"No true footie fan wants to see another team go under.."

[Tooting Gull]

Oh dear - 70,000 proper fans? Are you actually being serious!!!!!

The most plastic fans ever are at these 'big clubs'. I don't disagree with the rest you write but to say 70,000 Man U fans are proper fans is taking the piss - maybe 25,000 or so are 'proper fans' - the rest just tourists / glory hunters. At least the likes of us can boast that nearly 100% of their attendance at home to Stockport on a cold Dec night are 'proper fans'...

There's no reason why Man U should have 70,000 fans watching them compared to say Plymouth with 12,000 - It's glory supporters... If only everyone supported their local team from the off / or parents 'local team' - attendances would be a lot more even!

With respect, that is utter bollocks. If our 'proper fans' are 6,000 at the moment, for Man Utd that figure is maybe 60-65,000. They used to get 58,000 full houses every week when they were shit in the 1970s and 80s. That is then topped up with your 'tourists' from out of town.

Manchester is a much bigger city than Brighton, and far more football-geared. There are a couple of hundred thousand in the Greater Manchester area alone who would call themselves Man Utd fans.

I don't think there is any team I would like to see go out of business, and certainly not the one that has played all the best football for the last 20 years. Even if you hate Man Utd, they put money in other clubs' pockets too through their pulling power and extra thousands on the gates, and also the massive premium they add to the jointly negotiated TV deal (tens of millions). If they ever do sod off and do their own TV deal (and financially it's a no-brainer rather than divide up the money equally to the 20 PL clubs), you'd all have more of a case.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

Oh dear - 70,000 proper fans? Are you actually being serious!!!!!

The most plastic fans ever are at these 'big clubs'. I don't disagree with the rest you write but to say 70,000 Man U fans are proper fans is taking the piss - maybe 25,000 or so are 'proper fans' - the rest just tourists / glory hunters. At least the likes of us can boast that nearly 100% of their attendance at home to Stockport on a cold Dec night are 'proper fans'...

There's no reason why Man U should have 70,000 fans watching them compared to say Plymouth with 12,000 - It's glory supporters... If only everyone supported their local team from the off / or parents 'local team' - attendances would be a lot more even!

I can't really be arsed to have a debate about this, but my Grandad used to go to OT regularly in the 60's and they got crowds of over 50,000. Of course their loyal support has grown since then, so has the ground - with success come crowds - they've got supporters in India for god sake, so it's not completely unlikely that 20,000 people support Man United now and are proper loyal fans. More people watch United on their away outings in Europe then watch Albion at home half the time.

Jesus, Brighton took 6500 to Villa only last week, and people are being self-righteous about "glory supporting fans?" When we're winning, we sell out, when we aren't winning, the ground is empty. When we're winning and the ground is full, do people come out with this shit that the people who've turned up are glory supporters? No.

Get off your high horse. There's proper, loyal (however that is defined - some clearly think you can only be loyal if you support a shit team) football fans in amongst their worldwide fanbase.

Good grief. Like I say, want them to fail by all means, personally I want Palace to keep getting relegated. But would I want them to fold? For the sake of their employees and "loyal" supporters - god no.

Then again, it's easy to forget that Palace are our rivals when you read some of the anti-United drivel on here.

 

[Alfred the greatx]

Absolutely not. My hatred for them is absolute. Their team, their manager, their players, their fans, the club. Everything. What they, more than any other club, have turned English football into is an absolute disgrace.

What sweet irony it would be that the premier club in the world at marketing itself not as a football club but as a brand crashes and burns at the hands of unscrupulous speculators.

Totaly agree, well said Buzzer

 

[Bluejuice]

Bollocks.

Man Utd.

I would quite possibly explode with joy if it happened.

Before even opening this thread I KNEW that was what you were gonna say and I knew I'd agree wholeheartedly.

The thing is I've never met any true die hard Manchester United fan who had any ties to the area. Every single one of them has been some glory hunting Johnny come lately and for that reason I simply cannot sympathise with them in any way.

Even our bitter rivals at Selhurst I would be sad to see lose their club because love them or hate them they made a choice and they stuck to it and nobody is ever going to accuse a Palace fun of gloryhunting. Therefore I can empathise with them, they love their club no matter what, even when they're doing utterly shit and nothing is going to change their minds. And that is how I feel about my club, there is nothing else I can do to change it, I can't suddenly switch allegiance to another team more successful or in a more convenient location or with better facilities or charging cheaper prices... I just can't. There is ONLY one team for me and always will be.

