Lol. I'd noticed that most media outlets had downgraded this fixture from the British el classico to just a vital game in football'he race for the title and top four.SSNS yesterday biggest game in the season
Ok anytime to appease you subscribers
According to Marcotti on espn, we haven't gained any new fans. Unfortunately Nedum Onuoha didn't say much to contradict him.On a more positive note you can't understimate how much damage is now being done commercially to MUFC with City and Liverpool ruling the roost. My part of Lancashire used to be dominated by plastic MUFC fans with every pub packed for their games with people proudly wearing their shirts. Nowadays Liverpool have taken over with many youngsters following City. This is happening across the world. It's a shame about the rise of LFC but surely we can console ourselves watching United in their death spiral.
And this is happening to them everywhere with their huge plastic fanbase. These fans are the ones who buy the merchandise, MUTV subscriptions, shirts, support sponsors, and subscribe to broadcast channels. They have a strong hard-core matchgoing support home and away but it is propped up by tourists and plastics across the globe. These fans will vanish quickly. United are financially very vulnerable and another season without CL income will devastate them. Look at the current state of Barcelona and the Milan giants. Nothing lasts for ever. That's why City need to make hay while the sun is shining.Went in my local the other day to watch united early kick off.
The landlord is a red and has put united shit up on the walls and behind the bar.
2 years ago it would've been packed with shirt wearing plastics but on this day there were precisely 3 rags in, and none of them was interested in the match.
In the 70s and 80s I visited eastern Europe on business many times. One regular overland run was to Poland via East Germany and after the hassle of a half day transit of East Germany (with visa, road tax, insurance - all paid for with West Marks - and speed traps in areas with ridiculously low speed limits that started just over the border) and Polish immigration the next stop was the duty free shop on the Polish side of the border. We'd stock up with booze and fags because a couple of hundred yards down the road you'd be stopped by a rifle toting Polish soldier who'd been exacting his 'toll fee' to let people through all day staggering out of his sentry box. He'd be totally pissed and barely able to stand but we found that a few packs of Benson & Hedges with their bright gold packaging would often do the trick.Wouldn't surprise me given my experience of the Police. My dad did alot of hgv work on the continent in the 70s and 80s before the collapse of the iron curtain. The company he drove for would provide him with a crate of malt whisky as back then in places like east Germany, Poland and the old Ussr freight wagons would be stuck at borders for days whilst they cleared customs and Visa checks. The offer of a bottle of quality whisky to the right customs/ border official would mean a fast track clearance.
To be honest I think there is some truth in this. Of course we have moved from 40,000 gates to 50,000 gates and we certainly have a large growing audience in the USA. But my impression in the last decade is City's hard-core fanbase has remained (stubbornly?) Mancunian (at least in heritage) and working-class. Our support is more affluent which reflects the growth of Manchester itself but we have not attracted the huge levels of tourists that Chelsea and Arsenal hoovered up during their success. Even on CL nights we get a lot of new younger faces but they are often new residents in Manchester and students. In one sense it is great we have mostly stuck to our roots but long-term we will need more global support.According to Marcotti on espn, we haven't gained any new fans. Unfortunately Nedum Onuoha didn't say much to contradict him.
Unfortunately UEFA has now fixed it so they will be in the Champions League no matter how shit they areAnd this is happening to them everywhere with their huge plastic fanbase. These fans are the ones who buy the merchandise, MUTV subscriptions, shirts, support sponsors, and subscribe to broadcast channels. They have a strong hard-core matchgoing support home and away but it is propped up by tourists and plastics across the globe. These fans will vanish quickly. United are financially very vulnerable and another season without CL income will devastate them. Look at the current state of Barcelona and the Milan giants. Nothing lasts for ever. That's why City need to make hay while the sun is shining.
When is the open top bus scheduled for?Did the league finish last night?
Looks like the champions have been awarded the trophy and it's all over.
To be honest I think there is some truth in this. Of course we have moved from 40,000 gates to 50,000 gates and we certainly have a large growing audience in the USA. But my impression in the last decade is City's hard-core fanbase has remained (stubbornly?) Mancunian (at least in heritage) and working-class. Our support is more affluent which reflects the growth of Manchester itself but we have not attracted the huge levels of tourists that Chelsea and Arsenal hoovered up during their success. Even on CL nights we get a lot of new younger faces but they are often new residents in Manchester and students. In one sense it is great we have mostly stuck to our roots but long-term we will need more global support.