Economics is getting tougher every week, for some (and City don’t help in that regard!). For others, it’s simply that there is this massive apathy that’s set over many of our fans.
They can’t be arsed. Some go to games and can’t be arsed getting behind the team, and some can’t be arsed going full stop.
The difference between the two sets of fans on Saturday was so stark, it shocked me. We’ll see what we’re like tonight but I’ve got a feeling our fans, as a collective, don’t believe in this team this season the same way Liverpool fans believe in their team.
That’s what the difference was on Saturday. It wasn’t that London was too far away, that Wembley is a shit hole, that we’ve been too many times, or that it was too expensive (I did the trip for £30, I’ll spend more money tonight!) and that our lack of atmosphere was because it’s not a novelty for us anymore (we go 1-3 times a year not 1-3 times a month for fuck’s sake!); it’s that a lot of our fans didn’t believe we could win the treble or didn’t have the hunger for it themselves so either didn’t bother going or didn’t bother getting behind the team if they did go.
Likewise, tonight will mainly be poorly attended and have a lack of atmosphere because they haven’t got the hunger or the belief that we can win the league, or the league and CL double. Yes, money, transport, school holidays, work, the weather, that they’ve developed agoraphobia, or any other excuses are very valid for some people; but for others it’s just that they can’t be arsed and/or don’t believe in the team.
What I’ve started noticing a lot with our fanbase as well is that irregular or rare attenders aren’t going to games at all. These are the fans who take up the slack when the regulars can’t go at other clubs, but at City they aren’t doing it. I know fucking shit loads of Blues who never go. Why is this the case at our club?