pokerjokerz said:I am afraid you reap what you sow, as we've witnessed over at OT for some time now.
The more succesful you become, the more people want to knock you off your perch ( copyright of Sir Alex Ferguson ). You will become the team others want to beat, and the more you win, the more people will turn up hoping to see your asses getting kicked.
The more people want to see their team play City, the more the clubs will charge. A classic example was back in the 2004/5 season against Birmingham. United played away against Birmingham City and they charged us £50.. FIFTY GOD DAMN QUID... The following week they were playing Bolton at home, and charging away fans £15.
Thats how stupid it gets, and because your now a Category A team, the clubs will whack up the prices knowing that fans will pay it. The more you are recognised, the more it will cost you to go watch your own team.
sadly, as we at United found ( I was a founder member of FC United and haven't been inside OT since 2005 ) as one mug walks out the door, another mug will take their place, and so will be the case with City. Loyal fans, those who've been going for decades through thick and thin, will find themselves priced out, and some flash twat from London who only supports the team because they are succesful and it suits him image to be attached to the most succesful team, will whack the cost of a ST on his credit card and gladly take their place.
Like it or not, you will find that everything thats happened over at OT will happen to your fans, because thats the price you pay for success.
Personally, I'd give up every trophy I've ever seen United lift, to get back to the days when loyalty to the team actually meant something. Now its purely about ££££££.. A vicious circle.
The team wins trophies
The club gains more supporters
Demand to get tickets rise
THe ticket prices go up
More local fans get priced out
Tourists start turning up
The club makes more money off merchandise, package deals etc
The club attracts better sponsors
The club makes more money
The club can afford better players
The better players win more trophies
And so ad infinitum...
Every city fans worst nightmare. We just pray that by some miracle the sheik at least makes games affordable to the traditional fan. At the moment its still okay but slowly it seems to be heading that direction, ultimately it may depend on how any extension impacts on the prices of season tickets