Atmosphere tonight

[fathellensbellend]

The powers that be are pricing games on the basis that we have the same fan base as United/Liverpool etc, we don't and never will have, its the same people who have to keep digging deep, and for many something has to give.

Well done those that went, and fair play to those who didnt because you missed absolutely nothing, and saved yourself a small fortune.

Everything surrounding a trip to the match is a rip off, why is it a tenner to park your car?, why 7.50 for scabby burger and chips, there is literally no incentive to turn up when the game is on the box.

also, the cup scheme another plan to extract money, ie no away ticket priority without being a member, total bollox, people were earning loyalty points when the champions league was a pipe dream.

also why no price reduction for being on the scheme, the odds are we will ending up paying 40 quid to watch a dead rubber against munich, while the club hand out tickets to any tom dick and harry to not look small time.

i suggest the club invests some time in the fans we have instead of worrying about the fans we don't have, because i honestly believe the people making the decisions are clueless.

Hopefully they will make a start by making the newcastle game a tenner a quid for kids, just like arsenal do for all carling cup games, and they are the masters of taking the piss with prices.

 

[FootballSense]

Atmosphere and Away Fans Location in South Stand 2015/16

The away fans location in the South Stand from next season and the impact on atmosphere is a crucial decision. This is a one off opportunity to establish the entire South Stand Level One as a CITY only `end`. With sensible ticket pricing and the re-location of the `Kippax` East Stand corner to the lower tier blocks currently occupied by away fans, the Club can help create a great Blue vocal `end`. If safe standing becomes an option in the future, the South Stand level one, in part or entirely, would be the best location.

My views are as follows:

(1) the full level one of the South Stand should be allocated entirely to CITY fans and the `Kippax` corner fans re-located to join up with existing South Stand Blues to create one continuous Blue singing `end`as happens at every other football ground in the country and the world. Can you imagine the `Kop` being divided at Liverpool between home and away fans or the Gwladys Street at Everton or the Holte End at Villa?

(2) the second tier should also be for City fans only. These are prime seats.

(3) part of the new third tier should be allocated to away fans for Premier League matches. The third tier should cater for away allocations in the PL of up to 3,000 away fans for league matches (which is more than at present). This works well and is manageable at other big away grounds such as Newcastle and Sunderland. This still allows access to the coach and car parking provision at City which is very close to the South Stand and is better than anywhere in the country. In any case, crowd segregation breaks down almost immediately when away fans disperse on to Ashton New Road.

(4) IF there is the demand from an away club for domestic cup matches, the entire new 3rd level of up to 6,000 tickets can be allocated to the away team`s supporters. This happens, for example, in Stretford, and will reduce policing and stewarding costs inside the stadium as there will not be the need for double lines of police and stewards on either side of the away fans as at present. Having away fans in level 3 above home fans in level 2 will not be a problem. It is managed effectively at other away grounds in England and Europe.

(5) IF the Club are thinking of allocating away fans over 2 levels of the South Stand in narrower sections, and even in a narrow section of the 3rd tier if demand exists for cup ties, then I suggest the Club is urged to re-consider this as soon as possible or explain why they think this is the better option.

Should the club decide to go ahead with the option that was floated previously of allocating away fans over 3 levels of the South Stand in narrower sections than at present, then this will be a major lost and irreversible opportunity to at last create a full City singing end behind the goal at level 1. It will cost more to safely manage inside the ground with 2 rows of stewards / police required over 3 levels.

Please see point (1) above - no other major football club in the world would or does split up its home `singing` support (I appreciate others do sing around the stadium) and separate them on either side of the away fans.

Does anyone share similar thoughts to those above?

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

Can't wait for the CSKA home crowd......
Im going under 30k...
Eventually the club will realise that pricing IS the main issue.
If the games are priced correctly then it becomes more available for the less affluent fans. The people who were their during the dark days.
I feel so sorry for fans who want to go but can't afford to go now.

Pricing is one thing, but there must be other issues. I can afford to go but just don't feel any emotional ties to this competition, but I believe it's a combination of multiple factors affecting the atmosphere.

1. UEFA & FFP: This whole shambolic farce has left me and many others with a distinct alienation to the CL. We're an unwelcome guest at the big house party. When we qualified for the Ropey League, I felt that pull to buy tickets for me and family - but that pull doesn't exist in the bigger competition. Hopefully we'll comply with their silly rules from now on and be able to compete on an equal footing, but damage has been done. And the strange refereeing isn't helping either - that performance by Björn Kuipers last night was dubious to say the very least.

2. Naivety/Honesty: Roma had a rookie keeper yet we didn't attempt any long range shots until Frank Lampard came on, neither did we rush at him to force a mistake as can happen with a nervous player. Where did we attempt to win free kicks to enable shots on goal, and when we did, what did we do? Then they had a defender on a yellow card after 4 mins - did we exploit that? When we had a break, Roma fouled us to enable their defence to regroup - we just let them run past us when they were breaking forward. What did our Captain do when the yellow cards didn't materialise and did MP, RC or BK get in the ear of the 4th official?

