Welcome to today's fun time who we bigger than debate

First up...

Birmingham City.

Yay or Nay.

All round gut feeling is the key. 

4 minutes ago, desperado said:

 

Man Utd

Liverpool

City

Everton

Bolton 

Blackburn/Burnley / Preston / Blackpool

Wigan/Bury/Stockport/Tranmere/Oldham

Rochdale 

Accrington Stanley

Morecambe

Fleetwood

Salford 

Crazy number of clubs in NW. 19? Any more? Makes our status even more impressive. 

 

Be at interesting to see where the none Wanderers fans on here put us, and the rest, in this list. Can only think of these two jockeys.  

@green genie @Pablo 

Just now, Underpants said:

Be at interesting to see where the none Wanderers fans on here put us, and the rest, in this list. Can only think of these two jockeys.  

@green genie @Pablo 

@Rubberkex 🤣

2 hours ago, Underpants said:

Be at interesting to see where the none Wanderers fans on here put us, and the rest, in this list. Can only think of these two jockeys.  

@green genie @Pablo 

 

2 hours ago, desperado said:

@Rubberkex 🤣

@L/H White😉

Today's team...

Ipswich 

9 hours ago, BWFC_LOVE said:

Blackburn are marginally bigger than us, although their attendances are embarrassing, and take away the last thirty years, I’d put us above them.
A PL and League Cup in that time goes against us.

Can’t believe any sane Bolton fan thinks Birmingham are bigger than us. We’re bigger than them in every conceivable way.

A lot of theories come down to potential?!
Fuck off.

Their highest ever finish is 6th.

They get less home fans than us in the league above. 

We’ve had 16 more seasons in the top flight.

More PL seasons.

4 FA Cups to 0. 

Lofthouse, Okocha, Djorkaeff, Anelka, Hierro, Campo, Nakata. Who have they got? Trevor Francis and Bellingham?

Smallest football league club in that area (discounting Walsall). Villa, Wolves and West Brom all bigger than them and us.

Coventry perhaps bigger than Birmingham too. Not bigger than us though.

The only argument Birmingham have over us is cup win a recent times. And a lucky league cup win at that.
And if you’re gonna count that against us, Wigan won the FA cup ffs.

Aye 

I'm struggling to say we're bigger than Blackburn because they've won a PL and LC, the only thing we have on them is crowds 

You might as well say we're just as big as Leicester 

But if you think we're bigger than Blackburn we're massive compared to Brum 

57 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Today's team...

Ipswich 

Hmmm , in 70s and 80s they were a top team.

A sparsely populated area really with not much competition so id say their attendance is very decent, always been a selling club when they get any talented players though (or managers) and they are on the up at the moment, so go on I'm gonna say ever so slightly bigger.

1 hour ago, gonzo said:

Today's team...

Ipswich 

Pre 1960s, us by a mile. 1960s onwards, them. Overall, tricky. In fairness, their attendances are helped by being the only club in a county of 750,000 people. 

So many comparisons really come down to pre/post maximum wage. We were 'elite' and kept that status as long as we did because we had a relatively level playing field. Since then, we've had some decent spells then financial difficulties leading to long declines, sorted the finances out and climbed our way back up ... rinse and repeat.

Currently climbing our way back up, so hopefully another good 10-15 year spell to come.

2 hours ago, gonzo said:

Today's team...

Ipswich 

Smaller.

They benefit from having no local rivals to share the fanbase. Norwich is 45 miles away in a different county.

7 minutes ago, Traf said:

Smaller.

They benefit from having no local rivals to share the fanbase. Norwich is 45 miles away in a different county decade.

FTFY.

11 hours ago, Underpants said:

Be at interesting to see where the none Wanderers fans on here put us, and the rest, in this list. Can only think of these two jockeys.  

@green genie @Pablo 

Im still biased, Bolton bigger than Rovers for me.

But, Rovers winning the prem and playing in the CL will sway many people.

But fuck em.

Blackburn fans are proper gimps. Would of been bigger if they’d signed Mcateer and Stubbs but couldn’t do it.

Ipswich is smaller as it has shite pubs and a sexual penchant for mechanical farming equipment .

Ed Sheeran big Ipswich fan

we've a couple of gameshow hosts 

sways it Ipswich's way for me

6 hours ago, gonzo said:

Today's team...

Ipswich 

 

all time PL table:

us: 19th

them: 39th

so we win the recent history round

 

we had Europe twice this century

they had it once

but they won the UEFA cup so piss that round

 

all time top flight table

us: 13th

them: 32nd

but they've won the title 

 

and they beat us on crowds regardless of the fact it's in the middle of nowhere

 

I think they edge it to be honest with their history and crowds

 

14 hours ago, Underpants said:

Be at interesting to see where the none Wanderers fans on here put us, and the rest, in this list. Can only think of these two jockeys.  

