Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Wigan - Who's Bigger??

[@historyoffootball87]

Bolton are the biggest for me. They can be a bit touchy though with where they are located as when I did my Burnden Park video I said that Bolton were in Greater Manchester and a few comments said "We are not in Greater Manchester!!".

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

I did double confirm this before I posted 👍🏻⚽️

[@elaineblackhurst1509]

@@mattthegroundhopper9242 You need to read-up on the great vivisection of 1974; GM is an unloved political, administrative, and geographical expression to which almost none of the c.3 million people in the ‘city region’ (the biggest outside Greater London) have any sort of affiliation whatsoever. Of the teams you covered here - and their supporters - they all still consider themselves Lancashire, except for Stockport County where the ‘County’ bit refers to it being a historic county borough of Cheshire.

[@kennythehatter]

Quite right, they're not, and neither are we. Stockport, Cheshire is a town in it's own right and shouldn't get lumped into this Greater Manchester nonsense.

[@elaineblackhurst1509]

@@mattthegroundhopper9242 That’s good, but just take a little look into the history as well which is just as important; in the case of Stockport County, the ‘County’ refers to the town’s status as a historic county borough of Cheshire. Pretty much 0% of Stopfordians consider themselves ‘Greater Mancunians’, in fact, ‘Manc’ is considered a term of abuse there, as it is in the ex-Lancashire bits of the ‘city region’ like Bolton, Bury, Rochdale, Wigan, Oldham, and the rest.

[@MrAbigail5]

Lancashire end ov

[@Againsttherunofplayy]

Good video, hate to admit it as I have a strong hatred for Bolton but they are definitely the big club out of the 6

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Thanks for your comments, good to see Bury back on the up ⬆️👍🏻

[@elaineblackhurst1509]

5 conceded in each of the last two trips to Edgeley Park would suggest that living off history is not worth much in today’s world.

[@kyzer1996]

Stockport is actually part of Cheshire

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

People keep telling me this 👍🏻

[@StevenSmethurst]

And the rest are lancashire but they fall under greater manchester administrative borough in the same way stockport does. As a Boltoner I would personally say Lancashire though.

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

I keep hearing this 👍🏻⚽️

[@peterparkerspizzaface6431]

Bolton are bigger than the rest of the Greater Manchester clubs combined. 4 FA Cups, 73 years in the top flight. Average attendance of 21,000 in league 1 this season. Massive football club.

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Well the stats are agreeing with you 👍🏻

[@Nick_1072]

Stockport County fan here, if you re ran the test again County would jump up the rankings with avergae crowds now around 9,000 and 90% of capacity. Hopefully a title at the end of the season as eell.

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Thanks Nick, as a Gills fan I think I have to agree with your prediction of a league title 🏆

[@mattbwfc6125]

Bolton miles bigger than them all no question

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Easy win for them Matt, wasn’t it 👍🏻

[@carlt9265]

Miles 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 wigan are just as big as bolton recent history shows it

[@LewisElland12]

@@carlt9265Wigan have about 5,000 home fans mate😂

[@anguswilson6618]

Great Vid Mate

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Nice one Angus 👍🏻⚽️

[@adam160908]

What an absurd name for a newly created administrative county the government created in 1974 and much to the annoyance of proud lancastrians and the Cheshire folk with the towns of Bolton and Wigan not even sharing a boundary with Manchester and imagine the uproar in Bradford if West Yorkshire had been named Greater Leeds or the folk in Wolverhampton if the West Midlands had been named Greater Birmingham.

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Some one in a suit was probably paid a wedge to come up with that name 👍🏻

[@stephenblackhurst2425]

Cheshire folk are ‘Cestrians’.

[@Jimmy_Cooper]

Bolton by far … not even a question

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

That’s what the stats say 👍🏻

[@Jimmy_Cooper]

Was there not a plan about 15/20 years ago to merge Oldham Rochdale and Bury . Manchester North End I believe they were to be called

[@Chrisb456]

Stockport fan here. Bolton, Yes, Wigan..MMM recent history to do with Dave Whelan. Oldham, Bury and County all similar. Rochdale are the smallest. Good vid and good parameters!

