How to counter Bristol Sport's attitude

[Bar BS3]

4 minutes ago, harrys said:

I don’t think he’s playing devils advocate he always tries to justify higher prices at AG. He’s one of the few who actually thinks paying £41 potd to sit in the Lansdown is perfectly reasonable 

No I don’t. That’s why I buy a season ticket!

What I do say is that anyone who attends with any regularity, will rarely need to pay £41 as there are plenty of cheaper options, and people can always pay less, unless they have no level of priority, in which case it’s an infrequent purchase and in line with many other live events such as concerts/theatre etc. 

[Phileas Fogg]

4 minutes ago, Bar BS3 said:

No I don’t. That’s why I buy a season ticket!

What I do say is that anyone who attends with any regularity, will rarely need to pay £41 as there are plenty of cheaper options, and people can always pay less, unless they have no level of priority, in which case it’s an infrequent purchase and in line with many other live events such as concerts/theatre etc. 

I don’t know whether intentional or not - but it does feel that you purposely row against the tide of fan feeling on issues like this. I may be reading your posts wrong so apologies if so, but it feels like you do this for the sole purpose of playing devils advocate.

[Bar BS3]

1 minute ago, Phileas Fogg said:

I don’t know whether intentional or not - but it does feel that you purposely row against the tide of fan feeling on issues like this. I may be reading your posts wrong so apologies if so, but it feels like you do this for the sole purpose of playing devils advocate.

You post a lot, I assume you go to most games..? Have you ever had to pay £41 for a ticket..?

[Alan Dicks' Barmy Army]

Here we go again - the same poster is going against supporters again

How many more threads?

[Bar BS3]

5 minutes ago, Alan Dicks' Barmy Army said:

Here we go again - the same poster is going against supporters again

How many more threads?

You mean me..? I’m not going against supporters! 

I was asked for my opinion and I’ve given it clearly & honestly, in the posts above. 

What’s your problem..?!

[glynriley]

41 minutes ago, wood_red said:

Yes I understand that, BUT that isn't what the club wants, even if many fans do. They want Prem football and with that comes huge money (in and out of the club). Lansdown will only chase that dream with the help of finance from the fans spending - I am not saying the way they have done is correct, just that I can see why.

There are a million and one ways to help with that. Actually, I'll rephrase that before our resident pedant asks me to list them all!!

There are ways to help with that. For a start, make the experience of eating and drinking in and around the ground a little more comfortable for everyone.

The sports bar is an absolute white elephant for me. A paucity of tables and seats, unless you get there for 11am. The biggest indoor screen selling point has long since lost it's appeal.

The concourses are obviously cold in the winter months with nowhere to put your pint down. I've seen posters complaining about lack of seating etc in the concourse before and understand that from the pov of our grey brigade.

People will point to the fan zone, which is a great idea, especially in the warmer weather, but as I understand it there is nowhere to have a Johnny Cash.

I always used to use the old red and white bar / Harry's bar under the Dolman. It was usually easy enough to get a seat and a table, you could have  pie and a pint in the warm, bit of room for the kids to run about in. All of our group used to use it, and spend a pretty penny as well. Now, and most of the kids are now over 18, we frequent the Rising Sun on a match day and I reckon between the 10 adults and 3 kids that drink in and eat in their put about £200 over the bar.

I'd be surprised if we are the only group around BS3 on a match day doing this. So BS suits, priority number 1 when the wicks site is cleared, build a decent size pub type venue where City fans can spend their money in a degree of comfort.

[exAtyeoMax]

1 hour ago, RedM said:

Anyone who takes over ownership of a football club must realise it’s going to cost them. I too am greatful for Steve Lansdown doing what he has done. But when it comes to the ST increases it is leaving people committing almost their last spare money to fund it or not being able to attend at all. As far as I’m aware SL isn’t down to his last few million yet, it’s easy to spend 10 when you have loads left, but not so easy to spend what you cannot afford.

I would hope that if we the lowly ST holders are contributing more then those further up the chain are too, or at least tightening their belts. I know there must be a lot of corporate meetings etc all with good food and drink, probably put down as expenses and covered by the club. I hope they are reigning this in accordingly. 

#ClarksPieandapint 

[Esmond Million's Bung]

1 hour ago, Lord Northski said:

Have to say that if I was forking our over £10 million a year of my own money to prop up a football club in my home town to try and make it viable, paying pretty much for all transfers. This in addition to supporting other sports for men and women in the city and paying for the building of state of the art stadiums and training facilities. I’d probably be reading your post with at least raised eyebrows and a shake of the head. 

