USA to host La Liga games

[Fame Monster]

La Liga are pissing in the pool of football.

 

[mat]

Could explain why we market ourselves so heavily in our sister clubs back yard.

I hate to say it I suspect it will come to the PL. Be it a couple of matches in the states or China/India.

Naturally season ticket holders won't be reimbursed for a couple of scheduled home matches played abroad.

It's all about the $$$. Fuck the hardcore fans.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Hey you lot -- I agree this is a bad idea, not the least of which of the reasons is a lack of a home match for a club, which upsets the well-balanced (1 home/1 away) nature of the Prem which I love (we don't have that in any pro sport in the USA -- we have regional divisions, or imbalanced schedules where last year's shitty teams have an easier schedule than the good ones the next year). I don't watch the NFL but it's dumb to have league games in London too, especially for West Coast teams.

Can I ask as a naive American why so many of you would actually go to the lengths of walking away from the sport though if the Prem did this? I can see it being an annoying, eyeroll-creating, potentially unfair irritation -- but would you really just switch off?

Edit: I'm assuming season ticket holders wouldn't get hosed -- i.e. same price for one fewer matches -- I can see how that would be frustrating.

 

[yankblue]

I get that it's not ideal, and even as an American I couldn't care less if this happens, but being 'done' because a single game might be played overseas once every few years is just a tad bit dramatic. The NFL has games in London. The NBA has games in London. My local NBA team played in London last year and my local NFL team (which I have season tickets to) is playing there this year. It's annoying. It's not worth withdrawing my support over

 

[nozzyblue]

For people wondering why so many would consider walking away from football if this happened - I guess this would be the final straw for many in a long list of things that has seen football go from a spectator sport for the working man/woman to a product solely for the purpose of making money for those at the top. I would maybe try and find my fix of football in non-league, it obviously would never compare to following City, but a lot of things wrong with the modern game are non-existent the further away from the premier league you go, in my opinion.

 

[TheRemainsOfTheDave]

Hey you lot -- I agree this is a bad idea, not the least of which of the reasons is a lack of a home match for a club, which upsets the well-balanced (1 home/1 away) nature of the Prem which I love (we don't have that in any pro sport in the USA -- we have regional divisions, or imbalanced schedules where last year's shitty teams have an easier schedule than the good ones the next year). I don't watch the NFL but it's dumb to have league games in London too, especially for West Coast teams.

Can I ask as a naive American why so many of you would actually go to the lengths of walking away from the sport though if the Prem did this? I can see it being an annoying, eyeroll-creating, potentially unfair irritation -- but would you really just switch off?

Edit: I'm assuming season ticket holders wouldn't get hosed -- i.e. same price for one fewer matches -- I can see how that would be frustrating.

The highlighted bit for me.

Long term football fans feel proud of their club's history, it's a special connection. Moving even a single game in the league competition to somewhere the fans can't easily attend is moronic.

If they do it, it won't last.

 

[quiet_riot]

I get that it's not ideal, and even as an American I couldn't care less if this happens, but being 'done' because a single game might be played overseas once every few years is just a tad bit dramatic. The NFL has games in London. The NBA has games in London. My local NBA team played in London last year and my local NFL team (which I have season tickets to) is playing there this year. It's annoying. It's not worth withdrawing my support over

Yes but NFL and NBA are franchises, they can move 'hometown' at the whim of an owner.

Local football teams aren't supposed to be like that.

 

[MCFC1993]

Hey you lot -- I agree this is a bad idea, not the least of which of the reasons is a lack of a home match for a club, which upsets the well-balanced (1 home/1 away) nature of the Prem which I love (we don't have that in any pro sport in the USA -- we have regional divisions, or imbalanced schedules where last year's shitty teams have an easier schedule than the good ones the next year). I don't watch the NFL but it's dumb to have league games in London too, especially for West Coast teams.

Can I ask as a naive American why so many of you would actually go to the lengths of walking away from the sport though if the Prem did this? I can see it being an annoying, eyeroll-creating, potentially unfair irritation -- but would you really just switch off?

Edit: I'm assuming season ticket holders wouldn't get hosed -- i.e. same price for one fewer matches -- I can see how that would be frustrating.

It'd be the final straw for most in terms of the way football is going. It's basically a big middle finger to the fans that have been going week in week out for years and to their dads/mums/grandads before them. Basically saying we don't need you anymore, even though it was those fans who stuck by their clubs during the hard times.

It's not a fan from abroad vs domestic fan thing either, clubs are suppose to represent their communities and their 100year+ traditions and if a fan from abroad buys into that then great and they are more than welcome to come along for the ride. I completely get why a fan from abroad may love it, a chance to watch the club/players they love in a competitive game but it just goes against everything in the English game and the European game. That may seem hypocritical given clubs accept foreign owners and foreign tv money but that money and ownership only came about because of what the fans made the game to be.

I feel just as bad for the NFL fans in America who miss out on going to see their team play because it's International fixture weekend.

