Last night I went to the Man City vs Madrid game. Mostly because my lad is obsessed with Bellingham and was cheaper than going to Madrid.
My view:
Lots, and I mean lots of football tourists, who you could tell was wearing their newly acquired Man City top, under there Liverpool, PSG, Madrid one.
All about the experience, food was great, DJ and light-show before the game, and clean, get this clean facilities…..
Atmosphere was like going to a festival or even the theatre (brought a programme, first time in 30 years). Loud in parts, but not hostile, intimidating, or even authentic really.
Traffic was pure madness, didn’t get out of the sports quartile till gone 12.
In conclusion, as a football tourist for the day it delivered exactly what we wanted, like the theatre, they even did an encore….
All exciting stuff and top end glimpse to the future, now where’s my Madrid top…..
did the same recently and took in an evening game there, had similar feelings...some incredibly entitled younger fans getting irritated with world class footballers who have only ever known success. older heads grumbling about the tourists making them stand up coming and going for refreshments or asking to move seats so they could sit together
thousands of tourists or neutrals all over the place
but easy access to food and drink etc
trams were rammed getting there and then 40 minute walk back into the city centre after the game was the easiest way to get away
traffic looked gridlocked
enjoyed it though and might go back for a big UCL semi final in the future
I get the feeling Jude's form has dropped off after his injury. Is he still playing as the number 10 or has he dropped further back?
Saw a bloke pushing his lad round the park in Yardley the other day, he was under the age of 2 and wearing a man city kit. I think it's an absolute disgrace. Not as if the kid has chosen to wear it so I blame the parents.
I've said this on here before. I can see why we would use the whole day experience as an aim - my eldest son is a Man City ST holder (youngest is Blues, don't worry - brainwashing worked on him), his Mrs also as one and rarely goes so I sometimes go along for free to watch a game.
They do it so well. Everything is well planned, there's always progress being made. Filling 90 mins/ 2 hours before a game is easy. I see less of the tourist stuff as I only go to Prem games really.
The atmosphere where my lad sits is usually really good. The whole emptyhad/no atmosphere thing is genuinely nonsense. It's full, and there's plenty of old boys / long-time supporters that still go.
It's easy to be snobby about Man City, but it's mostly misplaced jealousy. They ain't perfect, but I'm glad my lad followed that local team rather than United.
RibeyeSaw a bloke pushing his lad round the park in Yardley the other day, he was under the age of 2 and wearing a man city kit. I think it's an absolute disgrace. Not as if the kid has chosen to wear it so I blame the parents.
Yeah that’s awful. No need for it. Gilb or Queens?
NouCampdid the same recently and took in an evening game there, had similar feelings...some incredibly entitled younger fans getting irritated with world class footballers who have only ever known success. older heads grumbling about the tourists making them stand up coming and going for refreshments or asking to move seats so they could sit together
thousands of tourists or neutrals all over the place
but easy access to food and drink etc
trams were rammed getting there and then 40 minute walk back into the city centre after the game was the easiest way to get away
traffic looked gridlocked
enjoyed it though and might go back for a big UCL semi final in the future
I can see how you and the OP enjoyed your trip there as a tourist effectively. But from the point of view of the ‘original’ or ‘legacy’ (or whatever you want to call them) fans, it does sound a bit shit?
JohnPI get the feeling Jude's form has dropped off after his injury. Is he still playing as the number 10 or has he dropped further back?
He was advanced last night, centrally. Had an involvement in the goal but had a quiet game in general. Cool as a cucumber for his penalty. Most of the big names had a quiet night, Foden, Haaland, never really in it.
See my post above. I speak to loads of 'em.
They dislike the tourists when it's a big game, because it really dilutes the atmosphere, especially in the expensive seats. Most of the older fans just revel in being brilliant though. they had years of being crap.
MattBCFC1979I know a father and daughter who flew from Boston for 2 days, just to see the game.Last night I went to the Man City vs Madrid game. Mostly because my lad is obsessed with Bellingham and was cheaper than going to Madrid.
The trick, if possible, will be to maintain the intensity of the fans in a larger stadium, the Philadelphia Eagles don't have a problem with this.
Miss WorldNouCampdid the same recently and took in an evening game there, had similar feelings...some incredibly entitled younger fans getting irritated with world class footballers who have only ever known success. older heads grumbling about the tourists making them stand up coming and going for refreshments or asking to move seats so they could sit together
thousands of tourists or neutrals all over the place
but easy access to food and drink etc
trams were rammed getting there and then 40 minute walk back into the city centre after the game was the easiest way to get away
traffic looked gridlocked
enjoyed it though and might go back for a big UCL semi final in the future
I can see how you and the OP enjoyed your trip there as a tourist effectively. But from the point of view of the ‘original’ or ‘legacy’ (or whatever you want to call them) fans, it does sound a bit shit?
We've got to accept that if we ever got to that kind of level and to the level of filling out a 60k stadium, we absolutely will lose at least some of the 'hostility' that St Andrews can still generate. But the up side is to be at that level, we've got to be established in the prem or even further up. Personally, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to take for a much more successful club.
Think that’s a good point….
We’d be the same absolutely buzzing, I guess the historic crew are going to be a smaller number, but would be same for any club that’s grown quite quickly over the last 10 to 15 years.
Jude played really high last night, so spent most his night closing down, it’s all very technical, i did try and start ‘get into them….’ Chant didn’t really catch on.
Also my ‘who’ when Modric came on fell on death ears…..
Oldham👍See my post above. I speak to loads of 'em.
They dislike the tourists when it's a big game, because it really dilutes the atmosphere, especially in the expensive seats. Most of the older fans just revel in being brilliant though. they had years of being crap.
NouCampdid the same recently and took in an evening game there, had similar feelings...some incredibly entitled younger fans getting irritated with world class footballers who have only ever known success. older heads grumbling about the tourists making them stand up coming and going for refreshments or asking to move seats so they could sit together
thousands of tourists or neutrals all over the place
but easy access to food and drink etc
trams were rammed getting there and then 40 minute walk back into the city centre after the game was the easiest way to get away
traffic looked gridlocked
enjoyed it though and might go back for a big UCL semi final in the future
It will be quite a few years before Blues are in a UCL semi-final.
At least 3. (Promotion or win a cup next season, Finish 4th or win Europa League the season after, Reach Semi-final in 2026-27)
I hope we don't play Man City in it.
I get the feeling Jude's form has dropped off after his injury. Is he still playing as the number 10 or has he dropped further back?
If that's based on last night .... i listened to Jude being interviewed after the game and he commented on Ancelotti having asked some of the team, including himself, to play different roles than how they'd "naturally" play