None of this happened and I'm sick of us being rolled over by conmen. It feels better if I've only paid £20 to Sky than £70 for 2 tickets to City when this happens.

We MUST learn. I felt absolutely exhausted emotionally after watching last night. I'm not the only one.

3. Finance: The club have got season ticket pricing right, in my opinion, but it IS at its limit - we are northerners, not numpties. They must price CL games at no-brainer rates until we start showing we are capable of being amazing in this competition. Until then, see points 1 and 2.

4. The stadium: This, of course is being addressed by the relocation of the away fans, but it shouldn't have stopped us creating a full end of vociferous fans in the meantime - instead we split our most vocal fans in two and put our Family Stand in the wrong place. Don't get me wrong, I'm in the FS and on day games it's fine, but night games are different because it's too late for half of the fans, leaving it empty or full of tourists with their picnic baskets.

5. The Club: Do they listen? Or will it be another email survey?


... rant over!

 

[BurnCK]

The powers that be are pricing games on the basis that we have the same fan base as United/Liverpool etc, we don't and never will have, its the same people who have to keep digging deep, and for many something has to give.

Well done those that went, and fair play to those who didnt because you missed absolutely nothing, and saved yourself a small fortune.

Everything surrounding a trip to the match is a rip off, why is it a tenner to park your car?, why 7.50 for scabby burger and chips, there is literally no incentive to turn up when the game is on the box.

also, the cup scheme another plan to extract money, ie no away ticket priority without being a member, total bollox, people were earning loyalty points when the champions league was a pipe dream.

also why no price reduction for being on the scheme, the odds are we will ending up paying 40 quid to watch a dead rubber against munich, while the club hand out tickets to any tom dick and harry to not look small time.

i suggest the club invests some time in the fans we have instead of worrying about the fans we don't have, because i honestly believe the people making the decisions are clueless.

Hopefully they will make a start by making the newcastle game a tenner a quid for kids, just like arsenal do for all carling cup games, and they are the masters of taking the piss with prices.

You can park for cheaper than £10...try £5-6. There's plenty of car parks at that price.

Also, don't buy a burger and chips for £7.50....eat at home, or somewhere cheaper on the way. A football match doesn't have to be a full blown day out. Last night cost me £41 in total. Yeah it might be a lot to some people, but hardly the small fortune you claim it to be.

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

The powers that be are pricing games on the basis that we have the same fan base as United/Liverpool etc, we don't and never will have, its the same people who have to keep digging deep, and for many something has to give.

Well done those that went, and fair play to those who didnt because you missed absolutely nothing, and saved yourself a small fortune.

Everything surrounding a trip to the match is a rip off, why is it a tenner to park your car?, why 7.50 for scabby burger and chips, there is literally no incentive to turn up when the game is on the box.

also, the cup scheme another plan to extract money, ie no away ticket priority without being a member, total bollox, people were earning loyalty points when the champions league was a pipe dream.

also why no price reduction for being on the scheme, the odds are we will ending up paying 40 quid to watch a dead rubber against munich, while the club hand out tickets to any tom dick and harry to not look small time.

i suggest the club invests some time in the fans we have instead of worrying about the fans we don't have, because i honestly believe the people making the decisions are clueless.

Hopefully they will make a start by making the newcastle game a tenner a quid for kids, just like arsenal do for all carling cup games, and they are the masters of taking the piss with prices.

You can park for cheaper than £10...try £5-6. There's plenty of car parks at that price.

Also, don't buy a burger and chips for £7.50....eat at home, or somewhere cheaper on the way. A football match doesn't have to be a full blown day out. Last night cost me £41 in total. Yeah it might be a lot to some people, but hardly the small fortune you claim it to be.

Try free of charge and quicker to get away from the game.

 

[Ethan23]

The powers that be are pricing games on the basis that we have the same fan base as United/Liverpool etc, we don't and never will have, its the same people who have to keep digging deep, and for many something has to give.

Well done those that went, and fair play to those who didnt because you missed absolutely nothing, and saved yourself a small fortune.

Everything surrounding a trip to the match is a rip off, why is it a tenner to park your car?, why 7.50 for scabby burger and chips, there is literally no incentive to turn up when the game is on the box.

also, the cup scheme another plan to extract money, ie no away ticket priority without being a member, total bollox, people were earning loyalty points when the champions league was a pipe dream.

also why no price reduction for being on the scheme, the odds are we will ending up paying 40 quid to watch a dead rubber against munich, while the club hand out tickets to any tom dick and harry to not look small time.



i suggest the club invests some time in the fans we have instead of worrying about the fans we don't have, because i honestly believe the people making the decisions are clueless.

Hopefully they will make a start by making the newcastle game a tenner a quid for kids, just like arsenal do for all carling cup games, and they are the masters of taking the piss with prices.

You can park for cheaper than £10...try £5-6. There's plenty of car parks at that price.

