North Stand Construction Discussion

[Centurions]

That’s the problem. Nobody is riled about it.

Nobody is arsed. The Liverpool game had scousers all round the stadium for a game sold out in August for City supporters that you needed a history of purchases to buy a ticket for.

Except of course for those spending £250 on a ticket a seasonticket holder has sold back then the club - which City ( or the agencies they use ) don’t give a fuck who they sell it to.

Then Spurs another game sold out months in advance for home supporters yet a fucking Australian school can bag as many tickets as they want.

We are being positioned as the tourist club of the Premier League and nobody is arsed.

You seem riled up about it though.

 

[supersonicblue]

It was the same on Tuesday night, school kids lots of kids celebrating Leipzig goals in CB3

 

[Prophet of Doom]

I suppose it depends on how this school got the tickets and why. For kids, in some of the worst seats, I don’t have too much of a problem. But I do agree with your concerns about how the club sell matchday tickets and season tickets too. I reckon all clubs are trying to maximise their income in all areas otherwise they risk falling foul of the daft FFP rules like Everton just have. Plus Manchester is becoming more of a tourist destination, and the club are exploiting that. Not sure we can stop that now.

No other top English club would allow it to the levels City have.

They have killed the atmosphere dead this season. Last season it was staring to improve a bit but this season in my opinion it’s fucked.

It’s a dangerous road to go down.

Agree about maximising revenue - but at what cost. The lack of atmosphere cost us in the LFC and Spurs games.

And some on here were thinking that the new stand would be for an atmospheric one end ‘blue wall’ - when we all know it’s gonna be for tourists paying £250 a ticket to sit in a neutral stand.

 

[mancblue55]

My wife and I had to cancel our trip up for the Spurs game because of a last-minute problem with the accommodation we’d booked. As it turned out, this might not have been a bad thing because of the bad weather (our’s is a 400 mile round trip across the wilds of Wales). Anyway, our tickets had sold on TE within a few hour so, presumably, our seats were occupied for the game. Over the past couple of years when we’ve had to cancel there’s never been a problem selling our tickets and there’s no reason to suppose that others who put their tickets on TE have a problem either, so if there were empty seats on Sunday (personally, I didn’t notice them on tv), it must have been due to the absence of supporters who cancelled too late to put their tickets up for sale or simply chose not to. I can’t see any reason to blame the club in all of this.

On groups of school kids at the game, our seats are close to the top of East Stand Level 3: great view but atmosphere intermittent. The previous two seasons there were lots of school parties close to us: sometimes on the same row. Frankly, they were often an irritant, continually getting up to buy food and drink and creating minor distractions in various ways. Having said this, a lot of the kids seemed genuinely engaged with the game and were clearly supporting City. Anyway, I got talking to one of the teachers who had accompanied the kids who told me that they came from a deprived area in Scotland and were there thanks to a PL initiative. The kids didn’t get the tickets for free - the cost of the trip for them was around £90, though I guess there may have been some financial support from various sources. Must admit that the conversation changed my attitude to the presence of these groups, realising this was probably one of the few chances they’d get to attend a top-level game at a great stadium like ours. Who knows, the experience might lead some of them to be committed City fans of the future.

 

[Prophet of Doom]

My wife and I had to cancel our trip up for the Spurs game because of a last-minute problem with the accommodation we’d booked. As it turned out, this might not have been a bad thing because of the bad weather (our’s is a 400 mile round trip across the wilds of Wales). Anyway, our tickets had sold on TE within a few hour so, presumably, our seats were occupied for the game. Over the past couple of years when we’ve had to cancel there’s never been a problem selling our tickets and there’s no reason to suppose that others who put their tickets on TE have a problem either, so if there were empty seats on Sunday (personally, I didn’t notice them on tv), it must have been due to the absence of supporters who cancelled too late to put their tickets up for sale or simply chose not to. I can’t see any reason to blame the club in all of this.

