Paul Warburton has a pop at Fulham’s away support in the Chronicle today. Not the sort of coverage you’d expect from a local paper. Guess you’ve got to sell copies somehow, though.
It’s a familiar riff that we hear many, many times in the media. Why do Fulham take so few fans away from home? The answer probably lies in the fact that we probably have the 19th smallest historical fanbase in the top flight and our regular away travellers from many moons ago have probably started families and have other responsibilities by now.
Anyone who’s been to any of European games and a few conventional away days could probably claim to have travelled further than most Premier League fans this season. Our European exploits have also meant that games such as Blackburn away were moved to Sundays on short notice, disrupting travel plans and blowing my hopes of attending.
Given a choice between spending a few days in Sofia, Rome or Basel and a few hours in Wigan where would you go? Our hardcore of away travellers should be applauded but it should be remembered that Premier League travel certainly isn’t cheap – and we’re still in the middle of a recession that will have further limited people’s ability to watch Fulham away.
Warburton’s figures are also questionable. I’d have a bet with him that we’ll take more than 800 to Accrington on Sunday, even with the arrangements being rushed at best due to the uncertainty over who we would play. He neglects to add that Fulham took more than 2,000 to a third round tie at Sheffield Wednesday last year and sold out at Kettering. The turnout for good old-fashioned away days (like Derby, when the ‘Great Escape didn’t look so glorious) has always been good as well. QPR certainly didn’t take 1,200 to Blackpool and that isn’t designed as incitement of Rangers fans. The club’s own website says there were 459 travelling supporters.
We’ve covered some of the reasons for our poor away record recently. It’s certainly not down to lack of support as our results on the road were far from impressive when the Premier League was all shiny and new and we packed out the away ends in our first few seasons in the top flight. You can’t blame people for noticing the novelty’s worn off.
Warburton is a failed sun reporter who Mickey Adams threw out the club for slagging us off, he is no friend of Fulham, on match days he used to bring his french girl friend and slip her his pass so she could get in for nothing and grab all the free cakes!
Brentford fan here
right, im not quite sure how you can sit there and defend your away support ( or support in general) because it is an absolute joke. Il share some figures with you to show you what I mean: 92 at man city, 70 at stoke, 300 at (newly promoted) burnley, 150 at sunderland and i heard that you didnt even sell out tottenham???! its laughable, why are you trying to defend these awful figures??
and if you think you have good fans based on your home support youre deluded because the majority of ‘fans’ are tourists, businessmen or just people who come to see permier league football. any away fan will tell you how dire the atmosphere is at craven cottage. youre not a big club, youre still a lower league club in my eyes and al fayed and his money wont change that. and im not bitter in any way, either im so pround to be a bee, our support does not compare with yours. we brought over a thousand against acrington last season and brought over 500 to carlisle. we had over 800 at yeovil 2500 at soton etc etc. im looking forward to leeds away this saturday with 2200 tickets already been sold. im also looking forward to singing my heart out for the team along with thousands of others, singing is something you lot dont really do any more.
of course it isnt all great, we only had about 350 at huddersfield which is piss poor but compared to you ( the premier league side) it doesnt look too bad anymore.
as i say, id would hate to be a fulham fan, we have real passion at our club.
one more thing, do you remember new years day 94? thoight you wouldnt, because youre a bunch of jump on the bandwagon supporters with no real, loyal fanbase at all.
You aren’t bitter, but you spent time thinking out an incoherent ramble on a Fulham site to a post that’s more than a month old? Okay then.
Your figures might need some revising. We certainly had more than 70 at Stoke (on a day when the snow made travelling anywhere impossible and ill-advisable) and more than 300 at Burnley. It’s interesting how those were nice round numbers.
Nobody’s talked about being a big club or one with loud passionate fans on this thread. Craven Cottage has always been a friendly welcoming place for visiting supporters and it’s only the bitter who’ll have a bad word to say about Fulham.
