Who else is Wembleyed out?

[Lowtower]

The old Wembley was a fucking dump.
Think some memories are a bit hazy on here.

It smelt of piss.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Hopefully the team and club never get "Wembley out".

They probably aren’t ever scrambling for the last train home and having to Uber their way back home from Piccadilly, or checking their finances to see whether they can afford a hotel for the night.

 

[TinFoilHat]

It smelt of piss.

That might have been me...

 

[John Wayne]

Can't afford it and being (to use the term) Wembley out are separate reasons I would say.

Yes, but they can be linked. I know of quite a few City fans who went to Istanbul but aren't even close to paying it off yet. They couldn't afford it but stuck it on plastic because they couldn't live with the thought of missing out. The same applies here - to what extent are people with little disposable income willing to push the boat out for an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea? Wembley fatigue does form part of the consideration when people are having to make difficult choices about how to spend money. Unlike a CL final, many won't push the boat out this time because they've been there, seen it and done it several times. Both things can form part of an overall consideration and aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Bar the additional cost at this time of the season, and the faffing about with traveling, delays, etc, it’s the match day experience at Wembley. If people think the match day experience is bad at the Etihad, it’s even worse at Wembley.

OK, my points may be petty, especially as it’s about watching City at Wembley, but I really detest Wembley, and how fans are managed inside the the stadium.(by the FA) Escalator stewards, stewards walking around the concourses in large groups, why?, the service, the beer quality, the prices, announcements to tell you to get to your seat for kick off, like an announcement you get in an airport for your flight, getting to your seat and finding a little plastic flag placed there for you to be wave, pre-match entertainment, high wire acts, things going on the pitch which I’ve got absolutely no interest in, digital displays of clapping hands on the scoreboards, really annoying music like rocking all over the world being blasted out of the speakers, the national anthem sang by an opera singer drowning the fans out, and just the plasticness of the whole time inside Wembley.

Then you get to the trophy presentation that takes ages, and Instead of letting the fans celebrate vocally with the players, fucking shite music like we are the champions, etc, is pumped out that loud you can’t hear the fans singing. In the end every body gives up singing and just stands there talking and looking at the players on the pitch with the trophy before drifting away for a 3 to 4 hour journey home.

The last bit is the worst bit for me.

The PA system being 125 decibels and pumping out generic Euro dance music is dreadful and generic. It’s the same whoever wins.

 

[MCFC Wirral]

It's a painful experience not helped by shit kick off times and hardly any decent public transport back. If we reach the final we have no idea what time the ko will be. ITV is fucked as they will be showing the rugby union's Champions Cup final which starts at 2.45 and probably won't want that on ITV2 or 4 or even clashing with the FA Cup final so no doubt the final will be at the mercy of the broadcasters again regardless of the fans.

Nevertheless, I’d lean towards 3pm for the rags and 5.30pm for Coventry should we get there.

 

[John Wayne]

The last bit is the worst bit for me.

The PA system being 125 decibels and pumping out generic Euro dance music is dreadful and generic. It’s the same whoever wins.

This actually forms part of a larger discussion about just how contrived trophy presentations have become. The old FA Cup lifts felt natural and spontaneous. Nowadays, it's rent-a-podium with fireworks and token jumping around on the balls of your feet when the trophy gets handed over by a suit. One image I have in my head is when we won the League Cup in 1976 and Newcastle fans warmly applauded our boys as we came down the steps with the trophy and celebrated on the pitch. It had a feeling of warmth.

 

[Gingers Dad]

Seems like this thread should be called the "I can't be arsed going to Wembley for a semi final" thread.

Don't think anyone will be Wembleyed out if we make it to the FA cup or CL finals

 

[jrb]

Its cool to say that you are Wembleyed out or enjoyed the Stuart Pearce days more lads, even cooler if you pretend not to enjoy any games at all.

