away days

The away support for last season was better than season 2010-2011 in League One when Argyle averaged 637 fans at each away game.

When you consider the long distances that Argyle fans had to travel and the team being rooted near the bottom of the league after an awful season it's an incredible achievement to take so many fans to away games.

Of Argyle's 23 away games eight have attracted 1,000 plus crowds with 1,272 against Cheltenham the highest followed by 1,244 for the trip to Hereford.
Argyle's lowest away following was for the second away game of the season against Gillingham.
The away support has dipped below 500 just seven times.


The average away support for each League Two team for season 2011-2012:

Swindon 905
Oxford 858
Argyle 749
Bristol R 646
Shrewsbury 639
Port Vale 596
AFC Wimbledon 583
Southend 529
Bradford 506
Gillingham 488
Torquay 453
Northampton 429
Crewe 400
Rotherham 384
Cheltenham 320
Crawley 311
Aldershot 281
Hereford 274
Barnet 234
Burton 224
Dag & Red 184
Morecambe 138
Macclesfield 132
Accrington 104

Whilst its a good following for a team that spent most of the season at the foot of the division,and yes,I went to Gillingham, and indeed Cheltenham,although after four hours in a pre match pub dont remember much about it.In the not too distant past we were regularly taking 3000 to away games.In fact when we were in league division 1 we took 3300 to QPR.So quite a few have stopped doing away games.

A very interesting set of stats. We've all accepted our away following is superb, but the geographical element is a bit of a red herring due to all the exiles. To average a 160 extra away fans to AFC Wimbledon puts things into perspective.

Great kudos to be given to all who have continued to travel, and to all who have continued to turn up at home, but the brutal truth is it will require a consistent winning team to bring back the absentees.

Charlie Wood wrote:

A very interesting set of stats. We've all accepted our away following is superb, but the geographical element is a bit of a red herring due to all the exiles. To average a 160 extra away fans to AFC Wimbledon puts things into perspective.

Great kudos to be given to all who have continued to travel,

Why this 'great kudos' for those that continue to travel ? That just seems a bit of Ryles on the road superfan stuff. Umbrella Vi didn't travel much.
I used to travel to away games a lot, but only when my lifestyle suited it. It wasn't a big deal.
Actually Charlie, it was also the AFC Womble figures that stood out for me. I wish fans could just accept that our away following IS NOT legendary, it's just what football fans do, and ours is not anything special.
Funnily enough, life dictated I happened to be up at the Wimbledon game this last season when that away win turned our fortune. I had my 60 year old friend up on my shoulders 'giving it a bit' after the second goal ... just like the old days, but I have to say, considering the situation of our plight, the support was average at best for the fabled London thing.

I think Charlie's post puts our away support into perspective.160 more away fans than Wimbledon aint nothing to write home about although plenty try.

Penz wrote:

Why this 'great kudos' for those that continue to travel ? That just seems a bit of Ryles on the road superfan stuff.

Willy-waving. Innit.

I do like a subtle post.

The away fans chart is only half the story.....if it was multiplied by miles travelled per club ....then divided by fans total....you would get the distance travelled by each fan.

I would guarantee then that Argyle would be the top supported club.

ZYPH wrote:

The away fans chart is only half the story.....if it was multiplied by miles travelled per club ....then divided by fans total....you would get the distance travelled by each fan.

I would guarantee then that Argyle would be the top supported club.

Not necessarily. Argyle is a city club and many move away for work. I'd guess we have more 'exiles' than most but that number of hooked Argyle junkies is diminishing, owing to decades of failure to capitalise on opportunities.
Most people who 'could' have been hooked, now simply have better things to do with their time and money.

I think more went to the away games because of the situation we were in. If we have a season of mid-table football, next season, I expect the figures to drop.

Many opposition fans have commented on the noise of the travelling green army, which is in part due to Forza Verde (although the away fans do tend to be more vocal anyway).

Away games are decent if we win but in my experience of mainly defeats, getting drunk on the Battlebus was the highlight (rather than the game)

The away games I have been to in the season just gone, all on the club supporters buses

Shrewsbury
Exeter
Southend
Torquay
Bristol Rovers
Aldershot
Crewe
Northampton
Hereford
Morecambe

I enjoyed every single one of these away days, regardless of the score, visiting different stadiums, having a look round the town/city before the game is always good. Lots of people hate the supporters buses but I really don't mind, there's about 6 or 7 of us and we always have a great time.

The highlight away day for me was Morecambe, nothing to play for, decent little town, long old poke, good pies.

Hope for many more, with the superb green army.