Shock for city last night in what appears the easiest group ever to play in the champions league, I still think they will get through because of the opposition but it's a bad slip in front of their own fans.

Didn't see any of the City game, but they had a half hour debate on Talk Sport last night about the attendance and a City fan came on and said if they'd have been playing Barca or Madrid there'd have been a full house on and they'd all have been given a plastic flag to wave.

Just saying like.

I heard the phone-in on the way back from the game and although accurate I thought the tone was unnecessarily harsh. However, their job is to antagonise listeners into calling up for an argument.

I didn't hear the caller you mentioned above Chatty but I have contacted the club today to demand my plastic flag!

When I said "a City fan came on" they don't actually vet your credentials when you phone the station......pity you missed my call though.

Perhaps a bertie supporter can give an insight why only just over 40,000 attended the council house last evening.

They are forever telling whoever wants to listen that they are a big club yet thousands stay away .

I wonder could it be the missing hordes preferred to warm their arses at home watching utd on t v ?

Taxi for pep ,Taxi for pep.

Grimshaw, don't go upsetting the school teacher, you will get a good dressing down for your post.

Thanks T C. .

It does make you wonder why they stay away in droves .

Perhaps the teacher ,or his good pal laughing stock, can come up with a plausible reason why.

It is so simple that even you might understand it Grim. Now listen very carefully and think very slowly, as usual.

The capacity of the Etihad is IRO 54.5K. Manchester City have approx 46,000 season ticket holders who are regular matchgoers. On a Premier League match day there are 3,000 seats reserved for away fans whether they sell them or not. That leaves 5k floating/passive fans/day tripper/tourists etc.

The latter category aren't likely to turn up/travel north for a wet wednesday night game against Lyon as we simply don't have enough tourists/passive supporters in reserve willing to make the effort.

As for last night there were just over 40k in attendance with 600 being from Lyon. That leaves around 39.5k of the 46k regulars. Approx 6.5k of those season ticket holders didn't bother for one reason or the other.

Those reasons are numerous and a few are:

1) Cost.
City, unlike clubs like yoonited and Liverpool don't have a large pool of glory hunters accumulated over decades of success to take up the slack and fill the seats. This is likely to change as years progress but currently we have a finite number of supporters who need to stump up for all League home/away/FA Cup/League Cup/European games and there are only so many games a family can afford to attend when travel and refreshments are included. My mate who attends all League games with his two teenage kids can't afford to go to the European group stages and I don't blame him for not attending. So there are THREE that didn't go.

2) Travel
The fans we have from far flung parts of the country (yes we have some), find it difficult to travel up and back in time for a midweek game. Next to me I have two people who travel up from Derby but didn't make last nights game for logistical reasons and I don't blame them either. So there are TWO more that didn't go.

3) Work
Many people work shifts. There is a couple near me who, one of them works nights, so they can't make midweek games. So there are TWO more that didn't go.

That is SEVEN that I know of, all with perfectly legitimate reasons for non attendance. It is their choice which I respect.

Throw into the mix weather/school night/the notorious Manchester traffic (I set off at five and got home at eleven thirtyish for a 90 minute football game) and other reasons personal to themselves then I for one am very impressed with an attendance of 40k. A great effort!

I really don't understand this obsession with some empty seats, it all seems rather childish and more than a little churlish to have an unhealthy fixation with City's attendances, could it be that you no longer have any sticks with which to beat us so you pathetically grasp at that straw. We used to do the same with yoonited not being in MCR when it was City that was rubbish and yoonited were Champions and that too was a ridiculously embarrassing attempt at straw grasping.

Manchester City are The Champions, deal with it!

It amazes me that people like you feel you have the moral authority to sit in judgement of regular match going supporters when you can't be bothered getting off your arses for any games never mind one of the type which we are discussing. You are not worthy.

I've educated you with the above simply because you asked and were in need of enlightenment. Personally I'm not bothered if we sell out for any game as long as most of us loyal fans are there and my team is playing. I certainly don't care what your ilk think.

I feel that we should increase the capacity to 61k ASAP. The ground will sell out for the big games and there will be empty seats for the smaller games....so what? Barcelona don't lose any sleep over the fact that they don't usually sell out and they are a far bigger club than yoonited and Liverpool.

As for City being a big club, yes they are...but then again so are yoonited, Villa, Leeds, Barcelona, Sheffield Wednesday, Wolves etc etc etc.

Now I hope that your and Tweedle Dum's (TC) brains aren't hurting too much with that logic overload.