We all know that to make a small fortune out of football you have to start with a large one. The whole idea is to make the club financially sustainable ie not collapse when Steve or his family say goodbye and stop writing cheques. Clearly you can’t please all the people all of the time, but I’m pretty pleased with what’s going on down there at the moment. Best football for years, an academy producing home grown players capable of playing in the Premiership etc. 

I for one am pretty grateful for all he’s done. Thank you Steve 

£10 million?, how about questioning the wasteful signings of Engvall, Magnússon, Taylor, Hegeler, Eliasson, Gary Oneil and the loan signings of Woodrow, Kent, Diony, Giefer, Leko, Matthew, Cotterill.

I bet that little lot comes to more than 10mil and in the main have been piss poor and badly scouted and in some cases poorly treated by the club.

[CyderInACan]

35 minutes ago, Bar BS3 said:

Do I think doubling the price overnight is a good idea..? No. I think it should be explained, pointed out that they aren’t going to be “expensive” now, they were just unsustainably cheap before. 

Disagree. Completely. They were - and still should be - an investment by the club in the next generation of fans. 

[redordead1]

As superb as this forum is, we know it won't reach a huge % of our fanbase.

Therefore, are we able to organise some form of protest outside each part of the ground that informs others of the way Bristol Sport are acting and makes a clear case for boycotting the bars, cafe and club shops unless they make some positive changes?

Concerned that this will get lost unless we get the message out there.

#fansnotcustomers

[Bar BS3]

5 minutes ago, CyderInACan said:

Disagree. Completely. They were - and still should be - an investment by the club in the next generation of fans. 

I’d be very happy for that to remain the case! 

[RedM]

1 hour ago, Lew-T said:

Is point number 3) true? Because a mate of mine and I walked through the gates from the Eastend and the steward stopped us bringing a bottle of water through?

I simply laughed at him.

I always bring a metal thermos flask in every game when it’s cold ( hot black currant, the only drink that all 4 of us agree on ). Never had a problem once I explain what it is if the feel it in my bag. But yes bottles of water are sometimes questioned, tops sometimes have to be removed, not often but sometimes they are stricter than others. 

Away grounds I never risk taking my flask. Most of the time don’t even take bottled drinks in either. Some will let a bottle in if it has been opened, some sealed bottles only, some tops off, some take all drinks off you. There really should be some sort of poloicy on this across every club.

[Mr Popodopolous]

@Bar BS3

You say the prices of season tickets were exceptionally cheap for youth.

Yet Forest- a club with, despite recent times a bigger history, but moreover a markedly longer stint at this level over most of their history, yes they are in a worse place on and off the pitch and yes they are looking to rebuild trust etc but take a look:

Quote

 

Nottingham Forest trying to bring back young fans when average age of supporters is 41

Gregor Robertson

March 5 2018, 12:01am, The Times

• Football

Lolley, right, scored Forest’s first goal after six minutesPA

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It is hard to escape that loving feeling at the City Ground right now, both the words and the underlying sentiment. The words from the classic 1964 ballad You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’, by The Righteous Brothers, chorused by Nottingham Forest supporters for the past two decades, were all over the club’s social media platforms last week, in conjunction with an eye-catching season-ticket announcement at a club striving to reconnect with their supporters.

Next season, it will cost just £10 for a four to 11-year-old’s season card, £50 for 12 to 17-year-olds, and £100 for 18 to 23-year-olds, while adult and senior prices have been frozen and begin at £330.

That loving feeling was there atop a letter from Aitor Karanka, the manager, given to every fan before the visit of Birmingham City on Saturday too. The Spaniard, who replaced Mark Warburton in January, thanked fans for their support, and urged them to renew season cards for next season’s bid to reach the Premier League. “A packed City Ground can make the difference when we need it the most,” Karanka says.

Such a marketing drive is commonplace of course but, after years of discomfort and decline under Fawaz al-Hasawi, the former owner, it at least shows that, under the stewardship of Evangelos Marinakis, the club have found their thinking cap and see value in rewarding fans for their loyalty and cultivating a new generation of followers.

“Getting young fans through the door and back engaged with the club is fantastic and something I think has been missing for a long time,” Elliott Stanley, chairman of the Nottingham Forest Supporters’ Trust, says. It is becoming increasingly evident that more clubs need to do the same.

