I need to start enjoying football again for what it is

[Colin Bells Boots]

It's all about expectations now. We expect to be challenging for the title, getting to semi-finals and finals, doing well in Europe. So not doing that becomes something to fret about.

Back in League 1 days (or even in the PL when we were crap) 3 points was a bonus and a match was about having as much of a laugh as you could.

Pretty much so.

The media wankfest with Rags/Dippers and their pandering to their cretinous " supporters " to the exclusion of everybody else seriously pisses me off these days.

But still look forward to going and miss it when the season ends and first game was with Bert in goal in 1954.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Watching city is not just about the football for me.

Nor me! It's always been about the camaraderie between mates, going on the piss all day/night/both, having a laugh, watching a football team we all support in the middle of all that. If we ever won the night out was the celebration, if we ever lost it was a "we don't give a fuck cause we're all pissed up" situation.

The day that started to get too expensive for us all to do that was the day i started demanding more from the team to make up for the fact that the club and the sport were making the other parts of being a City fan worse. What used to be 25 lads is now sometimes five us us, sometimes two of us or sometimes i just go on my own. There are odd days in a season you'll get the huge group back together but it's rare.

 

[Bozo]

If you want that kind of football experience, go and see a small local team as well as City. I keep up to date with a few teams from Conference North, and occasionally go to their games. It's enjoyable because it doesn't mean as much, tbh. I enjoy it for what it is.

 

[GortonBlue62]

An old guy who sat next to me at Maine Road often joked, when things were going badly (as they invariably were) 'What really pisses me off is that my missus thinks I'm out enjoying myself'.

Always got a laugh.

City win - good - world seems to be a much better place.

City don't win - bad - plan B - forget it - media blackout - go and do something constructive.

 

[Marvin]

How many of you used to buy the season review every year no matter where we finished in the league? I did.

The only 2 I've bought since 2011 are from both our league title winning seasons. I guess I didn't want to watch the other ones because we 'failed' in winning the league.

Is that really the way it should be? Afterall, aside from Liverpool and United's dominant periods, teams only ever won maybe 3 titles during eras and decades of great success and we're well on course for that.

Are some of us now guilty of not enjoying the football on the pitch, not enjoying the day out with family and friends and instead basing the quality of our experience on whether we win the league or not?

I feel like the pressure of social media, the media in general and the impact this has on every day football conversation means that unless we meet the 'expectation' of winning the league then we're simply not going to enjoy the experience because we will have failed in our objective.

Am I guilty of wrongly expecting that unless we match the successful of Liverpool and United then we aren't performing well? I wish I could go to the match and just enjoy it for what it is, and if at the end of the season we win the league then brilliant but if we don't, at least I will have seen some great players and seen some great games and goals.

I guess it's impossible for us to win the league every season and there's so many teams with money and top players now, it has become more difficult than ever to win the league year on year. Logically, that would make my win the league or else mindset completely out of line.

Is anything but the league title a failure for you and would no title this season mean you wouldn't have enjoyed the ride?

I think I could enjoy a genuine challenge for the title and appreciate it if we just fell short providing we played well, were close to our potential, and I could see improvement, Sounds very entitled but expectations have changed.

 

[chaddblue]

The problem these days is that a defeat or sometimes even a draw is a proper kick in the guts as it could be so damaging

Back in the day you'd shrug it off and tell yourself it's what you expected, everyone around us lost as well and there's always next week

 

[ctidcarl]

If you want that kind of football experience, go and see a small local team as well as City. I keep up to date with a few teams from Conference North, and occasionally go to their games. It's enjoyable because it doesn't mean as much, tbh. I enjoy it for what it is.

Thats what I've done, I've got into the non-league scene and I really (and I mean REALLY!!) enjoy it - although living in this football barren wasteland that is Norfolk, it's a trek to watch anybody of a decent standard (Kings Lynn and Lowestoft are my most local teams)
Lowestoft were in the Conference North for a couple of seasons and it was a great crack mixing with Chorley, Curzon Ashton and even Stockport weren't too bad!!

I've supported and been watching City since the 70's and same as everybody else endured the most remarkable roller coaster that have given us the lowest lows (Halifax, Shrewsbury, Luton, all the other relegations and derby defeats) and we have had the highest of highs (promotions, the 10-1 vs Huddesrfield, the 5-1, the last Maine Road derby, Gillingham, cup finals league titles and of course 93:20

The football we watch these days is often nothing short of breathtaking, world class players wearing Sky Blue in a stadium that is as good as any in the world

City will always be my passion and my first love, but I have to confess that since May 13th 2012, it's changed for me - it's not better or worse, it's just changed.
I know that I have experienced the best feeling I will ever feel - and I'm not being dramatic when I say that I don't mean just in football, but I mean in life (I include the birth of my kids and they both know this!!)

Football at the top level disillusions me - I very rarely watch "Super Sundays" anymore, the Chumps League and Thursday night cup don't do it for me anymore - if it isn't City I don't watch other English teams (in days gone past I would do)
Non-league however..........in this City free weekend, I'm travelling up to Buxton to watch Kings Lynn in the FA trophy. It'll be a 340 mile round trip.........and I'm looking forward to it!!

 

[Bill]

the worse bit about football now is its rarely played on grass. boardrooms and FA and UEFA HQ is where the game takes place. its now all about money. when a team being relegated can earn more than the previous champions can only be a bad thing. there simply has to be corruption somewhere in there. the feeding of the rag masses, the tv deal is loaded to the big clubs, even the fixtures are nothing like random anymore. its like new year, we are stitched up again, year after year, that's not fucking "random". watching city still gives me a buzz, its not the be all and end all it once was but it still gives me a buzz. its just a shame as we travel to the game, any game, we a re thinking "i wonder what the ref will do this week" and that's a shame.
someone just said in another post that perhaps he's changed, well yep I think I have too.

 

[vmsuhail]

I think I could enjoy a genuine challenge for the title and appreciate it if we just fell short providing we played well, were close to our potential, and I could see improvement, Sounds very entitled but expectations have changed.

It's kind of different for me in the sense if we challenge for the title and just fell short I would be more disappointed at the end and think of all the if, could've and should've situations. Imagine being a United fan of 2012 or a Liverpool fan of 2014. Horrible feeling.

 

[We're not really here]

I personally haven't fallen out of love for City. It's not as important because I have a child now and that really changed everything. City still is a huge part of my life.
What I have fallen out of love with is football. I rarely watch live games, watch MOTD on fast forward and have long since given up on the likes of Soccer am, football focus etc. I never listen to the likes of Talkshite and haven't picked up a paper in years.
The motonic crap on social media, including, sadly, some on here depresses me and the amount of so called experts who know less than fuck all is astonishing. The thing with football is people always have an opinion, they always have. The problem is nowadays they voice it public and it is hard to ignore.
I crave for the old days but sadly it's gone now.