1894 were involved in a Podcast or two and their reasons for declining seemed reasonable. The 1894 spokespeople came across well. Reasons included lack of clarity over pricing, rail seating and having premium seats in the stand.Did they give reasons for declining?
If the Cross Bar seats go where you think they do, surely those who will be moved out of those seats would have been told yesterday? And didnt the statement say no fans will be moved for the Cross Bar?
How many season tickets holders do 1894 have? is this all a mute point if individuals are expecting 1894 to fill the 3000 safe standing areas but only have 500 members? , are you being asked to do something that is actually impossible anyway ?Dante from 1894 here
We’ve never actually refused more going off what our members have told us and we passed on 1,500 individual comments from them on the north stand to the club to take into consideration. Anyone who is actually a member and not sitting on the outside looking in will follow the consistency of our approach all the way through. Because they will have been part of our consultation.
We have poured cold water on this process so far because we have not had any answers, we asked the club to do a full consultation with everyone in the north stand but as we saw yesterday we see underhand tactics no word of extra bars and people having to be moved - imagine how daft we would have looked to agree to something we know nothing about and then we get announcements like yesterday when hundreds will be forced out - people will think that’s something we would have engineered. No. Not in our name.
All we have asked club to do is come clean about everything since day one. You can only make a decision with confidence when you have confidence in the process. They us invited us to 2 of the 3 meetings on the basis that we should be , in their words “anchor tenants” -communicated to us after they had proceeded to meet with CityMatters - some of their reps then said to the club invite 1894 as they’d want to talk about club’s plans for a “blue wall” so that’s how we got involved, we weren’t front and centre from the start, so we then asked members should we attend as initial information would be NDA’d. 80% said go. So we listened we made points, we asked for more information ie on prices not just this year but multiple years - on number of actual season tickets available to ensure it’s not just a collection of individuals- on position of singing areas.
We’re collection of volunteers remember. Doing stuff in our spare time for free. We’ve never been invited into Citymatters and also at times been wary of being used as a tick box by the club. The club have been on tens of thousands of pounds to get the process right and take fans either them. That’s not our responsibility. What we mailed Danny Wilson in June 2024 was that the plans was that’s we stand we couldn’t get on board but more information would be needed.
No one is interested in a half hearted effort by the club. If the club really made atmosphere front and centre they would get a lot more fans on board. Ball has always been in clubs court and is now. You can’t enter into something in blind faith. As proved by the emails to fans 5 mins before the media release saying you have to move. Most people there will individuals buying match day tickets game by game. There’s a whole host of things our members would want reassurance on which hasn’t come. Even now they are drip feeding information. At this moment and this should be the focus for everyone on here really, our thoughts are with the people being forced to move seats. We will be contacting fans in our networks shortly about how we can at all help them.
Yesterday we reposted our statement from
June 2024 which is basically what we are saying currently.
Some fans will move to NS to be near friends and near the tram. That may open ip
Spaces around the south stand where more
Singers could congregate and improve what we have. Which is good a lot of the time. Sure it can be quiet but many times can be good. The singers are split but many are telling us they are not prepared to move based on club’s current plans. They know what they are getting where they are and feel it will get even worse if they moved somewhere else.
It’s not for us to sell something to fans that club could and should be selling to fans themselves. They have to make it that yes their plans will turn the atmosphere around for people to buy into it. People are not buying into it. That’s fine. Take it or leave it.
Our only concern at the minute is the people affected by the move and the underhand was done last week.
Both myself and Lee from Citymatters will be on a fans podcast The Mancunian Way after the Bournemouth game.
The current so called singing areas have been sometimes diluted by the influx of one off fans, forcing people to use the ticket agencies, tickets coming through resale sites and the restrictions which are unfair.
As far as I can see asking people to move to an area with a no season tickets and some flexi gold (less than half as the 4000 flexi are spread over the ground not just this new area) means trying to sing and it falling flat at the very next block.
Think about the people being forced out.
September 2024.
Let me ask you a question Blueparrot.
Please be honest.
At what point during public announcement of the redeveloped North stand, during the planning process, and during the construction of the new North stand, which has been on going for years, have the club been in direct dialogue with the fans about a dedicated singing section on NSL2? That includes during the on-going installation of 3000 safe standing seats?
All officially confirmed by the club.
I can’t do much about people who deny the facts and statements because they don’t line up with their own expectations.
we have 7-8000 standing now though, 4500 at bottom of south lower, 750-1000 in kippax corner all of 314 and the back few rows of 315-318.Silly reasons then, it was never going to be 8000 standing, probably couldn't fill 8000 standing, there is no corporate in the stand, and we don't know the prices so refusing to engage over that, IF true, would be daft.
we also think its a missed opportunity mate, not by us but by the club. we can't control that thoughI can't honestly say, though think at one point I have had a questionaire asking the question of interest in the standing section. As Dante has posted the offer to be involved as anchor tenants was made in 24, also giving reasons why 1894 decided not to be involved.In the end it's down to the groups members and the reasons for the decision,which are appreciated and give some clarity.
