"Disappointing" attendances

[give it to gordon]

I thought I might have calmed down by now !

 

[PragueBlue]

All he’s ever done is talk about Barça Madrid Bayern Liverpool and United in glowing terms about how big they are. Talks about Anfield like it’s godlike (that interview on Catalan tele last Summer).

And he comes out with things like “hopefully our fans [*big sigh*] can come more people than today, hopefully can support us more”...“yeah it was not full, I don’t know the reason why but yeah it was not full”... about us.

And he's also been positive about the fans at times. For all I know he has mentioned low attendances at Barcelona before (no idea to be honest).

It wasn't full and he hopes for more supporters against the rags. I don't think any of us could dispute either of those two points. I really don't get the reaction to this.

 

[blueparrot]

I disagree he plays players who are in form and then drops them the next game for someone who isn’t playing well. All great if the game gets won,that hasn’t always happened this season. To say we wouldn’t win much with someone else is just nonsense. This club can compete with anyone in the transfer market and the next manager I believe will be a winner

Didn’t say win much, said as much. We’ll win things we’ll win leagues. Be very surprised if the next manager repeats the last 2 seasons records. Hopefully I’m wrong

 

[Didsbury Dave]

And he's also been positive about the fans at times. For all I know he has mentioned low attendances at Barcelona before (no idea to be honest).

It wasn't full and he hopes for more supporters against the rags. I don't think any of us could dispute either of those two points. I really don't get the reaction to this.

The reaction amongst fans is because he’s touched a nerve. Our supporter numbers haven’t grown as I’m sure the club would have hoped and the atmosphere is often shocking.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

And he's also been positive about the fans at times. For all I know he has mentioned low attendances at Barcelona before (no idea to be honest).

It wasn't full and he hopes for more supporters against the rags. I don't think any of us could dispute either of those two points. I really don't get the reaction to this.

Because it’s a constant from him.

He’s either bigging up Barça Madrid Bayern Liverpool and United or he’s talking about us like he doesn’t understand why we aren’t like fans of those clubs.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

The reaction amongst fans is because he’s touched a nerve. Our supporter numbers haven’t grown as I’m sure the club would have hoped and the atmosphere is often shocking.

Our supporter numbers have grown a lot but at the expense of thousands who now can’t justify the price rises over the last decade. The place is full of nobodies most weeks but there are also fans who went home and away for decades who are now watching on dodgy streams at home.

I know two dozen seaoncard holders who gave their season cards up. Granted two have died and one has been banged up but that’s still a lot that have given up due to prices.

 

[kaz7]

I thought I might have calmed down by now !

Me too,a least the dippers are getting a day off lol

 

[kaz7]

The reaction amongst fans is because he’s touched a nerve. Our supporter numbers haven’t grown as I’m sure the club would have hoped and the atmosphere is often shocking.

Is that down to the fans or soriano/club,i read a lot a lot about the club trying to turn match days into a theme park and how the older fans just want to have a pint and go to a game without the bells and whistles,does it entice younger fans enough to do it? i don't know

 

[Tim of the Oak]

The reaction amongst fans is because he’s touched a nerve. Our supporter numbers haven’t grown as I’m sure the club would have hoped and the atmosphere is often shocking.

I think us the fans need to own the “shocking” atmosphere. Pep’s words have hit a nerve and sometimes the truth hurts.

On the positive side, sales for Wednesday are steady and I reckon there will only be empties at the back and corners of East and West Level 3

 

[PragueBlue]

Because it’s a constant from him.

He’s either bigging up Barça Madrid Bayern Liverpool and United or he’s talking about us like he doesn’t understand why we aren’t like fans of those clubs.

That's not the way I see it to be honest. Of course those teams have a more successful history and lager fan bases. I suspects he just wants us to be considered as an equal to those and is doing his best to make it happen.

 

[blueparrot]

Our supporter numbers have grown a lot but at the expense of thousands who now can’t justify the price rises over the last decade. The place is full of nobodies most weeks but there are also fans who went home and away for decades who are now watching on dodgy streams at home.

I know two dozen seaoncard holders who gave their season cards up. Granted two have died and one has been banged up but that’s still a lot that have given up due to prices.

Full of nobodies most weeks, don’t talk bollocks.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Is that down to the fans or soriano/club,i read a lot a lot about the club trying to turn match days into a theme park and how the older fans just want to have a pint and go to a game without the bells and whistles,does it entice younger fans enough to do it? i don't know

The club missed a big opportunity when they opened the new top tier. That should have been pushed as the atmosphere end. The rest of the ground would follow a definitive leader, it’s human nature. New fans are attracted by atmosphere and noise, particularly kids.

That was Soriano’s biggest mistake to date.

