AI ranks all 24 EFL Championship clubs by how 'big' they actually are | OneFootball

Who is really the biggest club in the second tier of English football?

The term 'sleeping giant' is often thrashed about within football discourse, although there are no shortage of big clubs with storied top-flight histories who find themselves stuck in the Championship.

Former European Cup winners such as Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, along with the likes of Leeds United, Newcastle, Sunderland and West Ham have all graced English football's second-tier in years gone by, and despite the fact that all of those sides are now competing in the Premier League, a number of large and historic clubs are still plying their trade at Championship level.

Just how the size of a club is measured can be a subjective matter, with plenty of historical factors and more recent variables to be taken into account.

It's a topic which often stirs the pot of fierce debate among supporters, and with that in mind, Football League World consulted AI-based chatbot, ChatGPT, to rank all 24 Championship clubs from smallest to largest on how big they actually are...

24 ? ? Sheffield Wednesday

AI gets the ball rolling in controversial fashion, naming crisis club Sheffield Wednesday as the smallest club in the Championship right now.

Acknowledging the Owls' "historic name", AI noted that the recent demise in the blue-and-white quarters of the Steel City coupled with the club's "lower status" ranks them as the Championship's smallest side, in spite of Hillsborough being one of the division's largest grounds with a total capacity of 34,835.

Wednesday have, of course, suffered turmoil both on and off-the-pitch in recent times. A litany of points deductions enforced by the EFL owing to issues under ex-owner Dejphon Chansiri has left Henrik Pedersen's side destined for relegation to League One, and recent history hasn't been all-too-kind to the Owls, although they are undoubtedly a bigger club than AI gives them credit for.

The Owls' trophy cabinet consists of three FA Cup titles and a League Cup lifted in the 1990/91 campaign, and they were a staple of the early Premier League era during the 1990s.

23 ? ? Wrexham

In the case of Wrexham, AI notes the "huge global media interest" surrounding the StoK Cae Ras following Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac's well-documented takeover of the club, which has resulted in three consecutive promotions from the National League to the Championship.

From an economic and commercial perspective, Wrexham have been transformed. Their future is extremely bright, although AI doesn't view Wrexham's history in the same vein.

AI describes the Red Dragons as "one of the smaller traditional clubs domestically" in terms of stadium capacity and league history. Wrexham have spent much of their history in the lower leagues but are a traditional, old-school club who have always been backed by strong support relative to the level.

With Wrexham continuing to develop both on and off-the-pitch amid the ongoing expansion to the StoK Cae Ras, the North Wales outfit should elevate up this list in the years to come.

22 ? ? Oxford United

Much of Oxford United's history has consisted of rotation between the second, third and even fourth divisions, with Gary Rowett's side currently battling against relegation to League One this season.

It often goes under the radar that Oxford spent three campaigns in the old First Division in the late 80s and even lifted their only piece of major silverware with 1986's League Cup triumph over QPR.

However, AI's reasoning isn't too wide of the mark here, describing the U's as a "smaller club and fanbase relative to the rest". Oxford have some history, but when you look at the size of other clubs in the Championship, it may be hard to disagree.

Modern history has been kinder to Hull City than any other era, with the Tigers having enjoyed campaigns in the Premier League while reaching the 2013/14 FA Cup final under controversial ex-owner Assem Allam.

With enigmatic chairman Acun Ilicali now at the helm and frequently making little secret of his desire to bring Premier League football back to the 25,586-capacity MKM Stadium, the Tigers are eyeing a play-off finish under Sergej Jakirovic despite operating under a transfer embargo.

There are, however, two factors which AI counts against Hull. As per AI, the Tigers' "smaller fanbase and stadium compared with most others here" means they still rank among the smaller clubs in the Championship.

Portsmouth's ranking here may just promise to divide opinion, with Pompey widely regarded as a modern staple of the 'streets won't forget' era of the Premier League throughout the 2000s.

In that time, the south coast side managed to win their second FA Cup by defeating Cardiff City in 2008's final, earning European football as a result, and are memorably remembered for the number of exciting stars who graced Fratton Park.