I have never met a Manchester United fan who would understand that.

 

[User removed 4]

With respect, that is utter bollocks. If our 'proper fans' are 6,000 at the moment, for Man Utd that figure is maybe 60-65,000. They used to get 58,000 full houses every week when they were shit in the 1970s and 80s. That is then topped up with your 'tourists' from out of town.

Manchester is a much bigger city than Brighton, and far more football-geared. There are a couple of hundred thousand in the Greater Manchester area alone who would call themselves Man Utd fans.

I don't think there is any team I would like to see go out of business, and certainly not the one that has played all the best football for the last 20 years. Even if you hate Man Utd, they put money in other clubs' pockets too through their pulling power and extra thousands on the gates, and also the massive premium they add to the jointly negotiated TV deal (tens of millions). If they ever do sod off and do their own TV deal (and financially it's a no-brainer rather than divide up the money equally to the 20 PL clubs), you'd all have more of a case.

jinx!! 58,000 is the number i remember them getting in the old second division in the 70's.

 

[Sheebo]

I can't really be arsed to have a debate about this, but my Grandad used to go to OT regularly in the 60's and they got crowds of over 50,000. Of course their loyal support has grown since then, so has the ground - with success come crowds - they've got supporters in India for god sake, so it's not completely unlikely that 20,000 people support Man United now and are proper loyal fans. More people watch United on their away outings in Europe then watch Albion at home half the time.

Jesus, Brighton took 6500 to Villa only last week, and people are being self-righteous about "glory supporting fans?" When we're winning, we sell out, when we aren't winning, the ground is empty. When we're winning and the ground is full, do people come out with this shit that the people who've turned up are glory supporters? No.

Get off your high horse. There's proper, loyal (however that is defined - some clearly think you can only be loyal if you support a shit team) football fans in amongst their worldwide fanbase.



Good grief. Like I say, want them to fail by all means, personally I want Palace to keep getting relegated. But would I want them to fold? For the sake of their employees and "loyal" supporters - god no.

Then again, it's easy to forget that Palace are our rivals when you read some of the anti-United drivel on here.

Fair point - and yes i cant be bothered to mass-debate wit youeither

My point was that a lot of people go forthe glamour - we are an example of a club with a MASSIVE catchment area geographically... My point is that Villa / Brunm dont have 70,000 every week an they're from a big ciy. I'm sue a higpecentag f Man U fas shold technically support Bury, Oldham, Burnley etc etc etc - there's a Hastings Man U supporters coach to every game - that says it all

Plus mate PERSONALLY i have every right to moan about glory supporting fans - I've been going to games regularly when i can for almost a decade and support my local club and always will if ya get my point... he Villa thing was a bit different as it was just a great occasion in a bland few years for us... That's why a number wanted to go as well..

 

[Sheebo]

With respect, that is utter bollocks. If our 'proper fans' are 6,000 at the moment, for Man Utd that figure is maybe 60-65,000. They used to get 58,000 full houses every week when they were shit in the 1970s and 80s. That is then topped up with your 'tourists' from out of town.

Manchester is a much bigger city than Brighton, and far more football-geared. There are a couple of hundred thousand in the Greater Manchester area alone who would call themselves Man Utd fans.

I don't think there is any team I would like to see go out of business, and certainly not the one that has played all the best football for the last 20 years. Even if you hate Man Utd, they put money in other clubs' pockets too through their pulling power and extra thousands on the gates, and also the massive premium they add to the jointly negotiated TV deal (tens of millions). If they ever do sod off and do their own TV deal (and financially it's a no-brainer rather than divide up the money equally to the 20 PL clubs), you'd all have more of a case.

True i dont know footbll from the 80s well - And wasnt meaning to compare Albion with Man U. The fact is Man U have the most glory supporters in the UK - That's pretty much a fact - yes some real fans of course - but how many 'real fans' started as glory supporters or have no real reason for supporting ManU?? Quite a few I think...

 

[wellquickwoody]

Fair point - and yes i cant be bothered to mass-debate wit youeither

My point was that a lot of people go forthe glamour - we are an example of a club with a MASSIVE catchment area geographically... My point is that Villa / Brunm dont have 70,000 every week an they're from a big ciy. I'm sue a higpecentag f Man U fas shold technically support Bury, Oldham, Burnley etc etc etc - there's a Hastings Man U supporters coach to every game - that says it all

Plus mate PERSONALLY i have every right to moan about glory supporting fans - I've been going to games regularly when i can for almost a decade and support my local club and always will if ya get my point... he Villa thing was a bit different as it was just a great occasion in a bland few years for us... That's why a number wanted to go as well..

