Atmosphere Thread | 2025/26

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Cost is a huge factor, but it's by no means the only factor and there's definitely a groundswell of apathy.

My mate can be filed under miscellaneous, but I suspect that he's not alone

He's supported City since the early 70s, and sat with me in the home end at Macclesfield and Stockport in the dark days of the late 90s.

He was in all the cup schemes and was there when Wembley was one great novelty in the Mancini era
,
Fast Forward to 2026, and he's only in the FA Cup scheme, but couldn't be arsed attending v Exeter, and I'm not even sure if he attended v Huddersfield or Plymouth last season.
He couldn't be arsed with the Semi Final v Forest and didn't even bother with the Final (or the previous year) as it clashed with a Derbyshire Music Festival

He's not been to a Carabao Cup match this season and he won't be there v Newcastle. However, if we reach Wembley ne might attend, but only if somebody drives him.

That’s where we are at. There is an element of cost being an issue but it’s not the only one. I can afford it but didn’t want to do CL this season as 1. Midweek is a pain 2. The Madrid game last year pissed me off. Completely out of the habit of those games now. I may go to a knockout or two if we get there.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Your lad's mate could have got a membership and you could have transferred the spare ticket to him. If your son's mate is Under 18 he could have got a membership for a fiver linked to your friends and family.

That might be too much of an inconvenience. It depends how much your son's mate wanted to see the game.

And that’s the problem. He didn’t. He got a call on Saturday morning and thought why not. There isn’t enough want out there for this level of hassle. I know you do a lot but have had to scale it back due to rules.

As I’ve said many times on here, I would be quite happy donating my ticket for free to a general pot that is then given away (for say £5/£10) to local families who can go at short notice but can’t afford football.

Ticket exchange is outrageous. £56 for Wolves at home in SS3? Crazy. Fulham is £51 on a Wednesday night!

 

[supercity88]

Cost is a huge factor, but it's by no means the only factor and there's definitely a groundswell of apathy.

My mate can be filed under miscellaneous, but I suspect that he's not alone

He's supported City since the early 70s, and sat with me in the home end at Macclesfield and Stockport in the dark days of the late 90s.

He was in all the cup schemes and was there when Wembley was one great novelty in the Mancini era
,
Fast Forward to 2026, and he's only in the FA Cup scheme, but couldn't be arsed attending v Exeter, and I'm not even sure if he attended v Huddersfield or Plymouth last season.
He couldn't be arsed with the Semi Final v Forest and didn't even bother with the Final (or the previous year) as it clashed with a Derbyshire Music Festival

He's not been to a Carabao Cup match this season and he won't be there v Newcastle. However, if we reach Wembley ne might attend, but only if somebody drives him.

Price is the critical factor in my opinion. Kick off times and the faff with transferring tickets doesn't help, but price games right and we will sell out and it will be a good atmosphere.

Most of our loyal support were there when the football was shite but a beer, chat and a bit of singing at the football was still a great day out. We now have fantastic football, or did at least, but the price and admin the club have introduced makes the experience worse even if the football is better.

 

[EastMidlandsBlue]

Cost is a huge factor, but it's by no means the only factor and there's definitely a groundswell of apathy.

My mate can be filed under miscellaneous, but I suspect that he's not alone

He's supported City since the early 70s, and sat with me in the home end at Macclesfield and Stockport in the dark days of the late 90s.

He was in all the cup schemes and was there when Wembley was one great novelty in the Mancini era
,
Fast Forward to 2026, and he's only in the FA Cup scheme, but couldn't be arsed attending v Exeter, and I'm not even sure if he attended v Huddersfield or Plymouth last season.
He couldn't be arsed with the Semi Final v Forest and didn't even bother with the Final (or the previous year) as it clashed with a Derbyshire Music Festival

He's not been to a Carabao Cup match this season and he won't be there v Newcastle. However, if we reach Wembley ne might attend, but only if somebody drives him.

A lot of fans go to less games as they get older, the problem we've got is that they're not being replaced like they would've been once upon a time. This is due to city completely turning their back on the next generation of fans.

