(---) I expected a bit more than what I did to be honest. What I found more or less was only 7 pages (which is about the quarter of this place even on our home games) which shows they really are a concentrated fan group that vote with their feet rather than us who has a far flung supporter mix being a team across 1 country with geographical spread. Also in Parramatta, there is not much else to do/support being an inner city suburb team except hitting the gym or sunbeds (generalisation/stereotyping). It was a lot more general commentary of them as a group and how they support and the game 2nd. They don't seemed too concerned viewing us as nothing more than a speed bump (if I was to make an overall view). I thought there might have been more analysis on how they played etc but not too much at all.
They do place a lot more emphasis on organisation/sameness/'you will do this if you stand here' than the YF where as I think the YF are more 'we'll be here for a good time and if you wanna rock up and join in, do it anyway you like but we'll be here' - relaxed atmosphere.
I would agree with this, JV. By extension, this line of reasoning can be taken further to show that it would be very hard to get an A-League club running in Auckland, with its multitude of lifestyle distractions, especially now that the Nix are a successful Welington fixture competing for football dollar.
I did mention somewhere else on this forum that WSW allows the locals a sense of identity, from Penrith to Liverpool to Parramatta. In contrast, Aucklanders would lack that factor. Any potential supporters would not be buying into a unifying football identity, they would be buying entertainment, which is far harder to maintain long-term (ie it drops off when your team is losing).
I am not claiming any particular wisdom on this, so feel free to argue - I am more interested in exploring the factors surrounding success of otherwise of good quality football clubs in New Zealand long term. It could be a new thread if anybody has the energy to make one.