Pie-high consumption at Goodison

Everton may be struggling on the pitch, but their fans have ensured the club tops at least one table - for pie sales.

Football's prawn sandwich-eating supporters, famously criticised by Roy Keane, show no signs of overhauling its pie munchers, according to a new survey by Carling.

Especially, it seems, at Goodison Park, where a staggering 113,118 were sold last season - one for every fifth fan at all home games.

Former England star Paul Gascoigne always gets plenty of pie-eating stick from opposing fans, but surely his arrival at Everton can't explain such heroic consumption?

  Carling Pie Chart

1 Everton:
Sales 133,118 - 19.35%

2 Man City:
110,707 - 18.16%

3 Aston Villa:
104,253 - 14.86%

4 Leeds Utd:
91,200 - 13.48%

5 Sunderland:
69,311 - 8.83%

6 Newcastle:
68,500 - 9.83%

7 Liverpool:
64,184 - 7.80%

8 West Ham:
61,560 - 12.56%

9 Chelsea:
58,101 - 9.29%

10 Derby County:
57,833 - 10.66%

11 Bradford City:
57,511 - 21.17%

12 Arsenal:
48,211 - 6.68%

13 Coventry City:
45,434 - 11.51%

14 Charlton:
38,120 - 10.26%

15 Middlesbrough:
37,512 - 5.74%

16 Ipswich Town:
31,489 - 8.95%

17 Leicester City:
26,904 - 6.92%

18 Southampton:
26,840 - 9.33%

19 Tottenham:
23,450 - 3.62%

20 Man Utd:
10,923 - 1.04%

All clubs currently playing in this season's Carling Premiership provided pie sales from their 19 home league fixtures in the 1999-2000 season.

Perhaps Keane hit the nail on the head with his attack on Old Trafford's prawn sandwich brigade.

The biggest club in Europe are rock bottom of the pie chart, selling them to a measly 1.04% of their average gate.

This is made even stranger by the fact that near neighbours Manchester City sold a whopping 110,707 (18.16%).

The highest pies-to-fans-ratio (21.17%) was actually at Bradford City, where the battle against relegation obviously didn't put the Valley Parade faithful off their food.

Apart from West Ham, London sales were low, with big guns Arsenal and Chelsea all coming in the bottom five.

Perhaps more exotic fare is preferred by fans of these continentally influenced sides - or maybe they just eat more burgers.

Ian Todd, chairman of the National Federation of Football Supporters, said: "It is good to see this survey confirms that the long-standing tradition of the match-day pie is surviving in the Carling Premiership's modern stadia.

"Since consumption is shown not to be proportionate to attendance, it also confirms that quality is important.

"Congratulations to the Everton fans, and the club's butchers, in munching their way to the top of the league.

"I wonder also if there are more prawn sandwiches eaten at Old Trafford than I'd imagined?"

All figures were compiled as a percentage based on sales over average attendances.