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I think the digs at Cardiff rugby are a bit unfair. I've got a season ticket for the rugby and also manage at least 50% of city's games home and away.
Cardiff rugby don't get great crowds, that is true. The crowd they do get is nothing like the Welsh international type though. It's a decent set of fans who are passionate about their team. There's not much of that hymn singing crap and lots of shouting. Certainly don't think your average Cardiff rugby fan would have any bad feelings towards Cardiff City.
Yeah last time I went to Blackpool (1989) our mini bus didn’t show up by empire pool, the loony bus swung by (mainly croesy and the docks crew) and we were left with little choice to get on as they needed bodies to fill their coach. I did feel fortunate to get home that day, the coach was half empty on the way back and mainly full of stolen clothes…..
I think the way the regions were pushed through alienated a lot of people. Especially the way that teams like ponty were completely stitched up. Completely off topic, but I always thought ponty rfc should have told the wru where to go and joined the English leagues. With their fanbase and player production , they'd have probably had a fair chance of getting to the premiership and being the biggest rugby side in Wales.
That's your experience not mine.
Obviously if I went away with the City it would be with lads from my area plus you knew all the City fans from Cardiff areas as you knew them from getting the train or drinking in town.
I know City fans from all areas of Cardiff who were going when we were shit and still go today.
I'm not having this support for the club is or has been bigger from areas outside the city.
Because it's not my experience
well i,m going to challenge that claim
My time in Birmingham which was about 5 years on and off I would say that the bulk north of the city was Aston Villa land whilst the south is Birmingham city . Obviously being a huge city there are fans of both sides in all areas
I agree with villa being the biggest and best supported but for some reason they attract alot of fans outside Birmingham whilst Birmingham don't apart from Redditch . Villa have a huge fan base in most border areas like south staffordshire .Lichfield and Tamworth for example is almost 100 per cent villa .If Birmingham were in the prem they would get big crowds too
I'm a Ponty boy originally and I remember the specials running down to NP in the 60 s, on a Saturday, usually full. Ponty rugby team was lucky to get 2 men and a dog for their matches at Ynysangharad Park, 200 was a big crowd. I would pop down now and again if City were away and I had nothing better to do.
Times have certainly changed.
1/3 of those lads are from Alway and Ringland in Newport.
Talking of which, it's nuts how many Newport lads used to go in the 70's.
Then the early/mid 80's were what they were.
I started going early 91/92 with a few lads from work
And got hooked very quickly.
Had plenty of trouble in Newport Town Centre back then.
Now there are plenty of City fans in Newport.
Having worked in Redditch for the last 20 years, I’d say the split is roughly 60% Villa, 20% Bluenoses, 10% West Brom and the balance split between Cov, Wolves & Polish clubs. You don’t see many shirts from Northern or London clubs.
By the way I can rustle up around 15-20 from the Forest of Dean & Monmouth. There are more City fans in this little corner of England than there are Bristol fans, although Gloucester Rugby dominates the local shirt wearing.
fellow Ponty boy here, Trallwn, yep crowds were not great in the park
team and support took off when the moved to Sardis road,
Ponty support from then on was as good as anyone in Wales and at the time the regions were formed they were the premier team in Wales and produced loads of Internationals
remember the 60s specials to NP
and was a regular on Mair Daniels coaches in the 70s
happy days