City Fans Leaving Early/Empty seats

paulchapo said:
I was talking to the guy next to me on Saturday. He is 65 and supported us for years. He said he is considering not renewing his season ticket for next year. He added the cost of parking and the inconvenience of getting home after games plus the cost of his season ticket just make him think it isn't worth it anymore. He can pay for a sports package and sit at home in comfort watching a lot of games. His son is probably 30-35 and also a season ticket holder. He too didn't attend on Saturday as he was going out with his girlfriend and it messed this up being a late kick off. He asked his wife if she wanted to go in his place but she said not in this weather I am staying home and watching it on the tv.

I admitted to him I am also wavering on renewing next year also and I have supported us for fifty years this year. We both were slightly baffled as to why we feel this way when we are now playing some of the best football we have ever seen and winning trophies after years of barren dross. There was no defining answer. Age, cost and inconvenience all were mentioned. My metrolink/bus ticket has now risen to £7 and I cannot get a direct tram anymore, Saturday was the last day. Now for £6.99 I can buy a sky tv 24 hour pass, watch our game if we are on and maybe two other games. To stay at home in the warmth is very tempting and to do so I am not out of pocket as the pass is the same as the travel costs. If long standing fans are feeling this way then we better hope there are a lot of youngsters ready to take our place, it is slightly worrying.
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That’s not an uncommon view I go to the games with my sister and two of my Nephews who are season ticket holders. They now have given up on midweek league games and put them up on the official seat exchange thing. They gave up on cup games 3 or 4 years ago as well and the main reason a the hassle of traffic and getting back late. For an 8pm game I can make a bus which leaves at 10.30 and takes just over an hour or wait until the next and final train which leaves at 11.25 and I don’t get in until midnight, how long before I join them?.

I didn’t miss a home league or cup game in every competition for 7 seasons, I balked at the price of the PSG CL tickets and I’ve only been to one cup game since which was the Burnley game a few weeks back, if you’d have suggested I’d do this 2 or 3 years ago I would have thought you were crackers, I’m pretty sure there are many who feel the same despite the success we are having.
 
meeesh said:
That isn't worrying mate,its a scandal that this scenario is at your feet,does my head in,the fact you have been going all this time and arguably for you,but definitely for me,as reading between the lines I'm around 20/25 years younger,witnessing the best ever football the club has produced.

We all know one day we will all have to give up going,but whilst you are fit and healthy keep at it mate,the cost can be forgot about,(sometimes !),but enjoy what is being shown in front of your eyes live for as long as you possibly can
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Thanks. It is baffling really I obviously love the club but sometimes the effort, weather, shit transport system just grind me down. I lived in Dover for five years in the eighties and kept my season ticket going and did a 600 mile round trip for home games but I was a lot younger and fitter then. I will probably renew for next season it is hard to walk away after so long, hopefully I regain my enthusiasm and the crap transport changes.
 
Danny Hoekman said:
One of the very few things about the TV fixture changes that I don't mind is the Saturday 5.30pm kick offs. Tend to get a better atmosphere, more sociable pre-match drinking times and back in the local, ready for the Saturday night shenanigans no later than 8pm.
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Saturday 17:30 is the best KO day and time
 
philiph20 said:
That’s not an uncommon view I go to the games with my sister and two of my Nephews who are season ticket holders. They now have given up on midweek league games and put them up on the official seat exchange thing. They gave up on cup games 3 or 4 years ago as well and the main reason a the hassle of traffic and getting back late. For an 8pm game I can make a bus which leaves at 10.30 and takes just over an hour or wait until the next and final train which leaves at 11.25 and I don’t get in until midnight, how long before I join them?.

I didn’t miss a home league or cup game in every competition for 7 seasons, I balked at the price of the PSG CL tickets and I’ve only been to one cup game since which was the Burnley game a few weeks back, if you’d have suggested I’d do this 2 or 3 years ago I would have thought you were crackers, I’m pretty sure there are many who feel the same despite the success we are having.
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I will say the transport is the main reason it is dire especially at night.
 
I stay to the end but I bet if people were questioned who were leaving early as to the reason why, then shite transport home would be the No 1 answer. It's fucking horrendous.
 
it can take an hour to get off the blue carpark after the game and its frustrating as fuck.i have two young kids 6 and 8 so its much easier than finding somewhere away from the ground and walking in,but night games getting them home for school as I live 25 miles away is a nightmare quite often 11 30 to midnight so I totally get why some shun the evening games.holding the traffic does my nut in
 
city saint said:
it can take an hour to get off the blue carpark after the game and its frustrating as fuck.i have two young kids 6 and 8 so its much easier than finding somewhere away from the ground and walking in,but night games getting them home for school as I live 25 miles away is a nightmare quite often 11 30 to midnight so I totally get why some shun the evening games.holding the traffic does my nut in
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Do not understand this post. 'it can take an hour to get off the blue car park', it has never taken me an hour to get off that particular car park and I never leave my seat before the final whiste, I am up in 305. Can't blame you on the midweek games though because of the young ones. Fortunately these are usually League and Euro cup games.
 