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

I don’t think it was priced too badly (I do think United was though)

The problem the club have is enticing those fans that have dropped off, back to the stadium. My sister went to the Port Vale game and could have attended the Fulham one. Cost wasn’t the issue. She just doesn’t place going to watch us at the top of her priority list. She has a busy life. When we parade the trophies, we have 100,000 people there. You are not telling me they can’t all afford it. It’s just that many don’t go often and if you don’t go often, it’s not a habit. I sometimes go out of habit when I really can’t be arsed. Burton in the semi final last year for example. There was only ever going to be one winner in that and it wasn’t going to be them. I found myself sat there after a long day day at work regardless but it is more of a habit to me.

However I dropped the CL scheme and don’t miss not going to them. Once you don’t miss something, it’s easy to pick and choose. I’m going to Madrid but only because that one appeals. None of the group games did. My life is hectic enough without 8pm kicks offs and midnight get homes.

The Port Vale game was the last weekend of the school holidays. Parents had been tearing their hair out for two weeks with stir crazy kids. A lot of them have been off work themselves. We are now back in work and kids are back into their routine of football training, dance, swimming....parents are catching up on work, going food shopping, knackered from work. It’s not just about money although for some it will be the only reason. Tv was probably the final factor.

As many have alluded to, there is too much football. We played 4 times at home between 21 Dec and 4 Jan and after the last one, I had seen enough and felt like a rest. 39000 is still a good crowd anyway. We only had slightly more for our QF against Reading where they brought many more than Fulham and we hadn’t won a jot for 35 years at that point)

Forgot mine yours or your sister being able to afford it pal. And yes 100k(or so) fans at last two parades, but that was a free event.. The bigger picture is not just about match day tickets but the match day cost, plus having to travel in time taken up. City could quite easily got more bums on seats by considerably reducing the admission prices, to entice old fans to attend, and temp new fans to turn up. They didn't hence a 39k attendance.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

The club missed a big opportunity when they opened the new top tier. That should have been pushed as the atmosphere end. The rest of the ground would follow a definitive leader, it’s human nature. New fans are attracted by atmosphere and noise, particularly kids.

That was Soriano’s biggest mistake to date.

Indeed. Giving 1/5 of a brand spanking new tier to away fans and 100% of it to away fans for Cup games where the most noise in the stadium can be made was plain daft!

 

[WestGorton]

40k was fine and the sending off killed the game. The cups have been in decline since 1992 and the advent of a massive European schedule. The BBC are on a campaign to undermine City since the move to Salford. The BBC is bloated and needs scrapping or scaling back in a monumental scale.

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Much cheaper and they would have been giving the tickets away.

Not a bad thing mate. "Pile 'em high sell 'em cheap" is a good business philosophy.

 

[blueparrot]

Forgot mine yours or your sister being able to afford it pal. And yes 100k(or so) fans at last two parades, but that was a free event.. The bigger picture is not just about match day tickets but the match day cost, plus having to travel in time taken up. City could quite easily got more bums on seats by considerably reducing the admission prices, to entice old fans to attend, and temp new fans to turn up. They didn't hence a 39k attendance.

Not really there were 3 tickets on sale the last couple of weeks, Fulham the cheapest, then the semi, then Madrid the dearest.
Fulham had the lowest attendance, then probably the semi Madrid seems sold out.
Sounds to me people prioritised their games but not necessarily on price but on the opposition and competition.

 

[PragueBlue]

Not a bad thing mate. "Pile 'em high sell 'em cheap" is a good business philosophy.

Not convinced about that. Too cheap and people snap up the tickets but see the weather/feel the hangover etc and can't be bothered to turn up.

40,000 was a decent road under the circumstances.

 

[franksinatra]

Its an interesting one with Pep. I remember reading an article or two about when Pep left Bayern and the fans were pretty ambivalent to him leaving as they felt there was no connection between him and the fans something many seem to believe on this forum.

I think Pep really should have kept his opinions to himself on this subject. It is pretty obvious from his interviews, of the contempt he has for the press and yet he says something which will only be used to against the fans and the club. Additionally it surprising that someone so intelligent is so detached from the realities of life and the crippling costs of attending so many football matches for an average person. Its not something I would have associated with him, and as I have taken so much pride in the fact he is our manager, it does feel like a sense of betrayal.

Still think the guy is the greatest manager to walk the earth and love watching his sides play, but think its a shame he might leave without connecting to the fanbase in a way a lot of fans want to connect to their heroes.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

Massive


https://www.marca.com/en/2015/02/12/en/football/barcelona/1423770123.html

(This was a Copa del Rey semi final)


Why Real Madrid and Barcelona experienced 10-year low attendances at Bernabeu and Nou Camp
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....-madrid-barcelona-experienced-10-13115309.amp

As well as this you would be hard-pressed to find more well-heeled fans than those of Real, Barca, and Bayern let alone the huge tourism business in their cities which are amongst the most affluent in Europe.