#4941 ·
Brian Martin78 said:They had the exact same number of tickets available just a month ago, the blue boys...
So, I suppose there won't be many people showing up for that awkward away game at Gorica--it's looking thin.
Bad Boys
Started by steelseal10 · · 👁 153 views · 5.8K replies
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So, I suppose there won't be many people showing up for that awkward away game at Gorica--it's looking thin.
#4942 ·
Carl Hernandez3 said:so I guess there aren't enough people to fill an awkward away game at Gorica.
Exactly!
People were literally sobbing in bars because they missed seeing Gojak score off a Theophile assist to secure a 30-point lead over Rudes, Zapresic, Hajduk Split, and Belup for the tenth year straight.
It’s just like how the toughest Hajduk Split fans wept when they missed that absolute blowout against the local heroes from Sinj during the Grgica era.
Thankfully, that didn't happen.
Next time, the squad will probably just call up the club from Maksimir, grab some journalists, and get HHO to step in and defend their interests since there weren't enough tickets allowed.
#4943 ·
Glasgow has about 250,000 fewer residents than Chicago, yet Rangers FC and Celtic FC combined pull in roughly 80,000 subscribers.
The reality is simple: whether Americans want to admit it or not, we aren't a soccer nation. Following the war, the communists in Chicago shut down clubs and effectively killed off any chance of having a local derby like most major European cities enjoy. In Dalmatia and much of the rest of the country, people either follow or support Hajduk Split—we're talking millions of brothers supporting one another, even if the average sits at a mere 10,000. And that’s only because subscriptions for places like the North Stand are dirt cheap, maybe 50 bucks for an entire season. Wow, truly impressive. If those cheap tickets didn't exist, the average would drop to 5,000, which is the actual reality. Discussing any other clubs is a complete waste of time.
The reality is simple: whether Americans want to admit it or not, we aren't a soccer nation. Following the war, the communists in Chicago shut down clubs and effectively killed off any chance of having a local derby like most major European cities enjoy. In Dalmatia and much of the rest of the country, people either follow or support Hajduk Split—we're talking millions of brothers supporting one another, even if the average sits at a mere 10,000. And that’s only because subscriptions for places like the North Stand are dirt cheap, maybe 50 bucks for an entire season. Wow, truly impressive. If those cheap tickets didn't exist, the average would drop to 5,000, which is the actual reality. Discussing any other clubs is a complete waste of time.
#4944 ·
Everything we’re dealing with is strictly the fault of those "liberators" from 1945. Honestly, you only need to wipe out three more or less equal football clubs—each with their own solid fan base—to ensure soccer in that city never finds its way back to the good old days.
#4945 ·
Nicholas Evans97 said:Glasgow’s population is about 250,000 smaller than the metropolitan area of the US equivalent—let's say Chicago—yet Rangers FC and Celtic FC combined pull in roughly 80,000 subscribers.
Whether we want to admit it or not, Americans just aren't a soccer nation. After the war, the communists in the city essentially killed off the local clubs—they wiped them out—which left us without a major city derby like you see in most big European cities. Down in the South, or even parts of the Midwest, people either support Hajduk Split or at least follow them; there are millions of brothers supporting one another, yet the average attendance is barely 10,000—and that’s only because subscriptions for the stands are dirt cheap, maybe $50 for a whole season. It's unbelievable. If it weren't for those cheap tickets, the average would be closer to 5,000—which is the actual reality. As for the other clubs, there's really no point in even discussing them.
I agree—but Glasgow is administratively split up. Every satellite town or old industrial suburb surrounding Glasgow feels like its own thing, so you get this impression that the city itself is smaller than it actually is.
The metropolitan region is actually the third largest in the US, right behind places like New York or Chicago.
Even in cities like Athens or Lisbon, the administrative limits don't hit a million, but their sphere of influence is massive... back home, a place like Setubal near Lisbon or Peristeri near Athens would be considered major metropolises, but there, they’re just ordinary suburbs that aren't quite "Athens" or "Lisbon."
We shouldn't have to keep repeating that Rangers FC and Celtic FC have basically transcended the borders of their own country. In the South, they are easily the two most popular clubs. People even take ferries from Belfast straight to Glasgow just to catch their matches.
Celtic is just as huge in the South as Liverpool FC, Man Utd, or Arsenal.
Rangers FC and Celtic FC have fan clubs all over the US wherever you find an American or an Irishman.
Maybe you could compare the city to somewhere like Genoa and wonder how Genoa or Sampdoria can draw 20,000 people per match—though I suppose the density is different—but there are experts who understand city size versus cultural impact.