You’d hate to be a Fulham fan? In the top half of the Premier League, the quarter finals of the Cup or the last 32 of a major European competition? Managed by a widely-respected coach at one of the country’s most historic grounds? Really?
It’s funny how you talk about no, loyal fanbase. Fulham attracted above 5,000 fans regularly the last time they were in the basement and even topped 11,000 in Division 3. Not bad for ‘a bunch of jump on the bandwagon supporters,’ eh?
Incidentally, for the ’94 game you mention, I seem to recall the crowd was nearly 10,000 that day – well before Al Fayed. Enjoy Leeds.
Firstly, thanks for replying. I didn’t go through months of threads in this forum, I found it via google and didn’t check when it was written.
No, I’m not bitter, because we have a better support which I’m pround of. I’m making the point that your fans seem outraged that someone could have a pop at your away support. I was pointing out that you’re away support is appaling. The thread-starter might find it ‘nonsence’ but the stats speak for themselves. This season who are 20th when it comes to away following ( statbunker.com, if you don’t believe me)
You are of course, only 16th when it comes to home attendances but as I said, those are’nt real fans. The number of away fans really show how many actually support your team and you have to admit it is laughable.
No, officially you had 170 fans there but only 70 of you actually turned up ( it doesn’t really matter because it awful either way you look at it)
you had 396 at blackburn and 150 at sunderland. these figures are real and are extremely low for a premier league side. As I said before, you couldn’t even sell out spurs! You can’t blame travel costs, travel time or travel difficulties for LONDON DERBY!) That just shows how meagre you’re true following is.
As I also stated, yes, I would hate to be a fulham fan. It doesn’t matter how successfull you are, if I went to my football matches having to between some corporate and some tourist, I would hate it! I don;t care about the competiotions you’re in, as long as there is some passion in the stadium, I would enjoy it. I’m also a fan who pays a lot of money to get to away games. Last season the vast majority of our games were up in the north, meaning expensive train trips. You lot sitting there moaning about how expensive it all is, is laughable! The ticket prices are very affordable at craven cottage and at the game against sunderland, there was a ticket discount to get more home fans in. It cost 10 pounds to see premier league football and only 150 of you went! It’s pathetic!
I mean, out of interest, do you ever go to away games? Don’t you feel the extra exitement of going away tp see your team, to sing your heart out and make a hell of lot of noise for your team? well you probably don’t because fulham just doesn’t give you that buzz, and that’s what i love about the bees! Your people were upset that you’re away support has been slated and I’m telling that it is indeed bad. The whole topic has become of interest for me because so many pundits and newspapers journo’s have commented on it. I doubt that this one reporter only wrote it in spite of fulham, he’s not the only one!
Right I can’t be arsed to research into what youre attendances were but after briefly looking through google, I couldn’t find anything. All I know is that you did not average 5000, never. you’re attendances were very poor when compared to how many fans brentford got in those days. the whole reason why I said new years 94 was because that was the day the bees completely took over your ground! you obvouosly wernt there in those days, because had you been there, you would have seen what had become of your cottage. We were all over your home end, but you go ahead and claim that 10000 for yourself 🙂
I will enjoy leeds massively, Huge game and I’m looking forward to being with 2500 others. You would struggle to bring 250 along judging by your recent stats which is exactly my point. we will always be a bigger club than you.
I’m not outraged that anyone could have a pop at our away support – I’m surprised that a Brentford fan cares that much.
You can’t judge who are ‘real fans’ or not by looking at them on the telly or otherwise. What is a real fan anyway? Just someone who goes to every away game. There are plenty of reasons why people don’t go to away games. Some people have to work and have families to support, which takes precedence over away travel.
I go to as many away games as my work commitments and finances allow and I do enjoy it, yes, but I simply can’t afford to go week in, week out. Look across the Premier League. Away attendances have been falling for the best part of a decade. And, by the way, we did average over 5,000 at home for two straight seasons. Not bad when the club was at it’s lowest ebb.
