EPL: Manchester city vs Arsenal - 08/05/2016 17:00

[Taylor Gang Gunners]

That's quite a sweeping generalisation you make of our club and in particular, the fans, and it does have me wondering just how many City fans you know in real life. May I offer up something in mitigation?

Firstly, like Arsenal and pretty much every other club, our fans don't have a say in who owns the club. As fans our job is to support the team and I for one always back the players and manager vocally, never once booing them off the park. I've seen City play at around 100 different grounds in my 26 years as a season ticket holder and I and many others who were there on Sunday have seen far worse times than a 2-2 draw at home to Arsenal that put a significant dent in our top 4 hopes. However, with changing fortunes come changing expectations and that afflicts every single fanbase. That's why there's been a certain amount of apathy at the way our season has petered out and seeing players strolling through games when they should be putting more effort in is only ever going to have a negative impact on fans regardless of the division that the team is playing in. Ergo the manager who has had a huge amount of support over the past 3 years and was being backed vocally during the game on Sunday too. Ironically, that was one of our better league performances of late but there was a natural feeling of deflation when Arsenal made it 2-2 and we couldn't regain the lead. With that handing the initiative back to our local rivals (which luckily for us they've subsequently handed back to us), there was bound to be an air of disappointment about the place. It's the equivalent of Arsenal looking like being trumped by Sp**s for a top 4 spot.

With that in mind, I'm not surprised so many fans bailed out at the end, and it isn't unique. I was at Anfield in 2003 when Liverpool were chasing a CL spot. It was the penultimate game of the season and we were in mid-table with nothing to play for. Liverpool took the lead but we equalised with an Anelka penalty and he went on and scored our winner in the last minute. Instead of hanging around for the traditional end of season lap of honour (or lap of "dishonour" as a mate of mine heard a Liverpool fan call it) and giving the players a send-off ahead of their do-or-die clash at Chelsea the following week, the vast majority of them piled out of the exits. In any case, whenever City do these end of season shenanigans they always tend to drag it out and keep fans waiting with players going back in to get changed, and getting their families out on the pitch, and some of the other club sides doing a lap of honour first, etc. Also, I didn't hear any announcements during the match of them doing anything for Pellegrini after the game (unlike last year when they did something for Lampard and it was well publicised and pretty much everyone stayed back despite the fact we'd not won anything) and while we should've reasonably expected it due to it being his last home game the result kind of overshadowed things. It's the first time I can remember that I didn't hang around but I'd already made arrangements to meet my mates straight after for a few end of season pints and probably wouldn't have stayed even if we won. That doesn't make me any less loyal or appreciative than the average fan of another club (I think getting up at 4.30AM in the morning this season to catch 3 trains to Norwich for a 12.45PM kick-off is a better indication of my loyalty to City to be honest), and as someone who is a member of a fan group that helps with trying to improve the atmosphere on match-days I'm often in the ground earlier than most helping out with displays, etc, so I've dedicated even more of my spare time to backing the team this season compared to previous years.

If that makes us fans absolute **** then fair enough but you need to remember that Arsenal fans have been at each other's throats over the Wenger situation this season and I've rarely seen a fanbase so split. However, that doesn't make me think that all Arsenal fans are **** - it's a sensitive subject and I can see the arguments on both sides. If you want the definition of a **** City fan, look no further than the middle-aged fan that punched a 12 year old Arsenal fan outside the ground afterwards.

Great post, nice to hear from a genuine Citeh fan.

Fwiw, I'd rather yous have won the league than Leicester.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

What about dying? Unless you chuck yourself off a bridge , that ain't a choice.

The nature chose of dying is actually the fundamentals of why we are here. Dying may not be bad in the large perspective.

 

[redwhiteAustrian]

Of course dying isn't bad, it's necessary.

 

[M18CTID]

Great post, nice to hear from a genuine Citeh fan.

Fwiw, I'd rather yous have won the league than Leicester.

Thanks. I'm not daft enough to think relations between the 2 sets of fans hasn't soured somewhat over recent years and I can understand some of the negativity towards us but I still find Arsenal a more friendlier place to visit as a City fan than when we go to Sp**s. Most of us of a certain age dislike Tottenham more than Arsenal due to the '81 FA Cup Final and the regular outbreaks of trouble that have occurred since whenever the 2 teams have played each other.

The Leicester thing is weird - from a purely neutral point of view I should've been wanting them to win above anyone else if we weren't winning it and in some ways I'm glad they did, but another part of me thinks it reflects badly on our own club that they've managed it on such a small budget. I'm guessing many Arsenal fans see it as a missed opportunity given the fact that City, United, and Chelsea have all had poorer league seasons than yourselves.