FA Cup Semi-Final | City v Chelsea | Sat 20 Apr 5:15pm SOLD OUT

[M18CTID]

Your work pattern isn't the reason you said you won't do a FA cup semi at Wembley though.

You said out of principle you won't do it which is pretty lame tbh.

Grounds nowadays aren't built for a 50 / 50 split once every few years for a cup semi.

34k Chelsea fans will be happy with a short trip to Wembley. As shit as it may appear to us, it is better having half of the crowd travel distance instead of all of them.

Where would you have it, Villa Park with it's 40 odd k capacity?

As it stands there is literally nowhere else.

FWIW, I totally agree with his stance that semi finals shouldn’t be at Wembley but I also get the point that at least you get a bigger allocation when they are at Wembley. A few of my mates have sacked off Wembley semis over the past few years but I don’t call them out on it as they’ve more than earned their stripes following City home and away and as such have earned the right to decide which games they want to attend.

 

[M18CTID]

If it’s of any interest to anyone, you can still get a train down to Euston from Stockport for £20 but only if you travel on the 6.04am or 6.41am and book it through Trainline. For some reason it was coming out more expensive on Avanti’s site. I think that’s due to Trainline’s Split Save facility. All other trains are much more expensive and it’s not as cheap as that coming back either but if you’re creative and look at coming back indirectly via somewhere like Crewe then you might be able to pick up a return journey for a reasonable price. That’s what we’re doing.

 

[jrb]

Your work pattern isn't the reason you said you won't do a FA cup semi at Wembley though.

You said out of principle you won't do it which is pretty lame tbh.

Grounds nowadays aren't built for a 50 / 50 split once every few years for a cup semi.

34k Chelsea fans will be happy with a short trip to Wembley. As shit as it may appear to us, it is better having half of the crowd travel distance instead of all of them.

Where would you have it, Villa Park with it's 40 odd k capacity?

As it stands there is literally nowhere else.

I never said my work pattern was the reason. I stated I don‘t believe in FA Cup semi-finals being held at Wembley in my first post. And I still don’t. Holding FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley was and still is an excuse by the FA to make more money out of the fans. Most football fans have agreed with that view point ever since the FA began holding FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley to pay for the financial gap from the Wembley stadium rebuild. That financial gap has now been paid off(see below), yet the FA are still holding FA Cup semi-finals, and will keep on holding FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley purley for financial reasons and to the detriment of football fans from the North of England and from other parts of the country, outside of London.

(The FA will finally finish paying off £757m cost of new Wembley in 2024. The Football Association have revealed they will finish paying for Wembley by the end of 2024. It cost £757million to transform Wembley into a new 90,000 ground, which was reopened in 2007 — seven years after the original stadium was last used.)

Other grounds across the country are available and are capable of holding FA Cup semi-finals, albeit they have smaller capacities, which is a valid point and can be argued. Old Trafford-72,000, Anfield-62,000, the Etihad-62,000(after the rebuild) Scruffy Jim’s future New Stadium of the North, 90,000-100-000?(some City fans won’t be seen dead in United’s stadium)

As for my Saturday comment. That stands, regrdlesss of not going to the FA Cup semi-final. I can still go to the FA Cup semI-final if I cancel one of the the FA Cup final or CL final Saturday’s I’ve booked off. I’m not going to do that. I’ll take my chances as I will be at either or both FA Cup final or CL final, if City get to them? I booked those Saturday’s off provisionally last year. There is no guarantee City will get to either or both of those finals. If they don’t I can cancel one or both of those Saturdays off.

As I pointed out, my decision not to go to the semi-final at least means another City fan who may not have got a ticket for the match can now go to the match and they will be ‘pay face value’ for the ticket rather than not getting a ticket or having to pay much more for the ticket through a legal(arf!) third party ticket touting website.

Let’s finish this discussion on a positive note.

I hope ‘you’ and every other City fan who goes to the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley enjoys the whole day. And City beat Chelsea to get to the FA Cup final, which should be held at Wembley, as is the ‘tradition’.

 

[Fordyboy46]

Do you think these tickets will go down to Cityzens members?

 

[malg]

Do you think these tickets will go down to Cityzens members?

By the looks of this thread it'll go down to 'anyone fancy a ticket'.

 

[117 M34]

Do you think these tickets will go down to Cityzens members?

100%

 

[Stephen230]

I don‘t believe in FA Cup semi-finals being held at Wembley in my first post. And I still don’t. Holding FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley was and still is an excuse by the FA to make more money out of the fans. Most football fans have agreed with that view point ever since the FA began holding FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley to pay for the financial gap from the Wembley stadium rebuild.

I highly doubt the majority of football fans aren’t happy with the semis being held at Wembley.

In fact I’d go as far as to say apart from City fans you’d struggle to find a majority of fans from any other club who aren’t happy with it.

Certainly none of the London clubs. Probably not Liverpool or United, as they have so many fans wanting to go, with a large number down south anyway.

And everybody else gets to a semi so infrequently, they’d want it there for the day out.

 

[bennyboy]

Not ideal Wembley but a far better option than scruffy jims plan.

 

[Danny Hoekman]

My opinion....It wouldn't even enter my head not to go to an FA Cup semi final.

 

[jrb]

I highly doubt the majority of football fans aren’t happy with the semis being held at Wembley.

In fact I’d go as far as to say apart from City fans you’d struggle to find a majority of fans from any other club who aren’t happy with it.

Certainly none of the London clubs. Probably not Liverpool or United, as they have so many fans wanting to go, with a large number down south anyway.

And everybody else gets to a semi so infrequently, they’d want it there for the day out.

I think you’ll find most Northern fans who have to traipse down to Wembley at additional costs aren’t happy about it, with Old Trafford on their doorstep, with a 73,000 capacity.

For arguments sake, bar United, why should 2 teams from the North West of England or from the North of England and their fans have to traipse down to London and Wembley stadium at additional cost and inconvenience, when Old Traffird is capable capacity wise of holding an FA Cup semi-final, with each club getting their official FA Cup semi-final allocation of 34,000 tickets? Which has happened to us and other Northern fans on numerous occasions.

On the capacity point, you can justifiably argue Wembley has a 90,0000 capacity, so why aren’t those extra ’22,000’ tickets officially being given to City and Chelsea fans for the FA Cup semi-final? What are the FA doing with 22,000 tickets for the FA Cup semi-final that aren’t going to City and Chelsea fans?

City, 34,000 tickets. Chelsea, 34,000 tickets. The FA 22,000 tickets. 90,000 tickets. Think about that. The FA holding back 22,000 tickets that should be going to City and Chelsea fans. I stand corrected on that..