You suggest that it’s cheap to go to Premier League football – well it isn’t. Most of Fulham’s away games have been on Sundays this year, making it difficult to get to far flung places and the trip to Sunderland came only three days after a European game in Donetsk. Many fans have chosen to go to European matches this year than league games and given that we’ve been to Basel, Rome and Sofia amongst other places I can’t really blame them.
Brentford ‘always a bigger club’ than Fulham? Goodness, I haven’t chuckled like that in a long time.
Like Dan, I’m still laughing.
I’ve nothing against Brentford but their fans do seem to have a real loathing for Fulham. I went to see a friend’s son play for them a few years ago and they were singing about ‘flats on the Cottage’. I should add in the context of this discussion that there were plenty of empty seats that night.
I seem to remember our last trip to Griffin Park put a couple of extra thousand on the gate and Fulham won quite easily (two Paul Moody goals if my memory’s correct). My best memory of Brentford though was ending that long, fruitless away run in 1991. Our friend can be assured that there were plenty of Fulham fans there that day as well.
I’m with Dan. Away tickets between £30 and £50, London travel £5 each way, North West (seems like half the division is in the North West now, incidentally) either by coach (£20 but dull and takes all day) or train (£40-£100, depending on when you book it). Drink, pies, etc, will add at least £20 to that. So you’re looking at £60 for London games, lots more to go further. So yeah, great fun, but when you know your team will play a very conservative style at a stadium you’ve been to before and the result will be bad, well you’re probably better off not shelling out all that money.
(Incidentally, Fulham offers home fans tremendous value season tickets (£19 a game) so we get to watch 19 games a season at a really good price. That’s important in this day and age.)
Incidentally (II), I’m reasonably sure that if/when we plummet through the divisions there will be an away attendance spike.
See ya in the Premiership. We can settle our differences there.
Wait…no we won’t. You’re Brentford
It’s this line that is the most laughable of the lot:
“Right I can’t be arsed to research into what youre attendances were but after briefly looking through google, I couldn’t find anything. All I know is that you did not average 5000, never.”
So, you are just making an assumption to suit your argument? That’s like me saying that all Brentford fans have single-figure IQs. I can’t be bothered to do any research into this, but judging by this post, not a single one ever has. Never.
Of course, I’m being argumentative here, and have no quarrel with Brentford at all, but if you state that you can’t be bothered to do research, you then cannot make assumptions as to what is and is not the case (or, in this case, was). The figures quoted about our away support in particular are simply plucked out of thin air.
To an extent, I do agree with you – our away support is embarrassing, at least in terms of numbers. Now there are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, European and cup ties have meant that a lot of people simply can’t afford to make every game this season. The recession has led to increased redundancies, and the cost of travel and Premier League tickets are simply too much for plenty of people to make constantly.
In addition, Fulham are a club who have grown enormously in the last fifteen years or so. With our ground less than two miles away from Stamford Bridge, it is natural that a large proportion of young people from the area have become Chelsea fans – not least because they were on MOTD whilst growing up. In addition, there are a great number of Fulham “fans” who have only recently become so – as a result we have only a relatively small proportion that are so-called “die-hard” fans.
Finally, your send-off of “we will always be a bigger club than you” is nonsensical. Brentford may well have been in the past. You may well be again in the future. But at the moment? Not a chance. Ask anyone in the street who knows or has an interest in football (let’s exclude Brentford and Fulham fans from this) – they will all say that Fulham are the bigger club at the moment. Larger attendances; FA Cup quarter-finals in succession; and games against the likes of Roma, Juventus and Shaktar Donetsk. Not to mention top-half of the Premier League – two entire divisions above Brentford. Who, incidentally, are nearer the relegation spots in League One than the play-offs. The fact that you are still harking on about 1994 says a lot about the different directions the two clubs have been going over the last sixteen years.
I do wish Brentford good luck this season. But some of your points are simply ridiculous.
I thought I’d chime in. Fulham’s away support is pretty shocking to be honest, but they are not alone there and the figures this season will definitely be skewed by factoring the cost of 8 (so far) European trips, never mind the extra expense of the 8 (so far) European home ties and 5 (so far) FA cup ties.
