1986/87 attendances

[stringer]

Fairly interesting reading. Wednesday averaged 23,147 in Div One, United 9,991 in Division Two. The gap has closed considerably in the years since and it could/should turn full circle this year. We’re the 80s that bad?

 

[Boxer Blade]

Looks like it

 

[1973Blade]

In the days before the playoffs, a ninth place finish meant that the season was over by February.

 

[Tunstall Fred]

80s started in disaster and humiliation for United,then improved,improved some more,slipped a bit then ended with a bang 3 promotions v 2 relegations,next decade started with a bang

 

[borg elite]

Less than ten years earlier they also had very poor gates, circa 11k. Violence was the norm in the 80s and many stayed away from the Lane. Lots of clubs had very poor attendances. We were also shit in the mid 80s

 

[Fanny magnet]

For people who are disappointed are crowds aren't bigger

Notice massive Leeds only averaging 13000

 

[Fanny magnet]

Wolves in div 4 with an average of 4000

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

Going to football in the 1980s was a poor experience. Awful stadiums, fans caged in, assumed to be hooligans. It really was only for the addicted, and it took reforms following a variety of disasters to begin to get people attending in larger numbers again. There is plenty wrong with modern football, but it is a golden age compared with the 1980s. About the only thing which makes me disagree seriously with posts on here is when there is an impression given that the behaviour of a minority of football fans in the 1970s and 1980s was anything other than awful.

 

[ShorehamRevolution]

Interesting to look at some of the clubs that have been in the Premiership over the last few years too.

 

[tomtheblade]

Going to football in the 1980s was a poor experience. Awful stadiums, fans caged in, assumed to be hooligans. It really was only for the addicted, and it took reforms following a variety of disasters to begin to get people attending in larger numbers again. There is plenty wrong with modern football, but it is a golden age compared with the 1980s. About the only thing which makes me disagree seriously with posts on here is when there is an impression given that the behaviour of a minority of football fans in the 1970s and 1980s was anything other than awful.

Agree, although I was too young at the time to experience the 80s as an actual fan.

There's a lot wrong with the modern game, but i still think in general it's better than it was, not least the athleticism and skill level of the players, and quality of the stadia.

What we need is an injection of a few of the old-fashioned values into the modern sport, ie prices for working class fans, and a pursuit not just of money, but of character when it comes to players, grounds, style of play and running a club.

 

[Snowman]

Fairly interesting reading. Wednesday averaged 23,147 in Div One, United 9,991 in Division Two. The gap has closed considerably in the years since and it could/should turn full circle this year. We’re the 80s that bad?

Of FFS!

 

[1973Blade]

Fairly interesting reading. Wednesday averaged 23,147 in Div One, United 9,991 in Division Two. The gap has closed considerably in the years since and it could/should turn full circle this year. We’re the 80s that bad?

Of FFS!

If you are going to be pedantic, it's 'Oh FFS'.

 

[stringer]

Fairly interesting reading. Wednesday averaged 23,147 in Div One, United 9,991 in Division Two. The gap has closed considerably in the years since and it could/should turn full circle this year. We’re the 80s that bad?

Of FFS!

Apologies, typing on my phone that tends to correct most things for no reason. What does of FFS mean, though?

 

[Silent Blade]

I went to about 12 home games that season

 

[Part timer]

It was dire in the 80's but a pint of Wards in the Barrel followed by a pint or two of Stones in the Sheldon in good company before heading down to BDTBL live long in the memory.

 

[1973Blade]

Highlight of that season was beating Portsmouth 1-0 with four players sent off. It was the first match report on Sports Report on Radio Two.

 

[JJ Sefton]

I’d take some of these figures with a pinch of salt. There’s matches from 89/90 I remember the Lane being pretty busy but records say there were 12,000 there. And, of course, they all paid in cash back then.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Fairly interesting reading. Wednesday averaged 23,147 in Div One, United 9,991 in Division Two. The gap has closed considerably in the years since and it could/should turn full circle this year. We’re the 80s that bad?

Of FFS!

I feel dirty.....

 

[Sean Thornton]

Apologies, typing on my phone that tends to correct most things for no reason. What does of FFS mean, though?

Is it a Johnston Press standard issue 'phone?

Or..........

 

[ChipButtyBlade]

Bet dem pigs (after reading this thread) sing where we'er you when you we'er shit to us in the next Derby game

 

[ShorehamRevolution]

Fairly interesting reading. Wednesday averaged 23,147 in Div One, United 9,991 in Division Two. The gap has closed considerably in the years since and it could/should turn full circle this year. We’re the 80s that bad?

Of FFS!

I think the Warnock era has a lot to do with the current attendances at the lane a new generation to fall in love with the Blades and if this current era carries on it’ll be the same.

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

You could always put similar tables from 1970/1, 1971/2, 2005/06 to 2008/09, direct comparison to the OP would be 71/72 & 06/07, see how the pigs crowd stack up against ours when they were a division below.

United crowds in the 80s were also affected by butchery of the steel and coal industries by the Thatcher and the Tories ... no jobs, no money, no football.

 

[stringer]

United crowds in the 80s were also affected by butchery of the steel and coal industries by the Thatcher and the Tories ... no jobs, no money, no football.

Were Wednesday not? Genuine question. Crowds have been a lot closer as long as I can remember.

 

[finlaytheblade]

We went through a colourless period in the eighties,which was lit up when D Bassett came in.
I hate to say it but the premier league and Sky have had a big effect on the renaissance of football today.It was always thought that TV would have a detrimental effect on attendances ,the opposite has happened and it goes from strength to strength.Of course there are always loses and the lower leagues get starved of money as the premier gets richer and that is a shame as the strength behind British football is it's depth.

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

Were Wednesday not? Genuine question. Crowds have been a lot closer as long as I can remember.

Wednesday were on the crest of wave, having their best period for about 20 years, this after being in the doldrums throughout the 70s and playing second fiddle to United. I think I'm right in saying they'd have qualified for Europe in 1986 if English teams hadn't been banned and they were spending sizeable fees on players. In comparison we were showing zero ambition, the gamble on a Dads Army promotion the season before had backfired and we had a fairly average mid-table season in 86/87. If your teams doing well fans will always find the money, when they're not and money's tight then it's different.

 

[Trafford]

I can think of no good reason why the figures would be wrong but I have to say that - the figures look wrong! We averaged more than that in the 4th division and I can’t remember many matches in the 3rd or 4th where the official crowd was less than 10,000. Or perhaps my memory is wearing rose tinted glasses....

 

[Roygbiv]

My dad said he'd almost completely lost interest in United at this point. We were a club going nowhere with no hope until Bassett came in.

 

[Sparky]

Whilst the crowds were definitely lower than today’s, there was a lot of scepticism every time the crowd was announced. It always seemed like there were more there than the official figure. We will never really know!

 

[JJ Sefton]

 

[Berlin Blade]

Only 600 difference between Burnley and Stockport.

Still similar sized clubs really, just the 6/7 tiers between them.