Man City Champions League finalists, graced the 3rd tier in 1998.

This is the final Third Division table for the season 1998-99

1 Fulham 46 - 101 Division Champions, promoted (now in tier 1)
2 Walsall 46 - 87 Promoted (now in tier 4)
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3 Manchester City 46 - 82 Promoted through play-offs
4 Gillingham 46 - 80 (now in tier 4)
5 Preston North End 46 - 79 (now in tier 2)
6 Wigan Athletic 46 - 76 (now in tier 3)
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7 Bournemouth 46 - 76 (now in tier 1)
8 Stoke City 46 - 69 (now in tier 2)
9 Chesterfield 46 - 64 (now in tier 5)
10 Millwall 46 - 62 (now in tier 2)
11 Reading 46 - 61 (now in tier 3)
12 Luton Town 46 - 58 (now in tier 2)
13 Bristol Rovers 46 - 56 (now in tier 3)
14 Blackpool 46 - 56 (now in tier 3)
15 Burnley 46 - 55 (now in tier 1)
16 Notts County 46 - 54 (now in tier 4)
17 Wrexham 46 - 53 (now in tier 4)
18 Colchester United 46 - 52 (now in tier 4)
19 Wycombe Wanderers 46 - 51 (now in tier 3)
20 Oldham Athletic 46 - 51 (now in tier 5)
==========================================================
21 York City 46 - 50 (now in tier 5)
22 Northampton Town 46 - 48 (now in tier 3)
23 Lincoln City 46 - 46 (now in tier 3)
24 Macclesfield Town 46 - 43 ( phoenix club now playing at tier 7)

8 of the above clubs are now playing at a higher level while 9 are now at a lower level.

Brentford, Brighton, Hull, Plymouth, Cardiff, Rotherham and Swansea were all in Division 4 that season!

excessbee wrote: May 18th, 2023, 11:22 pm Does the 1 in 9 from Manchester include the bus loads that travel from South Wales and various other suburbs of Manchester?

I don't know.

Which is why I said we need to ask why. And having done that work out how to rectify the problem. You can always find an excuse, that's easy. Newport is a big town. Gwent is one of the most densely populated areas of the UK.

I don't buy that the people of Newport are different from the people of everywhere else.

Imagine life as a Wigan Athletic fan

Since beating Man City in the FA Cup final 10 years ago, they've been in Europe, been relegated 5 times, won League One 3 times, been to the Championship playoffs, an FA Cup semi-final, nearly went down to League Two, been docked points and narrowly avoided going under. They have now failed to pay their players 5 times this season. They have also had 3 owners in 8 years.

They do own their ground though … at the moment.

Stan A. Einstein wrote: May 19th, 2023, 12:04 am

excessbee wrote: May 18th, 2023, 11:22 pm Does the 1 in 9 from Manchester include the bus loads that travel from South Wales and various other suburbs of Manchester?

I don't know.

Which is why I said we need to ask why. And having done that work out how to rectify the problem. You can always find an excuse, that's easy. Newport is a big town. Gwent is one of the most densely populated areas of the UK.

I don't buy that the people of Newport are different from the people of everywhere else.

Brian Harris would disagree with you Brendan. In my experience, given what my family say on a regular basis, what he says has a minuscule of merit. Unfortunately.

lowandhard wrote: May 18th, 2023, 11:37 pm

Amberexile wrote: May 18th, 2023, 10:44 am

Bonson&Hunt wrote: May 18th, 2023, 10:08 am Why did I already know your reply would be a putdown. Yes get an investor!

The level of investment needed for us to reach the Premier League would kill the club as I know it. So that's a no from me.

Presumably not if we met a friendly Sheikh whose tent was black and amber and who had a camel he named Spytty!
Back to reality, some years ago ( longer ago probably than I imagine ) I chatted with a member of Supporters Direct who maintained that if a L2 club spent on average £1.5 million yearly on the playing budget then life in the division above would cost £3.5 million. That explains why unless you step up the budget considerably then you end up back in the basement with such great celerity.

Talking to a Plymouth fan, apparently their squad budget this season was £6 million, Ipswich £30 million.

