Squatters

[SteveTreacle]

Sheffield, Bristol, Nottingham, Newcastle/Sunderland, Ipswich/Norwich, Pompey/Saints etc. plus the big city rivals. All areas where locals definitely support one or the other. Kids grow up one or the other. Weekends are all about the football and the rivalry. Family loyalty to 1 club. You want your lot to win, but also the hated rivals up the road to lose. The fans back their club completely against all comers. Siege mentality when things are going wrong. Not so much turning on themselves.

I get what you're saying in comparison to us, but I've been to all of those Cities (the two NE teams aside) and can tell you that there are a hell of a lot of gloryhunters in all of those cities too (I even know people from London or Birmingham who support Man Utd or Liverpool), who don't support their local teams, which I guess is different to the likes of Manchester or Liverpool, where almost everyone supports one or t'other (I guess as there is no need to be a gloryhunter, if you come from Liverpool or Manchester!)

 

[cymrugills]

I really believe our lack of a true, long term, close, bitter rival is one reason why we’ve never grown bigger.

Those Cities / locations with 2 rival teams seem to embrace football a lot more leaving both clubs with bigger fanbases.

Sheffield, Bristol, Nottingham, Newcastle/Sunderland, Ipswich/Norwich, Pompey/Saints etc. plus the big city rivals. All areas where locals definitely support one or the other. Kids grow up one or the other. Weekends are all about the football and the rivalry. Family loyalty to 1 club. You want your lot to win, but also the hated rivals up the road to lose. The fans back their club completely against all comers. Siege mentality when things are going wrong. Not so much turning on themselves.

In Medway there simply isn’t that “us and them”. No early ritual where you support one or the other. No reason not to just support the bigger better teams up in the smoke. Fans berate their own club because they aren’t defending it against the loathed supporters of the rivals.

If a town like Maidstone, Chatham or Rochester, even a bit further afield like Ashford, Canterbury or such, had a long term decent EFL club that was a rival, I think both clubs would have a bigger and more loyal fanbase. The rest of Kent might also be more likely to go for one or the other of the 2 clubs in Kent.

As stevetreacle mentioned, 3x crowd figure when NMaidstone used to visit. It was similar for those 80’s cup ties.

Ebbsfleet managed the National League playoffs just a few years ago, and Bromley are knocking on the door to League Two now as well. Do you think Ebbsfleet or Bromley in League Two would have that effect?

Knowing very little about Ebbsfleet my sense is that Gills fans wouldn't be too bothered about them, and Bromley is only historically Kent and so more likely to be in that Charlton/S London orbit.

Mind you, we could end up with Charlton down in the dirt with us next season...

 

[OneSirKeefy]

Ebbsfleet managed the National League playoffs just a few years ago, and Bromley are knocking on the door to League Two now as well. Do you think Ebbsfleet or Bromley in League Two would have that effect?

Knowing very little about Ebbsfleet my sense is that Gills fans wouldn't be too bothered about them, and Bromley is only historically Kent and so more likely to be in that Charlton/S London orbit.

Mind you, we could end up with Charlton down in the dirt with us next season...

I’m more talking about a long time historical rivalry. That boat has sailed now.

General Crowd figures for most clubs seemed to have been set way back in time. Between and after the wars I’d say. You’d need to be big and maybe have big rivals back then. Can’t think of many/any clubs that were still smaller by the 50’s that are now very big clubs.

Some clubs that were on their knees and very poorly supported back in the 80’s, have got back to being bigger clubs because they were already big in earlier times. eg. Wolves, Brighton (despite no rivals weirdly), Charlton. But I can’t think of a big club now (say 20/30K + crowds) that were small in those earlier times.

 

[OneSirKeefy]

I get what you're saying in comparison to us, but I've been to all of those Cities (the two NE teams aside) and can tell you that there are a hell of a lot of gloryhunters in all of those cities too (I even know people from London or Birmingham who support Man Utd or Liverpool), who don't support their local teams, which I guess is different to the likes of Manchester or Liverpool, where almost everyone supports one or t'other (I guess as there is no need to be a gloryhunter, if you come from Liverpool or Manchester!)

