02 Oct 2026 20:09:53
Have to say, having watched city home games over the years I always doubted them as a big club. I'm sure they are reasonably big now/ certainly bigger than they were anyway.
But how can they be that big and have so many empty seats for every home game?
Truly big clubs can fill their stadiums over and over again. For every game.
Whist I'm at it Chelsea holds 38k or so? I'm not saying there are empty seats as regular as city but it's not massive support.
Newcastle fill their ground every week, yes it's a 1 team city.
But city just don't it's always nagged at me. Trying to get tickets for us is like knitting Fog and has been for years.
I guess the signs have always been there!
02 Oct 2026 20:22:59
There is irrefutable evidence that City get 120,000 on for every home game.
Which is some going when tickets are five grand a game.
02 Oct 2026 20:32:57
City games are always sold out just like the club.
02 Oct 2026 21:09:23
Newcastle used to only get 20, 000 fans before Keegan. Your talking nonsense.
02 Oct 2026 21:13:35
That's the thing, you can't just turn a small club into a big club in the space of a decade. Not when it comes to how many supporters you have. Especially local ones who will go the game. That's always going to be pretty much capped. Because you generally get born and you then support the team your dad does.
Unless the city owners start paying city supporters to have more kids than United fans then that's going to be roughly the same number forever.
You'll pick up fans internationally when you put on a good show in Europe but they are floaters who will be Madrid fans next year, Liverpool fans the next, then United etc and they are certainly not filling the stadium on match day.
02 Oct 2026 21:46:01
They have had some good teams down the years, but they have always had a good core of local fans, that followed them throughout the lower leagues when they have been relegated. Them supporters have deserved the success the club have had but they've been kicked in the balls by those in charge. feel a bit sorry for them fans.
02 Oct 2026 22:16:45
Markp08, we had only used to get 36, 000 back in the 80s, when we were winning everything.
02 Oct 2026 22:28:28
I've been at Anfield with less than 24,000 on the 80s.
The city was on its arse, people were out of work and couldn't afford to go to three games in a week.
That was a League Cup game, mind. I fondly remember being in the Anny Road and West Ham clambering across to get at us Liverpool fans.
Great days, though ?.
02 Oct 2026 22:44:58
The only way city are selling out their stadium is if we hold the appeal there, and even then it'll all be fans from other clubs.
03 Oct 2026 01:03:30
Since they were found guilty, City have become a bigger club than they ever were for all the trophies they won in the last 15 years.
03 Oct 2026 05:12:33
Agree with Scouse John, they were averaging 28k fans at home when they were in Division 2 (equivalent to League 1).
Those fans deserved the success that came along.
03 Oct 2026 08:02:49
City fans will back their club, as we would lfc, but in time when dust has settled I think they will be disappointed with their owners. they could've done it differently and been successfully in time. With their money they could've pumped it into academy (which they did) and used them players instead of buying players all the time.
Rodgers + Palmer to name just 2 of the players they had who never got 1st team chance as they prioritised ready made players.
03 Oct 2026 08:43:02
I've been at Anfield with 16,000 in attendance, that's not my point.
My point is that on a match day (prem) they have loads of seats available. Quoting Keagan; Newcastle when he started there they were an old second division club. On the boats of their arse. He did a remarkable job in very bad economic times when Thacher was PM and coal mining was being run down.
As a player and then manager, he got the ground full through pure enthusiasm. Comparing, this is night and day. My point is they have all the money they need but can't spend it. City no mater how much talent they put on the pitch just don't fill their ground.
Everton do! Smaller city in population no success for 30 years and mid table squad at best. They fill their ground. Loads of ways to look at it. But if you are the top team in Europe in terms of talent on the pitch and bench. Surely there should be no empty seats.
For gods sake, West Ham fill their ground every week.
03 Oct 2026 11:27:57
Correct 1985mikey1985 here down under these are probably the top 10 football jerseys I see in the street (in no particular order)
Barca
Real Madrid
Liverpool
Arsenal
Man United
Chelsea
Al-Nasser
PSG
Juventus
AC Milan
I would guess I see more Leeds Utd, Santos, Celtic, Newcastle United before Man City shirts.
04 Oct 2026 00:29:23
City had @30, 000 go to their matches when they were in the old Division 3 in my lifetime.
OP, what do you mean by 'big' Are you just talking about fans in the English game who attend home matches?