Rovers Away Following in Top 10 of entire Uk

footyawaydays.com/weekends-top-10-away-attendances-in-britain-6/ Very admirable!

How is a league 2 team with a top 10 away attendance tinpot? It's quite impressive!

Well I found this quite interesting

this post has annoyed me.

Considering the cr@p we've had to put up with over the years, (including relegation from The League!!) I think we have a right to be proud of our away following, even to be excited by it!

The vast vast majority of higher league clubs would NOT be taking this kind of number if they fell down the leagues and had to go to these places for such a long period of time.

YES we are desperate to be better than City (it's been FAR too damn long) and you know what, a lot of the time, (especially considering the difference in league position over recent years), in terms of away support, we damn well are better!!

Oxford isn't exactly ''just around the corner'' and it's still only OXFORD, who we've played loads of times over the years, so nothing overly exciting beyond what our own team is creating, which is great! But it's not like we've got the incentive like lots of those Prem clubs! So to have away support better than all those others clubs up & down the country that weekend, is quality! And damn right I'm proud of it!

UTG

I have to say I'm bloody proud too. It's league 2. A lot of my mates where I work (and you really won't find a more hardened cynical bunch) are impressed too. None of them have any connection to bristol or the gas, they're just football fans impressed at the loyalty of gasheads.

Having just looked at the link, it's actually even more impressive considering the matches that were played. Man u v liverpool, Leeds v sheffield, etc, many of them derby matches that you would expect to be well attended.

Ok. Having now looked at the link.. A few of those would have been maximum allocations, defo Arsenal, Manu, Celtic if not others aswell.
How do we compare in LG2 average away following?

Yes, in fairness there is a mention of allocations in the article, but it puts the fans in good press and is also an interesting STATISTIC.  and we all know about statistics.

Why do you think I'm obsessed? I've not been to an away game for years and only to four home games this season. It is simply a link that was of 'interest' to me and I therefore assumed it to be of interest to other fans.  I actually came across it as a Birmingham City fan friend of mine posted it on Facebook, commenting about their "3rd place".  

I might accept an argument that posting it on Facebook exposes it to a majority who have no interest, but to question or ridicule ts existence on this forum is, to me, surprising in the least.  The fan base (home attendances) represents the principal income stream for the club, and the away following although not providing this income, in my opinion provides a good indication to the level of dedication of the fans.  Above all else, consistent good attendances are critical to the future prosperity of the club.

A home advantage in a game is usually down to a number of things: the team playing in familiar surroundings and a pitch/ground set up to suit, but the fans also play a major part. Do you consider this away following (even as a percentage of home attendances) to be entirely independent of our excellent away record? Or is it purely a coincidence?

Perhpas you could provide a list of subjects that we are permitted to write about without being criticised by you for being tinpot?  In the meantime, I'm off to post on the "New Beginnings" thread.