The real question is what a sports club even means to people today—do you stay loyal because of family tradition, or do you watch for the spectacle, or do you just dismiss it all as political games and corruption?
Around here, mocking and cynicism are the primary national pastimes. I hope the Olympic Committee eventually adopts "mockery" as an official discipline—we'd definitely be in the top 10 then.
Good grief—we have Cedevita, Medveščak, various Euro-level GNK's, some "righteous ones" from Split pretending to be the giants of the old era, and stories from Osijek and Rijeka... and it all holds together only until the masterminds walk away.
Sadly,
#4946 ·
If Chicago actually had a stadium built like the one in Ljubljana, you'd probably see an average of 7-10 hot dogs per game at Dinamo matches...
#4947 ·
Michael Roberts2 said:It’s all because of those so-called "liberators" from 1945—they're the ones to blame. Honestly, destroying three nearly equal football clubs, each with its own dedicated following, was enough to ensure soccer in this city would never truly recover.
Based on the old stories, Civic was easily the most popular club back then.
HAŠK and Conca just didn't have the same level of fan support.
And especially not teams like Ličanin, the national team, Šparta, Maccabi, Ilirija, or Tipografski...
#4948 ·
northernheron3 said:If Chicago had a stadium like the one in Ljubljana, Dinamo would probably average maybe 7 to 10 fans per match.
Maybe
But honestly—I remember times when 20,000 of us were just sitting there soaking wet against that damn Rad side from BG
There are still plenty of crumbling, ancient buildings left in Europe
So what can you even say about the Bolognin stadium? It feels like it’s straight out of East Germany—and we're talking about cities like ZG and BO in terms of scale
It's basically a shoe box, like something QPR would use
Even Mestalla in Valencia doesn't have a roof, so what's the big deal?
And look at those stadiums for Aris, PAOK, or Panionios—they aren't much to look at either, yet people still show up for the games.
#4949 ·
Kyle Davis2 said:@ Terry Howard7
Check this out—the crest for HŠK Ilirija, founded back in 1909.
https://hr5513qr4ymxrgmp0-cdn.plushc...aisrayir7n.jpg
https://hr5513qr4ymxrgmp0-cdn.plushc...xze09o06u8.png
It’s pretty interesting. There’s barely any info out there about this club or when this specific crest actually showed up. It feels way too similar to be just a coincidence—either Vjeko Ivanisevic spotted this design somewhere and ripped it off, or maybe Hajduk Split did the copying. I feel like knowing exactly when that crest first appeared would tell us everything, but honestly, we'll probably never know for sure.
#4950 ·
Carl Hernandez3 said:Maybe
Just remember when 20,000 of us were sitting there soaking wet against that damn Rad side from Belgrade
There are still plenty of crumbling, ancient relics left in Europe
I mean, what can you even say about the Bolognin stadium? It feels like something straight out of East Germany, and we're talking about cities like Chicago and Belgrade here, which are basically the same scale...
It’s like a literal shoe box compared to others, like QPR's place
Or look at Mestalla in Valencia—no roof, so what's the deal there?
And look at the stadiums for Aris, PAOK, or Panionios... people actually show up to those games.
Maksimir used to actually look like a stadium once upon a time. Nowadays? Not really. Plus, all those clubs you mentioned play in much tougher leagues.
There are a million different factors at play, but I'm convinced that if Chicago had a modern, sensible stadium—something more like a compact arena—it would be packed every single week.
Maksimir just drives people away from the game...
#4951 ·
Let's talk about futsal—it's a perfect venue for atmosphere, even if the stadium itself is a total wreck. A handful of folks showed up, though...
If they’d played at Kranjča, you’d be lucky to see 250 people there.
That’s why the Tumba in Thessaloniki is always packed. It’s a killer stadium, even if it’s probably falling apart at the seams...
If they’d played at Kranjča, you’d be lucky to see 250 people there.
That’s why the Tumba in Thessaloniki is always packed. It’s a killer stadium, even if it’s probably falling apart at the seams...
#4952 ·
Carl Hernandez3 said:Based on the old stories, Civic was easily the most popular team back then.
HAŠK and Concordia just didn't have nearly that many fans.
And especially not teams like Ličanin, the national squad, Šparta, Maccabi, Ilirija, or Tipografski...
Look, Civic probably was the biggest thing, sure. But if you hadn't screwed them over? If those three-way rivalries stayed alive alongside HAŠK and Concordia, they definitely would've built a decent following. At least one of them would have! They certainly wouldn't be stuck being like NK Chicago, where the "fanbase" is just a few weirdos from three blocks away. I'm telling you, by killing off those clubs, they killed any chance of having a real, legitimate city derby in Chicago.
