Arsenal (A) | Community Shield | Post-match Thread

[paulchapo]

It‘s all relative, I suppose. Different clubs have different expectations. Bad times for us is not challenging for titles and apart from last season, we’ve been wide of the mark pretty much these last 2 decades. Now that City has reached the pinnacle not just of English football but of world football, I’d imagine your expectations have changed from say, where they were 15 years ago?

You do realise we were right at the very top of football in England and Europe in the late sixties/early seventies? Years of mismanagement under a certain Peter Swales set us back decades, but us FOC's remember where we were before it.

As for expectations most of us always thought at the start of every season that this would be the one where it all clicked into place and we would be back challenging. Reality soon set in though as the top four was as good as nailed on every season by the same four clubs. The huge amount of money and glamour the champions league participation gave them meant they hoovered up all the top talent and trophies. The only way anybody could challenge was a huge cash injection. That's what happened with Blackburn briefly and then Chelsea. Thankfully we sneaked through the door just in time before it was slammed shut. Our owners and club just do it better and boy do you redshirts hate it. Tough shit.

 

[paulchapo]

He's spot on abour our end. It was dreadful.

Because it was all new fans, families and fans who hardly ever go. The ones who really sing and shout boycotted it. If football keeps driving us away Sunday is its future.

 

[5 Hit Gibbon]

Because it was all new fans, families and fans who hardly ever go. The ones who really sing and shout boycotted it. If football keeps driving us away Sunday is its future.

We went and if it was like that every week I would stop going. There were a few trying to get songs going but they were pissing in the wind.

 

[paulchapo]

We went and if it was like that every week I would stop going. There were a few trying to get songs going but they were pissing in the wind.

Exactly. If the atmosphere goes at games you may as well save your money and watch it on the box.

 

[Tecumseh]

You do realise we were right at the very top of football in England and Europe in the late sixties/early seventies? Years of mismanagement under a certain Peter Swales set us back decades, but us FOC's remember where we were before it.

As for expectations most of us always thought at the start of every season that this would be the one where it all clicked into place and we would be back challenging. Reality soon set in though as the top four was as good as nailed on every season by the same four clubs. The huge amount of money and glamour the champions league participation gave them meant they hoovered up all the top talent and trophies. The only way anybody could challenge was a huge cash injection. That's what happened with Blackburn briefly and then Chelsea. Thankfully we sneaked through the door just in time before it was slammed shut. Our owners and club just do it better and boy do you redshirts hate it. Tough shit.

I am old enough to remember the 60s and 70s and the great City team back then. In some ways a more halcyon time when no team was dominant for long and I’d argue a more innocent time. As for your current success, don’t assume all ‘redshirt’ fans are the same. I certainly don’t begrudge you your success. Frankly, I’d prefer that to Man Utd or Liverpool dominating.

 

[paulchapo]

I am old enough to remember the 60s and 70s and the great City team back then. In some ways a more halcyon time when no team was dominant for long and I’d argue a more innocent time. As for your current success, don’t assume all ‘redshirt’ fans are the same. I certainly don’t begrudge you your success. Frankly, I’d prefer that to Man Utd or Liverpool dominating.

Yes that's because there wasn't as much money awash in the game then. That's why as good as Clough and Taylor were, a small town team like Forest and Derby could win the title.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

We went and if it was like that every week I would stop going. There were a few trying to get songs going but they were pissing in the wind.

The club should have perhaps made it clear to the ST holders/SC and anyone else that wanted to sing then blocks A/B/C/D (for example- I know that are numbered but can’t remember them) would be designated singing sections. Had they got 3/4000 together in the same place then it would have worked better and also anyone not wanting that could have avoided it.

I heard from someone in the know that we sold less than 2000 to ST holders. How true that is I don’t know.

 

[paulchapo]

The club should have perhaps made it clear to the ST holders/SC and anyone else that wanted to sing then blocks A/B/C/D (for example- I know that are numbered but can’t remember them) would be designated singing sections. Had they got 3/4000 together in the same place then it would have worked better and also anyone not wanting that could have avoided it.

I heard from someone in the know that we sold less than 2000 to ST holders. How true that is I don’t know.

I think the club privately were delighted with the boycott and the outcome. We sold out not only our allocation but extra tickets which were given to us. This has given them an indication that we have grown a tourist/new fanbase that should ensure every game is a sell out, irrespective of what us old hands do. Wembley might not be a good marker though as for many it would have been a glamour day out and the prices were a lot cheaper than for a normal premier league game. As some of the old hands who did go, Cheesy and others noticed it does means a huge drop off in vocal support and atmosphere.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

I think the club privately were delighted with the boycott and the outcome. We sold out not only our allocation but extra tickets which were given to us. This has given them an indication that we have grown a tourist/new fanbase that should ensure every game is a sell out, irrespective of what us old hands do. Wembley might not be a good marker though as for many it would have been a glamour day out and the prices were a lot cheaper than for a normal premier league game. As some of the old hands who did go, Cheesy and others noticed it means a huge drop off in vocal support and atmosphere.

To be fair though, without them it wouldn’t have been any louder as it would have been pretty empty. I thought it was good to see families in our end, perhaps getting their first ever Wembley experience.

I agree that the club will have been absolutely delighted. We have become the hottest ticket in town.

I know social media doesn’t mean much but this time last year we had 33m instagram followers. We now have 47m, above Liverpool! The Haaland signing and Treble has rocketed us. Advertisers will be all over this and clamouring to give us their money.

 

[paulchapo]

To be fair though, without them it wouldn’t have been any louder as it would have been pretty empty. I thought it was good to see families in our end, perhaps getting their first ever Wembley experience.