Ipswich is smaller than Newport, no matter how a club tries to build gate revenue, ultimately its just not relevant.

pembsexile wrote: May 19th, 2023, 6:25 am

Brian Harris would disagree with you Brendan. In my experience, given what my family say on a regular basis, what he says has a minuscule of merit. Unfortunately.

For it to be true it would mean the people of Newport are somehow different from people everywhere else.I just don't buy that Mike.

What is true is that for the size of the city County's gates are disappointing. I doubt there is one cause but for me there are two options. Either find the causes and rectify them or carry on underachieving.

neilcork68 wrote: May 18th, 2023, 5:57 pm

Stan A. Einstein wrote: May 18th, 2023, 4:20 pm

neilcork68 wrote: May 18th, 2023, 4:12 pm




No it's just the women you know who mention size

Most of the women I knew weren't overly kind.

What was the line ?











Oh yeah , I remember.....



I may have a small nail but I have a hell of a hammer to bang it in with.....






I had normally farted , rolled over and fell asleep before they had chance to even find out my name never mind the pillow talk

Or as an old uni housemate used to say 'it satisfies me every time' (thankfully he did this without displaying the goods!)

Stan A. Einstein wrote: May 19th, 2023, 9:40 am

pembsexile wrote: May 19th, 2023, 6:25 am

Brian Harris would disagree with you Brendan. In my experience, given what my family say on a regular basis, what he says has a minuscule of merit. Unfortunately.

For it to be true it would mean the people of Newport are somehow different from people everywhere else.I just don't buy that Mike.

What is true is that for the size of the city County's gates are disappointing. I doubt there is one cause but for me there are two options. Either find the causes and rectify them or carry on underachieving.

County MK I, despite what those with rose tinted spectacles think NEVER had massive crowds and were mostly rubbish and Newport-onians always went in numbers to watch other clubs as well as our oval ball cousins.

While we were pretty much thefirst ever 'phoenix' club in senior football football we were formed 20 years too early to capture the zeitgeist as in 1989 there was no internet or social media and football was still rather unfashionable as well, ironically if we'd reformed now we'd have had a BBC documentary series made about us and 100's if not 1000's of fans or 'followers' worldwide as it was I think we got a dreary 1/2 hour BBC Wales documentary featuring the auctioning off of a set of black armbands!

We have literally clawed our way back and younger fans ARE coming along and soon their kids will become fans - it will be a slow process but I see no reason that IF we start winning and progress to league 1 in the next 3-5 years that we couldn't, stadium allowing, get 5,500 - 6,000 home fans on a regular basis.

Stan A. Einstein wrote: May 19th, 2023, 9:40 am

pembsexile wrote: May 19th, 2023, 6:25 am

Brian Harris would disagree with you Brendan. In my experience, given what my family say on a regular basis, what he says has a minuscule of merit. Unfortunately.

For it to be true it would mean the people of Newport are somehow different from people everywhere else.I just don't buy that Mike.

What is true is that for the size of the city County's gates are disappointing. I doubt there is one cause but for me there are two options. Either find the causes and rectify them or carry on underachieving.

I get your point that it would be fine to understand the root cause of the feeling. However, I believe it is in the nature of some Newport people to not be bothered. In the late 60’s and early 70’s I used to say quite regularly to my father ‘are you going over the County’. He was a big fan of football, played for Newport boys and had attended lots of games. His standard reply at the time was ‘no, they don’t come and see me when I’m bad’. It was his little joke and the standard comment amongst his friends and workmates. I see no evidence of that attitude changing with some people over the years. It is quite sad, but it is real from what I see. How do we change it? I have no idea other than to keep plugging away and spreading the message.

When County last played in the third tier in the eighties, home gates were much poorer than they are now. They rarely exceeded 3,000 and sometimes did not reach 2,000. We are in a much better place now despite our appalling home form.

G Guest wrote: May 19th, 2023, 11:20 am When County last played in the third tier in the eighties, home gates were much poorer than they are now. They rarely exceeded 3,000 and sometimes did not reach 2,000. We are in a much better place now despite our appalling home form.

