erm….
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974–75_Manchester_United_F.C._season
Parts to pay special attention to whilst playing in second division:
Highest home attendance: 60,585 vs
Sunderland (30 November 1974)
Average home attendance: 47,781
In division two we could manage 10,000 more fans on average for a second division league game than City can muster versus Leipzig in the Champions League.
Some older “classic” teams are what they are now
because of the large fan base, rather than vice versa as your post suggests. It’s why we (and Liverpool for that matter) could go almost three decades without a league win and still have massive attendances and massive financial clout, always expecting that the sleeping giant will awake.
Does anyone think Citeh could go three decades now and still have that? My arse they could, there’s your difference.