Journalists have got tired explaining how good we are in return for slim ‘like’ and retweet returns. The power exerted by the armchair couch-potato fan is huge. So what this means for journalists is that there are a guaranteed 5 gazillion Man Ushited fans, 4.5 gazillion Livarpool fans, and 4.5 gazillion Mardarsenal fans who’ve just got just enough functioning opposable thumbs to operate a smart phone, a TV remote and a bag of Kettle chips to generate a heck of a lot on online noise. City’s couch-potato crowd is nowhere near.
Manchester City’s on the pitch excellence in the last 10 years - taken to near-earth orbit under the Bald One, and translated into trophies, profits, and much boiled piss elsewhere - has not however yielded a proportionate surge in online City fans. Sure, we’ll have had an increase, but in PL terms, we’re no more than in the mix for the Europa league.
I suspect that the media somehow think we don’t as a fan base deserve the team we’ve got, because there aren’t nearly enough of us out there in the Twattersphere validating their content. A club’s base strength used to be measured by the size of the match day crowd. That doesn’t apply anymore. The average keyboard warrior in Lagos telling multiple PL winner and Champions League final scorer Ole Gunnar Solksjær to ‘get out of my club’ - a club whose home ground he hopes one day actually to visit - has got way more influence than any of us match-going normies want to acknowledge.
You can’t change a negative mindset towards a group you identify with; if it’s important to you, you can be the City fan that fans of other clubs would remember as “alright, for a City fan” - heavens, we all know United fans who aren’t out-and-out morons. As for the media, though, forget it. When we’ve grown into the global behemoth that would make us too big to belittle, we’d be unrecognisable as the club we fell for. Be careful what you wish for, and up the Blues.
Journalists have got tired explaining how good we are in return for slim ‘like’ and retweet returns. The power exerted by the armchair couch-potato fan is huge. So what this means for journalists is that there are a guaranteed 5 gazillion Man Ushited fans, 4.5 gazillion Livarpool fans, and 4.5 gazillion Mardarsenal fans who’ve just got just enough functioning opposable thumbs to operate a smart phone, a TV remote and a bag of Kettle chips to generate a heck of a lot on online noise. City’s couch-potato crowd is nowhere near.
Manchester City’s on the pitch excellence in the last 10 years - taken to near-earth orbit under the Bald One, and translated into trophies, profits, and much boiled piss elsewhere - has not however yielded a proportionate surge in online City fans. Sure, we’ll have had an increase, but in PL terms, we’re no more than in the mix for the Europa league.
I suspect that the media somehow think we don’t as a fan base deserve the team we’ve got, because there aren’t nearly enough of us out there in the Twattersphere validating their content. A club’s base strength used to be measured by the size of the match day crowd. That doesn’t apply anymore. The average keyboard warrior in Lagos telling multiple PL winner and Champions League final scorer Ole Gunnar Solksjær to ‘get out of my club’ - a club whose home ground he hopes one day actually to visit - has got way more influence than any of us match-going normies want to acknowledge.
You can’t change a negative mindset towards a group you identify with; if it’s important to you, you can be the City fan that fans of other clubs would remember as “alright, for a City fan” - heavens, we all know United fans who aren’t out-and-out morons. As for the media, though, forget it. When we’ve grown into the global behemoth that would make us too big to belittle, we’d be unrecognizable as the club we fell for. Be careful what you wish for, and up the Blues.
The average keyboard warrior in Lagos telling multiple PL winner and Champions League final scorer Ole Gunnar Solksjær to ‘get out of my club’ - a club whose home ground he hopes one day actually to visit - has got way more influence than any of us match-going normies want to acknowledge.
I don't understand this insatiable need to get xx amount of 'fans' who are say....builders or farmers from .. I don't know...Lagos or Dakar they have pretty limited impact re improving finances. Mainly though i think people not supporting a team that they have some links to is pretty poor for football. I watch Enfield now but have been a city 'supporter' since being born in North Manc with avid City supporting dad and family members...but i wouldn't 'start' supporting City just because they were good. I'd be an Enfield Supporter, not just the spectator I am probably. I think that's how it should be. All these 'fans' from around the world are basically blokes who like having a few beers in the bar with the match on TV. They are hardly fans...and i bet not many go and put their effort into supporting say..AS Dakur which, as a football fan is probably where there first love should lie, helping local team, economy, community etcHas we are well aware there are rags and dipper armchair supporters in every hamlet town and city in the British isles and we don’t really garner that same support at the moment. And the media are well aware of this and write stories for them to bask in reflected glory. An example of this I was in transit at an airport in the Far East and got chatting to a guy from Sunderland in the smoking room and the subject was always going to be about football,so I asked how the black cats would get on this season and he said no idea he was a rag fan. Promptly stub my fag and walked out.
