Average attendances in Football League in 1985/86 revealed as fans stunned by Man City

The average attendances for football league clubs during the 1985/86 season has re-emerged, and fans are all saying the same thing about Manchester City.

The season saw Liverpool crowned champions for the 16th time, as they finished two points clear of local rivals Everton who had picked up their 8th league title the season prior.

Gary Lineker also bagged the Golden Boot for the Toffees with 30 league goals in his one and only season for the club.

The season also saw Ipswich, Birmingham City, and West Bromwich Albion relegated from the 22-side division.

The average attendance for the season across the entirety of the football league has recently gone viral with the top five as follows:

1. Manchester United- 46,321 fans
2. Liverpool- 35,271 fans
3. Everton- 32,226 fans
4. Manchester City- 24,229 fans
5. Arsenal- 23,824 fans

See the full list below.

WOW! Look at the average attendances in the Football League in 1985/86. pic.twitter.com/JDAfU2u6hP

— TV Football 1968-92 (@1968Tv) March 24, 2024

It is no major surprise to see the top of the list filled with the giants of today, but the inclusion of Man City has shocked many fans due to the stigma surrounding the correlation between their recent success and their fanbase.

However, it is notable that the attendances listed are considerably lower than the top clubs get through the doors today.

Considering the 85/86 season was City's first back in the top flight after securing promotion, to see them so high up on the list is certainly impressive and may do some help in killing off the stigma surrounding the club.

One fan wrote: "Man City 4th and we had only just come up"

Some fans still poked fun at City: "Fair play to Man City fans who have kept that exact number ever since."

A third continued to defend the club: "You have to remember City were in the midst of a terrible yoyo decade and still 4th best. The city always had a very strong local fan base- missed out on the 90s and naughties boom by being very poor so have lots of legacy fans and young fans but not so many 30 to 50-year-olds."