The Fratton Park atmosphere, on its day, is something to behold, and forms part of AI's thinking here. John Mousinho's side will need vocal inspiration from the Pompey faithful in order to dodge the drop this season after returning to the Championship in 2024, and AI does note the club's "passionate fans".

However, AI draws upon Pompey's "lower recent status" as a key reason for the club's lowly ranking here.

Portsmouth were relegated from the Premier League in 2010 after entering administration and financial issues plagued the club for years, even spending three years in League Two between 2013 and 2016 before returning to League One and, ultimately, the Championship.

19 ? ? Charlton Athletic

It's a somewhat similar case with Charlton Athletic, who were welcomed back to the Championship last May following a five-by winning the League One play-offs and are immediately bidding to reconsolidate in the second-tier under popular boss Nathan Jones.

Much like Pompey, the Addicks have suffered under previous ownership regimes — namely Roland Duchatalet's nightmareish reign at the Valley — and they went from spending the first half of the 2000s as a steady Premier League outfit to yo-yoing between the second and third-tier.

AI does note that Charlton are "historically bigger" than a lot of their divisional counterparts, but Addicks' "smaller current profile" holds them back here.

18 ? ? QPR

Synonymous with turbulent, free-spending chaos during the early 2010's under divisive owner Tony Fernandes, QPR have not graced the Premier League since 2015 and will harbour dreams of finally returning to the highest level with Julien Stephan in charge.

QPR have enjoyed plenty of top-flight success throughout the course of their eventful history, even winning the old First Division in 1976. The Hoops also won the 1966/67 League Cup, but that's their only major honour and they live somewhat in the shadow of West London rivals such as Chelsea and Fulham.

AI simply touches on the "niche support" at Loftus Road, placing the Londoners in 18th.

17 ? ? Millwall

Millwall have long been a second and third-tier staple, and it would not be too wrong to suggest that the Lions are more historically known for their reputation off the pitch rather than on it.

Alex Neil is looking to turn the tide, though, and has Millwall supporters dreaming of a first-ever promotion to the Premier League club following multiple near-misses on the top-six, with the club having only ever spent two seasons in English football's top-flight.

Until then, AI believes that Millwall's lack of top-flight history counts against them, along with a "smaller stadium". The Den only seats 20,146 supporters, making it one of the smaller Championship stadiums right now, although AI does note the Lions' "fierce fanbase".

16 ? ? Bristol City

There is a school of thought that Bristol City, with a 27-000-seater Ashton Gate home stadium, a dedicated fanbase in a city longing for top-flight football and a productive academy system, is yet to realise its true potential.

The Robins, in a sense, are the opposite of a sleeping giant — history may not be on their side, but the potential is undoubtedly there and Gerhard Struber could become the first manager to ever take City into the Premier League if they can go one better than last term's play-off semi-final defeat to Sheffield United under Liam Manning.

Ashton Gate can be a cauldron of noise at its best, and AI credits Bristol City's "good regional support. Ultimately, however, the Robins have enjoyed — as AI puts it — "less historic success" than those above them, having not played top-flight football since 1980.

15 ? ? Swansea City

Just down the M4, AI believes that Swansea City are a bigger club than the Robins. Recent history has certainly sided with the Swans, that's for sure, and supporters are holding out for a return of the 'glory days' that took place at the start of the 2010s.

Swansea became the first Welsh club to grace the Premier League when they won promotion through the play-offs in 2011, and enjoyed seven seasons in the top-flight before suffering relegation in 2018.

In that time, Swansea won their only major silverware to date — the 2013 EFL Cup — which promptly ensured a run in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League. Swans had a few years in the top-flight during the 1980s, too, but much of their existence has been spent further down the footballing pyramid, hence AI's description of the Welsh side as a "solid second-tier club."

AI notes that Swansea has "good culture" — perhaps alluding to the club's 'Swansealona' reputation for their tiki-taka style of play in the Premier League — but it believes that the Jack Army support is smaller than a lot of other sides in the Championship.