The future Manchester City fan

[bluemooninho]

This post is not intended as any sort of doom and gloom, but a genuine concern from a life-long City fan. I also realise that I am presuming that we will have long-term success as a club. And although most people say 'one game at a time', I simply want to highlight what could, and probably will (if we are not careful), happen to our fanbase and it's perception to the outside world, should we have the type of success that is being predicted.

As fans, we have always been the 'what the hell' types. Lyrics in our chants such as 'We never win at home and we never win away' have become synonomous with the general attitude of the Citizens over the years. This is not to say that we do not cheer, shout, scream and strain every sinew in the hope that we can grab that winning goal. It is just that we know that if that goal doesnt come and the tag of 'typical City' is thrust in our faces... again... we have the armoury to brush it off and come back week after week with the same amount of passion and excitment.

Now compare this to the typical Rag! A self-absorbed, closed book with an 'only cheer when were winning' mentality who plagues the footballing world with their stories of success and delight and bragging about 'global brand' or their 'Eastern fan base'. Not an ounce of depth to them. But I dont blame this on the person. In fact I think this type of fan is simply a by-product of such a long lasting success as a club. The large majority of the United fan-base have only ever known United as a successfull club. They dont know what it is like to have prolonged underachievement forced upon them (until now of course but that is for another thread (#SOD)). Because of this, they have, in general, become ignorant.

And this is where my worry is born...

As a club, our beloved Manchester City is now on the up. And if the commitment that the Sheikh has shown is anything to go by, we are here for the long-haul. And as this success grows, the tag of 'Typical City' will become a thing of the past. My worry is that along with this, so will the 'What the hell' attitude. The songs we sing may remain, but the real feeling behind them will dissipate and become lost in history.

So how do we stop our fanbase from becoming the same by-product of success?
How do we keep the same mentality we have become known and admired for?

 

[TFC]

Will we have hoverboards?

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

The core support will still have M9 postcodes!

 

[Aguero_Element]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo[/youtube]

 

[Manchester33]

It will change, but I have a feeling it will have to change for us to be a world wide 'brand' that our owners want to be.

You look at big clubs, United, Munich, Barca, Madrid... They have this winning mentality that is shifted from the stands to the pitch. Confidence/arrogance what ever you want to call it is what brings ruthlessness, and that's what we need to be to replicate success these other clubs have shown.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

It will change, but I have a feeling it will have to change for us to be a world wide 'brand' that our owners want to be.

You look at big clubs, United, Munich, Barca, Madrid... They have this winning mentality that is shifted from the stands to the pitch. Confidence/arrogance what ever you want to call it is what brings ruthlessness, and that's what we need to be to replicate success these other clubs have shown.

I'm relieved that you put United and 'winning mentality' in separate sentences, Loukas!!

 

[Stretford Ender]

It will change, but I have a feeling it will have to change for us to be a world wide 'brand' that our owners want to be.

You look at big clubs, United, Munich, Barca, Madrid... They have this winning mentality that is shifted from the stands to the pitch. Confidence/arrogance what ever you want to call it is what brings ruthlessness, and that's what we need to be to replicate success these other clubs have shown.

Don't mean to be disrespectful but how long will this take? 3 of the clubs you mentioned were huge in the late 50's the other in the early 70,s ,don't think I,ll be around for the ride,considering I was at the Utd / Madrid game in 68.

 

[welsh_andy]

unfortunately its the nature of the beast, we become not just successful, but we provide mass appeal to the glory hunter fans, sadly these is no avoiding this fact, the change is already there, you can see it in the threads some of the arrogance. but who cares about them, they wont feel that bond and feeling from all we have gone through 10,20,30 plus yrs know what the bond feels like, its a drug that you cant get out of your system. well its more like oxygen, just cant live without it.

i sat down other day and smiled and thought wow i could have never imagined how far we have come, if that means the city fan changes in time to a self obsessed arrogant twat, then so be it. but i will still remember what it feels like to be a true blue 30 plus yrs and counting. and unlike many i always remember where we came from and always will.


although since we have had money, i havent had the usual thought when we in prem which was plz dont get relagted, haha

 

[Stretford Ender]

unfortunately its the nature of the beast, we become not just successful, but we provide mass appeal to the glory hunter fans, sadly these is no avoiding this fact, the change is already there, you can see it in the threads some of the arrogance. but who cares about them, they wont feel that bond and feeling from all we have gone through 10,20,30 plus yrs know what the bond feels like, its a drug that you cant get out of your system. well its more like oxygen, just cant live without it.

i sat down other day and smiled and thought wow i could have never imagined how far we have come, if that means the city fan changes in time to a self obsessed arrogant twat, then so be it. but i will still remember what it feels like to be a true blue 30 plus yrs and counting. and unlike many i always remember where we came from and always will.


although since we have had money, i havent had the usual thought when we in prem which was plz dont get relagted, haha

Fair point welsh andy.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Fans are always going on about this type of stuff.

I spend loads of time with City fans, friends, family, people on European trips etc. It's the same people it always was, with exactly the same outlook. NEarly everyone around me in my seat has been there for years. There are a few foreigners with cameras at games, but they are just passengers.

Far too much shite is talked about what a virtue being shit was, and how we our fans were all some sort of football elite. In the main we were just clutching at straws, and embracing a bit of gallows humour because we had nothing else to embrace.