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Fan's View - Lincoln Away
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
Itgotbetta
New member
Really, really enjoyed reading that Paul. One of those afternoons where you just have to pinch yourself and ask if you are dreaming?
Paul B
Well-known member
It really was a kind of dream - in a good way, not a nightmare as is sometimes the case.
christenedinjericho
Active member
Enjoyed reading your account of yesterday but bulked a little at the thinking that they have overtaken us in terms of being a bigger club. Obviously as I'm sure you are aware that attendance numbers aren't always an indicator of being a bigger club but of course it helps.
Momentum (at Lincoln) has been gathering pace since coming back in from non league and it has been sustained through regular succeses and it is noticeable in their season ticket sales that are granted a lot more higher than ours...but our 4 seasons in NL had an average attendance bigger and better than theirs and this is the crucial bit...we then stagnated again for a few seasons and this definitely crushed oufc momentum through lots of internal/external problems. Whilst Lincoln's momentum has as already said above increased.
If MA can get things bouncing again (there fans already are) they will sustain things and maybe push on again but if he doesn't and the side takes a season long downward spiral I can see Lincoln's crowd straying back towards a season average of around 7k still pretty impressive but none the less a drop. Remember the season before they were promoted (and a few seasons previous to that too) they had been averaging around 2.5 k but in their defence to pull in and add 6k to this in such a short time is pretty decent and commendable. As an aside swipe they do like their carrots in these parts and rabbits do too.
However, and on a side note on leaving Sincil Bank I spoke to a Lincoln City supporter in her 50's and she said she thought we were a fabulous side (I didn't want to stop her or fill her in with any other details or ideas lol as it was just fabulous to hear a fellow supporter lavishing praise on my team lol) and said she would love Lincoln to be able to maybe one day get to the top division and be held in the same stature as a club like Oxford! I was nodding like one of those water fowls you see on D. Attenborough's nature programme's such was the adulation. Another local said to me that it was great to play against clubs like Oxford again on a regular basis...I know I kept walking round Lincoln till midnight trying to find all these nutter's but it was music to my three ears tbh after all the hurt we have at times been through. I think and its probably because I support no other side that any praise we get from anybody and anyone is very bloody welcome and for all of you over a certain age we must still try to big up this club so the younger generation can think that supporting this football club is a given and is sacrosanct.
Again without any stats to back up all of the the above (although our clubs honour's are above that of Lincoln and at the time of writing we are as a club 115 places above them in the global soccer rankings) but again is what is and can be perceived a guy boozing with me the other day banged on about Notts County and what he saw as a bigger club than ours (at this point I wanted to p*ss in his beer) but then said of their demise and to look at where they are now...so in a long written roundabout ranting nutshell- increased attendances doesn't always maketh the bigger team.
Coyy.
Momentum (at Lincoln) has been gathering pace since coming back in from non league and it has been sustained through regular succeses and it is noticeable in their season ticket sales that are granted a lot more higher than ours...but our 4 seasons in NL had an average attendance bigger and better than theirs and this is the crucial bit...we then stagnated again for a few seasons and this definitely crushed oufc momentum through lots of internal/external problems. Whilst Lincoln's momentum has as already said above increased.
If MA can get things bouncing again (there fans already are) they will sustain things and maybe push on again but if he doesn't and the side takes a season long downward spiral I can see Lincoln's crowd straying back towards a season average of around 7k still pretty impressive but none the less a drop. Remember the season before they were promoted (and a few seasons previous to that too) they had been averaging around 2.5 k but in their defence to pull in and add 6k to this in such a short time is pretty decent and commendable. As an aside swipe they do like their carrots in these parts and rabbits do too.
However, and on a side note on leaving Sincil Bank I spoke to a Lincoln City supporter in her 50's and she said she thought we were a fabulous side (I didn't want to stop her or fill her in with any other details or ideas lol as it was just fabulous to hear a fellow supporter lavishing praise on my team lol) and said she would love Lincoln to be able to maybe one day get to the top division and be held in the same stature as a club like Oxford! I was nodding like one of those water fowls you see on D. Attenborough's nature programme's such was the adulation. Another local said to me that it was great to play against clubs like Oxford again on a regular basis...I know I kept walking round Lincoln till midnight trying to find all these nutter's but it was music to my three ears tbh after all the hurt we have at times been through. I think and its probably because I support no other side that any praise we get from anybody and anyone is very bloody welcome and for all of you over a certain age we must still try to big up this club so the younger generation can think that supporting this football club is a given and is sacrosanct.
Again without any stats to back up all of the the above (although our clubs honour's are above that of Lincoln and at the time of writing we are as a club 115 places above them in the global soccer rankings) but again is what is and can be perceived a guy boozing with me the other day banged on about Notts County and what he saw as a bigger club than ours (at this point I wanted to p*ss in his beer) but then said of their demise and to look at where they are now...so in a long written roundabout ranting nutshell- increased attendances doesn't always maketh the bigger team.
Coyy.
Big Ronaldo
Well-known member
Just about as good as it gets Paul.
Totally agree.
Their fans were quite something though, 6-0 down and still singing.
Very few left until the end.
I know that if we were on the end of a stuffing like that, the fence end would likely have the biggest attendance.
Totally agree.
Their fans were quite something though, 6-0 down and still singing.
Very few left until the end.
I know that if we were on the end of a stuffing like that, the fence end would likely have the biggest attendance.
Paul, good read as always, but think it’s difficult to compare fans response/size of clubs based on our differences over the last 5, 10, 15 or even 20 years!
