by Andy Morris
A couple of years ago I was chatting with a few friends about the developments that were going on at Manchester City. As a lifelong Blue I suggested that once the infrastructure, playing staff and boardroom had been refreshed it would be the fan-base that would be the clubs weakest part.
The idea did not go down well. The fans, I was told, ARE the club. That’s actually something I wholeheartedly agree with but right now I think I have been proved right. Some of the best players in the world pull on the Sky Blue shirt and play for one of the best managers currently working. They are all employed by the very best owner in world football who is diligently building an infrastructure second to none. But then there are the fans.
The fans who were, until recently referred to as ‘the best in football’. At the club’s lowest ebb they filled the old Maine Road stadium and they waited in those vast numbers for decades without success.
But then things went terribly, terribly wrong. City won some stuff.
Now we seem to have far too many fans who have lost their sense of humour, of self-deprecation. City have far too many fans who feel it is OK to whinge and moan after one defeat at home in two years.
In short we have far too many spoilt brat, emotionally flaccid fans nowadays.
Alas we have replaced experts in football and gallows humour with fans who are more worried about how they look and where they can get a nice latte.
I don’t want to go back to the days when City were s***, far from it. But I do want the person I sit next to at a match to watch the game, sing and generally engage in the event they paid for.
I was sat next to a couple of lads at the Ajax game this season who spent most of the first half complaining about the lack of a Starbucks at the stadium. I say most of the first half because they both left to ‘have a look round’ with only 30 minutes of the first half gone. To add insult to my injury they actually came back for the second half and booed the City team ON TO the pitch! Once again with 15 or so minutes left they disappeared from their seats never to return.
At least I hope they never return.
Sitting next to a couple of morons shouldn’t be the basis for laying into our fanbase.
You have a subjective opinion and I don’t think you’ve picked a good time to air it.
I’m a season ticket holder for the past five years and its always been the same in the stadium atmosphere-wise from before the money arrived to now.
We get up for the big games and its flat for the small ones.
There’s still plenty of humour where I sit. Everyone around me is a laugh. I certainly don’t expect them to be self deprecating when we’ve been so good for so long. There really is no other way. Ask any fan of united, Chelsea and arsenal and they’ll say the same.
i don’t really know what you want. You can’t have everything.
I always chuckle when I see anyone labelling themselves a “lifelong” fan….why do it? Do you feel the need to reinforce your loyalty to your following your team – aren’t 95% of fans lifelong for their club?? Of course there are Johnny come lately’s – it comes with a clubs success….
I am a United fan from south manchester aged 54 and have been fortunate to have season tickets for much of my life and have seen Old T a heaving mass in the 70’s and 80’s before all seaters…… Maine road was similar…
But with all seaters and then with success comes a certain “sanitising” of the ground and supporters….you’re comments are right….United have seen this for some years as our recent success came in the 90’s…..we have put up with the usual taunts and to a degree they are right….crowds at so called “meaningless games” are sometimes subdued and with a 77,000 stadium it can appear quiet…..”too many day trippers…too many tourists….etc”
But on sunday as Rooney slid to celebrate his goal it was right in front of at least a row or two (perhaps a dozen or more) Korean or Japanese tourists all clicking their iphones at Rooney!…. many others around the ground snapping too,.
Surely not “the club of manchester” with tourists…….! Day trippers….you’ll have cocker nees next!
I live in Wilmslow and I have to say that city fans have been coming out the wordwork for the last two years in droves….all apparently “lifelong” supporters…my daughters come home from school saying…”oh Molly is going to the game tomorrow bla bla” Her Dad has had season tickets for the last 3 years!!
So the point is I guess…with success comes expectation…and that brings johnny come lately supporters, new season ticket holders that weren’t there at Maine rd and as you rightly say…an amount of whinging about anything that isn’t perfect within the club…..
You had better get used to it….as the arabs will look to attract new “corporate fans”…you know the story…. the city of manchester has a strong financial and insurance + legal centre with no doubt a whole new group of lifelongs!!!
Worst article I’ve read on the cutter for a good while. “I’m a proper Fan blah blah from Manchester blah blah” If we want City to continue challenging for the top prizes we have to accept new fans will come along and effect some aspects (and rightly or wrongly contribute to paying the players wages so we can meet FFP). There’s plenty of “real” fans around me who’ve turned into moaning twunts now we actually have something to play for – with sucess comes pressure and plenty can’t deal with it – old and new
Things certainly are different since the changes….