If anyone else wants to be as cool as me, from now on I'm not gonna bother taking my seat to watch the game, just gonna stand in the concourse all game instead, obviously just stopping going and not saying owt would be the normal thing to do, but I wouldn't get attention then.

Won't be watching them on TV either as thats also cool.

Might look up the results on Ceefax though

Ha! I did that against Chelsea. I was drunk, and I got so annoyed with being told to go to my seat by the PA announcer whilst I was finishing my pint on the concourse I got a few more beers in and stayed on the concourse instead of watching the match. Of course it wasn’t cool. I was a dick. And I missed the match. But it irked me that much I thought fuck it, I’m not going to my seat. I hate being told what to do.

 

[jrb]

The last bit is the worst bit for me.

The PA system being 125 decibels and pumping out generic Euro dance music is dreadful and generic. It’s the same whoever wins.

Yeah. You’d think the FA would have realised by now fans just want to sing as the team displays the trophy on the pitch. But no, the FA still keeps on pumping out shite like rocking all over the world by Status Quo, etc, thinking it’s what the fans want. Not to mention the Euro dance shite, as you say.

 

[Roachy]

Yes, but they can be linked. I know of quite a few City fans who went to Istanbul but aren't even close to paying it off yet. They couldn't afford it but stuck it on plastic because they couldn't live with the thought of missing out. The same applies here - to what extent are people with little disposable income willing to push the boat out for an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea? Wembley fatigue does form part of the consideration when people are having to make difficult choices about how to spend money. Unlike a CL final, many won't push the boat out this time because they've been there, seen it and done it several times. Both things can form part of an overall consideration and aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

Agree to a certain extent, but I'll stand by what I said. Can't afford it or can't be bothered aren't the same, but I respect both situations.

 

[jrb]

Seems like this thread should be called the "I can't be arsed going to Wembley for a semi final" thread.

Don't think anyone will be Wembleyed out if we make it to the FA cup or CL finals

That’s different as you well know. Which people, including me, have admitted. Finals should be held at Wembley, not semi-finals. Semi-finals are only being held at Wembley to make the FA more money. We’d still sell out our 34,000 ticket allocation if the semi-final match was held at Old Trafford.

 

[Bluesince1979]

I guess we all have different priorities in life.
Ive served my time supporting city, season ticket since 1985, used to be hone and away at one point and a euro aways , still got a season ticket and do odd aways but the days of me doing big and what are expensive trips are gone.
My priorities in life arent just City! We go away a lot as a family but more so im done with the faffing of places like wembley .

Does that make me less of a blue? I watched the european cup final in my local legion with the kids and it was a brilliant night , do i regret not going? A bit. But not a lot , not enough.

So as some on here are totally shocked and stunned that people are a bit wembleyd out, maybe city isnt our total lives, unlike some

 

[Gingers Dad]

That’s different as you well know. Which people, including me, have admitted. Finals should be held at Wembley, not semi-finals. Semi-finals are only being held at Wembley to make the FA more money. We’d still sell out our 34,000 ticket allocation if the semi-final match was held at Old Trafford.

I agree that FA Cup semi finals shouldn't be played at Wembley, but they are. They've been played at Wembley for nearly 20 years and City haven't played in a non-Wembley FA semi for over 40 years. I'd say if you can't be bothered going fine it's your choice but I'm guessing it won't be the same for the finals. If we get to them

 

[John Wayne]

I agree that FA Cup semi finals shouldn't be played at Wembley, but they are. They've been played at Wembley for nearly 20 years and City haven't played in a non-Wembley FA semi for over 40 years. I'd say if you can't be bothered going fine it's your choice but I'm guessing it won't be the same for the finals. If we get to them

That's basically it in a nutshell. I've been to all six prior semi-finals with fans permitted to attend, but took the decision this time that it's an expensive day out against a team I'm fairly neutral about at a stadium that no longer feels special. It is a competitive game that I want us to win, but it feels closer to the Community Shield than the FA Cup final in terms of how I feel about attending. I probably would have gone had we drawn Coventry (family) or United.