@green genie @Pablo 

Boltons Eddie/Big Sam period puts you just ahead of the other Pathe News brigade listed

whats more interesting is that the red cartel’s manipulation of Prem money through FFP etc probably means such a period won’t happen again for any club and the Top 3 ‘istree clubs possibly with Citeh if they beat the system will dominate perpetually. 
 

Arsenal buying Huddersfield in the 30s and Liverpool / Everton being funded by pools money from relative obscurity long forgotten 

Edited March 20, 20242 yr by green genie

UEFA Cup is certainly impressive, however we're still clear of them imo, 4 fa cups to their 1, more trophies overall, founder of the English game, first team to ever score, white horse final, Nat Lofthouse.

They had a really great spell in the in the 70s and 80s, but aside from that in 140 years, we've been more successful than them. 

In my lifetime I only remember Ipswich in the premier league for 1/2 seasons, whilst we were there for a long time, European knockout stages twice, 4 top 8 seasons, and of course, the players, Okocha, Hierro, Anelka.

Big supported club in todays world 

34 minutes ago, Lostock Whites said:

UEFA Cup is certainly impressive, however we're still clear of them imo, 4 fa cups to their 1, more trophies overall, founder of the English game, first team to ever score, white horse final, Nat Lofthouse.

They had a really great spell in the in the 70s and 80s, but aside from that in 140 years, we've been more successful than them. 

In my lifetime I only remember Ipswich in the premier league for 1/2 seasons, whilst we were there for a long time, European knockout stages twice, 4 top 8 seasons, and of course, the players, Okocha, Hierro, Anelka.

They also come runners up in the league twice when they won the UEFA Cup.....and they have actually won the top league.....thats way better than any Bolton finish tbf!

Edited March 20, 20242 yr by Pablo

9 hours ago, gonzo said:

Today's team...

Ipswich 

 

Ipswich, they have won the top division & a European trophy.

1 hour ago, Lostock Whites said:

They had a really great spell in the in the 70s and 80s, but aside from that in 140 years, we've been more successful than them. 

thing is, for me, when pondering all this, i really struggle with what a team, any team, did 100+ years ago

as in

i don't give a fuck really

preston were huge in the 1800s

the 1800s

so what

Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in the world, but have only really been on that trajectory since the 1960s

prior to that they had won 5 titles on a par with Sheff Weds and Sunderland

 

I’m definitely putting us above Fleetwood. 

Another criteria to throw into the mix

Bolton have provided 28 players who have represented England, total of 120 caps

Ipswich have provided 12 players who have represented England, total of 155 caps

🤷‍♀️

ipswich have an easy run v us crowds wise but i remember em being quite a force especially in the muhren, thijssen days

no issue with them being put top 30

along with us

 

28 minutes ago, Zico said:

thing is, for me, when pondering all this, i really struggle with what a team, any team, did 100+ years ago

as in

i don't give a fuck really

preston were huge in the 1800s

the 1800s

so what

Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in the world, but have only really been on that trajectory since the 1960s

prior to that they had won 5 titles on a par with Sheff Weds and Sunderland

 

I get that completely.

My point was that in reference to Ipswich and to a lot of other clubs as well, is we've been relevant or have been competing in the top division for most of our history, even so in the past 15/20 years, despite seeing some of the clubs darkest days.

Other clubs like Ipswich, PNE, Sheff Weds can't say they've done that.

However despite that, the club is long overdue another real major trophy which we've been extremely close in the past 20 or so years.

Although Newcastle predate our wait for another major trophy, been waiting since 1955 compared to us in 1958.

Imagine that will change soon for them though.

 

Edited March 20, 20242 yr by Lostock Whites

21 minutes ago, Lostock Whites said:

I get that completely.

My point was that in reference to Ipswich and to a lot of other clubs as well, is we've been relevant or have been competing in the top division for most of our history, even so in the past 15/20 years, despite seeing some of the clubs darkest days.

Other clubs like Ipswich, PNE, Sheff Weds can't say they've done that.

However despite that, the club is long overdue another real major trophy which we've been extremely close in the past 20 or so years.

Although Newcastle predate our wait for another major trophy, been waiting since 1955 compared to us in 1958.

Imagine that will change soon for them though.

 

folk go on about Norwich and Ipswich having no competition for fans but I reckon same goes for Newcastle and Sunderland

2.5M in the north east (about the same as east anglia really), folk from Newcastle are not likely to support Sunderland and vice versa, and then you've got two clubs competing for fans over a vast area like Northumberland and Durham etc - some compeition from Boro and Hartlepool but not really

and they were both capable of shite crowds in the 70s and 80s

not for one second saying we as big of course, but they get big crowds due to there not being many clubs up there

 

Think we are in the most populated with football club area in world football.