Atmosphere Thread | 2025/26

[bobbyowenquiff]

It’s a fair point. However I do think easier access to tickets, the ability for groups of mates to buy together, areas of the stadium be emptied enabling singing ends to be created and lowering of ticket prices would change the crowd demographic.

I was 22 at York away and the age profile of our crowd back then was predominantly 20/30s, we have grown older but after the last 10 years of success the next generation of young blues should be there to fill the gap.

I think they are but not if they have to sit on their own, unable to shift tickets on to other mates and cannot sit near like minded persons.

There were pleny of Blues in the home sections at Bootham Crescent as well....but they didn't have phone torches!

 

[Pablo ZZZ Peroni]

Like @give it to gordon often says, it’s hard to get tickets in groups or even in twos next to each other these days. You could go as a group of eight, and six would be sat on their own randomly dotted around the stadium and maybe two would be sat next to each other if they’re lucky.

Here’s what’s left for West Ham on the official City ticket site, one solitary seat in the entire stadium:

View attachment 176322


Yet you can book between 1 and ‘more than 10 people’ in the third tiers and lower tiers with P1 Travel (one of City’s official ticket tout partners):

View attachment 176323

Manchester City vs West Ham United

Buy your Manchester City vs West Ham United Tickets & Hospitality at P1 Travel. ✓ Official Tickets. ✓ Travel Packages. ✓ Easy & Safe booking.

www.p1travel.com

For €139 each for the third tiers or €149 each for the lower tiers (whatever that is in £).

And Viagogo has 33 lots of ‘2’s together (so 66 seats) that say they’re hospitality but are in the normal third tiers but with a meal offsite somewhere:

Manchester City Tickets

Manchester City tickets - Buy and sell Manchester City tickets at viagogo

www.viagogo.co.uk

Again, no checks on whether these buyers would be City fans or not.

Yet only 1 seat available to City fans on the official club site.

And we wonder why we don’t have a good atmosphere. We’re surrounded by nobodies.

A wide selection of West Ham tickets were available about 2 weeks ago and then they were pulled but came on sale again today as we are in the 21 day window. There's load of choice now and availability will increase as loads of STs come up due exchange and third party releases. Demand for this game will be low - Saturday before xmas is traditionaly poor.

By way of example, look at Sunderland availabilty for this coming weekend and there is loads.

Today a matchday member could go on line and buy tickets for any of the forthcoming available games with starting prices after discount in the range £30 to £38. In most cases you can get 2 seats or more sitting togther (not necessarily at those cheapest prices) if that a priority because lots of availability.

Available
Sunderland
West Ham
Brighton
Wolves
Fulham
Forest
Palace
Brentford

Not Available
Chelsea
Newcastle
Arsenal
Villa (last game of season)

My daughter and family let matchday membership lapse due cost of travel (from down south) and match day ticket prices. The last 2 games they attended were Everton on boxing day and the Bournemouth last season. The Bournemouth prices were stupid and that finished them but the new matchday ticket prices are great relative to what they were last season and they've just lucked in with the 50% black friday membership deal.

They return back to Manchester permanently in 2 weeks and at least 2 from her family intend going to all of the games from West Ham onwards. They might struggle to get tickets for Arsenal or Villa (if we are going for the league) but from 3 weeks before they will be checking daily to try and get sorted.

Amongst all the negative stuff about ticketing she is buzzing because the ticket prices are so low relative to last season. Me and the rest of my family are with STs in CB L3 so she will mainly pay a bit more than the cheapest seats quoted above to be close to us but about £20 less than she paid for Bournemouth and Everton last season.

As an aside 1894 and the rest are to be praised for the protests and the ST freeze. As for the reduction in matchday ticket prices, it's my view the club would have reduced them anyway this season. It's simple supply and demand because we can't sell out most league games where previously in 2023 it was a different kettle of fish. They are doubly fucked for next season with the increased capacity.

 

[Oyster28catcher]

All fans entering the Etihad should identity the below photo:

Incorrect answer, turn around.

Those in the third tier must place a sticker over their phone light.

 

[EastMidlandsBlue]

Spot-on. We averaged 29,000 in a 34,000 stadium that York season. Great crowds for the third tier but we would not have filled a 52,000 stadium. We averaged 38,000 in a 63,000 stadium in 1968 when we won the league. There were plenty of empty seats near me in those days in the Platt Lane. The atmosphere has been up and down our whole history...just like most other clubs. What really helps is cheap tickets and a sense of siege mentality. That's why, for a period, our crowds went up as we were relegated. Our away support has always been superb and up there with the best. And it still is. Most rival fans i meet are always full of praise for our our away following. We were fantastic in defeat at the last Newcastle match for starters.

The difference back then is no one cared about empty seats, whereas nowadays it seems to be all people care about.