With Deloitte’s 2017 Annual Review of Football Finance putting the average age of a Premier League supporter at 41, the conversation about the eye-watering cost of watching football, and those losing out as a result, is growing ever louder. In November, the BBC’s annual Price of Football survey again found that the majority of clubs froze or reduced their season-ticket prices, but the survey also gathered some instructive data about young adults for the first time.

They found that although 92 per cent of professional clubs offer discounted prices for young adults — with age brackets varying from 16-24 — 81 per cent of young fans in England who took part in the poll said that the price of tickets was preventing them from attending more matches.

Forest are not the only club offering enticing deals for this demographic. Millwall have just released their “saver period” season-ticket prices for next season, reduced by 25 per cent, which start at £99 for under-18s and £149 for 18 to 21s if purchased before April 4. Cardiff City’s 16 to 21s prices start at £99. At Reading, prices for 18 to 24s begin at £120.

“A lot of clubs have family areas where they do very good deals,” Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters’ Federation, says. Indeed, Football League (EFL) figures highlight a 37 per cent increase in the number of junior season tickets in the past decade, with juniors accounting for 20 per cent of all season-ticket sales. Young adults, however, make up just 4 per cent of top-flight season ticket-holders, according to the Premier League.

Lolley’s goal set Forest on their way to a 2-1 victory over Birmingham at the City GroundPA

“When you get to 18 or so and you’re no longer going with your parents, or you’re a student, maybe in your first job, paying rent, and money is tight, the area of young adults is often where there the biggest financial pinch is felt,” Clarke says. “It’s at that point sometimes people get out of the habit of going to games.”

With steep increases in adult prices, an appealing “bridging age offer is a really good move”, Clarke adds. “All these clubs are an important part of the heritage of the local community and they need to be building that local identification, so they’re not tempted to just go to the pub and watch Manchester City all the time.”

The ubiquity of televised Premier League football has changed the way that young fans engage with the game, but should perhaps be of more concern to clubs in the EFL given the global reach of the top flight, whose stadium occupancy rate was 96.5 per cent in 2015-16. In the Championship it was 66 per cent, falling to 47 per cent in League One, and 52 per cent in League Two, although EFL attendances did grow marginally overall.

The BBC’s report also found that young fans engage more with football through computer games and betting than through playing, while only one young fan in four said that he or she watched live football more than once a month.

The value of a raucous, passionate, near-capacity home support was affirmed emphatically by Huddersfield Town last season, who offered the cheapest season tickets in the Championship, which aided a remarkable promotion. However, as Clarke says: “It’s quite difficult to do proper, robust research about the effects reducing prices has. Obviously the performance on the pitch is a major factor but it ought to be possible to attract more people into the ground by lowering the ticket prices, and have more income, if you get the balance right.”

Last year’s Annual Review of Football Finance by Deloitte forecast that ticket sales for Premier League clubs would account for 15 per cent of total revenue this season. While those clubs could certainly afford to lighten the load on supporters, without TV riches the reality for clubs outside the Premier League is very different.

Forest’s most recent accounts, for example, showed that ticket sales accounted for a third of their £18 million turnover in the year ending May 2016. “The lower down the pyramid you go, the more important ticket income is as a percentage of total revenue,” Clarke says. “They could afford to let everyone in for nothing in the Premier League, for every single game, and still have as much money as they had under the previous TV deal, which gives you a feel for the scale of things.”

Last week, Bristol City were forced into an about-turn days after announcing a new ticket-pricing strategy that would have meant the price of season tickets for children under 12 increasing from £50 to £335 in certain sections of Ashton Gate. As a result, a club potentially enjoying a promotion season found that a petition had sprung up within hours urging them to reconsider, which to their credit they did.

Hull City’s decision to scrap concessionary prices alienated vast swathes of their fanbase. But it is also worth pointing out that the good vibes at the City Ground are present at a club that are on their second manager of the season and in an underwhelming 15th place in the table.

Had Marinakis, who bought the club last summer, not immediately slashed ticket prices by 10 per cent, or Nick Randall, the chairman, not written an open letter to supporters outlining a commitment to engage with the fanbase, crowds this season would not be up 5,000 on last. And disappointing results on the pitch have perhaps been assuaged somewhat by Forest’s progressive actions off it.