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Thanks for your comments, I have watched Stockport 3 times in the last few months for the channel, Gills home and away and your Wembley trip 👍🏻⚽️

[@Paul-eb4jp]

Bury are no bigger than Dale, they're very much of a muchness.

[@paulweller3179]

As a Bolton fan we consider you lot a bigger club than Wigan,they're a village pub team to us (League 1 for your men next season,all the best)

[@weareright2857]

i was born in Lancashire and not changed because some politician said so, coywm

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

👍🏻

[@paulweller3179]

Indeed

[@Paul-eb4jp]

Bolton Wigan County and Tics level Dale and Bury level I don't think many will disagree with that.

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

That is similar to the final result on the video 👍🏻⚽️

[@elaineblackhurst1509]

@@mattthegroundhopper9242 It’s probably about right historically, but the clubs are on different trajectories; Stockport County are going to move well ahead of Oldham (they will be two divisions apart next season), and probably Wigan as well over the next five years.

[@carlt9265]

Lmfao stockport on par with wigan ? What drugs do you take wigan are far bigger

[@organicperoxide4619]

Bury ftw.

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

The phoenix club Bury 👍🏻

[@highcloseproductions]

Are you at Brighton v Burnley mate?

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Yes I was 👍🏻

[@highcloseproductions]

@@mattthegroundhopper9242 I was in Burnley end. Was trying to get your attention to say hello. Think your vlogs are decent. I’m a Morecambe FC fan at that was ground 55/92 today and also seen you at Exeter when we got relegated last season. Didnt know you then though. I may be in your video when Brighton equalised. Keep up the good work 👍

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

@@highcloseproductions nice one, are you on twitter??

[@StevenSmethurst]

I love how this innocent video about football started a debate on what borough the towns fall under. Im very much of the opinion that Bolton is of Lancashire but jeez, for the sake of the video its easier to just clump all the towns together as greater manchester rather than saying biggest team in the towns within a 10 mile radius of manchester the videos name gets a bit on the long side then😂

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Haha, people need to chill out 👍🏻⚽️

[@Toneranger57]

Oldham fan here think you got it about right. Although Oldham and Stockport could be much bigger and will probably rival the plastic latics eventually.

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Both Oldham and Stockport have proven they can mix it with the bigger boys, their time will come again 👍🏻

[@o_a_f_c]

oldham are massive everywhere we go

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

What, bigger than Altrincham? 👍🏻⚽️

[@o_a_f_c]

obviously mush ​@@mattthegroundhopper9242.

[@Kiwiboy1929]

It's Bolton

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

That’s what the stats say 👍🏻⚽️

[@stephenhorsfield4382]

Greater Manchester my arse. All the clubs are in Lancashire apart from Stockport who are in Cheshire. Greater Manchester doesnt exist.

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Who is Andy Burnham mayor of?

[@stephenhorsfield4382]

@@mattthegroundhopper9242 The mayor of a nothing county. A made up name. A county that doesnt exist anymore. A county that doesnt have a council. Just like the invented imaginary county of Cumbria.

[@stephenblackhurst2425]

@@mattthegroundhopper9242 An administrative expression.

[@laticrourke3173]

Bigger club... Bolton. Yet it's been 10 years since they've actually beaten us (Wigan). So at somepoint it'll change to us!

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Have you played each other every season within those 10 years?

[@freddieflint9579]

Oldham were div 1 (or prem) runners up in 1914/15 don’t see Bolton doing that

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

👍🏻

[@Paul-eb4jp]

About the time of the first World War?

[@mickharrison9004]

Fkuk bowton scum ,blackpool fc were runners up in division one in 1961 ,though we are a smaller town we've held our own with wnky ,even running them home and away in the 80 s ,the pinnacle being around 84 boxing day seasiders smashed there ,way into home stand at Manny road and they scattered ,at home shithouses on another occasion in blackpool they got off ,coaches back then lytham road round corner from our ground ,we ran em smashed em they ran into hotels to escape beatings ,a bit off subject but our hatred of bowton knows no bounds 👊

[@mickharrison9004]

Wigan pathetic only get high home attendances or higher than some ,due to massif away support cos theyv got no fans ,in premier league blackpool fc took nearly 7,000 sht fans 😂, hold the record for taking the lowest amount to a fa cup final ,they lost to man united taking just 8,000 on that occasion ,thus man united holding the record of taking the most ,ever to Wembley for a final .