I think for teams like Leeds it's a bit of a coping mechanism to have this attitude of "We may not have won ON the pitch, but we certainly won it OFF the pitch"

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

The difference back then is no one cared about empty seats, whereas nowadays it seems to be all people care about.

I think for teams like Leeds it's a bit of a coping mechanism to have this attitude of "We may not have won ON the pitch, but we certainly won it OFF the pitch"

The empty seats thing is totally bizarre. Clubs like Real Madrid and Barca rarely sell out because they have huge stadiums. That's the norm across Europe for most clubs. The people who are most obsessed with empty seats don't attend live matches. In their entire history Leeds have never had an average crowd higher than 40,000 even in the 1960s when Elland Road held more than 50,000. I have been in some 50,000 plus crowds at Elland Road but City took 10,000 fans to those games.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

The empty seats thing is totally bizarre. Clubs like Real Madrid and Barca rarely sell out because they have huge stadiums. That's the norm across Europe for most clubs. The people who are most obsessed with empty seats don't attend live matches. In their entire history Leeds have never had an average crowd higher than 40,000 even in the 1960s when Elland Road held more than 50,000. I have been in some 50,000 plus crowds at Elland Road but City took 10,000 fans to those games.

I believe the whole empty seats thing was started by Man United fans and mainly aimed at City. ironically its been taken up by the armchair sky tv generation for whom football support is mainly banter done on social media. It’s the same with this obsession with who is the “biggest” club. These people pick a club because of what it gives them. Nobody gave a shit in the days when you supported your local club by going to the games.

 

[East Level 2]

There were pleny of Blues in the home sections at Bootham Crescent as well....but they didn't have phone torches!

Guilty as charged. In the home section and didn't get my first mobile until a few days after that game. And the old Nokia brick phones didn't have torches anyway!!

 

[jrb]

The empty seats thing is totally bizarre. Clubs like Real Madrid and Barca rarely sell out because they have huge stadiums. That's the norm across Europe for most clubs. The people who are most obsessed with empty seats don't attend live matches. In their entire history Leeds have never had an average crowd higher than 40,000 even in the 1960s when Elland Road held more than 50,000. I have been in some 50,000 plus crowds at Elland Road but City took 10,000 fans to those games.

It’s down to the naming of the stadium. Etihad=Emptyhad.

And the fact that the fans of the 3 Red Shirt Cartel clubs have nothing else to take the piss about.

West Ham have 1000’s of empty seats for most home games, but it’s never mentioned,

It is only going to get worse from next year onwards when the new and expanded North stand opens.

 

[Bluechipblue]

All fans entering the Etihad should identity the below photo:

Incorrect answer, turn around.

Those in the third tier must place a sticker over their phone light.

Is it the back of Pep's head taken from behind the dugout?

 

[St Helens Blue (Exiled)]

I'm not personally arsed if we sell out or not! Most teams have plenty of seats for each game so having a few 1000 left over for certain games will not and will never bother me, matchday pricing will always be a devisive issue.. If people want to take the piss using the usual "emptihad" jibes then let them. I always say to myself that they will "NEVER" ever experience the journey that we as fans have been on so if they want to try to bait me then it simply won't work.
What concerns me moving forward is the fact we have a new stand opening and it really has not been thought out correctly with a view to improving atmosphere. There will always be a place for the "tourist" football fan. This is not my issue with City. My issue is the whole ticketing fiasco around the ability to transfer tickets to fellow season ticket holders and not just the nominees on the friends and family list. The Leverkusen game completeley did my head in last week. I know the dynamics are different around those games etc but seeing people literally wanting to leave because Haaland wasn't playing really hacked me off. I actually thought the Leeds atmosphere was very good considering they made a right racket as they always do.
It is a real hard one moving forward. Not pissing the fans off who have been through it all trying to appease the newer generation of city fan. How it works moving forward I do not know.
I personally feel the club need to reflect moving forward on some certain decisions they have made but doubt very much they ever will as football is now about maximising revenues however that may happen.
I have missed Brentford away this season and can't make tonight or Palace due to work.
Having 2 sons aged 25 and 12 ties me to the club moving forward into my mid 50's for the next few years.
How do I say to a 12yr old who goes to most aways "sorry son I simply can't be arsed on New years day driving to Sunderland?" He doesn't get the effort, time, expense it takes to get up there on NYD for an 8pm.
I am tied. I have seen it all with City. I will be there for the next few years home and away, but it has become a chore at times, something I thought I would never hear myself saying. I am sure I am not alone in this.

 

[philiph20]

I believe the whole empty seats thing was started by Man United fans and mainly aimed at City. ironically its been taken up by the armchair sky tv generation for whom football support is mainly banter done on social media. It’s the same with this obsession with who is the “biggest” club. These people pick a club because of what it gives them. Nobody gave a shit in the days when you supported your local club by going to the games.