 

[St Helens Blue (Exiled)]

I am 52 now and have been going a long long time. I feel the apathy that many are talking about. It is nothing to do with the football , the charges or anything like that. I just feel that my footballing journey is slowly coming to an end as in going to the games religiously which I still do home and away. Luckily, I am financially comfortable so it's not even a cost issue. I just can't put my finger on it anymore. I am in all cup schemes still bar the league cup.
I wake up sometimes and just feel as though it has become a chore rather than a thing I enjoy. When I was 15 I used to hang my colours up the night before (when I was a full kit wanker). It was a real buzz. Now it's "Oh it's fucking Wolves at home, bore off"
Fast forward to now. Having worked shifts for nigh on 35yrs my life has become a game of booking leave and days off simply to be able to take my now 13yr old son home and away. I have other more important things as well ahead of football. I am a long term foster carer. My daughter (season ticket holder aswell) is competing at a good level with her horse all over the country. It really is a juggling act as I have gotten older. My 25 year old goes with all his mates now all over home, away, Europe etc as he is at an age where he can but I am now going simply for my youngest boy. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy it but I feel myself sitting there and just not getting involved with the singing anymore etc. I have often found myself slating the people who have come on board since our success but that I suppose is modern football in an era of social media and influencers.
The whole ticket transfer stuff has really pissed a lot of people off including myself but again this isn't the sole reason. Having 4 season tickets makes it even harder to manage. If I stop going I feel I let my youngest down.
The club really needs to engage with the fans moving forward. Reverse the ticket transfer rule and open that New Stand up to new season ticket holders. The demographic of our fan base is not like Arsenal etc. It is totally different.
Will I still be going ?? Of course until my lad is at an age where he can tag along with my eldest but football is becoming less and less important to me. Think I will blow the champs league scheme out next year and just stay in the FA Cup.
See you Wednesday and Spurs away

 

[halfcenturyup]

Soriano can be blamed for everything because nobody knows him to confirm or deny his culpability. He's the Osama Bin Laden light of this forum. Maybe he deserves the criticism. Maybe he doesn't.

People more junior to Soriano share some of the responsibility, particularly in relation to more fans being banned from the Etihad and the very complex entry to the ground that blighted the opening week of the season.

It probably isn't our Directors fault (and I'm not a fan of them) that we have to contend with Multi-£billion communications empires like the BBC and Sky TV being infatuated with our rivals.

I do think we share some of the responsibility for trying to grow our fan base, although price increases and ticket availability can be very big obstacles.

Next season will be the first time in several years that we will have excess capacity to grow the number of young families of Blues with season cards in the Etihad. I think it's premature to write off the Etihad as being too big until the newer generation of fans who have been attracted by Haaland etc. have the chance to get season cards.

I don't really care if individual games are sold out. Who am I to comment on the financial circumstances of people I don't even know.

I do see our Directors as being responsible for the poor state of fan engagement that contributes to poor decision making that can hinder the growth of our club.

Soriano can be blamed for everything because he is the top executive. It's as simple as that. If he wanted to concentrate on developing the next generation of local fans alongside his "customer" "destination" obsession he could do as long as he meets the targets given to him by Mansour through the real Board. He doesn't want to. He has his head stuck up the arse of this stupid "Disneyland" concept for football and it will put the club firmly back in second place in the city if United ever get their hopeless organisation together again. Have you read his book? Did you see his presentation a decade ago? It's all in there.

While I am here - my pet whinge. By "Directors" do you mean all the people who report to Soriano and just call themselves directors? In which case your point is moot. Or do you mean people like the American lawyer, the Australian special advisor to the Emir of Abu Dhabi, the CEO of a shipbuilding group or the chairman of a motorsports management company? None of whom is there to worry about fan culture unless it's expressly instructed by Mansour as a strategic requirement. Or the local patsie accountant on the Board? Or maybe Khaldoon himself? The jury is still out with me on whether Khaldoon and Mansour have Soriano under tight enough control on this issue or whether they fully support the implications of what he is doing. And we know now how long these "jury" processes can take :)

So for me, it isn't just easy to blame Soriano, it's perfectly natural. With a sniff of blaming Khaldoon and Mansour if they just continue to let him get away with it now they know about it and, even worse, if they appoint him to the real Board of Directors when he retires. Which retirement should be soon, hopefully.

 

[M18CTID]

On a very serious note Matt.

I’ve been having a civil discussion for most of the day with numerous BM posters about the atmosphere, the North stand, and creating an atmosphere on the new NSL2. Everything has been amicable. I haven’t fallen out with anyone. It’s been a good and productive discussion.

Then you turn up out of the blue late at night. You start abusing me. Calling me a wanker, amongst other things, then you start offering me out on Wednesday night. Have you lost the plot Matt?

Don’t start offering me out on Wednesday night.

Keep your emotional threats off the forum.

You do know I can report you to Ric and the mods, don’t you?

That aside, you really don’t know me Matt.

Concourse at the back of 015 will be very interesting on Wednesday night with “Ten Men” Matt trying to windmill everyone!

Must admit that despite him being a member of this forum for almost as long as me, he’s a poster who has totally slipped under my radar until now ;)

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

Only time I've been impressed by Palace's ultras was at the FA Cup final.

At Selhurst Park there's about 50 of them jumping around like bellends, the rest of the ground sits in complete silence.