I think the demographic is changing to younger fan's, possibly due to the success of the various youth team's and the numbers involved. It's bound to provide the link that spurs intrest in the first team if you have worn the shirt etc.
The other thing that helps is atmosphere, and the Compeed Stand in particular is a good sound box that amplifies and makes it seem a bigger event.
The town centre location is perfect as well for socialising before and continuing after the game.
It might be slow but all the factors are in place to grow, it just doesn't happen overnight.

Athletico Lovells wrote: May 19th, 2023, 12:14 am Imagine life as a Wigan Athletic fan

Since beating Man City in the FA Cup final 10 years ago, they've been in Europe, been relegated 5 times, won League One 3 times, been to the Championship playoffs, an FA Cup semi-final, nearly went down to League Two, been docked points and narrowly avoided going under. They have now failed to pay their players 5 times this season. They have also had 3 owners in 8 years.

They do own their ground though … at the moment.

I used to work with a Wigan fan. He lapped it up when Whelan took control, I called him a mug. Different strokes and all that but I'd rather have our history and future.

Stan A. Einstein wrote: May 19th, 2023, 12:04 am

excessbee wrote: May 18th, 2023, 11:22 pm Does the 1 in 9 from Manchester include the bus loads that travel from South Wales and various other suburbs of Manchester?

I don't know.

Which is why I said we need to ask why. And having done that work out how to rectify the problem. You can always find an excuse, that's easy. Newport is a big town. Gwent is one of the most densely populated areas of the UK.

I don't buy that the people of Newport are different from the people of everywhere else.

Yeah that does include travelling fans. Which is why it's an unfair comparison. I'd guess it could even be a minority of the 70k going to Old Trafford who are based in Manchester.

Given the economic malaise of the last 40 years, I am not surprised this graph shows 40 years where people wouldn't readily pay £300-400 a year (today's prices) to watch sports.

I would say it's not worth looking at 1930-1970 because there are all sorts of cultural reasons why crowds were high. Yet the last 10 years buck the trend due to football's increasing popularity.

I also think this justifies that we will get more people in when the performances improve:

landinho wrote: May 19th, 2023, 11:55 am

Stan A. Einstein wrote: May 19th, 2023, 12:04 am

excessbee wrote: May 18th, 2023, 11:22 pm Does the 1 in 9 from Manchester include the bus loads that travel from South Wales and various other suburbs of Manchester?

I don't know.

Which is why I said we need to ask why. And having done that work out how to rectify the problem. You can always find an excuse, that's easy. Newport is a big town. Gwent is one of the most densely populated areas of the UK.

I don't buy that the people of Newport are different from the people of everywhere else.

Yeah that does include travelling fans. Which is why it's an unfair comparison. I'd guess it could even be a minority of the 70k going to Old Trafford who are based in Manchester.

Given the economic malaise of the last 40 years, I am not surprised this graph shows 40 years where people wouldn't readily pay £300-400 a year (today's prices) to watch sports.

I would say it's not worth looking at 1930-1970 because there are all sorts of cultural reasons why crowds were high. Yet the last 10 years buck the trend due to football's increasing popularity.

I also think this justifies that we will get more people in when the performances improve:

Yes, I’m with you on this. I seem to remember when I was a boy that our first home game used to attract a large home crowd of 8 to 12k which rapidly declined as poor results seemed programmed in to the early season in those days ( like now ). Let’s face it those crowds were achieved because there was f¥ck all else to do on a Saturday afternoon in those days except go shopping with the wife. I think our attendances are very heartening lately considering our home form.
To be realistic, large crowds are not at all likely unless we fly up the leagues which will only be achieved if somebody with far too much money, a black & amber fetish and an exceptional sense of humour has a latent ambition to see us in the Champions League.

Two points.

Firstly I believe that it is not possible to get the gates where we want them to be immediately. It needs in my view a plan to increase attendance over the long term. Season by season. Gates are disappointing but hardly disastrous.

Secondly whilst it is correct to point out out our gates today in tier 4 are better than they were in the mid 1980s in Tier 3, we are hardly unique in that. On 25 April 1984 Bradford City played us in a Division 3 game. The attendance?

3347.