In decades gone by, one of the primary indicators of a club’s size was the attendances it attracted.
The correlation between crowd numbers and results has always been something of a chicken and egg scenario, but large audiences generally meant that a club was in good health and likely to be experiencing at least some degree of success on the field.
Things have changed somewhat in the modern game. Television deals, corporate partnerships and many other alternative sources of income have helped reduce the significance of ticket sales on match days. Nevertheless, the number of people regularly attending a side's home games is a reasonable pointer as to what the club should be achieving, something that makes the current situation at both Sunderland and Newcastle United all the more puzzling.
The two clubs from the north-east of England are propping up the Premier League table, with Newcastle one spot ahead of their bottom-placed rivals by virtue of having a narrowly superior goal difference.
After hugely disappointing campaigns in 2014/15 – Newcastle finished 15th and Sunderland a place lower in the 20-team league – the clubs’ form in the opening weeks of 2015/16 suggests that they may not have reached a nadir yet.
Last season, Sunderland and Newcastle attracted a combined average attendance of almost 94,000. They ranked 27th and 12th, respectively, in average attendances among European clubs, outselling the likes of AS Roma, Chelsea, Sevilla, Juventus, Porto, AC Milan and Inter Milan. Newcastle also were ahead of Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Ajax and Liverpool.
Considering Sunderland and Newcastle were embroiled in a relegation battle rather than fighting for honours or competing in the Uefa Champions League, the figures are remarkable.
As impressive as is support in such numbers, the fans’ extended show of loyalty has done nothing to prevent both clubs from being plagued by mismanagement in recent years.
Sunderland seem to have had the exact same season in each of the past three campaigns: a poor start leads to a change of manager, with the new man initially struggling but ultimately clawing the side out of the relegation zone with some last-gasp heroics.
Martin O’Neill, Paolo Di Canio and Gus Poyet have all saved Sunderland from the drop before being sacked the following season, and the demeanour of the incumbent, Dick Advocaat, suggests the Dutchman may not last much longer at the Stadium of Light.
Player recruitment has been mostly a disaster for Sunderland over the past five years. Hefty sums have been wasted on the likes of Jozy Altidore, Ricky Alvarez and Emanuele Giaccherini, with the signing of Younes Kaboul from Tottenham Hotspur this summer arguably the most mysterious acquisition of the lot. A continual failure to spend wisely has harmed Sunderland substantially.
Newcastle’s malaise arguably goes back even further: a superb fifth-place finish under Alan Pardew in 2012 notwithstanding, the six-time FA Cup winners have underachieved in the top flight for almost a decade.
Owner Mike Ashley remains as unpopular as ever with Newcastle followers, who are understandably irritated at a perceived prioritisation of profit over trophies.
The likes of Swansea City, Southampton and Crystal Palace have a defined identity, a style of play and way of doing things, but Sunderland and Newcastle simply lurch from one crisis to the next.
Just as regular changes of coaches can be absorbed by the aforementioned trio due to a stable club structure and established methodology, different managers at Sunderland and Newcastle are hamstrung by the glaring absence of coherence and continuity behind the scenes. It is a recipe for disaster, with both north-east clubs fortunate to avoid demotion to the second tier in the past two seasons. They finished just three and four points off relegation, respectively, last season.
Given their protracted struggles, it is incredible that the Stadium of Light and St James’ Park continue to host such large crowds. Unfortunately, for supporters of Sunderland and Newcastle, healthy attendances are no guarantee of success.
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