I like your posts Jack and i know your above the 'Istry bollocks bit it's the most ridiculous thing fans spout... I think it's the bullshit No 'Istry thing that annoys most fans. For a club that was established in 1880! and won the FA Cup in 1904 and nearly won the double that year! finished narrowly runners up. Have a very sizeable match going fan base....held the record 84,600 or thereabouts in 1934 ..no club has beaten that in their own stadium. But all clubs have History from say Bromley to Arsenal. No has more claim to History - just different levels of success at different times. Obviously key board warrior types also select periods of 'istry to start using as a bench mark. I mean City won the FA Cup BEFORE....Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Utd....so the no 'stry tag we get from a lot of opposition fans is annoying as many are not just being WUM's but generally ignorant of their own 'istry when calmly quizzed!An interesting perspective with I feel, more than a grain of truth. If the PL is to continue to thrive it needs to hold out the promise of success to all clubs…not just those at the top. A league won each year by Man Utd would soon lose interest. How you achieve that, I’ve no idea. FFP is a crude instrument that really doesn’t work, to my mind.
I like your posts Jack and i know your above the 'Istry bollocks bit it's the most ridiculous thing fans spout... I think it's the bullshit No 'Istry thing that annoys most fans. For a club that was established in 1880! and won the FA Cup in 1904 and nearly won the double that year! finished narrowly runners up. Have a very sizeable match going fan base....held the record 84,600 or thereabouts in 1934 ..no club has beaten that in their own stadium. But all clubs have History from say Bromley to Arsenal. No has more claim to History - just different levels of success at different times. Obviously key board warrior types also select periods of 'istry to start using as a bench mark. I mean City won the FA Cup BEFORE....Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Utd....so the no 'stry tag we get from a lot of opposition fans is annoying as many are not just being WUM's but generally ignorant of their own 'istry when calmly quizzed!
City have a history most clubs would envy and I don’t mean the last 10 years. You’ve been league and FA Cup winners before then. Arsenal were formed in 1886 and didn’t win a trophy until 1930 (FA Cup) and their first league title was in 1931. Moving to North London in 1913 was a smart move (a fact that still riles Spurs to this day) and Herbert Norris was ‘shrewd’ enough to ensure our top flight status in 1919 (we’ve been there ever since). So, let’s respect each other’s histories and traditions but best to focus on the here and now.
By the way, when you won the league in 1968, you lost your league game at Highbury 4-1…just thought I’d mention that ;-)
oh i totally get Arsenal's rich history, wasn't having a pop. i was just highlighting the ridiculousness of those that start with no 'istree. Arsenal's Chapman era for one really helped professionalised the game, encouraging owners to spend big (The Bank of England Club as know your aware). What i was referring to is that all football fans should call out those who spout 'stry..as the complete morons they are.City have a history most clubs would envy and I don’t mean the last 10 years. You’ve been league and FA Cup winners before then. Arsenal were formed in 1886 and didn’t win a trophy until 1930 (FA Cup) and their first league title was in 1931. Moving to North London in 1913 was a smart move (a fact that still riles Spurs to this day) and Herbert Norris was ‘shrewd’ enough to ensure our top flight status in 1919 (we’ve been there ever since). So, let’s respect each other’s histories and traditions but best to focus on the here and now.
By the way, when you won the league in 1968, you lost your league game at Highbury 4-1…just thought I’d mention that ;-)
oh i totally get Arsenal's rich history, wasn't having a pop. i was just highlighting the ridiculousness of those that start with no 'istree. Arsenal's Chapman era for one really helped professionalised the game, encouraging owners to spend big (The Bank of England Club as know your aware). What i was referring to is that all football fans should call out those who spout 'stry..as the complete morons they are.
Great posts by the way Jack, but remember history is not defined by trophies and success. I would not be arrogant enough to say our history is any better, than say Notts County (the oldest club) as history is always special and unique to those passing through it.
Also we never lost 4-1 it was 1-0 at Highbury.
Great posts by the way Jack, but remember history is not defined by trophies and success. I would not be arrogant enough to say our history is any better, than say Notts County (the oldest club) as history is always special and unique to those passing through it.
Also we never lost 4-1 it was 1-0 at Highbury.