Sleeping Giants

[Triggaaar]

If we can ever make the Premiership (and stay there) we would have over achieved ... I can readily name 20 teams bigger than us .. a sleeping giant we are not ... maybe an "Optimistic Aspirer"

I agree with that. We have the potential to grow again, but not into one of the biggest 20 clubs in the country, and you can't even class the biggest 20 clubs as giants.

 

[beorhthelm]

You are right. We are a sleeping giant. We have already proved we can hit gates of 30k in our history. The fan base is there.

30k? you're setting the bar rather low there.

 

[1 night only]

Awake Giants

Man U
Liverpool
Arsenal
Chelsea
Tottenham
Man City

Snoozing Giants

Aston Villa
Everton

Sleeping Giants

Leeds
Newcastle

Dont think any of the rest can ever be giants

We could get to the level of Forest or West Ham at best but neither of those two were ever giants, big clubs but not giants, it didn't not stop Forest winning European cups though

 

[Paddy B]

Oh my days!
Optimism is one thing but we have some seriously deluded people here. As another poster has stated we have spent 4% of our history in the top flight and have spent the majority of the last 20 years in the bottom two divisions not filling one if the smallest grounds in the league. Yes we are on the up and we have grounds for optimism but please do not call us a giant sleeping or otherwise!

 

[salty seagull]

We are not a sleeping giant,how stupid. We are a STIRRING GIANT!!! COOOOMMMEE OONNNN!!!

 

[The Sock of Poskett]

Oh my days!
Optimism is one thing but we have some seriously deluded people here. As another poster has stated we have spent 4% of our history in the top flight and have spent the majority of the last 20 years in the bottom two divisions not filling one if the smallest grounds in the league. Yes we are on the up and we have grounds for optimism but please do not call us a giant sleeping or otherwise!

Entirely agree. However, we are getting things in place in such a way that if we DO get another glory period similar to 78-83, we are much better equipped to build on it.

There's absolutely no reason why we can't follow in the footsteps of clubs like Reading, Hull, Wigan, Watford etc etc

 

[Paddy B]

Entirely agree. However, we are getting things in place in such a way that if we DO get another glory period similar to 78-83, we are much better equipped to build on it.

There's absolutely no reason why we can't follow in the footsteps of clubs like Reading, Hull, Wigan, Watford etc etc

They are exactly the size of club we should aspire to. The point is we are NOT as big as them yet.
And NONE of them are giants!

 

[The Sock of Poskett]

They are exactly the size of club we should aspire to. The point is we are NOT as big as them yet.
And NONE of them are giants!

I think we're agreed on this! The point I think some posters are trying to make is that our POTENTIAL impact as a club on the top two divisions over the next five years could be significant. Of course it needs the upsurge in supporter numbers because of the new stadium to be maintained by success on the pitch.

But our aim as a club is to develop and achieve at the highest level. I'm not bothered where our 'natural level' is or what we're called - a sleeping giant, a stirring giant, a baby giant experiencing a growth spurt or a jolly green giant - so long as we have a team, club and supporter base to be proud of.

 

[DT Withdean]

Southampton. Though they haven't been sleeping, more just a quick nap.

Brighton yes. Big population county, had mega crowds e.g. in Mullery era, showing the underlying fanbase (unlike Reading/Bournemouth who never had anything like that following).

Southampton no. Southampton/Eastleigh population much lower and not a football hotbed like London/Up North. Had their heyday under McMenemy and early PL years whilst in tiny 15,000 stadium. Will never recapture being a prominent player due to modern football finances, with players disloyal and following £.

Yes:
Portsmouth.
Derby.
Forest.
Both Sheffields.

 

[Muzzy]

Come on people get a life. This really is the silly season of threads and too many of our fans need to smell some strong black coffee!

We are not a sleeping giant, never have been and probably never will be!!!

We are a small time club with prospects, like clubs such as Wigan, Hull and Wombles. All reaching the higher echelons of top class footie for a period of time but never really achieving giant status, but MAYBE a possibility of winning a cup along the way!

