That's why I loved the 60s and early 70s when I lived in Hull. Massive attendances at Boothferry Park and great away followings. Now you have to mess about buying tickets instead of just turning up and standing where you want. I'm sure a lot of people can't be bothered with the hassle. I lived near Craven Park and sometimes I'd just decide to go along at the last minute. You can't do that at City now.
Sheffield itself is over 550k and metropolitan 1.5 million- hull 285k - so lets not diss our support eh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheffield
Sheffield Wednesday have never been to the new Wembley so of course lots of people want to go. It was the same with us in 2008.
I went to the Torquay game !!! And that game was exactly the same as today......City playing another team Value, principles ??? This is a football game.....get a grip !!
Metropolitan area means nothing. Urban area is the best comparison, the figures for which I quoted. Leeds metropolitan area is large but it includes Bradford in that. As for support, our population is around the same as Sunderland and more than Middlesbrough. And Derbynand Brighton. Look at their crowds . And of course if we got the same percentage of the residents of just inside the city boundaries attending as Burnley we would be getting 50-60,000 for home games. You can have fun with figures, can't you? However our support relative to our size is nothing to be pleased about.
I just wanted to make clear why I wasn't going on a jolly to Wembley when I'd decided not to attend during the season, and the reasons for that. I'll attend when the ownership changes. I contributed a sum to charity for the tickets I won. I will give my money to to places I feel it is deserved. I was grateful when they bought the club, and excited like everyone else. Then they ruined it. For me, there's too much too ignore, but happy that you still enjoy it and can see past it. I will simply wait patiently for change.
I was lucky to see Ken Wagstaff and Paul Gascoigne play at their peak and they always had a smile on their face - Wagstaff even when missing penalties. Maybe my most enjoyable bit of play was seeing Carlos Valderrama playing for Real Valladolid at Leyton Orient in a friendly. He got the ball about 12 yards out in front of goal and was surrounded by Orient players. He shaped to shoot and the Orient players dived to block the ball but he deliberately missed the ball. He did the same again and more Orient players dived in front of him. The third time he did kick the ball and an Orient player did block it - but it was fun to watch. He was laughing the whole time. Maybe the funniest incident was when Mike Scott was playing for HCSS and he fell over when trying to kick off.
At the old Wembley Wednesday went there 3 times in 3 seasons, 2 of them in the same season for the FA and League Cup finals. Wembley fatigue didn't set in there as they sold out everyone and a Wednesday fan I worked with couldn't get tickets for all three as there too many wanting ticket, and two of those appearances were in the league cup where you got large allocations. I hope I don't bump into him as I told him for years that if we ever got to the top flight like Wednesday we would piss all over them for support.
I look at trips to Wembley as "our" day. As a community of supporters we are travelling to the our national stadium, in our nations capital. The principles that stop supporters going, should be put aside in my opinion. I only want us to win the game, the end result Premier League football, is secondary, in fact I think I prefer the Championship. Today for me is about the supporters, the team and not the club.
The final replay vs Arsenal was one of the lowest attended ever. They definitely didn't sell out. And it's definitely different for cup finals than a chance to get promoted when we should've already achieved that.
Midweek, on TV long journey, expense. On top expense a few days previously. Or is it only City that can use that as as excuse?
Did they play their F Cup semi -final there, with a sell out, because the FA had allowed Liverpool v Everton because of the demand for tickets they had for a derby semi-final? So that was 3 times there in one season. Puts our "Wembley Fatigue" in perspective.
They were there more than us. All the Saturday ones sold out. Do you think we would have sold out fora Thursday night replay 5 days after the final?
I'm sure pondering that will help pass the time for Wednesday fans on their trip to Burton Albion next year.