Yeah, I think they're overrated, but have somehow acquired this niche reputation where the commentator feels obliged to mention that "unique Selhurst Park atmosphere" on as many occasions as possible

However I can see why posters use them as an example of how something will always be better than nothing

Funny, because there was a strange moment on Saturday, just after the substitutions, when we started getting a bit sloppy, and conceded 3-4 set pieces.

I'm in 119 and as I watched Wolves almost score from a corner, I could clearly hear "We're all singing Edin Dzeko" which had been reverberating around the blocks to my right for the previous ten minutes

No help to the players whatsoever, but something is always better than nothing

I remember thinking that it was like being at Selhurst Park

 

[NJMCFC184]

Went Selhurst in December, didn't hear anything off them apart from a bit of grief for Haaland before the penalty

 

[East Level 2]

Think City must have the loudest PA in football. Ridiculously loud, can't even speak to the person next to you

Wembley always seems ridiculously loud.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

The flags and banners behind the goal at Everton look really good. Like something from the 80s

Maybe we could take some inspiration from previous city banners from past few decades and recreate them

 

[Norbiton]

The flags and banners behind the goal at Everton look really good. Like something from the 80s

Maybe we could take some inspiration from previous city banners from past few decades and recreate them

And then they boo the team off at half time. Not the kind of atmosphere we’re after

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

And then they boo the team off at half time. Not the kind of atmosphere we’re after

Right, but im talking about the flag displays, which look class.

We can’t exactly talk either, most of our fans have left the ground by about 83 minutes every week ;)

 

[levets]

yeah I was one of them............Debbie, Donald Francis and the cool cats, Pez, PB......all the old mobs.

City had loads of different mobs back then. All young.

Plenty of times infiltrated their away section too when you could simply pay cash on turnstiles.

No fucking about.

That’s where me and my mates used to stand too.

 

[come-on-barney]

Read an article by Newcastle fans today, saying the same as us. The atmosphere is dead and shocking this season. Really scathing about their home support. Then Arsenal booing their team off. Home atmospheres in the premier league are poor in general.

 

[Axel Freed]

The Voice of the Etihad.

He’s got his own Instagram page and somebody films him whilst he is doing the player announcements, and after a player scores a goal. Then he does high 5’s, fist pumps, and celebrates his announcements afterwards. It’s pathetic.

Watch the videos if you can arsed?

An attention seeking, talentless wanker foisted on people who neither asked for him nor want him.

You find yourself wondering was High Ferris really all that bad. He was, but he’s probably preferable to this clown.

 

[.db.]

Only time I've been impressed by Palace's ultras was at the FA Cup final.

At Selhurst Park there's about 50 of them jumping around like bellends, the rest of the ground sits in complete silence.

Even regular Palace fans take the piss out of their Ultras group.





Palace were very good at Wembley, but so were we between 2011 and 2014, and like you say, outside about 30-100 behind the goal, 90% of Selhurst sit in silence every week.

 

[.db.]

An attention seeking, talentless wanker foisted on people who neither asked for him nor want him.

You find yourself wondering was High Ferris really all that bad. He was, but he’s probably preferable to this clown.

Hugh Ferris was never the stadium announcer who read the teams out and announced the goal scorers and substitutes, at City. He was the City Square and stadium half time presenter.

The lad who does it now has done it for about twenty years.

 

[M18CTID]

Even regular Palace fans take the piss out of their Ultras group.





Palace were very good at Wembley, but so were we between 2011 and 2014, and like you say, outside about 30-100 behind the goal, 90% of Selhurst sit in silence every week.

Agree that they were very good at Wembley. A United fan at work said they were good in 2016 as well and even though United eventually won that final, he said their fans barely laid a glove on Palace’s support all afternoon. Whether we like it or not, they’re very well organised when it comes to Wembley and the atmosphere spreads across their whole end from those central blocks behind the goal.

However, with regards to away games outside of London and Brighton the HF barely travel at all and the Palace fans who do go to away games are far from the noisiest. In the main, while our home support is generally poor, our away support is miles better than theirs. And unless Palace win comfortably at the weekend, the Forest fans will easily outsing them.

 

[M18CTID]

Regarding Saturday, let's not forget that it's less than 9 months since we played Wolves in that Friday night game at the back end of last season and everyone was raving about how good the atmosphere was, including Wolves fans themselves. Funnily enough, I wasn't at that game because I was at a gig the same night at the Apollo but many of the same fans who were there for that one would've been there on Saturday as well. So what does this tell us? Firstly, it shows that we are more than capable of creating a good atmosphere in the stadium outside of the bigger games. Secondly, it also shows that fans simply can't be arsed putting the effort in at times. We can blame the club for a lot of things around ticketing which in turn can affect the atmosphere, but I'm not sure we can blame them for a lack of atmosphere on Saturday when the place was bouncing for the corresponding fixture last season.