True for nowadays yes. But back in the mists, when transport was harder, those places all got way bigger crowds when everyone just supported a local side. That’s when their fanbases were built. So they can all still bank on big, big crowds when doing well. A lot more Families and neighbourhoods are brought up on their local club.

There might be plenty of glory hunters in Newcastle, Sheffield, Bristol etc. But their own teams still get 50k, 35k and 30k crowds. Even Bristol Rovers, often lower in the leagues than us through history, get mainly bigger crowds than us. Their record crowd I believe is over 35k. Ours just 23k. We’ve only 2 or 3 times got over 20k. We aren’t going to average that in the future.

 

[The Roone]

There was a survey done a few years ago of all Football League clubs, and we came out as the least disliked of all the clubs.

 

[Therealwaldo]

There was a survey done a few years ago of all Football League clubs, and we came out as the least disliked of all the clubs.

Sadly I think “least disliked” might be interpreted as “least significant” !

 

[Solent Knight]

I get what you're saying in comparison to us, but I've been to all of those Cities (the two NE teams aside) and can tell you that there are a hell of a lot of gloryhunters in all of those cities too (I even know people from London or Birmingham who support Man Utd or Liverpool), who don't support their local teams, which I guess is different to the likes of Manchester or Liverpool, where almost everyone supports one or t'other (I guess as there is no need to be a gloryhunter, if you come from Liverpool or Manchester!)

I've lived in pompey donkey's years and most people born & bred here follow pompey and its passed onto each generation which it should be. I'm not a fan of pompey but admire that about them. As for Swindon, their main rivals are Oxford Utd.

 

[SteveTreacle]

I've lived in pompey donkey's years and most people born & bred here follow pompey and its passed onto each generation which it should be. I'm not a fan of pompey but admire that about them. As for Swindon, their main rivals are Oxford Utd.

Don’t disagree that Pompey may have a bigger hardcore of locals that support their local team than us, which is admirable, but I know at least one person from Portsmouth (probably the only person I know from there) and they support Man Utd. Doubt they are isolated!

 

[jogills]

Really not a fan of Ebbsfleet. Please don't even joke about Lovell going there. Hope they appoint a free spending fool.

 

[Solent Knight]

Don’t disagree that Pompey may have a bigger hardcore of locals that support their local team than us, which is admirable, but I know at least one person from Portsmouth (probably the only person I know from there) and they support Man Utd. Doubt they are isolated!

Shame on him & obviously a glory hunter, still could have been worse as he could have been a scummer.

 

[jokerman]

Ebbsfleet managed the National League playoffs just a few years ago, and Bromley are knocking on the door to League Two now as well. Do you think Ebbsfleet or Bromley in League Two would have that effect?

Knowing very little about Ebbsfleet my sense is that Gills fans wouldn't be too bothered about them, and Bromley is only historically Kent and so more likely to be in that Charlton/S London orbit.

Mind you, we could end up with Charlton down in the dirt with us next season...

only historically”?
Wash your mouth out, Sir.

When I tell people I support the Gills, they look blank, struggle to hold back a smile, or laugh outright. That’s good enough for me. No rivals is “our thing”, plus “we are the Folkestone haters” is just wrong in so many ways.

 

[Trev_GFC]

As a man in his late 30s I missed out on the fun but I love looking back at those attendances while Maidstone were around, as you say, Steve. 2k, 2k, 2k, 12k, 2k

I judge clubs a lot by how they are against us - it’s why I always have a good opinion of Hawthorns, Pride Park, a few others. If the whole ground is bouncing for an average game against little Gills (sorry, Steve!) then they’re good fans.

But it’s the same in terms of behaviour. If supporters are twats to us then I can’t stand them. It’s why my dislike of Fulham, Swindon and Maidstone among others, and far higher than others like Millwall or Cardiff.

Really interesting points about having a few bitter derbies/rivalries turning low-populated towns and cities into passionate football cities. It brings the crowds but also meaning - families and friends have something to bond with.