On groups of school kids at the game, our seats are close to the top of East Stand Level 3: great view but atmosphere intermittent. The previous two seasons there were lots of school parties close to us: sometimes on the same row. Frankly, they were often an irritant, continually getting up to buy food and drink and creating minor distractions in various ways. Having said this, a lot of the kids seemed genuinely engaged with the game and were clearly supporting City. Anyway, I got talking to one of the teachers who had accompanied the kids who told me that they came from a deprived area in Scotland and were there thanks to a PL initiative. The kids didn’t get the tickets for free - the cost of the trip for them was around £90, though I guess there may have been some financial support from various sources. Must admit that the conversation changed my attitude to the presence of these groups, realising this was probably one of the few chances they’d get to attend a top-level game at a great stadium like ours. Who knows, the experience might lead some of them to be committed City fans of the future.

Most Ticket Exchange tickets returned by seasoncard holders for top 6 games aren’t going up for sale to City supporters - they are getting dished out to International Agencies to be sold to whoever wants them for £250+ each. Like the couple of LFC fans from the Far East that bought the 2 x tickets that the bloke that sits in front of me sold for the Liverpool game.

It’s why the club guarantee to pay full price to the seasoncard holder regardless.

The empty seats on Sunday will be returns from the agencies. I suppose City arent arsed about a few returns when they are getting £250+ On the ones they do sell

 

[LeroyChickenSane]

No other top English club would allow it to the levels City have.

They have killed the atmosphere dead this season. Last season it was staring to improve a bit but this season in my opinion it’s fucked.

It’s a dangerous road to go down.

Agree about maximising revenue - but at what cost. The lack of atmosphere cost us in the LFC and Spurs games.

And some on here were thinking that the new stand would be for an atmospheric one end ‘blue wall’ - when we all know it’s gonna be for tourists paying £250 a ticket to sit in a neutral stand.

‘The lack of atmosphere cost us in the LFC and Spurs games’

Absolutely spot on. We would have gone on to win these games in previous seasons IMO.

 

[LEXSTARproject]

@Prophet of Doom, here is the man you need to speak to

 

[KS55]

It occurs to me: Will the north stand be the only place in England where a stadium is open to the outside/double sided?

 

[blueparrot]

Most Ticket Exchange tickets returned by seasoncard holders for top 6 games aren’t going up for sale to City supporters - they are getting dished out to International Agencies to be sold to whoever wants them for £250+ each. Like the couple of LFC fans from the Far East that bought the 2 x tickets that the bloke that sits in front of me sold for the Liverpool game.

It’s why the club guarantee to pay full price to the seasoncard holder regardless.

The empty seats on Sunday will be returns from the agencies. I suppose City arent arsed about a few returns when they are getting £250+ On the ones they do sell

Not true, as the game approaches I get alerts for seats available to match day members from returned tickets

 

[mancblue55]

Not true, as the game approaches I get alerts for seats available to match day members from returned tickets

That’s reassuring to know - I was beginning to feel quite guilty about placing our seats on TE when we can’t make it ourselves! Personally, I’m sceptical about the notion that the club have a calculated strategy of offloading seats returned through TE to ‘International Agencies’, even though the idea seems to have gained traction on this thread and elsewhere. Matchday revenue is a relatively small proportion of City’s total income and, while any growth in revenue will be welcomed by the club, the extra income gained from this source would appear to be negligible.

 

[EastMidlandsBlue]

Not true, as the game approaches I get alerts for seats available to match day members from returned tickets

Unfortunately it's very true. Arsenal at home last season, the guy who sits next to me couldn't make the game and put his ticket on the exchange.

The lovely chinese gentleman who was picked the ticket up had bought it as part of a hospitality package from the club. It had cost him over £400.

This is why our atmosphere has become so diluted recently, instead of selling returns to local fans they're sold to tourists as part of a package for a ridiculous price. It's completely disgusting and needs highlighting

 

[goatinho]

Do you work at the MEN in the Red Pen department? ;)

There’ll always be people who can’t come at the last minute or just decide to watch it on telly (it’s still money saved on transport and drinks/food even if the ticket cost is lost). Especially if there’s kids involved, which invariably means the north stand is particularly noticeable for empty seats. They’ve been sold and that’s all that matters to the club.

And not everyone has mates or family to pass them onto at short notice.

