NEIL COTTON says social media is becoming the barometer of success for football clubs

At many football grounds the screeching into life of the Tannoy system mid-way through the second half can mean only one thing, the ritual announcement of the game’s attendance figure. It is met with a brief moment of contemplation, followed by either nodding heads and a muttered ‘not bad’ or frowns and furrowed brows, for it is a number which matters. Attendances are much more than a matter of bums on seats, or feet on terraces, they are a proxy for measuring a club’s level of...