Away fans / tourists in home sections

[Tim of the Oak]

Great post and a very stark warning. We as a club are sailing close to the wind on this IMO. We are not a ‘tourist club’. We should be trying to offer something different to the red tops, not attempting to become one of them. A huge club but a local’s club should be out mantra. Maybe that is unrealistic in this business but any drop in our success, and it will happen, and we could see a ground that is 2/3s full most weeks.

Crowds may reduce but we have shown over the last 30 years that we are incredibly loyal.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Thousands of tickets still left for the Plymouth game. (yeah, I know, it's only Monday)

279 tickets in 324 alone.

Hundreds in other blocks.

With another 8000 seats to fill next season.

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PS. This is not the ticket Seat Counters 2024/25, flapping thread, jrb.

Fa cup games aren’t the issue. Games are often affordable and accessible. We often sell out and the crowds aren’t full of away fans or tourists either. It’s the league and champions league games that are the problem

 

[paulchapo]

I concur, been in the away end at Millwall, Southampton, Portsmouth, Charlton, West Ham, Watford, Crystal Palace, Brighton, Bournemouth, and behaved, it is very hard not to celebrate but, realised where I was and did not celebrate or get chirpy, hence did not get tuned in.

It's tough enough as it is not to get sussed because you're a strange face and you might keep quiet but you just don't shout, cheer and chant along with the home fans.

 

[jrb]

Fa cup games aren’t the issue. Games are often affordable and accessible. We often sell out and the crowds aren’t full of away fans or tourists either. It’s the league and champions league games that are the problem

Plymouth might be different on Sunday.

Plenty of posts saying Plymouth fans are buying tickets in all parts of the ground, if it's true?

 

[paulchapo]

Crowds may reduce but we have shown over the last 30 years that we are incredibly loyal.

We are but we are not getting any younger. The Gillingham promotion was an incredible twenty six years ago! It's hard to believe. If new young local fans don't come through we are in dodgy ground.

 

[metalblue]

I concur, been in the away end at Millwall, Southampton, Portsmouth, Charlton, West Ham, Watford, Crystal Palace, Brighton, Bournemouth, and behaved, it is very hard not to celebrate but, realised where I was and did not celebrate or get chirpy, hence did not get tuned in.

You’re ok to celebrate in the away end mate, you’re among friends ;)

Millwall home end though? Fair fucks to you there fella.

 

[paulchapo]

Plymouth might be different on Sunday.

Plenty of posts saying Plymouth fans are buying tickets in all parts of the ground, if it's true?

They will get a good allocation, probably eight thousand?

 

[Barcon]

Take it this has been posted but just been sent it by a mate…

View attachment 147843

Same kind of idiot that comes on here saying things like, Fergie and christiano.
Not a fucking clue.

 

[City Mike 1969]

Where the fuck are the cops when it kicks off? There were enough of them behind the stands.

... Not their pay grade. They leave it to the minimum wage earning stewards to end up black and blue from indiscriminately thrown punches.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

We are but we are not getting any younger. The Gillingham promotion was an incredible twenty six years ago! It's hard to believe. If new young local fans don't come through we are in dodgy ground.

This why we need more action now. I agree with Blues calling for family discounted tickets and the return of the Junior Blues. The tickets City heavily discount for schools and colleges need to be targeted at local schools etc.

 

[paulchapo]

This why we need more action now. I agree with Blues calling for family discounted tickets and the return of the Junior Blues. The tickets City heavily discount for schools and colleges need to be targeted at local schools etc.

Absolutely.

 

[cleavers]

If new young local fans don't come through we are in dodgy ground.

There's plenty of young local fans in attendance if you look around.

 

[Shaggy]

You’re ok to celebrate in the away end mate, you’re among friends ;)

Millwall home end though? Fair fucks to you there fella.

That was a hairy one, so was West Ham, even went and had a couple pints in the Boleyn before the West Ham game.

Never again though.

 

[Prophet of Doom]

Every club is doing exactly the same. The problem we have is a large percentage of the tickets we allocate to agencies are being bought by tourist fans of opposition ( which is not happening elsewhere ).

Yesterday was a disgrace - there should have been a grovelling apology from City to our support today - but silence.

They won’t be satisfied until every legacy fan sacks their season ticket off.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

Every club is doing exactly the same. The problem we have is a large percentage of the tickets we allocate to agencies are being bought by tourist fans of opposition ( which is not happening elsewhere ).

Yesterday was a disgrace - there should have been a grovelling apology from City to our support today - but silence.

They won’t be satisfied until every legacy fan sacks their season ticket off.

Yesterday wasn't a disgrace and Old Trafford has resembled Istanbul and Ibrox in recent times. I agree there is a problem with tickets to agencies that needs to be remedied.

 

[surprisedbygrass]

It's a combination of tourism . Destroying the very uniqueness of the thing you've come to see so that you're left with a hollow replica and then you pay over the odds for food , drink and souvenirs .

The most successful clubs are global brands and are served up as experiences in much the same way as swimming with dolphins , Venice , Mount Everest and The Northern Lights .

I try and tune it all out . Yesterday I had a bloke at his first City game and we had a good conversation but against R Madrid I had three people who were sat on their phones for half the game and then leaving at 70 minutes .... It makes me angry when family members , lifelong Blues , can afford tickets .

Can't see anything changing any time soon . Just glad I had the chance to experience live football fifty years ago .

 

[Nevizade]

Same kind of idiot that comes on here saying things like, Fergie and christiano.
Not a fucking clue.

Spelling united with an upper case u as well

 

[bluemullet]

Crowds may reduce but we have shown over the last 30 years that we are incredibly loyal.

100% Tim. I was there all through the division 2 days. We absolutely proved ourselves then and rightly got plaudits for it. There will still 35000/40000 loyalists week in week out, we are a huge club. The difference for me to then and now though is we were anti establishment, anti rags, we revelled in it and there was a perverse enjoyment and pride to it. We are now at the top table (albeit in a sort of villainous role for the red tops) and we cannot put that genie back in the bottle. If we do slip away on the pitch I cannot be only one thinking it could be a hard fall. The red tops loving media help to keep those tourist traps clubs flourishing. I don’t think we would be afforded the same luxury. I might be way off in that assessment, and we will probably remain in and around the top now anyway,(we are allowed an off season)but it does concern me that we are relying more and more on floating support.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

Spelling united with an upper case u as well

Only when it's Man U that they seem to dislike.

 

[give it to gordon]

Crowds may reduce but we have shown over the last 30 years that we are incredibly loyal.

That may me true but this time round the club is pricing us fans out. They don't want just our ticket money. This is pushing our loyalty to the limit