But Beesfan’s reliance on Statbunker’s figures for away attendance this season is not really accurate. For a start Fulham have yet to play at Old Trafford, Anfield and the Emirates – the stadia with the biggest capacities when the figures will shoot the team up that peculiar chart. If you want to look at something a bit more representative, check out the season before’s chart http://www.statbunker.com/football/btb/index.php?PL=competition&CompID=243&statType=away_Att
Interesting that Fulham are above both Arsenal and West Ham in that table. I wonder if you’ll visit some of their websites deriding their away support?
I suppose having an average home attendance of just over 6,000 with prices the same as the nearby club in the Premiership must sting a little, but as long as you are enjoying yourself then great. Just pray that you’ll never get any higher though as you’ll have to lose those wonderful terraced areas and I doubt you’d have as much fun in an all seater stadium. Especially one you can’t fill.
Right, I’m fast becoming popluar around here!
Well I accept that going away on european nights does make it less affordable to go more premier leaguem matches but come on! Even before you were in europe, your support was nothing to shout about. Believe it or not, ticket prices for league 1 matches are not as cheap as youd all think. It can easily cost a good 20 pounds for many stadiums up north.
@ rich, i am well aware of the costs of away games, i try to make every game. the fact that youre explaining a usual away outing to everyone actually shows that people just arent used to it around here. maybe going on an away game is just less of a culture than doing it in the lower leagues. the costs that we have and you have only differ in ticket pricing and i mean take the sunderland game for example. they set the prices really low for a pl match and still, only 150 turned up. in a coupple of weeks im going to the withdean for 20 pounds! for those of you who dont know, its an athletics staidum with no roof.
the recession affetcs us all, so that point isnt valid.
also, the last writer. you say ‘lose those wonderful terrced areas’
well youre dead right, id hate to lose them, they make watching football so much more enjoyyable and passionate. you lot are obviuosly used to just sitting there next to people who dont really give a sh*t about the club, merrily clapping along 🙂
Nick, I’m not sure what i was on about, regarding your quote! i meant to say that after looking through google, i couldnt find any stats websites going back so long. As I remember from those days, we were indeed the bigger club with bigger attendances. I personally dont think you avergaed 5k but youre right, its an assumption. Thats why i still think we are the bigger club, not based on the competitions or home crowd but based on the away support which really shows how many true followers a team has. Even with you being in the prem we attract more fans to horrible northen places than you to nice stadiums.
I know i havent answerd all the points made but i originally only posted my message because i thought it was silly that you think this reporter is talking ‘nonsence’ and wrong. because you argue against those poor figures that made me find you in the first place.
Rich wasn’t explaining an away outing to everyone – he was laying out the costs he’s incurred to you because you seem to equate a League One game with a Premier League game. Whilst some League One grounds might rip you off, it’s not the same over the course of a season.
Let’s try again re. Sunderland. It came three days after Shakhtar and a week before an FA Cup quarter final. It was also on a Sunday having been rescheduled at short notice. Those are four factors that might have diminshed our attendance. By way of evidence, we sold out at St. James’ Park last season.
To be fair, everyone who has commented here will remember the terraces at the Cottage. I was disappointed to lose them but that’s the Taylor Report and the FA for you. Don’t think you can blame that on our gentrified support. As for our fans not giving a s***, just a few years ago whilst you were chanting about it, our supporters were saving our ground and our football club. That’s a pretty good example of our fans remaining as passionate as they ever were.
I see now that you are basing your statement about ‘bigger clubs’ on away support. If that was the case then Exeter, Newcastle, both Bristol clubs, Leeds and Charlton would all be Premier League. Away support isn’t the only indicator, league points are in fact (sadly) all that matters.
On taking more fans to horrible ‘northe[r]n places,’ there’s simply loads of you at Tranmere, which we sold out last time we were there:
http://www.officialbfcpics.co.uk/?m=912050&p=912050001
And I don’t have anything against Brentford. Good luck at Leeds.
