I'd have an unreserved seat section (until the day comes when we can have terracing) which has a special price for 14 to 25 year olds. That way individuals who come infrequently can meet their mates in the same section without being forced to sit elsewhere. It would encourage fans in that section to get in early to get the best place and, like the old Kippax, that would help generate a better atmosphere - friends together and in early.Agree with you Gary but i would make the Family stand smaller and let 16 -21 year old have tickets for £15 a game
That's a brilliant shout. But unfortunately, there are still too many people against safe standing for it to happen.I'd have an unreserved seat section (until the day comes when we can have terracing) which has a special price for 14 to 25 year olds. That way individuals who come infrequently can meet their mates in the same section without being forced to sit elsewhere. It would encourage fans in that section to get in early to get the best place and, like the old Kippax, that would help generate a better atmosphere - friends together and in early.
There should be rewards & penalities for people who have season tickets & do/don't use their seat imo. Especially in the prime locations.
It could easily be done, if the club wasn't so desperate to claw every cent out of ST holders.
That's a good idea, but don't the police object to those ideas as they like to know where people are sitting?I'd have an unreserved seat section (until the day comes when we can have terracing) which has a special price for 14 to 25 year olds. That way individuals who come infrequently can meet their mates in the same section without being forced to sit elsewhere. It would encourage fans in that section to get in early to get the best place and, like the old Kippax, that would help generate a better atmosphere - friends together and in early.
While I agree that a full stadium is best, Maine Road was hardly ever full pre 1994. It's capacity for most of the 70s and 80s was in excess of 50,000 but averages were as low as 21,922 at times. We often talk about the great atmosphere at games such as Huddersfield 10-1 but that attracted 19,583 - less than half capacity. The 1986 Manchester derby was watched by only 32,440 (it was on telly) in a 52,600 capacity stadium and no one ever claimed that atmosphere was poor at the time. So what I'm saying is if crowds less than half the capacity at Maine Road could make a great atmosphere then much larger crowds in the Etihad should be better. It's not the number of people or visibility of empty seats that's the issue it's the ability/willingness of people to make noise.I prefer to sit in a full or nearly full stadium. The atmosphere is so much better. And there are very few games when fans cannot get a ticket. The stadium capacity is about right as it is.
True but surely that can be overcome by ensuring each block has a capacity that is enforced and that tickets allow individuals into that block only. As they enter the block their photo could be automatically taken (and tied in with a database somewhere) which means that if there's any issue in that block the photos/film can be used to identify the people. It's all possible. I don't think you'd have to go that far to appease the police/safety officers but that could be done to make it work. To be frank there's nothing stopping entire blocks from all swapping seats now and the police/safety people wouldn't have a clue.That's a good idea, but don't the police object to those ideas as they like to know where people are sitting?
While I agree that a full stadium is best, Maine Road was hardly ever full pre 1994. It's capacity for most of the 70s and 80s was in excess of 50,000 but averages were as low as 21,922 at times. We often talk about the great atmosphere at games such as Huddersfield 10-1 but that attracted 19,583 - less than half capacity. The 1986 Manchester derby was watched by only 32,440 (it was on telly) in a 52,600 capacity stadium and no one ever claimed that atmosphere was poor at the time. So what I'm saying is if crowds less than half the capacity at Maine Road could make a great atmosphere then much larger crowds in the Etihad should be better. It's not the number of people or visibility of empty seats that's the issue it's the ability/willingness of people to make noise.
End of idea to 'reward & punish' then.
That's the problem with such ideas. Simply unworkable.
If you look at film of those games the bottom of the North Stand is often empty - sometimes because of rain but mainly because the view wasn't so great at the bottom. In the Kippax those of us chanting would group together above the tunnel near the segregation fence.In those days though Gary, however many fans attended, they would naturally migrate towards the pitch, whether that be standers in the Kippax or seats elsewhere. I remember in the Platt Lane it was painted on the seat back if it was a season ticket and there were very few so people could readily sit wherever, which was normally near the front. Today we are programmed to stay in the seats we are allocated and once a few absentees occur the whole togetherness is fragmented.