Our growing international fanbase

[Anonymous]

the only thing that annoys be about tourits/ new fans is how they always seem to end up at aways, how do they get ticktes, they may have 6,000 points, but when I hear great game for my first one from a chinese bloke at united away last year I doubt it .

 

[Como Cat]

As a City fan who now lives in London (first game 1988) with just Blue membership I also wonder how some people get tickets. I assume money talks. To be honest though I think the ticket allocation is reasonably fair. I can only get tickets when the season ticket holders don't buy them all, that seems reasonable to me.....Arsenal and Bayern Munich coming up!

 

[moomba]

Don't know about everyone else, but I wind up United supporters for their overseas fanbase for one reason only. It winds them up.

Other than that I don't give a toss whether one of their supporters are Manc, cockney, Irish, Malaysian or whatever.

So I don't understand why any blue would think less of another blue for their country of birth/accent.

 

[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.


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!!!!!

You certainley do not!

The truth be known there are not enough paying fans in the geographic area to support both teams, it may surprise people that the majority of the population is not really bothered about football

 

[Frank H]

Don't assume that all "asian" or "Chinese" looking people are from overseas.

My family have been in the UK since 1948 - I was 2 years old then. We have lived in the UK ever since, are all British citizens, and speak English as our first language. Yet if I ever came to the Etihad, I've no doubt that some of those on this forum would be annoyed because, unless I have drastic facial surgery, I will continue to look Chinese, and hence be castigated as a "tourist" - although I suspect that my knowledge of this country, its history and its culture, and even of Man.City's history, might actually be better than that of many of those I would upset by my polluting presence in the stadium.

Incidentally I don't claim to be a City "fan", only a sympathiser, who supported you against richer clubs when you were underdogs, but am now interested and excited by the prospect of an EPL club being potentially able to challenge the likes of Barcelona and Real in both skilfulness of football and results.

 

[nomorethaksintimes]

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 think that sums up a certain type of fan/human being quite well which comes over as quite pathetic when it's a grown man acting like that.

I really don't have a problem with foreign fans but that certain mindset is, and always will be, pretty pathetic no matter if it's supporting us or the rags....still if they pay their money to watch us then fair play....doesn't mean I have to like it though. Consciously associating yourself with a winning brand really doesn't say a lot about what's going on in the rest of your life.

I intermittently follow the NBA and watch Lakers' games sometimes as they are great to watch. However if I went to a Lakers game which I would love to, I would still be going as a tourist and wouldn't be crowing about how good my team are/bragging on Facebook about how we just beat some other team...as frankly this would be pathetic and I would feel like a tit.

A few years back I went into a youth hostel in Prague where a New Zealand barman proceeded to tell me all about Liverpool's AC Milan comeback - like I wouldn't have heard about it. He then started reeling of the names of the penalty takers whilst I looked on perplexed and smirking. He was so desperate to come across as a genuine fan but blatantly knew deep down it was a bit silly so was trying to justify it desperately with this bizarre little stunt....seen similar things before with some Indian's in London going on about United's U17 squad lol.

Anyway I've probably made myself sound like a judgemental cock with that so will stop now :)

 

[mayo31]

Don't assume that all "asian" or "Chinese" looking people are from overseas.

My family have been in the UK since 1948 - I was 2 years old then. We have lived in the UK ever since, are all British citizens, and speak English as our first language. Yet if I ever came to the Etihad, I've no doubt that some of those on this forum would be annoyed because, unless I have drastic facial surgery, I will continue to look Chinese, and hence be castigated as a "tourist" - although I suspect that my knowledge of this country, its history and its culture, and even of Man.City's history, might actually be better than that of many of those I would upset by my polluting presence in the stadium.

Incidentally I don't claim to be a City "fan", only a sympathiser, who supported you against richer clubs when you were underdogs, but am now interested and excited by the prospect of an EPL club being potentially able to challenge the likes of Barcelona and Real in both skilfulness of football and results.

dont let a few comments put off either mate

 

[Tommy johnson]

I live in a far off place called salford,many of you might of heard of it,the amount of city tops round here now is great,couldnt give a fuck why or how,my good rag friend was actually disgusted he saw 2 city tops in tesco last week,living the dream round our way (about fucking time aswell!)

 

[bridgeblue]

In the block behind 210 at Satudays match there was about 10 lads over from UAE in the box. All with there I LOVE UAE scarves.

I could see them from 212, they were really into it singing all the songs and doing the poznan. Lokked like they were having a great time.

 

[The Ox]

Seriously who gives a fuck where people come from. I for one embrace the fact that liddle Citeh are attracting fans from around the world - in fact, I fucking love it !! I can't wait to be on holiday next year and some foreigner instigate a conversation of how brilliant City are rather than say "Manchester ahhh Manchester United"
If these guys spread the word and buy kits etc and wind the Rags up along the way then I am all for it. The top and bottom of it is that these are "Fans" where aslong as I am at the Etihad every other week then I am a "Supporter" and feel no threat from these guys.
PS any non Mancunian City fan reading this forum, I apologise on behalf of the many Blues who love the fact that you follow our team regardless of where you are from :)