I’ve seen lots of tables /charts etc based on all these things regards honours , attendances , stadium sizes etc and Sunderland are always to 10. Newcastle top 7/8 pigs 13th Leeds 16th us 17th. The latest one I seen was from 2022. I often think how much it will grate in Leeds fans because they really do believe they are a top 6 club lol
When drawing up "big club" lists it's generally based on a list of simple criteria
like honours, average attendances, stadium size, seasons in the top flight etc.
However there are subjective factors that don't seem to be taken into account, for example
1: A weighting for living memory.
Sheff Utd and especially Sunderland have a more than decent list of honours and many seasons spent in the top flight
but it's predominately pre war. Since the 2nd world war both clubs have done very little.
Sheff Wed have done better post war but this century (since 2000) often been a league 1 club.
Should very recent history carry an extra weighting?
2: European success.
Not many people probably realise that based on almost every big club stat we are bigger than Nottingham Forest.
We've had more seasons in the top flight than them, more honours and bigger average attendances
but what makes Forest so special is their 2 Europeans Cup wins and the romance surrounding the great Brian Clough.
What extra weighting do you give to European success and world wide fame?
3: Potential.
I've heard people refer to Bristol City and Plymouth Argyle as big clubs and refer to Leeds as a gigantic club (one of the biggest in the country)
The stats for all 3 clubs is surprisingly poor but they all have massive potential. When arguing about big clubs that word "potential" really muddies the waters because it's difficult to qualify or argue against. Sheff Wed fans often call themselves a massive club when all the facts suggest the opposite but their argument is generally based on potential which is often impossible to argue about.
Always thought before drawing up a list of big clubs you need to decide and agree the terms of reference
and any relevant weighting towards modern day, as recent history is surely more relevant than pre war history.