It was around this time last season that
it really struck home.
City ticket office had fucked up our tickets, as a 'sorry' they gave us an up grade to the legends suit.
As a one of we did the pre match stadium tour ( don't bother ). I was shocked at how busy the campus was at 10 am for a 3pm ko.
On the tour of around 25 people the question was asked ' how many are going to the match' everyone was going. Than they asked how many are City fans, only about 6 or 7. That shocked me.
These tours were going every 15 minutes or so, there were loads of tours going on. Now if all the tours had the same percentage as ours, hardy any were City fans.
I hated it, I hated being outnumbered at my club, it was bizarre. I felt like I wasn't wanted anymore. The tour was geared up for new fans. The questions being asked by the tour guide was embarrassing, any ture City fan would know the facts and the history. It was a really dumb down tour
That's when my view on match going changed. Now we can't get tickets next to each other this season.
I hate it as well. I hate being told ‘it’s the price of success’. There’s nothing good about it from a core fan’s point of view.
I keep telling lads I know that the seat next to me isn’t a season ticket seat anymore (the lad there was finally priced out a few years ago) so for them to try and get next to me. Not once in a season and a half have any of them been able to get that seat.
Instead it’s been a different foreigner (apart from one lad from Glasgow for Sparta Praha) sat next to me. Half the time it’s a fan of the opposition or opposition player (Lpool at home last season it was a Mo Salah fan, bizarre thing, it’s not tennis where the sport is played by individuals!).
Even when they’re City fans, it’s rare they converse with me, I barely get a single word out of most of them. Even when it’s clear they speak English, they aren’t interested. It’s fucking boring being sat next to them, no conversation and no banter, they don’t sing, they barely get excited apart from the odd ones. Only once (the Glaswegian lad) have any of them chatted to me… and every single cell in my body hates it when they get excited when the opposition or their player for the opposition has a chance or scores.
There was a home game last year where the lad who was there next to me that day was sat with his leg digging into mine as he sat spread eagle, head down with his phone between his legs, I didn’t notice him look up at the game once.
When we scored he looked actively pissed off and didn’t even stand up. I purposely fell over him to hug the lad next door but one to me. He tried to push me off so I shouted in his face ‘WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU HERE FOR?!’. Then when I sat down again, I pointed out the centre point between our seats and told him to move his leg from being miles into my space.
He fucked off before half time and didn’t come back for the second half.
I’d rather have an empty seat next to me.