Post by QuorndonShrew on Sept 3, 2011 2:04:45 GMT 1
Manchester City had much higher attendances in the 1890's and through the early part of the 20th centurty, therefore historically and traditionally a bigger club than Manchester Utd.
Also the record attendance for a home game at an english football club is 84,569, Man City v Stoke, Maine Road, FA Cup 3rd Round 1934.
After the Munich Air Disaster in 1958, Attendances actually remained similar or went slightly down.
Man Utd have only really been selling out their stadium since the mid 1990's when they became successful and coincided this with large improvements to the stadium.
In the 1980's the capacity of Old Trafford was 60,000 according to Wikipedia but the average attendances were 45k, 44k, 41k, 42k, 42k, 46k, 40k, 39k, 36k, 39k.
Although Man Ud have clearly had higher attendances in the last few decades it swings in roundabouts as City were bigger in the early part of last century.
The fact that so many Man Utd fans keep appearing to attack City at every opportunity and using any means just highlights the fact that they are very worried about City's potential.
I think you'll find your ballpark figures are slightly off target. In the 1970's during Citeh's most successful period, attendances at Maine Road were as much as 13,000 shy of that at Old Trafford. And that included the seasons where United were playing in division two.
The relationship between that of the Manchester clubs is pretty similar to a sibling rivalry. City like to wind up United by putting comical flags around the city welcoming Carlos Tevez to Manchester and claiming that Old Trafford is actually situated in nearby Salford thus United aren't even from Manchester anyway. Or this flawed misconception that City are the best supported club in Manchester. I attended the derby back in 2009 and witnessed an unbelievable sight that I understood to be as rare as the loch ness monster; a Manchester City supporters coach. An entity you'd have thought surplus to requirements in that all Manchester City fans walk to the games because they all live within walking distance to the ground
Whether Citeh like it or not, United have and will always share the true north west rivalry with Liverpool, the two biggest and most successful clubs in English football. Essentially the 'el classico' of England in the same sense that Real Madrid's 'derby' game is against Barcelona (the second most successful club in Spain) as opposed to Atletico Madrid (the city rival).
Having higher attendances than United pre-1939 is another notch to the belt of 'honours' that include once having the widest pitch in English football at Maine Road, having once had the tallest floodlights in English football and having three stars on the club badge. A club for the future very much living in the past
A general question to the group, what do you believe Shrewsbury's attendance would be if only supporters of the postal areas SY1, SY2 and SY3 could attend home matches? Bearing in mind Salop have a decent strong-hold in places like Oswestry, the surrounding areas of Telford, Market Drayton etc. Compare that number to the high proximity of Liverpool, United, Wolves etc shirts you will see in the town on any given sunday.
Would the same rule apply then to us as it does to City/United? Maybe the town wouldn't be ours afterall...
its how you perceive it