Also, don't buy a burger and chips for £7.50....eat at home, or somewhere cheaper on the way. A football match doesn't have to be a full blown day out. Last night cost me £41 in total. Yeah it might be a lot to some people, but hardly the small fortune you claim it to be.

Yeh but to a lot of people everything that surrounds the football match is instrumental in the day, the pub beforehand, meeting with your mates or even family members. Nobody wants to be on a shoe string and constantly worrying about if they can afford the next round

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

First time poster, long-time lurker.

Very quickly: a bit about me. I moved away from Manchester about five years ago, but before that I’ve been going to City – approx. 10 – 15 games a year – since I was a kid, with 3 years as a season ticket holder before I left. I managed a few away games while I was down south and have been to the Stoke game and last night since being back. I will get to one or two games per month this season and I’m on a waiting list for next year. In short, I’m one of the part-timers people are annoyed about up the page.

Some thoughts on last night: firstly, we had to queue for about an hour to pick up our tickets and thus missed the first goal. The queue stretched to the tram stop even when we had picked up our tickets and people were still getting in at half time. It surely can’t help the atmosphere when you’ve got hundreds of fans stuck outside the ground.
Second, when we got into the ground a season card holder was in one of our seats (his seat for league games, obviously) and told us to ‘f**k off’ and refused to leave his seat. I don’t doubt that the cup scheme is frustrating, but what are me and my mate meant to do? We’ve spent 80 quid on tickets and were greeted by some of the regulars like we were pieces of s**t. Needless to say, that didn’t help with getting me and my mate bouncing either.

To be honest, I loved going to the Stoke game (I could get a pint inside the ground) but last night was a pretty grim experience. I’ll give the Moscow game a go, and I hope it’s a better experience all round.

In general, what has struck me most since coming back is the average age of the crowd. When you consider that one of my first thoughts when getting my first ‘professional’ job at aged 30 was ‘great, I can afford to go to the football now’, I wonder how much more English grounds can take.

As a side point, it is seriously becoming one of my pet hates when any fan of a team mocks another team for not filling their ground. It should be a depressing issue for any English football fan rather than a topic of banter. Ah well.

 

[Damocles]

The powers that be are pricing games on the basis that we have the same fan base as United/Liverpool etc, we don't

I agree with that bit emphatically. City are playing the game where they are pretending that we have the drawing power of a team that has been successful for 30 years and it is starting to blow up in their faces. It is a total misunderstanding of who City are as a fanbase and how we should be prioritising different income streams.

We are a working class club from the backarse of Manchester and in terms of matchgoing fans, we skew older than most due to the success of United over the past 20 years and the constant promotion of them through SkyTV. Because we skew older our matchgoing fans can generally stretch their expenses further but it also means that we don't have the next generation of rapid teenagers coming through to bring that enthusiasm because they can't get a ticket. They are either swamped out by a bunch of 50 year olds with 7000000 loyalty points or they cannot afford to pay half their wage for one ticket.

This isn't a problem of City, it's a problem that affects the whole of English football at the top level. It's amazing to me that we see fans singing at Palace and Stoke now and we remark how weird it is where every ground in the country was like that 20 years ago.

The biggest clubs in Germany have shown the way forward and City had the chance to be the first English club to really have a go at this model. They had the club to do it, the commercial revenue streams to do it and the fanbase to do it. Yet they are pretending that they're Arsenal or United instead of just trying to be City. We are not them and no matter how many bullshit bands they put on in City Square or how many bullshit "fun competitions" they do at half time, we don't want to be them and the atmosphere and interest will continue to wane as City continue not to listen to their fans and try to be Manchester United lite instead of Manchester City proper.

 

[Brad mcfc]

Their was quite a few Roma fans in Collin bell stand jumping off their seats when Roma had a chance. And booing when they missed, none if them cheered when city scored the pen, it's probably easier for hm to get a ticket in our end than it would be in the Roma section.

It doesn't help wen the game is on itv I can understand why people would rather sit at home and watch it instead of rushing back from work and paying 40 quid a ticket to watch toure walk around the pitch in offside positions, I go to all the home games and half of the away ones and it's so frustrating when you see players stroll around, I was at hull on sat and the atmosphere was great at times and their was only a few thousand of us, it's just a shame at home some sections have empty seats and the singing sections arnt together.

 

[Mancityfans.net'er]

additionally -

the club do need to do something here, given the resources especially but the stupid notion that moving the away fans would make it better has surely been disproving in the past??

the fact we have atmosphere either side says it all. the fact we have loud away fans winding us up, makes a small few sing.

IMO we need to make the WHOLE EAST STAND standing and recreate the kippax.

my thoughts were - fuck showsec off and you'd have a whole stand standing and singing, but im not convinced anymore. I think the 'hardcore' are priced out and many season ticket holders these days want to turn up, sit down in silence, wearing red, miserable faced, and stuck to their smart phones putting bets on.

week games have always been gash. its a working day.

can we do more to bring this to the club? they are stupid to ignore it. especially with players speaking out about the 'quiet' eithad.