Bourne End Red Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 I know the "sleeping giant" term comes up quite a lot with us, however weve never been a giant so how can we be a sleeping one. But i feel us, possibly more than any other club in the country could become a big club or "Giant". Reason being just the size of the potential fan base. For the record i dont think it will ever happen but a bit like when Kevin Keegan took over at Newcastle and they just grew and grew. If the right things happened at the right times i genuinely believe we could become a big club. All the plastic "man u/chelsea/liverpool" etc would have a good local team to support. Without rambling on and on, i think we are possibly one of the only teams that have the potential to really explode from nothing into a big club. By this i mean a team that havent been in the Premier League. Teams like Sheff Weds etc are already big clubs so dont fall into this category. Can anyone else think of a team that could really explode into life like us that havent already ? Im just thinking if an investor wanted to build something great, what better club than us is there with the potential to really grow and grow ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murraysrightplum Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Cardiff! Basically you're saying we are the only club in the country from a big city that has been consistently shit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Youell Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portland Bill Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 There just isn't the passion in the west country to make us a real big club. There are far more plastic prem fans than City fans down here. There football will always be via a tv !! Places like Newcastle and Sheffield are football hotbeds and always will be. Sheffield Wednesday are massive, they just need to take off again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murraysrightplum Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 I don't think it is a lack of passion, just we have been so bad for so long that everyone expects it now. If we were consistently in the prem it would be much different IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonBristolian Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 There just isn't the passion in the west country to make us a real big club. There are far more plastic prem fans than City fans down here. There football will always be via a tv !! That's true to an extent but you could say the same of Swansea, Reading and Charlton and their numbers have swelled ruing times of success. I'm not saying we could be a huge, huge, huge club (certainly not for a while) but I'm pretty sure if at some point we did establish ourselves in the Premier League we'd soon get a Premier League-sized fanbase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Youell Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portland Bill Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 For the record i dont think it will ever happen but a bit like when Kevin Keegan took over at Newcastle and they just grew and grew. The thing is,Newcastle were always a massive club with a massive fan base and great history. Keegan just sparked it back into life. We don't have these things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portland Bill Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slartibartfast Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 The thing is,Newcastle were always a massive club with a massive fan base and great history. Keegan just sparked it back into life. We don't have these things. Is that why, in the 70's they used to get sub ten thousand crowds in Div ! ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bourne End Red Posted April 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Is that why, in the 70's they used to get sub ten thousand crowds in Div ! ? This. Cardiff are another example but are already streets ahead of us. Im not saying it will happen only that the potential has got to be there, if we had a period of sustained success coupled with new stadium etc. I genuinely believe the club would grow and grow. You possibly would get coaches coming from all over the south west, something i believe used to happen when we were in the old division 1. I just think with the right things happening and prem football, the plastic fans could turn and watch us and that would equal a serious growth in attendance etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Roughneck Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Is that why, in the 70's they used to get sub ten thousand crowds in Div ! ? Their lowest average in the 70's was just under 25k, their highest was over 37k. There's lots of things to beat Newcastle with, but this isn't one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilC Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 In the back of my mind I am always hoping that one day we could get promoted to the Premier League, if only for one season so that we could collect the parachute payments that come with it, it would pay huge advantage. In an ideal world we will get our stadium built and have three, four, maybe five good seasons, get promoted, and get good attendances in our shiny new stadium in the top flight. I always look at WIgan as a fine example. It's still only just 10 years since we were playing them in Division 2 (Wigan were promoted from "Division 2" in 2002-03, and then to the Premier League from the Championship in 2004-05 - They had been playing at the DW Stadium since 1999) Ashton Vale is a great opportunity for this club on and off the pitch, and I hope we can take full advantage... It may take several years of hard work though. And of course, let's not start counting our eggs just yet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EstoniaTallinnRed Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 In the back of my mind I am always hoping that one day we could get promoted to the Premier League, if only for one season so that we could collect the parachute payments that come with it, it would pay huge advantage. In an ideal world we will get our stadium built and have three, four, maybe five good seasons, get promoted, and get good attendances in our shiny new stadium in the top flight. I always look at WIgan as a fine example. It's still only just 10 years since we were playing them in Division 2 (Wigan were promoted from "Division 2" in 2002-03, and then to the Premier League from the Championship in 2004-05 - They had been playing at the DW Stadium since 1999) Ashton Vale is a great opportunity for this club on and off the pitch, and I hope we can take full advantage... It may take several years of hard work though. And of course, let's not start counting our eggs just yet... Shouldn't that be chickens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS4 on Tour... Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Plymouth have the potential of becoming a 'huge' club if you just look at potential fan base. Talking of Newcastle, I remember them having a 9,000 crowd when Ossie Ardiles was their manager, yes they are a well supported club but they didn't always turn out in the way people think.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
numbeast Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 We are a club with untapped riches regarding a fan base but this fan base will remain untapped until we have some kind of success. As a young kid I was a plastic fan supporting the successful teams of the time. Then a friend of the family took me to Ashton Gate and I realised supporting a team I could watch live was better than following Leeds or Liverpool on TV. At the moment we struggle each week and even loyal fans have talked about not renewing their ST whereas the first 2 seasons in the Championship we had a large number of ST sold, and the play off season we had an increase in PotD. But before we can even start to contemplate realising our potential we need investment in the whole structure of the club, from the new stadium through the community trust and into the squad. Only then will we have a platform for success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portland Bill Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Is that why, in the 70's they used to get sub ten thousand crowds in Div ! ? Yes they did, I went there with City and there was 11,000 there. But, no one can deny there a massive club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