Sleeping giants surely have to be teams that have achieved over a short period of time I.E Notts Forest. Everton and Villa in my lifetime. Go back in history and clubs like Huddersfield, Bolton and Blackpool would maybe have won European trophies if they had been thought of then for them to them to enter could possibly be in that category. Liverpool are definitely a sleeping giant having never won the EPL!

We have won F all of note so to start thinking we are sleepers in this game is daft!

Fantastic club we are. World beaters we are not. Hope is one thing, Delusion of grandeur is quite another!

 

[patchamalbion]

Brighton yes. Big population county, had mega crowds e.g. in Mullery era, showing the underlying fanbase (unlike Reading/Bournemouth who never had anything like that following).

Southampton no. Southampton/Eastleigh population much lower and not a football hotbed like London/Up North. Had their heyday under McMenemy and early PL years whilst in tiny 15,000 stadium. Will never recapture being a prominent player due to modern football finances, with players disloyal and following £.

Yes:
Portsmouth.
Derby.
Forest.
Both Sheffields.

sorry so are you saying we are/can be a bigger club than Soton?

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Since when has Brighton ever been a giant? - more a permanent pigmy. Even when we had a few years in top flight we always struggled to stay up.

Get real people....

 

[Nottseagull]

Notts County.
Not so much as sleeping, more comatose.

 

[Lethargic]

This thread is hilarious - sleeping giants? much as I love this club you're having a laugh!

 

[Icy Gull]

sorry so are you saying we are/can be a bigger club than Soton?

Have to say I do think we could be, especially if we went up to the Premier league and they got bogged down in the Championship. I've never really thought of Southampton as big, they were perennial relegation scrappers for what seemed like decades, escaping relegation at the last minute most seasons.They managed to hang on to Le Tissier, which was impressive or was he just a bit thick? Occasionally they had other good players who were past their prime like Keegan. They were extremely lucky to win the Cup and their ground was almost as shit as the Goldstone. I always think of them as a southern Coventry not a big club at all.

 

[Simster]

Southampton are bigger now than they have ever been before - they are now noticably bigger than us, and indeed Portsmouth. Their average gates were higher than our new capacity last season in league one, when they were shite for the first third of the season. 26,000 for a Tuesday night against Albion = good support. They'd already had 28,500 for their Bournemouth game.

When I was growing up, I always considered them a similar to us, but lucky enough to have avoided relegation and therefore never really have their fan's loyalty tested. And I always considered Portsmouth to be slightly bigger than both Soton & BHA.

 

[the wanderbus]

And I always considered Portsmouth to be slightly bigger than both Soton & BHA.

I think a lot of our perception of a clubs size is dependant on age. When I first got into football Pompey were a piss pot club (still are) that had to dry their kit on washing lines strung across the terraces because as a 4th division club they couldnt afford the electricity. Southampton at around the same time were winning the cup. I dont really consider many clubs as giants but the ones I do are all big city clubs, Arsenal,Man u, Newcastle, Liverpool.Clubs like Chelsea , Spurs ,Leeds , Wolves ect are all big clubs but I dont believe they should be classed as giants.
Us? we're a small to medium club with aspirations and potential of becoming a medium to large club .

 

[1 night only]

I dont really consider many clubs as giants but the ones I do are all big city clubs, Arsenal,Man u, NEWCASTLE Liverpool.Clubs like Chelsea , Spurs ,Leeds , Wolves ect are all big clubs but I dont believe they should be classed as giants.
.

Whatever your age if you consider Newcastle a bigger club than Chelsea or Spurs you need to learn your football history!!

 

[Mints]

Brighton are more David, rather than Goliath. The Championship is as good as it gets. If promotion is ever achieved to the promised land, there will be more synergies with Blackpool - no harm in dreaming though.

 

[Smithy]

Brighton are more David, rather than Goliath. The Championship is as good as it gets. If promotion is ever achieved to the promised land, there will be more synergies with Blackpool - no harm in dreaming though.

We are by no means a sleeping giant but we have far more potential than a club like Blackpool.