Cool story.
Or the fact is we haven't got the hard-core fan base a lot a fans think we have.
If we did every game would be full.
I don't know why people like you go on the defensive about what is simply a fact.
We can only fill our ground for certain games. Despite being sold out as the website says there are still groups of seats , rows of seats and single seats empty almost every game.
There are 3 seats in 315 empty every game apart from big games.

 

[blueparrot]

Cool story.
Or the fact is we haven't got the hard-core fan base a lot a fans think we have.
If we did every game would be full.
I don't know why people like you go on the defensive about what is simply a fact.
We can only fill our ground for certain games. Despite being sold out as the website says there are still groups of seats , rows of seats and single seats empty almost every game.
There are 3 seats in 315 empty every game apart from big games.

Empty not unsold and if those 3 seats and others were put on sale then maybe people like me would buy them.

 

[Gray]

Do you work at the MEN in the Red Pen department? ;)

There’ll always be people who can’t come at the last minute or just decide to watch it on telly (it’s still money saved on transport and drinks/food even if the ticket cost is lost). Especially if there’s kids involved, which invariably means the north stand is particularly noticeable for empty seats. They’ve been sold and that’s all that matters to the club.

And not everyone has mates or family to pass them onto at short notice.

Try to buy a ticket for your wife. Not a cat in hells chance unless she has a membership. But she only wants to go infrequently, hard luck.

 

[Prophet of Doom]

Not true, as the game approaches I get alerts for seats available to match day members from returned tickets

You might be getting alerts - I can promise you that decent seats returned by seasoncard holders are getting sold by agencies for £250+ and never appearing on the ticket site.

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

Cool story.
Or the fact is we haven't got the hard-core fan base a lot a fans think we have.
If we did every game would be full.
I don't know why people like you go on the defensive about what is simply a fact.
We can only fill our ground for certain games. Despite being sold out as the website says there are still groups of seats , rows of seats and single seats empty almost every game.
There are 3 seats in 315 empty every game apart from big games.

People like me? Have we met?

I’m just stating that sometimes it’s a really last minute decision that is often after the cutoff time (which I think is 2hrs before ko but not 100% sure as I’ve not used it and cba checking). And not everyone is tech savvy, knows about Bluemoon or cares their seat is empty. The seat next to mine is empty most games. Pisses me right off because I want another season ticket for my son, but the club says it’s sold but anytime someone IS sat there, they say it’s not them that own it. I just buy a seat nearby if I can and my son usually gets to sit in the one I want anyway.

I have a theory the seat owner goes to stand with friends somewhere else when they attend leaving it free and I’m sure this goes on in other places in the stadium too.

Anyway, what’s a hardcore fan?

 

[blueparrot]

You might be getting alerts - I can promise you that decent seats returned by seasoncard holders are getting sold by agencies for £250+ and never appearing on the ticket site.

Can you? Maybe some do they don’t all, I know that for a fact, because I’ve bought them and chatted to their neighbours about where the regular in that seat has gone. What I don’t know is how many go where . Pretty sure you don’t either.

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

Try to buy a ticket for your wife. Not a cat in hells chance unless she has a membership. But she only wants to go infrequently, hard luck.

I think the way they sell tickets up front is shite. People have to commit months in advance to guarantee a seat anywhere near where friends or family might be sitting. That must encourage a few to just take a hit when the weather turns cold and just not bother turning up.

 

[blueparrot]

People like me? Have we met?

I’m just stating that sometimes it’s a really last minute decision that is often after the cutoff time (which I think is 2hrs before ko but not 100% sure as I’ve not used it and cba checking). And not everyone is tech savvy, knows about Bluemoon or cares their seat is empty. The seat next to mine is empty most games. Pisses me right off because I want another season ticket for my son, but the club says it’s sold but anytime someone IS sat there, they say it’s not them that own it. I just buy a seat nearby if I can and my son usually gets to sit in the one I want anyway.

I have a theory the seat owner goes to stand with friends somewhere else when they attend leaving it free and I’m sure this goes on in other places in the stadium too.

Anyway, what’s a hardcore fan?

I went one game and 2 fans came and sat in the seats in front of me before the game about 10 minutes in they disappeared and the seats were empty for the rest of the game. I assumed they went and stood around the corner in the South stand, or they were the earliest early leavers ever.

 

[Spanishbob]

Any news on the actual building of the new stand?