Pep Guardiola calling for fans

[KB1862]

Pep Guardiola has caused a bit of stir with his comments after their win against Leipzig. 

He's appealing for more fans to turn up for Man City games. Reports are that 14k tickets went unsold. 

This further gets rival fans taunting the name "empythad"

Now, as I've always said there is a big difference between a club being a big club and a BIG club. 

Man City have all the money and success most clubs could wish for but they don't have the fanbase to match it. It's a little surprising tbf, once they got the money and success you'd have thought fans would have tagged along. 

They might be Premier League giants in terms of success but when it comes to following they're low down the pecking order even behind their city rivals Manchester United. 

 

[Chris]

I think Premier League teams need to start being realistic and have affordable tickets, I am not suprised that some teams are having issues what with COVID. Money isn't something any supporter should throw at a club, especially one as big as Manchester City.

[Pie since 89]

55 minutes ago, Chris said:

I think Premier League teams need to start being realistic and have affordable tickets, I am not suprised that some teams are having issues what with COVID. Money isn't something any supporter should throw at a club, especially one as big as Manchester City.

Very much this when they are asking over £1000 for a season ticket somethings wrong whilst people still pay the extortionate prices they will still charge them at some point there has to be a tipping point where people just won’t pay it anymore. I imagine lots of the ordinary traditional fans are already priced out must cost thousands upon thousands to follow your team everywhere in the premier league along with Europe it’s expensive enough at this level. Unfortunately at the top level football is no longer ‘the working mans game’ as they are pricing everyone out of the market. 
 

I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I’ve got tickets to the women’s euros final at Wembley next year for my whole family (two adults two kids) for £90 that’s a respectable amount to be paying.

[KB1862]

@Chris absolutely but the same is to be said around the country even lower than Premier League some prices are just ridiculous. But having said that Arsenal even on their bad run and being the most expensive in the country are still selling better than City. 

[Fozzy]

City have never been a massive club and were never really a member of the big six until the money arrived and they replaced Everton. Traditionally at Maine Road, they only used to get around 25-30000 fans through the door (since all seater), but saying that they have been averaing over 50K since Pep arrived.

United, Liverpool and Arsenal are the three biggest clubs in the country and I can't see that changing for a lot of years. Chelsea and City may be currently richer, but their money will disappear eventually.

 

[Chris]

On 16/09/2021 at 21:27, Pie since 89 said:

Very much this when they are asking over £1000 for a season ticket somethings wrong whilst people still pay the extortionate prices they will still charge them at some point there has to be a tipping point where people just won’t pay it anymore. I imagine lots of the ordinary traditional fans are already priced out must cost thousands upon thousands to follow your team everywhere in the premier league along with Europe it’s expensive enough at this level. Unfortunately at the top level football is no longer ‘the working mans game’ as they are pricing everyone out of the market. 
 

I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I’ve got tickets to the women’s euros final at Wembley next year for my whole family (two adults two kids) for £90 that’s a respectable amount to be paying.

It could be hard for us, if Notts were ever to get promoted to the Premier League.

This is why I enjoy floating around League One, which is where I think our actual size should be based on our history etc. I'd never pay £1000 for a season ticket, I think anything over £400 holds no real value and just starts to take fans for granted.

We aren't cash cows.

On 16/09/2021 at 21:38, KB1862 said:

@Chris absolutely but the same is to be said around the country even lower than Premier League some prices are just ridiculous. But having said that Arsenal even on their bad run and being the most expensive in the country are still selling better than City. 

Aye, I know. I remember when Blackburn was in the Premier League how they lowered match day prices.

I think then their average season ticket cost £275, which by then was a good investment for watching football.

[KB1862]

@Chris football isn't as much of a good investment as it once was tbf. Not only that it costs a fortune these days but it's nothing like it used to be. I love football but if I could I'd happily rewind 10+ years ago when it was exciting. 

It baffles me that businessmen can come in to a club with a successful company behind them that they've established and not realise that lowering tickets will see a rise in supporters. Look at when Notts for example had discounted tickets when Hardy was chairman, there was a rise in supporters turning up to see football. 

Germany have proven that lowering tickets is effective. 

[liampie]

all that talent and a winning team, but they cant get fans in? i thought man city was the manchester club? its quite funny tbh.

[DangerousSausage]

On 16/09/2021 at 21:25, Chris said:

I think Premier League teams need to start being realistic and have affordable tickets, I am not suprised that some teams are having issues what with COVID. Money isn't something any supporter should throw at a club, especially one as big as Manchester City.

Defending a financially doped petro-club makes me feel a bit dirty, but some of City's season ticket prices are in the same ballpark as Notts - starting at 325 pounds in the last season before the lurgy. That includes fewer games, but the quality of the football is probably slightly better than at the Lane. They certainly aren't expensive for the league they're in, so I don't think prices are the root of their problems.

Like others have said, when they were knocking around in the second division City had a loyal and passionate fanbase of 25-30,000, so slightly more than teams like Wolves and Sheffield Wednesday and definitely nothing to be ashamed of. But now they boast a team that is among the best in Europe, and they are expected to draw the crowds to match. But doubling your fanbase is easier said than done, especially when you share a city with the best supported club in the whole country. It's also likely that a fair number of long-serving fans have drifted away recently, and they're struggling to find the new fans to replace them. I don't think Guardiola really appreciates this.

Another issue is that the Leipzig game was one of the seemingly never-ending group phase games in the Champions League, a competition that is so bloated that even some of the continent's best-supported clubs struggle to fill their grounds for it.

[Pie since 89]

I notice he’s also calling for B teams to join the EFL again if they can’t fill their ground for the first team who’s going to watch the B team?

[DangerousSausage]

1 hour ago, Pie since 89 said:

I notice he’s also calling for B teams to join the EFL again if they can’t fill their ground for the first team who’s going to watch the B team?

That just shows a lack of understanding of English football and the idea of the 92 teams.

We have B teams playing up to the third division in Germany and it's a disaster. Two were newly promoted this season, Dortmund II and Freiburg II, replacing Bayern II, who were relegated. Both had OK (but still below average) crowds in the few weeks before the Bundesliga started, and are now heading for three figures. SV Waldhof used to play Freiburg II in the fourth tier and didn't even bother opening their away end, as no away fans came. Plus, it's fundamentally unfair to play opponents who can field players bought by their parent club for millions. It's handy for big clubs with huge squads and literally no one else. 

[Joshua]

Instead of commenting to the media, he should get his international stars to visit the local community and to get involved with schools. That would be a good way for them to get more support.