Ten years you say......well whoop-f**king-eee! Well done.

Now could you go away and put the same amount of time into your spelling, or maybe longer?

 

[Buzzer]

Then again, it's easy to forget that Palace are our rivals when you read some of the anti-United drivel on here.

And thereby you show a complete lack of understanding at those of us that would smile at ManU going under.

This is NOT about rivalry. I don't want Palace to fail and I am not jealous of ManUre's success. I resent them (ManU) their success because of the cost. Since the start of the premiership the gulf between 4 or 5 top clubs and the rest of us has never been bigger. We have clubs threatened with administration for the sum of one of the big 4 or 5 clubs salaries for ONE player. That's just wrong.

Look at figures for some of the FA Cup ties last weekend. It's a degraded challenge nowadays because the clubs have no respect for their home nation's traditional cups. It's the European Cup/League whatever which is the ultimate goal. ManU are at the VERY forefront of this. They were the ones who asked not to be part of it one year remember because they wanted to play a money spinner on the global stage because it was more lucrative in their world market.

This is the club that pioneered selling their shitty tat in high street shops up and down the country. Remember the tie in with Clinton Cards whereby their shit was on sale in shops in Worthing?

Respect for the game? I don't think over the last 15/20 years that any other club has bulllied refs so so much as ManU with complete impunity.

Go to any pub ANYWHERE in this country when they are playing and there are pub bores who know the names of all the ManU players, maybe bought the top but never been anywhere near the club. Never will because they don't want or need to. There's hundreds of thousands of these tossers.

As for the "real" fans - que sera. Their club signed a pact with the devil, they've enjoyed the success that comes with it. Well, let them have a taste of the cost of that.

Nah, English football doesn't need ManU. I'd go so far as to say that it would do English football a world of good if they did fail.

 

[Buzzer]

Ten years you say......well whoop-f**king-eee! Well done.

Now could you go away and put the same amount of time into your spelling, or maybe longer?

and a reciprocal input from you re. your grammar. Deal?

 

[webbyson]

Oh dear - 70,000 proper fans? Are you actually being serious!!!!!

The most plastic fans ever are at these 'big clubs'. I don't disagree with the rest you write but to say 70,000 Man U fans are proper fans is taking the piss - maybe 25,000 or so are 'proper fans' - the rest just tourists / glory hunters. At least the likes of us can boast that nearly 100% of their attendance at home to Stockport on a cold Dec night are 'proper fans'...

There's no reason why Man U should have 70,000 fans watching them compared to say Plymouth with 12,000 - It's glory supporters... If only everyone supported their local team from the off / or parents 'local team' - attendances would be a lot more even!

Man U have more ST holders from the Manchester postcode than Man City
FACT ............dont ask me where i read it but i did

 

[Storer68]

is the wrong answer.

otherwise we might not exist, except on a few od dodgy videos

it is vita that ALL fans try and su[pport ALL clibs in an hour of need.

even Palace (just try an imagine a world without Brighton-Palace fixtures!)

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

not the one that has played all the best football for the last 20 years. Even if you hate Man Utd, they put money in other clubs' pockets too through their pulling power and extra thousands on the gates, and also the massive premium they add to the jointly negotiated TV deal (tens of millions). If they ever do sod off and do their own TV deal (and financially it's a no-brainer rather than divide up the money equally to the 20 PL clubs), you'd all have more of a case.

No No No..you see Football should'nt be JUST about the money, the brand, the TV rights for fucks sake...its BECAUSE of that that the Yanks have jumped on board and are bringing that once proud club to its knees.

Liverpool, Chelsea, Man United....all of them are debt ridden cash cows for some American or Russian speculators who are using the club as a private bank with no real capital to back it up and just like Warren Buffett says..."you only realise you aint wearing trunks when the tide goes out"

 

[webbyson]

Man U have more ST holders from the Manchester postcode than Man City
FACT ............dont ask me where i read it but i did

For what its worth i would hate to see any football club "die" thats Utd, Palace or even the hated Pompey.....these clubs like ours have real fans who follow their team through thick and thin and dont deserve to see their clubs disapear.........tell me Buzzer would you have no sympathy for any of the Man U fans (or Palace or Pompey for that matter) who came to our Fans United game.....are they classed as plastic/not real fans/ boring/ dont care about/ they can do one ect ect ect.............you have a very short memory.