On Saturday, their 2-1 win led to the dismissal of Steve Cotterill, the Birmingham City manager, after a fifth consecutive defeat for a club under the ownership of Trillion Trophy Asia, whose tenure has been nothing short of shambolic. It was Forest’s first home victory since Karanka’s arrival in January.

“It is key that a sense of unity and togetherness is building,” Karanka said. “For me, it is the only way to be successful.” 

 

It's a longish article but people should read it in full IMO, if they have the time. I've bolded the key bits that relate to this with us.

 

Amazed that at a time of such a feel-good factor, of club and fan unity- the club should choose to make such a decision.

[robin_unreliant]

Is it just me thinking that all this outrage at the Bristol Sport *******s is a bit over the top?

I don't see why fans feel they have a right to sit in 'their' seat because they have stayed there for x years.

I just feel people have to grow up a bit and realise that the football club is fully entitled to set prices as it sees fit. If any business is losing money it needs to look at the best way to use its assets to improve the financial situation.

I've had season tickets in three different stands over the years. Thinking you own a seat because you've sat in it for a few years is just weird. Get over it. Look at the price against the view and make your choice. Exactly the same as any other product or service you buy in this day and age.

There are still seats at a reasonable price, just means you may not get to sit in 'your' seat. Can't see how people feel they have a right not to be moved.

[cidered abroad]

1 hour ago, ExiledAjax said:

I'm not an ST holder and have put up with the outrageous General Sale/POTD prices for the whole of my City supporting career (£123 for 3 adults to watch City v Reading on Boxing Day).  However, it seems to me that this is the nub of the problem this year.  For all the arguments surrounding economically forced movement, indirect segregation and perceived social engineering at the heart of it seems to be the issue that it's just not what a "club" should do to members.

Generally a "club" is, in my definition, a group of two or more people joining together to enjoy or support a particular activity or cause.  The operative word in that sentence is "together".  In this case though it is those temporary custodians of the club enforcing dramatic changes in the manner in which other members of the club partake in the club's activities.  To many it seems as though the dictatorial, inconsistent and seemingly arbitrary manner in which these ST price changes have been imposed is not in the spirit of togetherness.

SL talks about emulating F.C. Barcelona. Més que un club Steve?

And cheaper to watch at Barca! 

[Welcome To The Jungle]

3 minutes ago, robin_unreliant said:

Is it just me thinking that all this outrage at the Bristol Sport *******s is a bit over the top?

I don't see why fans feel they have a right to sit in 'their' seat because they have stayed there for x years.

I just feel people have to grow up a bit and realise that the football club is fully entitled to set prices as it seems fit. If any business is losing money it needs to look at the best way to use its assets to improve the financial situation.

I've had season tickets in three different stands over the years. Thinking you own a seat because you've sat in it for a few years is just weird. Get over it. Look at the price against the view and make your choice. Exactly the same as any other product or service you buy in this day and age.

But people were promised when the new stand went up that they could return to their new seats at a reasonable price. However without warning people are faced with a price hike that may force them to move, meaning that they now get to pick from the seats that no one else wanted. 

Secondly football clubs are community institutions that are supposed to represent their communities. This is unrepresentative, especially as it seems that the people who plunged the club into a multi million pound loss machine are now asking the people who didn't to pay for it. 

And we are the football club, not them.

[robin_unreliant]

4 minutes ago, Welcome To The Jungle said:

And we are the football club, not them.

Again an attitude that I don't get. Yes I have been a supporter for over forty years. I've put a bit of money in through buying tickets etc. I am not 'the club' though. After I'm gone there will be some other mug in my seat. The club is owned by its shareholders - mostly SL. He has every right to do what he likes with ticket prices.

As a businessman he obviously should be trying to keep his customers happy. Thinking there is something different about a football club that gives its followers innate rights is just silly imho.

[Natchfever]

3 hours ago, cidercity1987 said:

No, some bad moves by Bristol Sport. Although as far as I'm aware children can still get a ST before the goal or on the side for less than £50 and an adult same options for £345. Not too bad.

A step by step guide of how to actively avoid giving cash to our club is too far in my opinion.

People aren't sheep and don't have to deprive BS of cash if they don't wish. Equally people aren't sheep and don't have to continue sucking up the BS coming out of the organisation either.