Why is it so bad at the etimad.

Kevin Parker, city supporters club general secretary said:
This season we ended up with Lyon, shakhtar, and hoffenheim.
None are a game that you think, 'wow, that is going to be a cracker, just a small bit of arrogance.
It amazes me that people like o years who think they know everything and try to convince all with silly long posts don't know all the facts,

City are champions but they can't fill their ground, deal with it.

"It amazes me that people like o years who think they know everything and try to convince all with silly long posts don't know all the facts, "

I don't know everything but I do know that what I say is factual and makes sense before I post...unlike some.

As for "silly long posts", if you are not capable of absorbing more than a paragraph at a time, stick to twitter.

Spot on T C .

The buffoon makes a vain attempt to dress me down and make excuses for the berties staying away with a long winded offering of complete nonsense ..

Deluded or what .

I woudnt be surprised if he wasnt among the bertie crowd who sang Munich stuff and waved aeroplanes about when utd paraded in M C after winning the treble .I will repeat for you berties .The Treble .

Or booed the C L anthem the other evening at the council house.

Bitter dosnt begin to describe it

Grimshaw, control freak and band wagon jumber sum 0 years up. The Abu posters on here like him banging his drum, but he can't fool chatty , yourself, or me. That's what torments him, he would not last 5 mins on the shop floor with his attitude.

I've obviously touched a raw nerve Grim, you are squealing and wriggling like a lizard in a tin.

Keep lashing out lad with pointless drivel, it only serves to create pathos.

What is a "jumber"?

Also, the only "Abu" worth talking about has Dhabi after it!

Your "shop floor" comment speaks volumes. You didn't make chips at work by any chance?

Same old tired rhetoric from a very bitter bertie.

Far from squealing i am laughing at your patronising deluded buffoonery. You again vainly engage in deflection.

You hurt me .your having a laugh buffoon.

I do notice you dont deny you didnt sing munich songs or engage in booing the C L anthem at the council house.

I do like your replies Grim.

I appreciate you acknowledging me being patronising as it confirms that you feel patronised, as only a subordinate should.

I have NEVER sung Munich songs, nor have I used the term as an insult. I heard a young City fan shout it a couple of seasons ago at Burnley (God knows why as we were playing Burnley) and he got shouted down and reprimanded by the Blues around him, myself included. It very rarely gets an outing these days and when it does it is normally rebuked. Don't forget, one of our own died in that crash.

EDIT: I don't boo the CL anthem as we made our point and it is now plain daft.

O years, you can't help yourself trying to talk down to posters who stand up to you,
My job just for you was to commission machinery and equipment in large factories, the last big job I did was at Heinz after they had guisti vessels put in place instead of the old kettles, this would improve production from around 400/600 cans a minute to 1200 cans a minute, the machinery was worth millions, we the team had to write health and safety issues that stand to this day, after the completion I became a twi instructer ( training within industries) someone had to train the employers how to use the machinery , the vessels steam injected at very high temps to cook faster, hope this helps you about my work, not sure if I could cook some chips ,

Oooh, you were a very important chap weren't you TC!

Only kidding, that does sound like a very interesting and responsible job. I genuinely wasn't trying to be demeaning, the chip comment was suggesting that you had one on your shoulder not a dig at your occupation. Everyone's job is important and valuable, we are all just cogs in the same wheel.

P.S. I wasn't aware that you had stood up to me. There, you see, you are obviously far more perceptive than I am.

Spot on again T C regarding the demeaning buffoon.

He clearly has is head up his arse.

But having said that he does amuse me with all the delusion he spats .

I forget at times he is a very bitter bertie who crawled out the woodwork when they started winning..

One can only sympathise..

"delusion he spats"

Oh Grim old son.

You are a funny old fool when you try to be intelligent!

"delusion he spats"

So my ankle wear is deluded now is it?

Bless your cotton socks...or should I say "spats"?

I'll give you this though, you are always good for a laugh...at.

Now how about getting back to football eh? Let's hope Liverpool slip up today, they are getting far too big for their boots. What say you?

One can only express sympathy.

You amuse me with your age old rhetorical nonsense which is no bad thing so long may it continue...

Regarding the anfield lot who as you will know have never won the P L.

And will not this season I M O.

Arrogance dosnt begin to describe but thats fine .Listening to thompson on sky sports you would think they have a god given right to top the P L this season and dont get me started about j rednapp,

MIND THE GAP PLASTICS..