[@AS_Lancaster]

​@mickharrison9004 literally none of that makes any sense or has an ounce of truth

[@martinryan2370]

The happy shopper derbies . Shame because Manchester needs other clubs

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Happy Shopper?? Not heard that term before, I grew up eating Happy Shopper food 👍🏻

[@martinryan2370]

@@mattthegroundhopper9242 it was a phrase I heard in the early 90s All little corner shops ( sadly gone now ) we're affiliated to the wholesaler. Quality was questionable 👀👀👀🙄 Tin of beans with no sauce or no beans lol 👍

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

@@martinryan2370 yep cheap and cheerful, it didn’t kill me 😂

[@Paul-eb4jp]

First time I've heard that,one thing we'd all agree on is none of us are actually Manchester clubs and even Greater Manchester doesn't sit well with most, all but Bolton would say they're in Lancashire while County fans would say they're in Cheshire.

[@elaineblackhurst1509]

Stockport is not Happy Shopper territory; the borough has two traditional ‘blue wall’ Tory seats (in other words, nice, affluent middle-class places to live), though it’s likely to lose both to the Lib Dem’s (not Labour) next time.

[@russelljones1549]

Horwich RMI

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

I had to look them up 👍🏻

[@JasonShinks]

By Greater Manchester you obviously mean Lancashire.

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Noooo, I’ve already done a Lancashire special 👍🏻

[@MrAbigail5]

@@mattthegroundhopper9242 Bolton is Lancashire pal

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

@@MrAbigail5 but I triple checked it and every source states they are also classed as being part of Greater Manchester

[@MrMultiman89]

No he obviously means Bolton in the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria. So many salty people get upset because their local area changed the way it was administered half a century ago

[@MrAbigail5]

@@MrMultiman89 them other towns don't mind being labelled greater Manchester but in Bolton it's very different we are proud Lancastrians

[@colya_87]

Why are you even asking this question? Haha😅

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Every question needs answer 👍🏻

[@carlt9265]

Yes hes wrong its wigan

[@MrAbigail5]

Do we really needed to put Bolton in, they are clearly a big club while the rest are probably not know around the country, bit unfair putting Bolton wanderers football club in with them

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

But they are part of the same location so why not 🤷‍♂️

[@Paul-eb4jp]

Not known?? Well maybe if you've never left the house or read a paper.

[@MrAbigail5]

@@Paul-eb4jp ask someone in Kent or Devon about Bury Rochdale and Oldham and most won't have a clue

[@Paul-eb4jp]

@@MrAbigail5 I'd be amazed if that was the case.

[@AlfiePace]

oldham.

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

No ….. Oldham Athletic 👍🏻

[@professorbernardkemp7448]

Why is this even a question? Bolton Wanderers are the biggest town club in either Greater Manchester or Lancashire (where most Bolton fans identify with - hence the Red Rose on their badge). Bolton are the biggest town club in the North West by a country mile.

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

Well the stats agree with you 👍🏻⚽️

[@CalSN20]

as of recently, wigan are massively the biggest, but before the millennium we had no history but i'd say we are the biggest as we have come through 2 or 3 massive financial problems but we still put up numbers and performances UTT 🟦⬜️

[@mattthegroundhopper9242]

I remember the days when Wigan played at Springfield Park 👍🏻⚽️

[@CalSN20]

@@mattthegroundhopper9242 i haven’t been alive long enough for that, but i know we have had some special memories there 🤩

[@chrissale8802]

Massive! But can only fill a third of their ground🤣 Av a day off will ya!

[@professorbernardkemp7448]

The only thing large about Wigan Athletic is the number of empty seats 😂

[@CalSN20]

@@professorbernardkemp7448 yeah i do agree, attendances have never really been high for us even in the prem :/