As part of a series of articles looking at the relationship between fans and their supporters here is a look at how the Championship table would have finished if it was based on average attendance rather than the number of points accumulated.
Link to series homepage
Figures from www.soccernet.com
Pos | Club | Avg |
1 | Leeds United | 27,299 |
2 | Derby County | 26,022 |
3 | Norwich City | 25,386 |
4 | Leicester City | 23,666 |
5 | Nottingham Forest | 23,466 |
6 | Cardiff City | 23,230 |
7 | Hull City | 21,168 |
8 | Sheffield United | 20,632 |
9 | Ipswich Town | 19,614 |
10 | Reading | 17,840 |
11 | Middlesbrough | 16,312 |
12 | Coventry City | 16,309 |
13 | Portsmouth | 15,707 |
14 | Swansea City | 15,687 |
15 | Queens Park Rangers | 15,635 |
16 | Crystal Palace | 15,351 |
17 | Burnley | 14,930 |
18 | Bristol City | 14,604 |
19 | Watford | 13,151 |
20 | Millwall | 12,438 |
21 | Barnsley | 11,855 |
22 | Preston North End | 11,767 |
23 | Doncaster Rovers | 10,258 |
24 | Scunthorpe United | 5,547 |
Top Three
Pos | Average Attendance Table Position | Actual League Position |
1 | Leeds United | QPR(15) |
2 | Derby County | Norwich (3) |
3 | Norwich City | Swansea (14) |
Bottom Three
Pos | Average Attendance Table Position | Actual League Position (avg attendance position) |
22 | Preston North End | Preston |
23 | Doncaster Rovers | Sheffield United |
24 | Scunthorpe United | Scunthorpe |
At the top of the table there is little comparison between the actual table and the attendance table with Leeds United and Derby boasting the highest attendances but finishing outside of the promotion/play-off shake up.
The bottom of the tables do bare resemblance to each other with relegated sides Scunthorpe and Preston finishing in the same place in each table.
The anomaly at the bottom is Sheffield United who were relegated with the eighth highest average attendance, underlining that great support cannot prevent disaster on the pitch, a hard truth that has hurt both Sheffield sides.
We can conclude from these tables that whilst fans can impact the morale/performance of a club, a large attendance is not necessarily going to guarantee success.
Obvious I know but the anomalies should give fans of smaller sides hope that they can overachieve and do a ‘Blackpool’
If you have a view or would like to contribute to this series contact Kristian_uk@hotmail.co.uk or add me on TWITTER
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