I agree that the club will have been absolutely delighted. We have become the hottest ticket in town.

I know social media doesn’t mean much but this time last year we had 33m instagram followers. We now have 47m, above Liverpool! The Haaland signing and Treble has rocketed us. Advertisers will be all over this and clamouring to give us their money.

Yes and no. An earlier kick off time or it being played at a ground closer and a lot more regulars would have gone.

It's a sign of success and although some aspects are annoying I'm sure many, including myself, welcome it. Those of us who have been around since n the dark days aren't going to be around forever sadly and we need new blood.

 

[fitzy blue]

The club should have perhaps made it clear to the ST holders/SC and anyone else that wanted to sing then blocks A/B/C/D (for example- I know that are numbered but can’t remember them) would be designated singing sections. Had they got 3/4000 together in the same place then it would have worked better and also anyone not wanting that could have avoided it.

I heard from someone in the know that we sold less than 2000 to ST holders. How true that is I don’t know.

Six of us went and we're all seasoncard holders.
We didn't believe in the boycott but knew quite a few regulars that were joining it, and was surprised when we sold out.
I go to most away games and I hardly spotted a familiar face all day.
We sat in the cheap seats in block 544, and tried to get a song or 2 going, but people obviously didn't know the songs and were too busy taking selfies anyway, even when the game was on.
Most people near us were not speaking English and there were lots of kids.
Not great having to listen to the arsenal fans mocking us, a fan base I've never thought much of.
At least we filled our end of the ground.
We lost the match, but our fans certainly never lost their voices.
It was a friendly, I'm sure we'll get things back to normal when the real deal starts.
Burnley here we come!

 

[bennyboy]

He's spot on abour our end. It was dreadful.

Has there ever been a charity shield game at Wembley that has been special atmosphere wise.

 

[Celeste]

Six of us went and we're all seasoncard holders.
We didn't believe in the boycott but knew quite a few regulars that were joining it, and was surprised when we sold out.
I go to most away games and I hardly spotted a familiar face all day.
We sat in the cheap seats in block 544, and tried to get a song or 2 going, but people obviously didn't know the songs and were too busy taking selfies anyway, even when the game was on.
Most people near us were not speaking English and there were lots of kids.
Not great having to listen to the arsenal fans mocking us, a fan base I've never thought much of.
At least we filled our end of the ground.
We lost the match, but our fans certainly never lost their voices.
It was a friendly, I'm sure we'll get things back to normal when the real deal starts.
Burnley here we come!

My son and I went, season ticket holders, and agree it was the quietest atmosphere we’ve experienced. We met a family after the game from Guildford, dad supported u*d but his young boys were blues and his wife was along for the day out. The older boy loved it and was in awe of us going to the FA cup final (dad didn’t want to talk about that), and Istanbul. Not going to get any songs going with a families like these just yet but the future is definitely blue!!

 

[pottsy]

City podcast / blogger here claiming thousands of Arsenal fans in our end. Just like they claimed. City’s policy of lets give anyone a ticket and let them buy up to 4 tickets was simply to not lose out to fan power and to suppress the boycott. What the club should have done was take on the fans wishes of a 3pm start and stand up for the fans against the FA and ITV

City’s sales policy could have resulted in serious crowd disorder... thankfully it didn’t

If we have so many new fans desperate to go just make it one ticket per person

Making it four per person was the club’s answer to the boycott. It’s sweeping the problem under the carpet

 

[pottsy]

True so why still boycott the game?

Because fans wanted 3pm and weren’t consulted

 

[Shirley]

Yeah, let's prioritise local businesses over folk who can't afford to put food on the table.

Fuck me.

I didn’t say prioritise anything but as you say you sound as though you need a jolly good one.

 

[Stephen230]

City podcast / blogger here claiming thousands of Arsenal fans in our end. Just like they claimed. City’s policy of lets give anyone a ticket and let them buy up to 4 tickets was simply to not lose out to fan power and to suppress the boycott. What the club should have done was take on the fans wishes of a 3pm start and stand up for the fans against the FA and ITV

City’s sales policy could have resulted in serious crowd disorder... thankfully it didn’t

If we have so many new fans desperate to go just make it one ticket per person

Making it four per person was the club’s answer to the boycott. It’s sweeping the problem under the carpet

It wasn’t an answer to the boycott. City have made the criteria for numerous Wembley games more than one ticket per member.

There’d be riots on here if a League Cup Final or an FA Cup Semi didn’t sell out whilst tickets remained restricted to one each.

 

[Tourist since 1971]

I am amazed this is still getting so many people riled up.

This was a pre-season warm up game, held miles away from the match going fan base, who didn't want to go anyway.

Would you be getting this upset if the large, mainly City shirt wearing, crowd in Somewhereville, Tennessee didn't know all the words to 'Johnny, Johnny Stones'? Would that be a precursor to an impending loss of atmosphere at the Etihad for a derby, or an FA Cup QF against the dippers, or a Champions League SF against Barcelona? I think the answer to both questions is pretty obvious.

There must be loads more things to worry about than this.

 

[ballbag]

The arsenal fans are extremely annoying. They’re calling a meaningless competition which they had no right to be in and won by penalties via a last minute bs deflection “overcoming the hurdle” against us? The fact we kept them at bay with their strongest XI bar Jesus with our players who are no where near up to the fitness levels yet is a big positive for us and actually is kinda disappointing from arsenal who had a decent spell in the 1st half but were nothing special 2nd half.

We beat Barcelona with a Martin Petrov goal years ago in some meaningless friendly at the Nou Camp. They shat themselves every time we played them after that for years.

Honest.

 

[Dodge]

I didn’t say prioritise anything but as you say you sound as though you need a jolly good one.

Is that an offer?