Is following City value for money?

RACHACE

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 Oct 2008
Messages
3,959
Location
http://www.olbg.com/blogs/post.php?id=409471
Just thought I'd seek the opinion of fellow blues on whether you feel you get value for money following the blues all over the country and Europe. To some, the money aspect of it will not matter one iota but to others it might and it may have had an impact on how much you now follow City.

I'm debating with myself these days as to whether I will pack in away days and just have our season tickets. We'd have more money I suppose to enjoy going into town more after a game, we'd also have more money to get away in the sun more and do random city breaks too.

City being in Europe has given us the opportunity to visit places that we'd probably not really thought of going. Porto, Naples, Thessaloniki, Moscow & Poznan for example. We've also done a lot of the more traditional city breaks due to City being there like Madrid, Barcelona and Rome but I also believe that we've paid a pretty penny for a lot of these, more so than we would had we not chosen to go when City are playing.

I hate the scramble for flights out of Manchester for some of the trips, literally seeing them hike in price while you browse the options and the cost for two adults to go to say Southampton away is around £150 if you do it on a tight budget. When I say tight, I mean tight too, maybe a pint or two at the ground and a services sandwich/coffee for lunch. If you were to have a hotel or even a decent meal on the way home that £150 quickly becomes £200+.

I've always said to my wife when she has mentioned that we could have a week away in the sun for what we've paid for 3 days in some of the cities, that we can go to Lanzarote or Greece whenever we want, seeing City play in wherever might not happen again and that has always justified the cost but my enthusiasm is waning these days. I've still not really got the buzz for the Champions League either and it's the trip that I look forward too more than the actual game itself. A potential Champions League final has me thinking more of the cost than wow we could be crowned European Champions, we have to witness that.

Are there any blues that have seen their dedication, enthusiasm and love for watching City live in different places at pretty much what ever cost diminish and make a decision to spend their hard earned elsewhere? Do you regret it as you've probably fell down the pecking order with regards getting tickets or do you enjoy watching it whilst on a cheap city break or sitting in the sun after booking a late deal to the Canaries?
 
Costs me a fookin fortune following City home, away and in Europe, especially as I am now based in London, I don't begrudge a single penny of it, nothing beats it for me, the buzz of going to watch City is fantastic, win or lose.
My missus hates football though so she has a somewhat different opinion ;-) I took her to City v Hull on Boxing Day and she hated it... luckily for me ..!
I cant wait for next season...!
 
It is sad when you walk away from a quarter final defeat and go 'phew, that's potentially just saved me a grand', but that's the ridiculous cost of football these days.
I love the Euro always and it was the main reason for me packing in a great job for a part-time one on a lot less money.
The trip to Monaco was superb, not because of the footy, but because of great weather and great friends to eat and drink with. We actually call them our City breaks and are looking to make them a little longer, although we did do five days in Bucharest and four each in Baracelona and Nice. Now it's the two of us going we are treating them like a mini holiday. Finding places to visit and places to eat/drink on trip advisor before hand has been great.
Like you though I absolutely hate the day the draw is made. The mad panic to get flights and hotels sorted whilst the price keeps rising in front of your very eyes. In a rush we made one booking error that cost us £400 to rectify.
The away trips last year were great as we had more money to spend following the cap on away ticket prices but Virgin trains are getting harder and harder to get good deals from.
I'd happily pack in the home games and just do the away. I'm getting tired of the queuing, the lack of facilities, the showec wankers, the stadium security (better known as the Stasi), the negative opposition football and the travel away from the ground.
As far as the money goes I did keep a record of all the money we spent in a season but have packed it in because it's frightening. But I'd rather travel Europe with family and friends than go and bore myself rigid on a beach in Greece. In fact I can't even stand the weather when it's too hot.

Not sure it answers your question though?
 
I must admit I'm looking forwards to three nights in Belgrade for Serbia v Wales from Friday much more than any home match with City last season. However, it's also my first away trip with them so it's the novelty of the situation over anything else. I have renewed my Seasoncard and consider just over £32 a match reasonable value. It's the day out too and we always have a decent session in the pub afterwards.

It's not affordable for people with young families which is why the average age of a match going Premier League fan is something like 48.
 
No, I dont think following any football team in the Uk can represent value for money, that said from a premier league point of view for the players we get to watch for what we pay I would say we are one of the better options.
 
Don't Everton charge £299 for good season tickets? That's under £16 a match. Admittedly, you would be watching Everton at Goodison Park and surrounded by Scousers; but it's still a fair price for football.
 
I must admit I'm looking forwards to three nights in Belgrade for Serbia v Wales from Friday much more than any home match with City last season. However, it's also my first away trip with them so it's the novelty of the situation over anything else. I have renewed my Seasoncard and consider just over £32 a match reasonable value. It's the day out too and we always have a decent session in the pub afterwards.

It's not affordable for people with young families which is why the average age of a match going Premier League fan is something like 48.

I can go along with it being you're first trip abroad watching your nation,but looking forward to it more than any City home game last season ??? I firmly believe you'll be in a minority there mate,club before country every bloody day,no comparison whatsoever
 
Maybe my wife is having a bit more of an influence on me than maybe I think. She used to really enjoy going City away, more so pre takeover. She feels that nowadays away games seem full of pissed up kids but I say to her that they only thing that's really changed is that she no longer is one of the pissed up kids. So with her in mind I do try to make the whole thing a bit better for her, so for example I don't drink anywhere as much as I used to at an away game, we tend to drive to away games as opposed to sitting on a coach or a train which are saturated with blokes having a beer and for Euro aways I book it so that were in said city/town for around 3/4 days so that we can make a bit of a break out of it compete with a nice hotel and meals out!!!.

However the cost of doing things this way is extortionate at times and can also be stressful. I can relate to what Squirty has said with regard the £400 error as I've done the same in a mad rush to book flights. So I find myself asking whether It's be easier and better value for money me just sacking away's off and doing city breaks to wherever we fancy without the football being included.

Personally I love the football still and I love visiting football stadia despite my lack of bonding with the Champions League. It's more the feeling ripped off when I see flights to Paris, Rome etc for less than £100 a piece and in many cases a lot less than that. That's what sticks in my throat and makes me question the overall value for my hard earned.

We've gone platinum again anyway so the plan is to see what happens this season, I've booked a week in Portugal in September so unless we get Benfica while we're there I doubt we'll be doing a Euro away until the knockout stage this season.
 
Last edited:
I can now afford a season ticket but have not bought one because my work means that I cannot attend two-thirds of home matches.

That's quite annoying.
 

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top
  AdBlock Detected
Bluemoon relies on advertising to pay our hosting fees. Please support the site by disabling your ad blocking software to help keep the forum sustainable. Thanks.