Why do players always insist they`ve signed for a `big club`, even while holding up a Rochdale/S****horpe/Accrington jersey? It makes fans feel good, that's why. It reaffirms their decision (willing or otherwise) to continue supporting their club once they came of age and could make a rational decision on the matter. That's why 'big club' debates are important.
Still, every single football club on the face of the planet is a 'big club' by their own supporters' standards, and we're no different. To be what football terms 'big' requires consensus among the other sets of fans, not our own, since we'll all inevitably skew any debate in our favour, being biased.
The facts are these: we have not won the league since 1961, we have a history of seeking to entertain over seeking to triumph by any means possible, we are probably the 6th/7th biggest club in England when it comes to number of trophies won, with the 8th largest fanbase among English clubs, we are based in a dumpy area, we have a relatively small stadium compared to our immediate rivals and we currently have a squad packed to the gills with international talent, funded by the sale of our best player.
Now, whether all those facts together equate to us being a 'big' club is entirely subjective, based on the position of the evaluator's own club, his or her personal preferences, their weighting of 'history' over modernity, etcetera, etcetera.
For what it's worth, I think we are a big club. The biggest club in the world. And that's the way it is supposed to be, now and forever more. Sure, I'll adopt a far more rational stance when thinking about possible transfers and funding and management changes, but in my heart and in my dealings with other fans, my belief is that we are the biggest and best club the world has ever known. And I suspect I would feel the same way even if I supported Bournemouth.