Nice to have a choice in such matters and fair play to whichever way people choose, 

[Welcome To The Jungle]

7 minutes ago, robin_unreliant said:

Again an attitude that I don't get. Yes I have been a supporter for over forty years. I've put a bit of money in through buying tickets etc. I am not 'the club' though. After I'm gone there will be some other mug in my seat. The club is owned by its shareholders - mostly SL. He has every right to do what he likes with ticket prices.

As a businessman he obviously should be trying to keep his customers happy. Thinking there is something different about a football club that gives its followers innate rights is just silly imho.

Allow me to prove it to you.

I'll use the recent examples of Rangers and Hereford. 

Both clubs went bust recently. They had no stadium. They had no shareholders. They had no business overseeing the club. They had no players. They had no manager. They had not one penny to their name. 

However both clubs exist to this day because the fans didn't go away. Because the fans are the club. And in fact the most basic definition of club is two or ore people meeting regarding a shared interest. 

If you can argue with that deduction then please do. However as far as I can see, to say that the fans are not the club means you either believe that "2+2=5" or you want to trick people into thinking so. English football is very Orwellian.

[robin_unreliant]

10 minutes ago, Welcome To The Jungle said:

If you can argue with that deduction then please do. However as far as I can see, to say that the fans are not the club means you either believe that "2+2=5" or you want to trick people into thinking so. English football is very Orwellian.

Let's take a similar example then. The town I live in has one big Tescos supermarket and a few small shops. If Tescos shut down I would anticipate another retailer would open up in my town to meet the demand that still existed to shop for food.

So does this mean that the supermarket 'is me' and my fellow shoppers? Should I have a divine right to always park my car right outside the door because I always did?

What's the difference? The football club just continues because it meets a demand from consumers for football rather than groceries.

[Welcome To The Jungle]

4 minutes ago, robin_unreliant said:

Let's take a similar example then. The town I live in has one big Tescos supermarket and a few small shops. If Tescos shut down I would anticipate another retailer would open up in my town to meet the demand that still existed to shop for food.

So does this mean that the supermarket 'is me' and my fellow shoppers? Should I have a divine right to always park my car right outside the door because I always did?

What's the difference? The football club just continues because it meets a demand from consumers for football rather than groceries.

But supermarkets do not claim to be a clubs, and what that implies through the definition of club. Your local supermarket has never had children putting all their pocket money into buckets just to save it. So I'd ask you again to look at my previous deduction, and disprove it.

[Monkeh]

, what Bristol sport are doing is an absolute disgrace there is no justification for the price rises, its a kick in the teeth for the loyal fans thats stuck by through thick and thin, 

[robin_unreliant]

3 minutes ago, Welcome To The Jungle said:

But supermarkets do not claim to be a clubs, and what that implies through the definition of club. Your local supermarket has never had children putting all their pocket money into buckets just to save it. So I'd ask you again to look at my previous deduction, and disprove it.

OK look at BCFC in 1982. We went out of business. You could've wandered down to AG every Saturday with 5,000 mates wistfully looking at the locked gates for as long as you liked. That wouldn't result in 'the club' being resurrected.

It took a group of businessmen who were prepared to take the financial risk to resurrect it. They take the risk and therefore earn the right to own and run that business in whatever way they think is in their best interest.

[Redbo]

3 hours ago, Bristol Rob said:

#goolies

I’m glad I’ve brought this term back into use. 

[Welcome To The Jungle]

13 minutes ago, robin_unreliant said:

OK look at BCFC in 1982. We went out of business. You could've wandered down to AG every Saturday with 5,000 mates wistfully looking at the locked gates for as long as you liked. That wouldn't result in 'the club' being resurrected.

It took a group of businessmen who were prepared to take the financial risk to resurrect it. They take the risk and therefore earn the right to own and run that business in whatever way they think is in their best interest.

If those business men hadn't stepped in, you believe the club would no longer exist? Again look at the case studies. Hereford, Wimbledon, Darlington, Sheffield FC etc etc. If business people don't step in to save the club at its current level, then the club would just re-form and start again in a very low tier, and work its way back up, without wealthy backing, but backed by the fan community.

You still haven't even attempted to argue with my deduction though. 

 

[Bar BS3]

I think one point that seems to be forgotten here is that the club is losing money. On top of losing money, fans are demanding increased success, better quality of players, generally like the new faciities, which took massive investment. 

Now, rightly or wrongly, all those costs need covering. 

