From the Guardian :- Hope you haven't already seen it!

According to the latest data held by the Sir Norman Chester Centre for Football Research at the University of Leicester - who admittedly use a different method of calculation - Newcastle enjoy the largest local support of any British club.

During the 1998-98 season, the Toon sold 85% of their season tickets to fans who were locally born (ie: within 20 miles of the club's ground). Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough came joint second, with 82%, closely followed by Charlton (81%), Everton and Blackburn (79%), and Liverpool and Aston Villa (78%).

Unsurprisingly, Manchester United don't do so well: only 66% of the Old Trafford crowd are considered "locals" by the survey. But the much-maligned Mancs aren't the worst Premiership offenders by a long chalk: only 64% of the Elland Road crowd come from Leeds, while Southampton, a club you would expect to have a strong regional fan-base, only fill 56% of the Dell with locals.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

Answers

Where were the hakkems ?

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

Can accept that Southamptons fans probably come from the whole of the south west, which in theory if the club was any good could see them fill a 50,000k stadium due to the size of the catchment area.

I don't believe the figure on Man U though , How do they know for sure that these people aren't just saying that they are from Manchester . What it boils down to is would you trust a Man U fan to tell you the truth?

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

Hey Rik...ya know that that very same survey last year put us down as having one of the highest local capture areas based on ST sales.

BTW....against City we ended the game with 6 Mancs on the field...how many of your team are Geordies?

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

The answer to that Bill, as well you know, is that the hakkems were down in the Nationwide where they belong in 1998-99 :-)

Southampton are the only big team in a large but sparsely populated area, so perhaps they deserve a bit of a let-off.....actually, considering our record at the Dell, bollocks to them, bloody part timers :-)

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

I hope you're not including the Neville's and Scholes in your six LR - aren't they from Bury and Oldham? ;-)

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

Yes who are these 6 mystery mancs?

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

Greater Manchester...Oldham AND Bury.

Next!

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

>>>>Southampton, a club you would expect to have a strong regional fan-base, only fill 56% of the Dell with locals

Presumably the other 44% is empty. :-)

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

I thought the Smoggies won this award , at least thats what i heard on the local news a month or so ago...

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

I'm from Oldham, and don't consider myself to be a mancunian. Mind you If I still lived down there I reckon I would have ended up as a city fan.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

The problem with this is where do you draw the line on localism? 5 miles, 10 miles 20 miles, the other side of the Irish sea?

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

Go for the juggular rik, get 'em boy. How are the kitchen sinks nowadays?

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

Actually I feel that I've let the side down by not being BORN within 20 miles of Newcastle. I have claimed Geordieness through both of my parents and the fact that I am probably an assimilated Geordie as I've been here for the last 35 years.

It really is a bit pathetic though, the origional survey,first of all WHY was it done and secondly who made up the rules? I don't want to be catergorised as a FOREIGNER as I wasn't born in the area. I'm gona complain to the guardian, they could fix the survey by slightly moving the walls counln't they?

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

Rik, if i was mayor of Newcastle I would give you the keys to the city. Based soley on principle and the fact that you are the only one that sleeps in the sink

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

LR, we could play J McClen, David Beharall, Shola Amoebi and Jamie Coppinger (he's from Darlo but I think if you include Oldham, we'll include Darlo) and I'm definitely leaving some out - atht's just from the reserves, not the youths.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

OK, LR, I thought you meant youths/reserves. WE could play in the first team: Harper - goal Alan Shearer, Shola Amoebi (Jamie Coppinger reserve striker) Jamie McClen David Beharall All of these have played in our first team and all are from within a radius similar to Manchester and Oldham.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

Sleeping in the sink is purely a figment of Screachers vivid imagination

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

In that case Screacher must be more talented than he lets on since he is able to transfer his imagination into a camera. I seen ya bonny lad, mind you there was once a time I paid for a hotel room and ended up spending the night on a park bench.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

RIK IS FROM OLDHAM!!!!!!!!!

Seeing as I am from Rochdale we could have some other alternative to the Toon vs. monkey heeds debate.

Newcastle has the Tyne Bridge, the Blinking Eye etc...

Rochdale has the widest bridge in the world.

Oldham has a bridge with a slogan on it stating:

"Seton Tubigrip Welcomes you to OLDHAM - the Home of the Tubular Bandage"

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

Actually I was born just off the hollins road and lived there till I was five, can't remember much about the place. I used to have an uncle who was a scout for Rochdale, mustn't have been very good like.....

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

Douggie......you COULD play them...but you don't...simple as that.

However, I respect the way you valiantly fight your corner...however weak yer upper-cut is :-)

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

Well, bearing in mind that they are all bairns apart from Shearer and Harper, it's not surprising we don't play them that often. However, Amoebi likely to play tomorrow.

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

And he sounds a REAL Geordie...with a name like like ....lol

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

Raised in Walker - Wansbeck Road's finest. You're not being racist, are you, LR?

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

NO...you're not being PC are you?

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

It's gonna be difficul;t being racist against a guy you tell me is a Geordie....isn't it?....and apart from that I don't know him...never seen him.

get outa London NOW Douggie...it's ruining ya.

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

C'mon people how dare any of you argue with the Great and Wonderful he who must always be obeyed and who is always right......LR.

Of course Newton Heath have got the biggest and best local catchment area.....and all of their players are locals.....after all they lord the entire world so EVERYWHERE is local....even BURNLEY.

Sh!t face tosser

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

Yer a class act you Ken....."yer just a town full of........" Zzzzzzzzzzzz

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

>>>However, I respect the way you valiantly fight your corner...however weak yer upper-cut is :-)

Aye, but she swings a mean crutch (allegedly)

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

I think we were both being tounge in cheek weren't we, LR ?

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

Ooh - tongues eh??

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000