Survey puts Cardiff top of Premier League for away-day experience Relegated Cardiff City were top of the Premier League when it came to entertaining away fans last season. A survey conducted by the Football Supporters' Federation rated the Bluebirds ahead of Swansea City, Hull City, Southampton and Arsenal. Key factors for fans when choosing which games to attend Important â¢Distance of travel - 44% â¢Time/day of kick-off - 42.6% â¢Price of ticket - 40.4% â¢Cost of travel - 37.8% Not so important â¢Level of competition - 11.2% â¢Level of opposition - 6.5% â¢Other activities around match - 5.2% â¢Likelihood of victory - 3.9% Just over 5,300 fans took part in the survey, which covered all four professional leagues in England. Fans were asked to rate clubs on such factors as food and drink, safety, transport and view of the pitch. From feedback, distance of travel (44%), time and day of kick-off (42.6%) and ticket prices (40.4%) were the main factors for determining whether or not fans attended an away game. The likelihood of watching their team win was the least quoted reason supporters gave for attending an away game. Only 3.9% of respondents said this was a reason they would travel to an away fixture. Crystal Palace finished bottom of the Premier League, below Merseyside neighbours Everton and Liverpool. In the Championship, Wigan were top, while MK Dons led the way in League One. Plymouth Argyle were rated the best hosts in League Two. Other stats from the survey â¢67% of respondents rated safety and security at away clubs as either good or excellent â¢53% bought refreshments but 34% of those thought they didn't offer value for money â¢48% said the overall quality and comfort of the away section was "excellent" or "good". â¢35% rated pre-match and half-time entertainment as either poor or very poor - just 15% thought it was good or excellent The FSF plans to use the results of the study to help the football authorities address the issues of falling away attendances. "Away fans travel in huge numbers in this country compared to many others," said FSF chairman Malcolm Clarke. "They're a driving force behind the noise and spectacle at many games. It simply wouldn't be the same without them. "However, in recent seasons there does seem to have been a decrease in travelling supporters." This is the second year the FSF have asked fans for feedback on their experiences at away games. The online survey ran through the entire regular season. Rankings: Marks out of 10 Premier League: 1. Cardiff 8.05, 2. Swansea 7.4, 3. Hull City 7.34, 4. Southampton 7.25, 5. Arsenal 7.11, 6. Fulham 7.08, 7. Norwich 6.89, 8. Sunderland 6.87, 9. West Brom 6.78, 10. Newcastle 6.7, 11. Tottenham 6.69, 12. Man City 6.67, 13. Stoke 6.45, 14. Man United 6.41, 15. Aston Villa 6.34, 16. Chelsea 5.96, 17. West Ham 5.89, 18. Everton 5.71, 19. Liverpool 5.41, 20. Crystal Palace 4.79. Championship: 1. Wigan 7.92, 2. Reading 7.54, 3. Blackburn 7.37, 4. Brighton 7.3, 5. Leicester 7.27, 6. Bournemouth 7.21, 7. Derby 7.17, 8. Huddersfield 7.03, 9. Doncaster 6.91, 10. Birmingham 6.86, 11. Middlesbrough 6.8, 12. Barnsley 6.78, 13. Watford 6.74, 14. Charlton 6.55, 15. Yeovil 6.53, 16. Ipswich 6.46, 17. Nottm Forest 5.94, 18. Bolton 5.65, 19. Millwall 5.29, 20. Sheff Wed 5.27, 21. Blackpool 4.72, 22. Burnley 4.67, 23. QPR 4.67, 24. Leeds 4.12.
They like Wigan...because the opposition could always be guaranteed to get in and there were no annoying home supporters
Alternatively, Loftus Road is a poorly built stadium - very right seating, plenty of restricted views, little space behind the stands, etc, etc