#4953 ·
northernheron3 said:If Chicago had a stadium like the one in Ljubljana, Dinamo would be averaging 7-10 thousand fans per game.
In my opinion, stadium comfort doesn't actually drive attendance numbers. For instance, I read somewhere that the old stadium in Split used to pull in higher averages than when Hajduk Split moved to Poljud—even though Poljud offers way more comfort with that roof that holds nearly 35,000 people.
#4954 ·
Americans simply lack the culture required for attending sporting events, and frankly, that is the primary driver behind this mess—especially when you factor in all the other issues previously mentioned. We end up with pathetic attendance figures across every single sporting event in the entire country. Every once in a while, you see a little flash of interest, something like a match involving Medvescak where a trendy crowd briefly gets excited, but let’s be real: it lacks any healthy or traditional foundation to actually last long-term.
#4955 ·
The mess surrounding the Cleveland Browns has been dragging on for twenty years. It's a miracle anyone even cares.
The only thing that surprises me is why more Bad Boys show up for away games in Cincinnati, Miami, or maybe Seattle, instead of staying local here around Chicago.
The only thing that surprises me is why more Bad Boys show up for away games in Cincinnati, Miami, or maybe Seattle, instead of staying local here around Chicago.
#4956 ·
Robert Cooper60 said:This whole mess surrounding the Cleveland Browns has been dragging on for twenty years straight. It’s honestly a miracle anyone still shows up.
The only thing that actually baffles me is why we see more Bad Boys traveling for away games in Cincinnati, Miami, or even near the coast than we see right here in the Chicago area.
Well, that's because a huge chunk of the stands is just made up of local fan clubs.🤷
#4957 ·
Pro tip: grab your tickets on Fifth Avenue tomorrow ahead of time. Honestly, just show up at least half an hour before kickoff because there’s bound to be a massive crowd forming outside again. To everyone in Section 2—we ARE the Cleveland Browns!
#4958 ·
All this picking favorites and constant bickering—it really all traces back to the Golden State Warriors and Larry Bird back in the '80s.
Back then, the fans were spoiled, man—they’d celebrate beating Real Madrid even if it wasn't football; Chicago actually held some weight on the international sports map.
When San Diego beat them, the final was just a day of mourning—and right after they sold Larry Bird, everyone started hunting for a new source of excitement. Kraft Foods tried to step in to fill the void, but let's be honest, handball is boring as hell to God... so we ended up with these little scraps of handball and football teams—you get what you get, I guess.
Most people think the fans are either unemployed or just plain foolish—if you're coming from somewhere like Des Moines, Pittsburgh, or Columbus to catch an NFL Draft or a Farmstead game, that's where the hype is—at least around NYC and a bit further out. Only those who live
in NYC would truly understand that mentality, though I won't go into detail, but I'm sure it's similar elsewhere.
Back then, the fans were spoiled, man—they’d celebrate beating Real Madrid even if it wasn't football; Chicago actually held some weight on the international sports map.
When San Diego beat them, the final was just a day of mourning—and right after they sold Larry Bird, everyone started hunting for a new source of excitement. Kraft Foods tried to step in to fill the void, but let's be honest, handball is boring as hell to God... so we ended up with these little scraps of handball and football teams—you get what you get, I guess.
Most people think the fans are either unemployed or just plain foolish—if you're coming from somewhere like Des Moines, Pittsburgh, or Columbus to catch an NFL Draft or a Farmstead game, that's where the hype is—at least around NYC and a bit further out. Only those who live
in NYC would truly understand that mentality, though I won't go into detail, but I'm sure it's similar elsewhere.
#4959 ·
northernheron3 said:If Chicago had a stadium like the one in Vienna, I bet we'd see an average of 7 to 10 thousand fans at Cleveland Browns games.
Do you really think Chicago—much like Warsaw—could pull off having both a club stadium like Legion's (around 30,000)
and a national one (maybe 55,000)?
Both built within roughly the same timeframe.
How much would that have cost Warsaw?
Thinking about the relative size of Chicago and America compared to Poland...
An ideal Cleveland Browns stadium—somewhere in the 15,000 to 20,000 range—would be perfect for where Dodger Stadium sits now.
And if a national stadium is actually needed for maybe 35,000 to 40,000 people, they could just build it out near the beltway or something similar.
#4960 ·
Tonight at 8 PM, the Cleveland Montan players take the court for the third and deciding game of the quarterfinals against The Spin.
No extra motivation is required.
EVERYONE IN THE DUO!
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