I'll be at both Wembley finals should we get there. I'm no longer precious about being at these things as some way of proving my credentials as a fan.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Yeah. You’d think the FA would have realised by now fans just want to sing as the team displays the trophy on the pitch. But no, the FA still keeps on pumping out shite like rocking all over the world by Status Quo, etc, thinking it’s what the fans want. Not to mention the Euro dance shite, as you say.

But that's a similar problem at the Etihad, and it intensely annoys me. People talk about the shit atmosphere, but I'm certain that a lot of people have simply been bludgeoned into not singing or talking (or shouting). Especially at half-time, I can't stand the stupid its-a-knockout type animations that they put on, with someone on the p.a. getting in your ear right through the fifteen minutes. Just let us think about what we've just seen and, hey, maybe chat to our neighbour in the row for a few minutes about it? Would that be impossible? Would that be terrifying?
I suspect the kids love it. They've been brought up on this junk food for the ears and eyes.

 

[Invisible Man's Bandage]

As Samuel Johnson famously said centuries ago.

'When a man is tired of Wembley, he is tired of life'

It's as true today as it was then.

 

[jrb]

I agree that FA Cup semi finals shouldn't be played at Wembley, but they are. They've been played at Wembley for nearly 20 years and City haven't played in a non-Wembley FA semi for over 40 years. I'd say if you can't be bothered going fine it's your choice but I'm guessing it won't be the same for the finals. If we get to them

I don’t think ‘can’t be bothered’ is the right way of looking at my decision not to go to semi-finals at Wembley. I thought long and hard before making that decision as few years back.

It does bother me to an extent that I’m not at the match to watch and to support City, like it does when I miss a match for whatever reason, but I‘m not prepared to line the pockets of the FA for a match that could be held outside of Wembley.

I accept only Old Trafford can accommodate our 34,000 ticket allocation, meaning a lot of City fans would miss out on a ticket if the match was held at Villa Park, say. I can’t and won’t argue against that valid point. So in that sense Wembley does serve a purpose for the semi-finals. Beyond that purpose I can’t see any other purpose bar making money for the FA.

A question I did ask that wasn’t answered. Where are the remaining 22,000 tickets going after City and Chelsea have taken their combined 68,000 ticket allocations. We’re talking about the FA Cup semi-final, not the FA Cup final. What are the FA doing with those 22,000 tickets that could go to City and Chelsea fans?

 

[jrb]

But that's a similar problem at the Etihad, and it intensely annoys me. People talk about the shit atmosphere, but I'm certain that a lot of people have simply been bludgeoned into not singing or talking (or shouting). Especially at half-time, I can't stand the stupid its-a-knockout type animations that they put on, with someone on the p.a. getting in your ear right through the fifteen minutes. Just let us think about what we've just seen and, hey, maybe chat to our neighbour in the row for a few minutes about it? Would that be impossible? Would that be terrifying?
I suspect the kids love it. They've been brought up on this junk food for the ears and eyes.

It is. You’re right. That’s why I mentioned the Etihad. But Wembley is worse. Much worse. OK, people will tell me to put up and shut up. It’s before and after the match. I should be there to watch the match, not to be bothered by the shite match day experience that surrounds the match. But to me it’s about the whole day, including before and after the match, inside Wembley. I’m sorry, but I really, really hate it. That applies to the final. Yes I can, do, and will put up with it for the final, which rightly is held at Wembley. But after the match is over, and I’ve seen the trophy lift, I’m off. I’m not prepared to listen to 2 Unlimited pumped out of the speakers whilst Wembley officials with security tags around their necks drag the players around the pitch with the trophy. To me that isn’t part of trophy celebration. Sorry.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

As Samuel Johnson famously said centuries ago.

'When a man is tired of Wembley, he is tired of life'

It's as true today as it was then.

Err… you're taking a bit of a liberty there. He did say, though, “Spent all my money, on gout and City”.