We need to go in heavy or risk being pushed out even more, if that is even possible.Traditional fans have been subjected to the frog in the pot treatment for some years now but this recent club behaviour feels like the heat is being turned up. As has already been said the club are weaponising the rules and general mistreatment of football fans for their own agenda. I suspect we're now at the point where if fans don't find a way to coordinate and push back quite dramatically then it'll be game over sooner rather than later.
Why? For the same reason I wouldn't go to my local park on a Sunday and watch a shocking standard of footballWhy? Its a great day out with the kids. The support is mostly local and loyal and the passion reminds me more of the old days at Maine Road than the stagnant Etihad does. It's great value, free parking and creating loads of new young city fans (many of whom can't afford or get tickets for the men's game). The standard is improving all the time and the game has come on in leaps and bounds over the last decade and City are one of the handful of teams leading the way. What's not to like?
Did you only start watching us since Mancini turned up? We were shite for 35 years.Why? For the same reason I wouldn't go to my local park on a Sunday and watch a shocking standard of football
Playing football.Doing what ;)
As a nation we do a lot of whinging but very little else. Same with English football fans - lots of grumbling but rarely anything more than that. Germany - they get things done by acting.Then fans should stop complaining.
Free parking though. Every cloud…Why? For the same reason I wouldn't go to my local park on a Sunday and watch a shocking standard of football
Not a pop at the Osc here but I am sure club are turning a blind eye when spares get transferred between members of different branches at face value. So there’s no consistency in club’s approach. They challenged APT rules even though that was a premier league rule - they are happy to challenge something which benefits directors but not happy to challenge something that benefits fans.I'm not defending the club here but whether we like it or not, selling football tickets without authority from the club is a criminal offence, regardless of whether they're at, above or below face value. That's the position and I'm a bit surprised the club has let it go on as long as this.
There's also pressure from the PL to adhere to their Rule R.16 which requires member clubs to ensure, as far as practically possible, they know who is in the stadium and have their contact details. This is what's behind the restriction on transferring tickets.
The club therefore is acting within the law of the land and the rules set by the organisation which regulates the competition we play in.
Having said that, I think the rules are ridiculous and football fans are yet again being discriminated against in a way that fans of other sports aren't. I don't have to provide my contact details if I go to a concert, the cinema or a pub.
I think we'd all agree that we don't want tickets ending up in the hands of touts, including the legal ones like viagogo. But there's surely a happy medium where it's not like something out of 1984.
There's two issues here that we as fans need to attack. The biggest is Rule R.16 and I contacted the FSA over this. It's excessive and draconian and needs to be challenged by a broad coalition of fan groups. We also need to challenge the club's over-zealous approach to enforcing R.16, which is somewhat hypocritical when they rarely bother enforcing the rule that requires them to turn up on time for the second half.
My suggestion is that 1894 Group works with the OSC and City Matters, and the FSA, to challenge Rule R.16 withfan groups from other PL clubs, collate data on how those other clubs are dealing with this issue and challenge any inconsistency in City's approach.
Like watching us when we were down in League One (or whatever it was called)?Why? For the same reason I wouldn't go to my local park on a Sunday and watch a shocking standard of football
I would agree with that. Everything we hated about United and their fans in the 1990s, we're becoming.....unfortunately. Prawn sandwich anyone?Hopefully I clarified my post further on. Obviously City as a football team I love. What we are as a club off the pitch, I couldn't be any more disconnected and I am angry at the levels they are pushing us to.
Not a pop at the Osc here but I am sure club are turning a blind eye when spares get transferred between members of different branches at face value. So there’s no consistency in club’s approach. They challenged APT rules even though that was a premier league rule - they are happy to challenge something which benefits directors but not happy to challenge something that benefits fans.
Park the car and go shopping in ASDAFree parking though. Every cloud…
One of the things that really baffles me is the wider point of how most businesses want to retain their repeat customers, as they keep coming back spending and there is not further cost of acquisition.
Yet when it comes to the football club their approach is the complete opposite and they would rather (it appears, if we extrapolate the point) have the best part of 60k new customers turning up each week. That is far easier to do when you're winning for Premier Leagues in a row and you have the global football tourism crowd coming knocking, but I'm genuinely curious what this looks like if we don't win the league for 5 years or drop out of the top 4 for a few years, and in the meantime they've decimated a large portion of the core season ticket "legacy" fanbase?
Guaranteed when empty seats start to appear that ticket officer will be told to look through supporters accounts that aren’t going anymore and start emailing them to see if they want to come backThe problem is, City haven’t got 60,000 returning customers, even after well over a decade of trophy success, and some of the best managers and players in the world, propped up by the tourist and glory hunting influx. City couldn’t sell out the 52,000 Etihad stadium last season after a slight dip in form, so what chance have City got of selling out a 61,000 Etihad stadium next year, the answer is, no fucking chance! Just wait until the less glamorous CL and FA Cup games are played at the new 61,000 Etihad stadium next year.
And that is entirely down to the short sighted short term mentality of the powers that be who have alienated thousands and thousands of local fans once you get out of the habit of going regularly it's a chore to go back.The problem is, City haven’t got 60,000 returning customers, even after well over a decade of trophy success, and some of the best managers and players in the world, propped up by the tourist and glory hunting influx. City couldn’t sell out the 52,000 Etihad stadium last season after a slight dip in form, so what chance have City got of selling out a 61,000 Etihad stadium next year, the answer is, no fucking chance! Just wait until the less glamorous CL and FA Cup games are played at the new 61,000 Etihad stadium next year.
And that is entirely down to the short sighted short term mentality of the powers that be who have alienated thousands and thousands of local fans once you get out of the habit of going regularly it's a chore to go back.
Maybe the management of the club - yes you Danny Wilson - should stop acting like utter wankers then?Feels like the honeymoon period is now well and truly over for our owners.
Out with the praise and in with the critics.
Guess it’s the nature of society these days.