Dan is a nice guy. Thats why I like him so much.
I’m an arse. I hope Brentfag loses 6-0 to Leeds.
Nothing constructive to add other than I still hate Brentford. What division are you in? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Sorry that’s a bit childish, I know.
I should apologize slightly…I’m a bit tipsy on meds tonight.
That being said, Brentford still sucks.
Dear All,
I’ve been reading Hammyend for a long time now and have always been impressed with the logical and erudite comments emanating from passionate and intelligent fans. Recently, you gave a Brentford supporter the opportunity to put forward a number of points designed to annoy.
Why do you give opposing ‘supporters’ the chance to make inflammatory comments about Fulham? There are many other opportunities, online, for this sort of baiting from the educationally challenged.
I do not hate, or particularly like, any other teams and feel no need to aggravate other supporters to enhance my own feelings of inadequacy. I appreciate that Hammyend is an open forum leading to an intelligent dialogue on pertinent points to do with a club we all follow but surely, this type of letter is not worth the irritation it causes.
Supporting a team has always been an emotional rather than a physical connection and there has never been a better time to watch a ‘small’ club with big ambitions attract a larger support. Perhaps, with continued success, other supporters will appreciate what can be done with a smaller than usual fan base.
I have been a ‘diehard’ Fulham supporter for over 50 years who has been to many away games. I appreciate and celebrate anyone, however new, who supports a team of whom I feel immensely proud. Can I suggest that Hammyend continues to provide the opportunity for true Fulham (football) fans to positively discuss the issues that affect the club we support?
Kipper,
Thanks for your comments. I didn’t purposely write this piece more than a month and a half ago – an instinctive reaction to an article that I still think was smug and ill-informed – to allow Brentford suppporters to have a pop at our away support but it does seem to have stimulated some discussion. My moderating policy on comments has always been to allow them as long as they are not abusive, libellous or offensive and I’d like to try and keep it that way.
We’ll certainly try and cover Fulham in as objective and intelligent manner as possible but, this being the internet, I can’t vouch for the quality of the comments.
Right a few things to clear up.
I do actually appreciate the fact that Dan wrote back and argued his case. My message might have seemed as if it was designed purely to annoy but I wanted to put my point across that some of your fans should stop moaning about articles that are ‘smug’ and ‘ill-informed’. The whole reason why this topic came to my attention was because I had heard it from so many different sources. There are plenty of other online newspaper articles covering the subject, and sky and the bbc have commented on it too. You make it sound as if this reporter has something against fulham. The other articles I have read are written in the same style, and look at the what Adrian Chiles was saying about it, do you think he has a perosonal vendetta against Fulham? I’m just making the point that I find it weird that there is such uproar over an article that I find quite well summed up. If I were a Fulham fan I’d be quite embarrassed of your pitiful away support. I used Brentford as an example of what real support is, despite being two leagues below. Maybe in hindsight the message does look as it I’m just annoying you but it seems that every Fulham fan I come accross stoutly defends their support. Bad Andy was the only one who did seem quite annoyed about how things have become at your club but I still think the excuses you lot all give for your pathetic away following are poor. Anyway, we clearly have different opinions on the matter so I doubt we’re going to agree.
Another thing Kipper. I know you don’t value my opinion in any way judging by the way said I’m not a real supporter but I’ve been going to every home and away game I could for the past 30 years, please don’t say I’m not a real fan, its patronising.
Honestly, Beesfan, I wouldn’t describe my piece as ‘uproar’ more a considered response to an article that had included some highly questionable facts. Nobody’s suggesting that Fulham actually take thousands away from home but the situation’s a little more complex than people like to think.
Adrian Chiles doesn’t have a vendetta against Fulham but, if it’s his recent comments on MOTD2 you are referring to, you’d surely have to note how both Dixon and Keown shot him down quickly.
You’d have to accept that any idea of ‘real support’ is subjective. It’s something we aren’t going to agree on clearly, but I’ve enjoyed your contributions. Good luck at Leeds.