PUNCHING ABOVE THEIR WEIGHT
I recently went to watch Curzon Ashton, I was there along with 159 others to watch them play Alfreton Town. It was cold, the opposition were not the most attractive in terms of league position and glamour and I appreciate it was their worst crowd of the season. But here is a club that is massively punching above their weight. So far this season they have average 405 per game, 15% below the next lowest. It is also lower than 13 of the teams in the league that Curzon would drop into should they be relegated, and a further 3 at the level below that.
However, this is Curzon’s 5th season at this level. Over the years they have competed with ex-Football League Clubs like Stockport County and York City, phoenix clubs like Hereford and Chester and FC United of Manchester. Yet they have managed to survive. How? It is beyond me.
I feel exactly the same way about AFC Bournemouth. It is also their 5th season at their current level. They are competing at the same level as some of the biggest and richest clubs in the world. Yet they have survived. How? it is beyond me.
Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Sunderland have all been relegated in the time Eddie Howe’s men have stayed up. Yet this weekend as Bournemouth lost at home to Watford there are apparently fans who want him to go. What do they expect? I did a bit of research. Listing clubs with their average attendance the Cherries are 48th in the country. This is League One level. Notts County are also in this bracket.
If you then look at the clubs who have won trophies since the war and place them in order, add the two scores together AFC Bournemouth ranked 52nd in the country. It begs the question to me, what do their fans expect? I honestly think that fans need to look at where their club realistically stands in the country and then look at where they stand.
Here are the highest 92 ranked clubs:
- Manchester United
- Liverpool
- Arsenal
- Tottenham Hotspur
- Chelsea
- Manchester City
- West Ham United
- Aston Villa
- Everton
- Nottingham Forest
- Leeds United
- Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Newcastle United
- Leicester City
- Derby County
- Sunderland
- Southampton
- Ipswich Town
- West Bromwich Albion
- Burnley
- Portsmouth
- Norwich City
- Sheffield United
- Sheffield Wednesday
- Blackburn Rovers
- Brighton & Hove Albion
- Charlton Athletic
- Stoke City
- Birmingham City
- Crystal Palace
- Cardiff City
- Middlesbrough
- Huddersfield Town
- Bolton Wanderers
- Bristol City
- Wigan Athletic
- Watford
- Swansea City
- MK Dons
- Fulham
- Blackpool
- Queens Park Rangers
- Reading
- Bradford City
- Preston North End
- Millwall
- Barnsley
- Luton Town
- Coventry City
- Hull City
- Brentford
- AFC Bournemouth
- Oxford United
- Plymouth Argyle
- Swindon Town
- Lincoln City
- Rotherham United
- Doncaster Rovers
- Peterborough United
- Bristol Rovers
- Tranmere Rovers
- Shrewsbury Town
- Southend United
- Wycombe Wanderers
- Leyton Orient
- Notts County
- Gillingham
- Northampton Town
- Exeter City
- Port Vale
- Crewe Alexandra
- Walsall
- Grimsby Town
- Mansfield Town
- AFC Wimbledon
- Carlisle United
- Stockport County
- Wrexham
- Cambridge United
- Newport County
- Colchester United
- Chesterfield
- Rochdale
- Cheltenham Town
- Oldham Athletic
- Scunthorpe United
- Hartlepool United
- Burton Albion
- Fleetwood Town
- Accrington Stanley
- Salford City
- Yeovil Town