They have shot through the leagues, had great cup runs etc in very recent years, whereas, we’ve had spits and starts here and there. I think if Eales and Appleton had stayed with the right finances/noises after getting promotion to League 1, then we might have been supported more or classed as a bigger club, but we know that’s all history now. Add to this the uncertainty of last season, plus this being our 3rd season in League 1 and I guess the novelty starts to wear off!! Oh, and not owning our own house!
If you’re basing it purely on gates which you are, then yes they are a bigger club, but if you add in other factors (as mentioned above) then I’d say we’re similar or if I pushed it I’d say we were bigger with more potential.
The same applies to the fans sticking with them. Again if we’d experienced their recent history I’m sure our fans would have stuck with the team too.
They have shot through the leagues, had great cup runs etc in very recent years, whereas, we’ve had spits and starts here and there. I think if Eales and Appleton had stayed with the right finances/noises after getting promotion to League 1, then we might have been supported more or classed as a bigger club, but we know that’s all history now. Add to this the uncertainty of last season, plus this being our 3rd season in League 1 and I guess the novelty starts to wear off!! Oh, and not owning our own house!
If you’re basing it purely on gates which you are, then yes they are a bigger club, but if you add in other factors (as mentioned above) then I’d say we’re similar or if I pushed it I’d say we were bigger with more potential.
The same applies to the fans sticking with them. Again if we’d experienced their recent history I’m sure our fans would have stuck with the team too.
Cass63
Well-known member
It wouldn’t have taken you long to find a load of nutters in Lincoln, I’ve got family up there, I can take you to one road up there and job done.
Paul B
Well-known member
When I wrote the words “now I’d argue that ….” what I should have said was “I think there’s an argument that …..”
I was expecting these kind of comments.
The size of a football club is obviously subjective with no definitive definition. I remember many years ago at an away game at the Valley to two Howland boys, Andy and Roger, discussing which is the “bigger club” Newcastle or Leeds? They asked my opinion. It was a difficult one to give.
We quite often have this type of debate on our travels to away games. Factors to consider, size of ground, home gates, potential home gates, history, trophies won, finances …..
Looking at L1 Ipswich, Coventry, Sunderland, Portsmouth, are I’d say clearly bigger than us. And we’re bigger than Rochdale, Fleetwood, Accrington, Wycombe and Wimbledon. And a few others.
Looking at the Championship they’re all almost certainly bigger than us yet there was a time when I think we were bigger than Brentford and Reading. The Premier League is clearly a very different beast but back in the day we were bigger than Bournemouth. So we can all dream. For now though the Championship is just a dream for us. The only really small club to have made it there from L1 in recent years has been Burton. Rotherham are not that big either. Others have been close but not quite made it.
Actually quite a lot of this just comes down to feeling.
If we were fighting for promotion it would be interesting to see what our gates would be. I don’t think it would take that much of a turnaround both ways for our home crowds to overtake Lincoln’s once more. But for now ………
I was expecting these kind of comments.
The size of a football club is obviously subjective with no definitive definition. I remember many years ago at an away game at the Valley to two Howland boys, Andy and Roger, discussing which is the “bigger club” Newcastle or Leeds? They asked my opinion. It was a difficult one to give.
We quite often have this type of debate on our travels to away games. Factors to consider, size of ground, home gates, potential home gates, history, trophies won, finances …..
Looking at L1 Ipswich, Coventry, Sunderland, Portsmouth, are I’d say clearly bigger than us. And we’re bigger than Rochdale, Fleetwood, Accrington, Wycombe and Wimbledon. And a few others.
Looking at the Championship they’re all almost certainly bigger than us yet there was a time when I think we were bigger than Brentford and Reading. The Premier League is clearly a very different beast but back in the day we were bigger than Bournemouth. So we can all dream. For now though the Championship is just a dream for us. The only really small club to have made it there from L1 in recent years has been Burton. Rotherham are not that big either. Others have been close but not quite made it.
Actually quite a lot of this just comes down to feeling.
If we were fighting for promotion it would be interesting to see what our gates would be. I don’t think it would take that much of a turnaround both ways for our home crowds to overtake Lincoln’s once more. But for now ………
cecantena
Active member
I think you are correct.
Paul B
Well-known member
That is indeed correct. Amendment coming up. Cheers.
I don't think getting to the championship is that much of a dream from where we are now. Staying there more than a season or two might be.
I would never say no chance in football.
Burton survived 2 seasons, Rotherham survived, Luton, Charlton will do ok.
As you say Bournemouth, Huddersfield, even Norwich were absolutely written off and did the impossible in recent seasons.
RyanioBirdio
Well-known member
You might want to check just how much money Bournemouth and one or two other ‘miracle workers’ spent to get promoted both to and from the Championship.
s
Yes fair enough but Huddersfield and Norwich managed to win promotion against all of the odds (Huddersfield were favourites to go down)
christenedinjericho
Active member
christenedinjericho
Active member
Again the problem here is if we continue in league 1 for another season our away following will definitely begin to wain (there are signs of this already...although after Saturday it may have a spurt) as it is becoming frustratingly boring going to the same grounds over and over again. Also I believe home season tickets for 20/21 will also start to decrease further as a result of L1 again and a slow churn of average teams in the mix. Football to the average fan ultimately is about promotion albeit to the many it never really materialises but if the attitude is we are better off staying where we are (although this unfortunately is many clubs real position) then wtf. I for one would take a season or two in the championship (without overspending) even if we then came down again rather than haranguing about in L1 every season just because some people think this is the right thing to do. I'm getting itchy feet as my years roll on and I got into football and oufc because I like you said Paul have perhaps a bigger hunger than others and done the right way we could end up possibly like the Rotherham's of this world and tbh they bite the bullet year in year out and go again. It's maybe blind ambition and from where I'm sat right now I want some of this soon... selfish maybe.
