It would appear that humble Aston Villa are more popular in Dublin than their own city of Birmingham. Likewise Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are more popular on these shores than in their own cities - in terms of shirt sales, that is.
Figures released by sportsdirect.com, owned by Newcastle chief Mike Ashley, show that each of those four clubs sell more jerseys in Ireland's capital than their home cities.
Dublin actually sits top for Aston Villa sales on some 24.46%, while the rest sit behind London and curiously in the case of Manchester City, Fijnaart in The Netherlands, home to just 5,500 people. The people of Fijnaart must hold Manchester close to their hearts, as the city comes eighth on United's top ten. Eredivise club NAC Breda is only 35 minutes from the town. The stats are below;
These results will perhaps not be surprising to all, with many in Ireland passionately supporting English clubs, although Aston Villa isn't a shirt you see on the streets of Dublin too often. We can only suspect that the streets of Birmingham are awash with Bohs jerseys and that Manchester is home to a sizeable St. Pat's support.
