Our growing international fanbase

[JohnMaddocksAxe]

The blokes over to see Silva play sound more like tourists than City fans to me.

And remind me how people suddenly buying City shirts and telling everyone how they are massive City fans are any different than the legions of sad fucks from down south, Ireland, Malaysia, etc, who profess to be huge United fans purely because they like the idea of others seeing them as associated with a successful team.

Oh yeah, it's because they are now wearing City tops and are "part of a brilliant, growing international fanbase".

And you can save the 'outdated attitude', 'we need the money', 'who are you trying to tell what to do' replies.

I am neither trying to tell anyone what they can or can't do or interested in trying to do so. I will however, still hold the same personal opinion on the childishness of the motives of people attaching themselves to a successful football club that has absolutely nothing to do with them, regardless of what shirt they are wearing. (And I don't include tourists in that as any genuine football fan would want to go and see all the top class football available to them when visiting somewhere else, that's a totally different matter)

 

[yellamcfc]

After the game, walking past east stand towards the south stand there was a 7ft Giant with a Czech Republic flag wrapped round him in front of us, I thought he was on stilts at first.
There was a lad with what looked like an Athletico Madrid shirt on in the family stand.

 

[ob]

The blokes over to see Silva play sound more like tourists than City fans to me.

And remind me how people suddenly buying City shirts and telling everyone how they are massive City fans are any different than the legions of sad fucks from down south, Ireland, Malaysia, etc, who profess to be huge United fans purely because they like the idea of others seeing them as associated with a successful team.

Oh yeah, it's because they are now wearing City tops and are "part of a brilliant, growing international fanbase".

And you can save the 'outdated attitude', 'we need the money', 'who are you trying to tell what to do' replies.

I am neither trying to tell anyone what they can or can't do or interested in trying to do so. I will however, still hold the same personal opinion on the childishness of the motives of people attaching themselves to a successful football club that has absolutely nothing to do with them, regardless of what shirt they are wearing. (And I don't include tourists in that as any genuine football fan would want to go and see all the top class football available to them when visiting somewhere else, that's a totally different matter)

I'm from Northern Ireland and I ''attached myself'' to City in early 70s, first game 78 when I had my first job - still going 50 next year - only attachment to Manchester I have is reading about Jobby Crossan and Peter Doherty when growing up, could so easily have go to dark side with Best then McIlroy

 

[LoveCity]

Someone in a Russian national team tracksuit top (I think, it had "Russia" written on the back and was the right colours) sat in the front row of 102 who isn't normally there. Presumably Russian, he had that familiar look of a Russian to me. He was very quiet but enjoying himself and seemed happy when we scored.

We get more tourists on Champions League nights it seems to me but no one should complain about that as long as we aren't selling it out with our normal fans - said tourists would struggle for tickets if we were.

I imagine a lot of casual visitors are up in level 3 where the general sale is usually quite restricted to?

 

[Manx Blue]

It's a shame when tourists can get hold of tickets, yet I give up my SC yesterday so a Blue can get in.

Not good enough City. Great the world I'd grasping the Blue nation, but dont deny an English/ British blue a ticket when don't have enough points, yet mister Mugglefuck from Buttfuck Idaho gets in without an issue. Where did they get their points?

 

[another generation]

I went in Bella Italia... and in the queue in front of us were 4 adults and 2 children in City shirts, all over from Norway.

Only them? There were 61 from the Scandinavian branch over for the Newcastle game!

 

[IOWBlue]

Ob, im guessing the key words are "suddenly" and "successful". Its human nature to distrust the motives of people who seem to be doing it for their own satisfaction and the kudos attached to a successful team, IMO :)

 

[Ducado]

Just before some of the "This is a local club for local people brigade" start

I think it needs to be said that in football you have 3 distinct sets of fans

The first set are the fans who will support the club no matter what, and will be proud of the fact.

The next set are fans who follow a brand rather than a club as such, they like to be associated with winning teams, but they will switch brands if the brand they are following fails to live up to expectations.

The third set are the tourists, many from Asia who just like football and the prem in particular, but they love everything about the game in this country and can't get enough of it, it's one of our biggest exports and one thing we do better than anyone else!

All are welcome in my eyes, all will help this club grow, because we need to grow our fan base in order to be where the owners want us to be

 

[squirtyflower]

Just before some of the "This is a local club for local people brigade" start

I think it needs to be said that in football you have 3 distinct sets of fans

The first set are the fans who will support the club no matter what, and will be proud of the fact.


All are welcome in my eyes, all will help this club grow, because we need to grow our fan base in order to be where the owners want us to be

and you don't have to come from Manchester to do that!!!!!

 

[Thaksinssoldier]

The blokes over to see Silva play sound more like tourists than City fans to me.

And remind me how people suddenly buying City shirts and telling everyone how they are massive City fans are any different than the legions of sad fucks from down south, Ireland, Malaysia, etc, who profess to be huge United fans purely because they like the idea of others seeing them as associated with a successful team.

Oh yeah, it's because they are now wearing City tops and are "part of a brilliant, growing international fanbase".

And you can save the 'outdated attitude', 'we need the money', 'who are you trying to tell what to do' replies.

I am neither trying to tell anyone what they can or can't do or interested in trying to do so. I will however, still hold the same personal opinion on the childishness of the motives of people attaching themselves to a successful football club that has absolutely nothing to do with them, regardless of what shirt they are wearing. (And I don't include tourists in that as any genuine football fan would want to go and see all the top class football available to them when visiting somewhere else, that's a totally different matter)

You do realise the lads lining up didn't grow on the same street as you yeah?


I don't think aguero etc are mancs.


Your attitude is ridiculous.as the northern Irish lad said,there are tons of fans travelling over for years.

I took in my first city game in 1990,hardly gloryhunting is it.

As a kid I idolised Niall Quinn and went to see city play to see him.the fans in the stands that day are the reason I'm a lifelong fan.city have had umpteen Irish players since then but I can honestly say I'm a bigger city fan than an ireland fan,and love the city as much as the team.

The problem I have with overseas fans is the same as local fans of big teams,a lot of plastic support.a great example is dipper fans in the souness era,went missing en masse.those aren't real fans whether from next door to the stadium or Nepal.
People attach themselves for whatever their reasons,what's important is how dear they hold the club.