I still think it would be a missed opportunity,that can't be undone.
so as you know tim we agree with most other groups most of the time, we disagree on flexi, and even yesterday if they had announced a choice of flexi or season ticket that could have been so much fairer.1894 were involved in a Podcast or two and their reasons for declining seemed reasonable. The 1894 spokespeople came across well. Reasons included lack of clarity over pricing, rail seating and having premium seats in the stand.
IIRC there was also a request for season cards over flexi-golds but that was before the improvements in flexis and info about season card attendance.
It was last year so I might have got details wrong.
we have 7-8000 standing now though, 4500 at bottom of south lower, 750-1000 in kippax corner all of 314 and the back few rows of 315-318.
at wembley finals we also have 19000 regularly standing for finals as that's the capacity of the bottom tier.
so if you want to congregate people together and make atmosphere the priority then it can be done it's easy, you make the prices so attractive and absolutely guarantee that the atmosphere is the priority by letting fans - stand where they want and being able to pass spares onto friends and family without punishment. You protect and ringfence the area and say atmosphere priority. You also set it up in area that can dominate the whole ground. Not token bits in each corner with rows of padded seats in between.
Weirdly this aint quite right for Level 0 (1) (If the emails from citry are right..) Row Z is one of the GA+ but row AA isnt.
I've thought for awhile that it would benefit the fanbase overall if the various groups joined City Matters enmasse rather than pull against each other. Do we really need 1894, the foodbank guys and the trade union lot (I don't even see what the point of that last lot is except for a "look at me" exercise). I've seen lots of abuse aimed at Alex from CM before (including a disgraceful doxing attempt), if everyone is in the one group you can enact a change from within and then have a lot more votes and pressure. You can always have sub-groups within for specific things like the foodbank.Seems to me that individuals want changes that suit individuals.
The club have made decisions that benefit the future of Manchester City football Club.
An immense new development to benefit the match going experience of thousands of fans, old and new.
Many of us have left Manchester to make a better life elsewhere but feel the lure of returning to watch our beloved blues.
We make a day of it spending thousands a year, tickets , hotels, food and drink.
No longer can the only people who have a stake in City be the ones who moan about the bus or tram back to Hale.
Of course any new development must cater for a mix of experiences, they are not mutually exclusive.
A ground suitable for the Euros, CL finals, and the best team in the land and all the World.
As usual you present a balanced view.
Considering the We and not just the I.
I can't honestly say, though think at one point I have had a questionaire asking the question of interest in the standing section. As Dante has posted the offer to be involved as anchor tenants was made in 24, also giving reasons why 1894 decided not to be involved.In the end it's down to the groups members and the reasons for the decision,which are appreciated and give some clarity.
I still think it would be a missed opportunity,that can't be undone.
Thanks Dante.so as you know tim we agree with most other groups most of the time, we disagree on flexi, and even yesterday if they had announced a choice of flexi or season ticket that could have been so much fairer.
Maybe ,and maybe we end up with 2 stronger ends,though it also risks the 2 ends becoming diluted.we also think its a missed opportunity mate, not by us but by the club. we can't control that though
moving may make things worse, perhaps south stand gets stronger out of this
I may be misunderstanding, are you saying its always been at the front of the new section (row 16 of the new stand) and not at the front of the whole tier eg row 1 of the current 2nd tierI pointed out as much yesterday.
There’s always a chance people will still go , we are not “controlling the singing” there’s many fans out there who are not involved with us who do their own thing who like to sing. You’d hope if enough people the right sort if people get into the corner bits they may just be loud enough to reach the other end - hardly schalke but a start.Maybe ,and maybe we end up with 2 stronger ends,though it also risks the 2 ends becoming diluted.
agree with the standing bit, better off starting small and see how it goes then expand if demand and legislation permits. knowing the authorities we'd build it and then they'd change the rules to say only 10% of each area could be standing.Silly reasons then, it was never going to be 8000 standing, probably couldn't fill 8000 standing, there is no corporate in the stand, and we don't know the prices so refusing to engage over that, IF true, would be daft.
We probably wouldn't get 8000 wanting to stand ?Prices? Corporate whacked is there, this great opportunity should've been 8000 all standing with atmosphere at top of priorities
Not everyone on Citymatters agrees though, sometimes a lack of statement is because they can’t agree. As shown by the strike last year half did half didn’t. Some went to protests some didn’t.I've thought for awhile that it would benefit the fanbase overall if the various groups joined City Matters enmasse rather than pull against each other. Do we really need 1894, the foodbank guys and the trade union lot (I don't even see what the point of that last lot is except for a "look at me" exercise). I've seen lots of abuse aimed at Alex from CM before (including a disgraceful doxing attempt), if everyone is in the one group you can enact a change from within and then have a lot more votes and pressure. You can always have sub-groups within for specific things like the foodbank.