Name 5 bigger clubs than us

[Meanwood Villa]

The terrible trio, Liverpool, Arsenal & Man U are bigger than us I'm sad to say. Everton would have a resonable shout but not for me (then again I am biased). Tottenham not far off but still trailing in our wake. Chelsea, no f**king chance. If they're still up there in 2100 then possibly.

[littlevillain]

I've never really thought of any clubs being bigger than the villa. When you look at the whole picture it's hard to top us. For real football fans historical significance should always weigh more than money.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

Bigger in terms of fanbase, history and trophies?

Only Man U, Arsenal and Liverpool are definitely bigger than us.

Man C and Chelsea are richer than us, but not bigger, and if I'm being generous, I'd say were of a similar size.  Everton and Spurs are probably about the same size.

Newcastle have a huge fanbase, because they've got nothing else.  But they haven't won anything since God were a lad.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

Ok Top 10 "Biggest" English clubs all things considered:

1. Man U
2. Liverpool
3. Arse
4. Villa
5. Everton
6. Spurs - Haven't won enough titles
7. Chelsea - Let's see how they do when Abramovich gets bored.
8. Man C - 1 FA Cup win in the last 40 odd years doesn't make you massive.
9. Leeds - would be higher 10 years ago
10. Newcastle - size of fanbase only

[Concrete John]

I've never really thought of any clubs being bigger than the villa. When you look at the whole picture it's hard to top us. For real football fans historical significance should always weigh more than money.

But that money WILL bring success, thus is the modern game.

To me, the word 'big' means physical size and that was the traditional meaning - how bigs your stadium and how many do you get through the turnstiles each week.  Those teams that tended to have this won more, partly revenue driven and partly profile for attracting the better players.

That was then.

Now, the crowd/stadium/following is a distant 2nd to TV money and the bank rolling by a rich owner.  Previosuly a 'smaller' club could build itself up gradually and have a decent tilt at things, but now that can only be done with major investment as the gradually increasing crowds as you build a better side have very little bearing on the financial muscle of those you're trying to catch. 

These days, for 'big' read 'rich'.

[Villafirst]

Ok Top 10 "Biggest" English clubs all things considered:

1. Man U
2. Liverpool
3. Arse
4. Villa
5. Everton
6. Spurs - Haven't won enough titles
7. Chelsea - Let's see how they do when Abramovich gets bored.
8. Man C - 1 FA Cup win in the last 40 odd years doesn't make you massive.
9. Leeds - would be higher 10 years ago
10. Newcastle - size of fanbase only

If it's ambition then teams like Stoke are certainly showing more - they are strengthening season by season whereas we're getting weaker. Stoke will finish above us this season.

[Fuse]

If you did this 20 years ago then only Man Utd and Liverpool wpould have been bigger than us. Any chanages since then are down to available money to spend at any givne time. If you went back 50 years ago then it would be arguable as to any club being bigger than us at that time. The further you go back the arguement gets even harder to justify taggina ny club as bigger than us.

So the only change is who has money at the time.

[Villafirst]

To be honest, I couldn't give a toss about who's bigger, all I know is we're in decline with the current clowns in charge.

[Chris Smith]

To be honest, I couldn't give a toss about who's bigger, all I know is we're in decline with the current clowns in charge.

If you don't give a toss then why post on the thread?

Don't bother answering, it's a rhetorical question.  It's clear to everyone why you did it.

[luke25]

Ok Top 10 "Biggest" English clubs all things considered:

1. Man U
2. Liverpool
3. Arse
4. Villa
5. Everton
6. Spurs - Haven't won enough titles
7. Chelsea - Let's see how they do when Abramovich gets bored.
8. Man C - 1 FA Cup win in the last 40 odd years doesn't make you massive.
9. Leeds - would be higher 10 years ago
10. Newcastle - size of fanbase only

If it's ambition then teams like Stoke are certainly showing more - they are strengthening season by season whereas we're getting weaker. Stoke will finish above us this season.

I'm fed up of hearing about how ambitious Stoke have been, all they've done is sign players to suit there horrible style.

[hartman_1982]

Ok Top 10 "Biggest" English clubs all things considered:

1. Man U
2. Liverpool
3. Arse
4. Villa
5. Everton
6. Spurs - Haven't won enough titles
7. Chelsea - Let's see how they do when Abramovich gets bored.
8. Man C - 1 FA Cup win in the last 40 odd years doesn't make you massive.
9. Leeds - would be higher 10 years ago
10. Newcastle - size of fanbase only

If it's ambition then teams like Stoke are certainly showing more - they are strengthening season by season whereas we're getting weaker. Stoke will finish above us this season.

I'm fed up of hearing about how ambitious Stoke have been, all they've done is sign players to suit there horrible style.

It amazes me how we sign two Spurs reserves and it is a sign of how far we have fallen, they sign two and it is ambition. They have spent money but only maybe Palacios would get into our side.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

Form and "ambition" are temporary though.

Blackburn have won a Premier League title, but they're by no stretch of the imagination a bigger club than Liverpool who have never won it.

Man City have always been a fairly big club, the difference is now they're rich.  Ditto Chelsea.  Their owners have made them big in a relatively short space of time.  Take away their owners, and they'd be where we are.  In fact, in the late 70s up to the early 90s, they were no-marks.

[cdbearsfan]

Ok Top 10 "Biggest" English clubs all things considered:

1. Man U
2. Liverpool
3. Arse
4. Villa
5. Everton
6. Spurs - Haven't won enough titles
7. Chelsea - Let's see how they do when Abramovich gets bored.
8. Man C - 1 FA Cup win in the last 40 odd years doesn't make you massive.
9. Leeds - would be higher 10 years ago
10. Newcastle - size of fanbase only

If it's ambition then teams like Stoke are certainly showing more - they are strengthening season by season whereas we're getting weaker. Stoke will finish above us this season.

Fulham finished above us last year. Reading, Bolton and even Small Heath have finished above us in the last ten years... doesn't make them bigger than us.

[PeterWithesShin]

Man u were not always a big club with massive crowds, it only happened because they were very successful over a very long period gaining a lot of support around the world, everyone loves to be associated with a winner. Villa could be up there with the top clubs, we have the catchment and are the number one club in the midlands by some distance, all we need to get 60000 gates is a bigger ground and an owner with more money than sense.

Much as I ever hate to give them credit but they've been getting big crowds decades. I remember reading something a few years ago and it said only once (i'm 99% sure it was only once and not twice or none) since WWII had they averaged under 35K.

[cdbearsfan]

They got their biggest ever crowd (at the time) the first game after the Munich Air Crash and have been the best supported club in the country pretty much ever since. They attracted a lot of neutrals after that disaster and have always had a lot of non-local support since then too.