I also think it’s mainly a British thing, I get the impression overseas it’s more about the quality of support such as pyro, tyfo, noise etc. it’s a peculiarly unhinged British fan trait this empty seat obsession.

 

[flapjack]

How come the attendance was listed as 52, 483 if there was loads of empties?...so those tickets have sold and people couldn't resell or just didn't bother turning up?
If the tickets have sold then club will think everything is okay won't they, as the demand is there

 

[give it to gordon]

People that go on about empty seat must be loaded with cash as they can afford to go to every game.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

How come the attendance was listed as 52, 483 if there was loads of empties?...so those tickets have sold and people couldn't resell or just didn't bother turning up?
If the tickets have sold then club will think everything is okay won't they, as the demand is there

To be fair for a lot of these empty seats, you can’t even buy them. There always greyed out on the planner. Maybe the club doesn’t count them either way.

I used to sit in 107 east stand and there was a row of seats that were pretty much always empty, apart from the ‘big’ games. You couldn’t purchase them through the club

 

[East Level 2]

People that go on about empty seat must be loaded with cash as they can afford to go to every game.

The majority of people who go on about empty seats "support" other teams from the comfort of their armchairs.
City fans who go on about empty seats want the club to make it easier and cheaper for fans (old and new) to attend when tickets are available.

 

[Burtonblue]

Like @give it to gordon often says, it’s hard to get tickets in groups or even in twos next to each other these days. You could go as a group of eight, and six would be sat on their own randomly dotted around the stadium and maybe two would be sat next to each other if they’re lucky.

Here’s what’s left for West Ham on the official City ticket site, one solitary seat in the entire stadium:

View attachment 176322


Yet you can book between 1 and ‘more than 10 people’ in the third tiers and lower tiers with P1 Travel (one of City’s official ticket tout partners):

View attachment 176323

Manchester City vs West Ham United

Buy your Manchester City vs West Ham United Tickets & Hospitality at P1 Travel. ✓ Official Tickets. ✓ Travel Packages. ✓ Easy & Safe booking.

www.p1travel.com

For €139 each for the third tiers or €149 each for the lower tiers (whatever that is in £).

And Viagogo has 33 lots of ‘2’s together (so 66 seats) that say they’re hospitality but are in the normal third tiers but with a meal offsite somewhere:

Manchester City Tickets

Manchester City tickets - Buy and sell Manchester City tickets at viagogo

www.viagogo.co.uk

Again, no checks on whether these buyers would be City fans or not.

Yet only 1 seat available to City fans on the official club site.

And we wonder why we don’t have a good atmosphere. We’re surrounded by nobodies.

You’re absolutely bang on with that.
The atmosphere problem is generated by how the tickets go on sale.
Third party agencies sweep up vast swathes of them when all matches go on sale before season starts and sell them on at vast profit to tourists. I was sat to next to 4 well healed Spanish guys for the Leeds game who to be fair were doing a bit of shouting for City but spoke no English. I dread to think what they would have paid for their seats.
The club is happy as they ensure the seats are sold as far as they’re concerned but the atmosphere definitely suffers.
There are plenty of long term fans who cannot commit to purchasing tickets at the start of the season but would like to go to games when they know they are able to attend nearer the time. The current system precludes them from doing so as agencies will hang onto seats until the last minute hoping for a profitable sale. This plus a small number of season ticket holders who fail to resale through the club explains the empties.
Hopefully the new legislation coming into action preventing the resale of seats at higher than face value will put an end to this.
I hope the old system where citizen card holders got access to purchase a few weeks before the games will come back and this will go a long way to ensuring the atmosphere improves and seats get filled.
The current system has to change.

 

[Lost in space]

Well played to those Fulham fans who went ape shot at those knobs with phones out in the Fulham end takin pics of Phil celebrating. Just goes to we aint the only ground suffering cos of day trippers with no loyalty.

 

[EastMidlandsBlue]

Another absolutely fantastic away end today, yet again.

Away games have really become a breath of fresh air for me. These days I seem to walk away from the etihad feeling deflated, yet I walk away from away grounds with that buzz I used to get as a young adult watching City.

 

[Big Chap]

Another absolutely fantastic away end today, yet again.

Away games have really become a breath of fresh air for me. These days I seem to walk away from the etihad feeling deflated, yet I walk away from away grounds with that buzz I used to get as a young adult watching City.

If you were anywhere near me, I was the one giving it Pawson for the 90 minutes. Cheating…….

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Another absolutely fantastic away end today, yet again.

Away games have really become a breath of fresh air for me. These days I seem to walk away from the etihad feeling deflated, yet I walk away from away grounds with that buzz I used to get as a young adult watching City.

That was one hell of a songbook tonight! Must have been 25 different songs belted out!