Also, I don't think clubs would reduce their season ticket prices, they'd find a way of charging the same price for a game less.

I get that it's not ideal, and even as an American I couldn't care less if this happens, but being 'done' because a single game might be played overseas once every few years is just a tad bit dramatic. The NFL has games in London. The NBA has games in London. My local NBA team played in London last year and my local NFL team (which I have season tickets to) is playing there this year. It's annoying. It's not worth withdrawing my support over

It's tradition and it's wrong that the NFL and NBA teams don't play their games in America either, where fans in American communities and cities miss out. Also worth bearing in mind that NFL/NBA teams can just pack it in and decide to play in another City, that's not the way in England, clubs have been ingrained in their cities for well over 100 years, this would be the equivalent of uprooting our teams. Only have to look at the derision MK Dons get to know it's not the way.

 

[BlueT.O.]

Also note the traveling fan culture is virtually non-existent in North America, there are only a few markets where you get that experience. It's like the Maple Leafs taking their annual California tour - might as well be in Japan, what's the difference? The culture is different in Europe because you will have legitimate travelling support at all of your matches, even European matches. For an NFL or NBA team to play in Europe it's not really a loss for the home support because they wouldn't travel to watch an away match anyway, and the time difference works in that it can probably still be viewed in the US or Canada (like watching the EPL). The reverse is not always true - an evening match in North America would be middle of the night in the UK.

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

I get that it's not ideal, and even as an American I couldn't care less if this happens, but being 'done' because a single game might be played overseas once every few years is just a tad bit dramatic. The NFL has games in London. The NBA has games in London. My local NBA team played in London last year and my local NFL team (which I have season tickets to) is playing there this year. It's annoying. It's not worth withdrawing my support over

I'm guessing quite a few indigenous blues don't like certain things happening in the game and at our club.

City have always been a big club with loyal passionate support mate. Just before the moneymen came we were attracting mid 40k, even playing four footy under Pearce. During our worst period in the old third div in 98-99 we we sold our seats out almost every game if not every game, I couldn't get a ticket some games. As low as we had sunk as a club, us blues stuck together birds of a feather as one. We were unwaivered in our support of our club, infact us blues knew we were shit on the pitch, we didn't need reminding by rags and even Oldham fans and quite a few other clubs took the piss when beating us.

City and Newcastle used to be laughed at by the papers, taunting us with shit like cock up kings, fuck me that invisable trophy felt like it was never out of our honours cabinet!

We started the inflatable banana craze at a wednesday WBA night match in Nov 88iirc. Famed the land over for our self depreciating black northern working class humour, we had no choice but to expect the worst on the pitch, have a good few in the pub and en route to aways. We used to create our own amusment and quirky songs like NQ's disco pants amongst others. We laughed at ourselves whilst staring into the face of adversity, it was perennial and almost an incessant black cloud over our heads. Despite this we were resiliant. So bad that one Main Road game we got a corner and the whole stadium cheered as though we had scored a goal!

In 98-99 the rags won the treble. We got promotion from a division we should never have been in, but due To Swales and Lee we slipped down what felt like walking the depths of the Mariana trench!

Rags could not understand why we stayed so loyal, taunting us at every opportunity the could with derision. They made up songs about us mocking us, didnt bother me too much MCFC were my club whatever, and the rest of us supporters felt the same way.

But nowadays we slowly seem to be morphing into a twin of the monster we hated across town. We are eternally indebted to Sheikh Mansour Khaldoon Al Mineral and the feast of ADUG. They gave us the opportunity to be winners and have belief we can eventually win the champions league.

But I will say this. Year on year, more old school blues are shuffling away from the scene not happy with the way things have become or becoming.

Ok, we all know this club has to raise enough revenue to compete at the top and we are doing now through shrewd investment in the clubs infrastructure at all levels. But from my own POV, i don't need a cheesy PA telling me about 'the match day experience', I've experienced plenty of proper match day experience thank you. I've been a loyal blue since at Maine road from 1970/71, but I'm way behind others on club loyalty points as I refuse to pay an extra 50 quid on top of my SC. And I very rarely go to aways now due to only having access to my kids at weekends, but I'm not complaining.

I know quite a few blues who go home and away and have done fkr donkeys years. Nowadays our away allocation is being creamed off by those in the posh corporate seats of the tunnel club and 93:20 section.

It's as though I've you ain't got the money, tough luck you ain't coming in.
And if the club keep inflating the match day costs too much as well as
Well as well as ramming this 'match day experience' bollocks, dissipating and alienating my feelings to a point where I don't feel connected, then I too will shuffle out the door to walk away.

Since the big investment in Mcfc our owners have delivered every promise and more, but when I think the club don't appreciate my loyal long suffering die support anymore, that is the time I'll walk away. If the cost becomes too high, many will be forvfo out, myself included. And I don't want that time to come anytime soon.

I just want them to realise and appreciate that it is largely us that swayed their decision into investing in the club largely due the undying loyalty and passion of us local Mancs.

CTID.