It’s interesting how those who see it as “our club” are the ones complaining about keeping/making “our club” financially solvent. 

People cant have it both ways. If it’s “our club” we have to help cover it’s costs. If it’s SL’s or Bristol Sports club, they they have a duty to try and make the books balance. 

I’m not saying these proposals are necessarily the best way about going about this, but people do seem to living in a bit of a self entitled, unrealistic bubble, on this matter. 

I’ve spend the majority of my adult life either owning or managing businesses. Not big businesses, ones that are affected by any increase in costs. Customers never like price increases, understandably - but they also (the majority) fail to understand that by doing what you can to keep prices down, leaves very little leeway when costs increase and to remain solvent and stay in existence, prices then need to go up. 

What is the answer though..? People bemoan wage structures. People berate not “splashing the cash” in January, but then complain when ways to increase these budgets are implemented. 

One thing for sure is that I don’t know why anyone who is wealthy enough to own a football club and is prepared to cover its (vast) losses bothers! 

If I was a billionaire, I’d be on a beach in the Caribbean, flying home at weekends to watch my beloved City. Damn, I’d probably buy you all a season ticket, to improve my own match day experience with a full house every week! 

What I wouldn’t want to do is put up with half the shit on here that these incredible people get, for trying to provide us with some much demanded success! 

[ExiledAjax]

2 minutes ago, Bar BS3 said:

Now, rightly or wrongly, all those costs need covering. 

I don't think anyone disputes that point.

Having read through the thoughts of people on here the main complaint is the manner in which the rise in costs has been imposed.  Rather than the fact that it has been done at all.

Many have said that a price rise is acceptable.  What is not acceptable is the extent of those rises, the way they have been implemented, and the apparent lack of sympathy from the club.

[ooRya]

Sorry Robin_Unreliant, but you are very wrong in your argument.

Let's take it to the very basics and ask the following;

If the owners walked away would the club carry on? Yes it would.

If the fans all walked away would the club carry on? No it wouldn't.

[Anglo-Welsh]

3 hours ago, Badger08 said:

All these ideas are great, but nothing gets done.  This is why they get away with it.  75 people at the last meeting proves this. 

Fans will take this on the chin, we know it and the club knows it. 

This guy knows. Not intended to sound as harsh as it seems, but people on this forum seem to believe they are the 'voice of the fans' - this simply isn't the case. You'll be surprised how many people don't even know about OTIB or in contrast hold it in contempt. 

Whilst the Original Post is very good and makes great points, it will never take off, because only a minority of our support actually read and actively engage with this content.

[Anglo-Welsh]

12 minutes ago, Bar BS3 said:

I think one point that seems to be forgotten here is that the club is losing money. On top of losing money, fans are demanding increased success, better quality of players, generally like the new faciities, which took massive investment. 

Now, rightly or wrongly, all those costs need covering. 

It’s interesting how those who see it as “our club” are the ones complaining about keeping/making “our club” financially solvent. 

People cant have it both ways. If it’s “our club” we have to help cover it’s costs. If it’s SL’s or Bristol Sports club, they they have a duty to try and make the books balance. 

I’m not saying these proposals are necessarily the best way about going about this, but people do seem to living in a bit of a self entitled, unrealistic bubble, on this matter. 

I’ve spend the majority of my adult life either owning or managing businesses. Not big businesses, ones that are affected by any increase in costs. Customers never like price increases, understandably - but they also (the majority) fail to understand that by doing what you can to keep prices down, leaves very little leeway when costs increase and to remain solvent and stay in existence, prices then need to go up. 

What is the answer though..? People bemoan wage structures. People berate not “splashing the cash” in January, but then complain when ways to increase these budgets are implemented. 

One thing for sure is that I don’t know why anyone who is wealthy enough to own a football club and is prepared to cover its (vast) losses bothers! 

If I was a billionaire, I’d be on a beach in the Caribbean, flying home at weekends to watch my beloved City. Damn, I’d probably buy you all a season ticket, to improve my own match day experience with a full house every week! 

What I wouldn’t want to do is put up with half the shit on here that these incredible people get, for trying to provide us with some much demanded success! 

The club charge roughly £45 for a replica kit. They ask £5 for a ****ing key ring. £4.50 for a pint of watered down lager in a plastic pint. Make the prices sensible and I'd actually be happy to plough into the club.

That said, to give me just over 2 weeks very late notice to gather £400 for a season ticket. Jog on.