City Fans Leaving Early/Empty seats

Stephen230 said:
It might annoy you but it’s not going to change the fact that for a lot of people going to the football 20 odd times + is their entire social life for the year.

Meet mates, have a beer, have a catch up and a laugh and then back to their mundane lives for two weeks.

The football is the excuse, not the whole purpose of the day.

And this thread can reach 20,000 posts of people not understanding it or telling them to do something else instead. But it won’t change anything.

In a few weeks, about 20 of us are doing a 3,000 mile round trip to Portugal for a football game. And I can absolutely guarantee that half a dozen won’t make it anywhere near the ground. It makes no sense. But it’ll still happen. And no amount of moaning on bluemoon is going to stop it. So you may aswell just accept that everyone is different and don’t all see things the same way.
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Well said. Enjoy Portugal
 
If Metrolink shit on us again and stop trams from running through Cornbrook on a match day, then I will not be leaving early as I will not even bother going.

Left home at 12:40 yesterday got back at 19:30, nearly 7 bloody hours.

I suspect the Fulham fans would have been back in London before I got home.

The Club should give Metrolink a bollocking, but they won't.
 
Goatmeal said:
You would have a camera randomly picking out a seat with someone in it
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Or one of those big blue spot lights moving around the ground until it stops on a person still sat in their seat at full time, with his or her face shown on the big screen.

“And today’s £1000 stay until the end winner is…….
 
blueparrot said:
Spent the last 5 minutes and injury time letting people out and not being able to see.Some of them the same ones that arrived late ,went for half time early then came back for the second half late getting in everyone else's way. They can do what they want but they’re annoying bastards. They must miss at least 10/15 minutes of every game.
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Annoys the hell out of me when I go to a game. I always get to my seat in good time, watch the warm up etc. Game kicks off and then for the next 5/10 mins you are up and down like a brides nightie letting all the ignorant latecomers pass. Same before and after halftime and the same at full time. Why pay all that money to miss nearly a qtr of the game.

Used to understand the early leavers at Maine Road to catch the buses back to Piccadilly.
 
Tolmie scores said:
Although it's like that in loads of grounds - we have a huge number of the above... I'm not sure why - all clubs have increased their match going attendances - Brentford 1987 to 1999 average just 8,500 now it's double that so they have 'acquired' a whole new fan base on top of their average - same as us, but our numbers are on a much larger scale, BUT the problem our new fan base are just really passive - shame really. Against Arsenal, aside from when we were winning..you could hear a pin drop from us lot tbh
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30.000 fans through the 90s proves we have a great fanbase, I reckon there are 100.000 City fans in Manchester and surrounding areas, so i am not sure our so called new fans are new fans, I think a lot/most are City fans who for one reason or another can't do every game and let's be honest, a lot of blues got sick of it all before 2008.
 
traditionalleesy said:
30.000 fans through the 90s proves we have a great fanbase, I reckon there are 100.000 City fans in Manchester and surrounding areas, so i am not sure our so called new fans are new fans, I think a lot/most are City fans who for one reason or another can't do every game and let's be honest, a lot of blues got sick of it all before 2008.
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I walked around the Etihad yesterday. Everywhere I looked there were new fans speaking foreign languages. Many had half and half scarfs on. Many will have been supporters of other clubs, tourists, day trippers etc. City are no different to Barcelona, Real Madrid, United, Liverpool, etc, in that aspect. City are no longer like Everton, Newcastle, and Leeds, where the most of their crowds are still made up of local support.
 
Gray said:
If Metrolink shit on us again and stop trams from running through Cornbrook on a match day, then I will not be leaving early as I will not even bother going.

Left home at 12:40 yesterday got back at 19:30, nearly 7 bloody hours.

I suspect the Fulham fans would have been back in London before I GOT. home.

The Club should give Metrolink a bollocking, but they won't.
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Sunday I'm on a train back to Dawlish will be home by 15.10, get a grip man Ieft home 7.20 Sat, 82 next month and your moaning about 7 hours following City.
Enjoy yourself it's later than you think.
 
traditionalleesy said:
30.000 fans through the 90s proves we have a great fanbase, I reckon there are 100.000 City fans in Manchester and surrounding areas, so i am not sure our so called new fans are new fans, I think a lot/most are City fans who for one reason or another can't do every game and let's be honest, a lot of blues got sick of it all before 2008.
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Our hard core loyal support was between 28,000 to 35,000 at our lowest point in the third tier. For the play off final against Gillingham we could have filled Wembley on our own if allowed.
As the early leavers thread says football is a full day out for many. Travel, meet in the pub before and after, it's a social occasion. As we age and friends die or stop going through ill health people stop going as it's no longer a social occasion and can be a bit of a chore.
At the moment most premier league games sell out as interest is at its peak due to our success on the pitch, so their absence isn't felt as acutely. It will be interesting to see how this pans out of we hit some lean times again.
 