Fred_Quimby said:
Do not understand this post. 'it can take an hour to get off the blue car park', it has never taken me an hour to get off that particular car park and I never leave my seat before the final whiste, I am up in 305. Can't blame you on the midweek games though because of the young ones. Fortunately these are usually League and Euro cup games.
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it takes a fair while most days but especially night games I am in 325 and don't leave till final whistle I may be over stating the hour as a regular occurrence but it is always bad.night matches im rarely home before 11 30 so it can be a pain regarding the kids.i always seem to be stuck at the back trying to get in the queue.there were 2 blokes fighting after the Newcastle match over something its that frustrating.
 
The bottleneck is, of course, the stewards controlling the lights at the bottom of the Joe Mercer Way. They let all the pedestrians over first, then the coaches are allowed out and, I agree, it can seem like an age to get out. A system at the bottom like they have half way of stopping pedestrians for a while to allow traffic to come out of the car park and alternating.
 
First tram into Manchester was 15 minutes after the final whistle after the Newcastle game. Its about time the Club called out the Metro link people to ask the question ??

Then we are rammed in like sheep, Its a disgrace and must be a safety hazard. Im convinced It is operated by a Red - You have a major event going on and you don't plan enough
trams to get customers away in time and safe. Would be interested to know if the tram service is as bad at Old Trafford after a game, I doubt it very much.
 
philiph20 said:
That’s not an uncommon view I go to the games with my sister and two of my Nephews who are season ticket holders. They now have given up on midweek league games and put them up on the official seat exchange thing. They gave up on cup games 3 or 4 years ago as well and the main reason a the hassle of traffic and getting back late. For an 8pm game I can make a bus which leaves at 10.30 and takes just over an hour or wait until the next and final train which leaves at 11.25 and I don’t get in until midnight, how long before I join them?.

I didn’t miss a home league or cup game in every competition for 7 seasons, I balked at the price of the PSG CL tickets and I’ve only been to one cup game since which was the Burnley game a few weeks back, if you’d have suggested I’d do this 2 or 3 years ago I would have thought you were crackers, I’m pretty sure there are many who feel the same despite the success we are having.
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Me too. I had no choice but to buy the PSG ticket but the price really pissed me off. So much so I didn’t join the CL cup scheme for the first time the season after. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.

The transport issue is a huge issue and if the club don’t do something to address it there will be more empty seats/early leavers. It’s getting worse.
 
sale blue said:
First tram into Manchester was 15 minutes after the final whistle after the Newcastle game. Its about time the Club called out the Metro link people to ask the question ??

Then we are rammed in like sheep, Its a disgrace and must be a safety hazard. Im convinced It is operated by a Red - You have a major event going on and you don't plan enough
trams to get customers away in time and safe. Would be interested to know if the tram service is as bad at Old Trafford after a game, I doubt it very much.
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In theory the tram should be ideal for getting fans away en masse, in reality it's completely hideous.
 
I always stay until the end, but I get on a coach that picks us up outside the stadium and I’m always back home within an hour of the final whistle.

However, whenever I get the tram or (god forbid) have parked at the ground it can take an eternity to get away from the stadium, so don’t blame those who leave early, particularly for later kick offs (especially if you have kids with you). Also, if you’ve bought a ticket then it’s no one else’s business when you decide to leave. Never really understood why people get worked up about it.
 
The more I read that people who buy tickets have the right to not show or leave early confirms that in this PC era we are no longer fans but merely customers.
 
leaving early has always happened my dad and uncle always went on 85 mins at maine road and there were plenty walking away with us perhaps just not as noticeable with standing
 
city saint said:
leaving early has always happened my dad and uncle always went on 85 mins at maine road and there were plenty walking away with us perhaps just not as noticeable with standing
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Absolutely spot on. Also games were rarely televised for others to comment.
 
Supporters have always left early to beat the traffic.
Me and my mate always reminisce about the days when he and his dad used to leave Stalybridge Celtic early in the 70s, to beat the traffic!!!!!!
 
Millwallawayveteran1988 said:
That's what's happens when clubs become businesses. There is a disconnect.
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We were treated worse with Swales and Lee mate. The transport needs improving but that’s not answer to the middle classes who buy £299 season cards and turn up half a dozen times a season. There is also hoarding of Family Stand Tickets with the Derby always full.

I don’t care about the empty seats any more and some fans need to leave early. That said, I would prefer it if we had crowds of 30k who got behind the team.
 
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