everreddy Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 We are a club with untapped riches regarding a fan base but this fan base will remain untapped until we have some kind of success. As a young kid I was a plastic fan supporting the successful teams of the time. Then a friend of the family took me to Ashton Gate and I realised supporting a team I could watch live was better than following Leeds or Liverpool on TV. At the moment we struggle each week and even loyal fans have talked about not renewing their ST whereas the first 2 seasons in the Championship we had a large number of ST sold, and the play off season we had an increase in PotD. But before we can even start to contemplate realising our potential we need investment in the whole structure of the club, from the new stadium through the community trust and into the squad. Only then will we have a platform for success. ...another thing we need to do, if we are to become a "big" club, then we have to develop a more expansive mindset which sees the club as the main regional club for the area, and not just Bristol. There's a huge, largely untapped fanbase beyond the confines of the city, and more needs to be done in attracting supporters from Witshire, Somerset, Gloucestershire - and beyond. It would help, too, if native Bristolians stopped wittering on about the Gas, and put all their energies into supporting the only team that matters in the West Country... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volta Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 No we don't. West country doesn't have the footballing appeal. Unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilC Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Shouldn't that be chickens? Chickens / Eggs - Shepherd's pie / Cottage pie; They're all the same to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aizoon Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 No we don't. West country doesn't have the footballing appeal. Unfortunately. Simply not true. In the Seventies fans came from all over the West Country, including Plymouth, Exeter, and Yeovil (yes, I know they were non-league then). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volta Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Simply not true. In the Seventies fans came from all over the West Country, including Plymouth, Exeter, and Yeovil (yes, I know they were non-league then). Still not enough. Big catchment area yes, not the demand though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aizoon Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Still not enough. Big catchment area yes, not the demand though Yes, take your point. Thinly spread, but on the other hand, is there any other club West of Reading that you can imagine in the Prem? The thing is, what do you mean by Big Club? If you mean midway in the top tier, I can see it, but I doubt that the system would allow for another Big Club like Man Ure and the Arse. Look at the way decisions went when Man Ure had a little wobble, and you'll see what I mean. Or, for that matter, at some of the decisions last night. The money men know who the Big Clubs are, and they don't take kindly to any changes in their plans, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volta Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Yes, take your point. Thinly spread, but on the other hand, is there any other club West of Reading that you can imagine in the Prem? The thing is, what do you mean by Big Club? If you mean midway in the top tier, I can see it, but I doubt that the system would allow for another Big Club like Man Ure and the Arse. Look at the way decisions went when Man Ure had a little wobble, and you'll see what I mean. Or, for that matter, at some of the decisions last night. The money men know who the Big Clubs are, and they don't take kindly to any changes in their plans, Cardiff that's about it, and Swansea. Noone else Don't buy into this favouritism tag, no offence but "system not allowing" idea is complete and utter dogs hit. Quit the conspiracy theories because idiotic statements like that are embarrassing to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrizzleRed Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 No we don't. West country doesn't have the footballing appeal. Unfortunately. I'm not so sure about that. I've been surprising how many people I've spoken to over recent times who USED to watch City, but have drifted away over the years. You're never too old to go to football, as long as you can get out of your house, so there has to be tens of thousands who are still breathing, who have made their way down to the Gate to watch City in the past 30 or 40 years. The problem has been our abysmal record in terms of success since those 4 years in the old Division 1. I wouldn't mind betting that with a sustained period of relative success, there could be a lot of ex-supporters coming out of the woodwork again, to say nothing of all the kids currently wearing their Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal etc, shirts. I'm convinced we've got massive potential down here, but unfortunately we've also got an equally massively piss poor record which isn't going to encourage many people, other than the currently die hard supporters to hand over their money at the moment. Ashton Vale could just change all that though, as the club are sure to offer incentives to get people in when it eventually opens and the secret is then to get these people hooked as long term supporters and the best way to do that is to become more successful. I can remember Reading being a consistently mediochre Division 3 and 4 club, playing at an unbelievably crap ground, but look at them now. If they and Brighton can do it, we sure as hell can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aizoon Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Cardiff that's about it, and Swansea. Noone else Don't buy into this favouritism tag, no offence but "system not allowing" idea is complete and utter dogs hit. Quit the conspiracy theories because idiotic statements like that are embarrassing to read. Not talking about a conspiracy. Just pointing out that so much money hangs on the Big Clubs staying BIg, that it's not going to roll towards an ambitious smaller club. I can see one of the Welsh clubs being acceptable to the money men, although the international repercussions of, say, Swansea qualifying for Europe could be massive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddoh Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Shouldn't that be chickens? yes you don't count your chickens before they are hatched , but you also don't put all your eggs in one basket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aizoon Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 yes you don't count your chickens before they are hatched , but you also don't put all your eggs in one basket And, indeed, as they say in Bilbao, don't put all your Basques in one exit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volta Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Not talking about a conspiracy. Just pointing out that so much money hangs on the Big Clubs staying BIg, that it's not going to roll towards an ambitious smaller club. I can see one of the Welsh clubs being acceptable to the money men, although the international repercussions of, say, Swansea qualifying for Europe could be massive. They are businesses, they run well and maximise their assets they will do well. Of course it's not gena go to the smaller clubs because they don't have the same appeal, fan base and assets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashton1 Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Edit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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