malg said:
Sign of the times. People make a day of it and spend a lot of money in the ground on food and drink and don't want to stand in massive queues - so it's best not to leave it until the whistle. The football is important but I'm sure a lot will tell you it's more about 'the experience'.
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I get surveys from the club asking about my experience at the Etihad and I always reply that my experience is based on the football rather than any other aspect of visiting the stadium.
 
Stephen230 said:
It might annoy you but it’s not going to change the fact that for a lot of people going to the football 20 odd times + is their entire social life for the year.

Meet mates, have a beer, have a catch up and a laugh and then back to their mundane lives for two weeks.

The football is the excuse, not the whole purpose of the day.

And this thread can reach 20,000 posts of people not understanding it or telling them to do something else instead. But it won’t change anything.
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For those that use football matches as their sole method of socialising, doesn't it seem like a waste of money? Not to mention the countless more enjoyable activities that can be done on the weekends.

In fact the same thing can be done by going to the pub to watch the match! Because thats what half the people standing around on the concourse during match time are doing essentially. If anything, a pub is much nicer and less grimy than hanging out on the concourse.

People wouldn't complain if there was an unlimited supply of season tickets or match tickets. But its the fact that for every "chit chat" crowd member who goes to matches, a genuine "football fan" misses out. The latter would also better contribute to the atmosphere.
 
jrb said:
I walked around the Etihad yesterday. Everywhere I looked there were new fans speaking foreign languages. Many had half and half scarfs on. Many will have been supporters of other clubs, tourists, day trippers etc. City are no different to Barcelona, Real Madrid, United, Liverpool, etc, in that aspect. City are no longer like Everton, Newcastle, and Leeds, where the most of their crowds are still made up of local support.
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True, but is it the locals that are getting bored and leaving early ? I would imagine the "new" fans or tourists are making the most of every minute and staying to watch the team.
 
jrb said:
I was finishing my pint off. I'm not a quick drinker.

2nd half.

SSL1 Bar.

PXL-20241005-150111056-MP.jpg
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Just goes to show the level of general excitement we have at City nowadays. I expect there were a lot of fans getting up and down from their seats letting these social butterfly drinkers in 5-10 mins after kick off.
 
paulchapo said:
Our hard core loyal support was between 28,000 to 35,000 at our lowest point in the third tier. For the play off final against Gillingham we could have filled Wembley on our own if allowed.
As the early leavers thread says football is a full day out for many. Travel, meet in the pub before and after, it's a social occasion. As we age and friends die or stop going through ill health people stop going as it's no longer a social occasion and can be a bit of a chore.
At the moment most premier league games sell out as interest is at its peak due to our success on the pitch, so their absence isn't felt as acutely. It will be interesting to see how this pans out of we hit some lean times again.
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loads fucked off early V Gillingham....just saying ;)

It's nowt new.

The tram is fucking shit to Ashton. Crawling along Ashton New Road in a sardine tin is not what I call fun efficient public transport. Leaving early is a waste of time. Trams don't arrive until 20 minutes after game finished then they crawl along like a snail stinking inside.

Game ends at 4.50 pm ish home at 6.30 pm to Ashton (5 miles?) Used to take me 15 minutes in the car plus 15 minute walk.
 
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jrb said:
I walked around the Etihad yesterday. Everywhere I looked there were new fans speaking foreign languages. Many had half and half scarfs on. Many will have been supporters of other clubs, tourists, day trippers etc. City are no different to Barcelona, Real Madrid, United, Liverpool, etc, in that aspect. City are no longer like Everton, Newcastle, and Leeds, where the most of their crowds are still made up of local support.
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The other side to that (and I’m certainly not disagreeing with you) is that those tourists are money.
How much is a local fan (beyond ticket money) pumping into the club? Drinks elsewhere and doesn’t go to the club shop or buy a programme.
We have become exactly like the rags but that is on and off the pitch. We have what we have now because we have some of the best players in the world and have to pay them accordingly. The day trippers and new fans around the world help pay for that far more than the local fan does.
When I watched games in a bar in Tampa I’d be the only Blue not in a replica shirt and clad with a scarf.
If we want the team to be the best then the price we have to pay is becoming The Pride of Singapore……
 
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