And all three of us up here have something of the “entitled” about us frankly given that none of us has won much since Queen Vic was around (and we didn’t even then unless you count the Amateur Cup). The North East’s “big three” have two titles in the last century, both 80 or 90 years ago and neither down to us. We’re all a bit delusional.
We should let this year, on the pitch, do the talking and stop obsessing about bums on seats or history. As they should to be fair as they’ve had a good season. Best by a promoted side for years with a necessarily thin newly promoted squad despite having their best player out for most of it.
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I think the difference between Newcastle/Sunderland and us is that their fans genuinely think they are among the biggest clubs in the country. Newcastle may very will be in the years to come. Listening to them their opinions they seem to be based purely on crowd attendances rather than much else. They also mention the odd trophy they have won many many years ago.
I'm not sure many of our fans think we're anything other than a fairly big championship club which I would suggest is a fairly accurate assessment. I don't sense any entitlement amongst our fans although expectations are quite high at the moment they seem to remain fairly realistic.
Obviously I am biased and see things through rose tinted boro glasses but despite my bias I think there is a distinct difference between the way boro fans view our club and sunderland (in particular) view their club.
Rofesleg
Well-known member
I don't think our attendance is underwhelming at all these days.
Much better than it used to be.
Even in Karanka's playoff season we were getting less than 20k as late in the season as March.
We were in 2nd place on the 3rd March with only 12 games left.
We beat Millwall to go top of the table.
Attendance? 16k.
That was underwhelming.
FishofContemplation
Well-known member
I don’t think we’re always as bad. The Mags are probably worst and our friends up the A19 do have a bit of an attendance obsession. But I think some of the same obsessions wash up at our door too. Comments around, say, Huddersfield are pertinent. They’ve won the league three times. We once finished third. They’re probably a bigger town and certainly a bigger primary local authority area. But we should “beat them easy cos they’re nowt”.
Rofesleg
Well-known member
But what they won 100 yrs ago is pretty irrelevant. Which is the point isn't it?
FishofContemplation
Well-known member
No fair comment. That was worse. But the context was the comment off the Mackems board. And it’s still worse than theirs. With similar levels of local poverty and a better team. Although higher prices. And even they concede we have a better atmosphere. My main point though was that the biggest d*ck competition of either attendances or 19th century trophies is a bit childish. So I’d better duck out!!
TeaCider
Well-known member
I don't think any Boro fan was thinking we should have beaten Huddersfield because of the size of the town or their attendance?
People thought we should beat them because they were in the relegation zone, and have had a terrible season, whilst we were in incredible form.
Ipad1977
Well-known member
Most of Co. Durham and Wearside (minus Darlo) supports Sunderland. Most of the Old Co, Cleveland, (minus Hartlepool).supports Boro.Yeh I just used it a comparison, I wouldn’t know where to draw the boundaries, I Imagine Country Durham has a lot of Geordies… which is why I didn’t include… Stockton, Billingham, Thornaby, Redcar, Guisborough etc
But if we need to re-adjust the stats into Boros favor… I’ll compare Easterside population with County Durham… to swing the result and make sure we win
What you've done in your comparison is used only the place with the name of the club itself in Sunderland case and used the whole of the wider Boro supporting area in Middlesbrough's.
The Easterside/Co,. Durham model is far too much the other way of course. A reversal of what you said would pit Co Durham against ONLY Middlesbrough or half a million v 143,000.
I agree with a lot of that mate but the last sentence.
I don't think any boro fans would think we have a divine right to beat them. However, in a season were we are doing well and were third in the table and in good form (at the time of playing them) and Huddersfield were really struggling and regularly getting beat the expectation was that it was a game we should win. That expectation didnt just come from within the confines of Middlesbrough. Most neutrals thought it was a game we were likely to win and we were favourites going into that game.
FishofContemplation
Well-known member
Yeah expressed myself badly. We should have beaten them because they were crap. We shouldn’t have beaten them because we are obviously the “bigger club” whatever that means, and as some if our fans still have a tendency to suggest.
Ipad1977
Well-known member
They can't be better than Man U and Tottenham mind and we beat them last year so we're therefore better than them?
parmoboy
Well-known member
I agree to an extent. As I said, I think our home support is fine but at the same time, when you've got Derby and Ipswich averaging higher crowds in League One there is that feeling there that we could do slightly better.
Ticket pricing could be a big factor, but at the same time we will near enough sell out every game next season if we go up, with more expensive tickets.
I think there is a fairly large section of our support who aren't really prepared to attend regularly unless we're in the Premier League, and that's just the way it is, but that will also be the case for a fair few other clubs I'm sure.
BoroMart
Well-known member
They have approx 10K empty seats a match, they’ve nothing to brag aboutTo be fair to the Mackems if they are poor in the first half they don’t see the second half as they’re all on their way home.
So many straws being clutched on there.. you only beat a mid table team with nothing to play for (unlike them the night before) and the old classic, look at all the empty seats!
TeaCider
Well-known member
Derby are undoubtedly averaging more this season because many of their fans thought they were about to lose their club and they've put the money in to help ensure the disaster was averted, add to that they've had cheap season tickets this season, starting at £300 for a regular adult.
They've averaged more than their last 3 Championship seasons.
They're a well supported club in general, but it's unique circumstances this season.
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I also think there was an expectation that they would have a good season in league one and their fans were expecting to see a team that would win the league. Big fish in a small pond syndrome.