 

[Fungus]

For what its worth i would hate to see any football club "die" thats Utd, Palace or even the hated Pompey

Football would be the poorer without clubs to "hate". It would be like panto without the villain to boo, or Punch and Judy without Punch.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

Look at figures for some of the FA Cup ties last weekend. It's a degraded challenge nowadays because the clubs have no respect for their home nation's traditional cups. It's the European Cup/League whatever which is the ultimate goal. ManU are at the VERY forefront of this. They were the ones who asked not to be part of it one year remember because they wanted to play a money spinner on the global stage because it was more lucrative in their world market.

This is the club that pioneered selling their shitty tat in high street shops up and down the country. Remember the tie in with Clinton Cards whereby their shit was on sale in shops in Worthing?

Respect for the game? I don't think over the last 15/20 years that any other club has bulllied refs so so much as ManU with complete impunity.

Go to any pub ANYWHERE in this country when they are playing and there are pub bores who know the names of all the ManU players, maybe bought the top but never been anywhere near the club. Never will because they don't want or need to. There's hundreds of thousands of these tossers.

As for the "real" fans - que sera. Their club signed a pact with the devil, they've enjoyed the success that comes with it. Well, let them have a taste of the cost of that.

Nah, English football doesn't need ManU. I'd go so far as to say that it would do English football a world of good if they did fail.

1) Myth. Ferguson didn't want to pull out. They even tried to arrange a deal where the youth team played instead. The FA made them go to help the World Cup 2006 bid.

2) Good marketing doesn't mean innocent people deserve to lose their jobs. if other clubs were more pro-active they could have had similar deals. It's called initiative. People aren't forced to buy it - but they did. Good business. The Albion can't even get their shirts sold in Sports Soccer in North Street.

3) Maybe, maybe not. I would think United's frequent TV coverage has contributed to their image as "bullies", although with Roy Keane in the side you might well be right. But what about the decades before that? Weren't Leeds a side with a reputation for being dirty? Aren't football "hard men" part and parcel of football? Haven't ref's always been figures of hate? Part and parcel of football really, although I appreciate it's not good for the game.

4) And that is the only real good reason for disliking Man U as far as I can see. But if Liverpool had enjoyed their 70's/80's success during the 90's with the post-World Cup 1990 boom of Televised football and replica shirts, don't you think it would be their fans swamping the place? He may well be wrong, but my Dad insists it was the same during those days - Liverpool fans appeared all over the place. And Chelsea a few years back, they were no different, with fans appearing from nowhere.

In short then, isn't it just their recent success on the pitch that has created the massive fanbase? Take United out of football, and surely the potential markets would still exist for another club to exploit?

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

1) Myth. Ferguson didn't want to pull out. They even tried to arrange a deal where the youth team played instead. The FA made them go to help the World Cup 2006 bid.

2) Good marketing doesn't mean innocent people deserve to lose their jobs. if other clubs were more pro-active they could have had similar deals. It's called initiative. People aren't forced to buy it - but they did. Good business. The Albion can't even get their shirts sold in Sports Soccer in North Street.

3) Maybe, maybe not. I would think United's frequent TV coverage has contributed to their image as "bullies", although with Roy Keane in the side you might well be right. But what about the decades before that? Weren't Leeds a side with a reputation for being dirty? Aren't football "hard men" part and parcel of football? Haven't ref's always been figures of hate? Part and parcel of football really, although I appreciate it's not good for the game.

4) And that is the only real good reason for disliking Man U as far as I can see. But if Liverpool had enjoyed their 70's/80's success during the 90's with the post-World Cup 1990 boom of Televised football and replica shirts, don't you think it would be their fans swamping the place? He may well be wrong, but my Dad insists it was the same during those days - Liverpool fans appeared all over the place. And Chelsea a few years back, they were no different, with fans appearing from nowhere.

In short then, isn't it just their recent success on the pitch that has created the massive fanbase? Take United out of football, and surely the potential markets would still exist for another club to exploit?

Heres your arse..heres your elbow...which is which?

 

[looney]

I could quite happily live with manure fans weeping in the streets, plastic or otherwise.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

I still hate Liverpool more.

 

[The Phoenix]

even Palace (just try an imagine a world without Brighton-Palace fixtures!)

Quite similar to now I guess