What would it take for United to lose supporters en masse?

[SungSam7]

To be honest, I have kind of lost interest in football as a sport. The way the club has been run since SAF left his managerial role, we have clearly been run to make money over success.

We are run by buisness people who have no real care towards success on the pitch, it is finacially better for them to make it into the CL each year than to spend to keep up with trying to win titles. We are the modern day Arsenal, trying to spend the minimum neccessary to get into Europe.
The longer fans keep buying merchandise and tickets to games, the longer these parasites sink the club in terms of success. Don't be fooled by their spending on Sancho and Ronaldo, it was only in order to make money, you spend money type deal. Enough to almost guarentee top 4, had OGS kept us in top 4 and not went on a such a terrible WR, he would still be here even if we were further away from getting the title.

I've paid more interest in the NBA but unfortunately living in Ireland isn't ideal because of the times the games are at. But you can sit and watch any game and it is entertaining from start to finish. Even their system although can be slightly flawed, their isn't a Man City or a PSG coming in to try buy their way to success. Football is slowing being ruined by their need to make as much money out of a product that was a great working class sport.

 

[UnitedSofa]

I was actually thinking about this recently and I think it’ll happen very soon the next generation aren’t sitting around for another rebuild and older fans will eventually get bored.

If the next generation change teams because we don't win a trophy for several years, they were never a fan in the first place, same goes for the older fans.

The rise of City and the eventual rise of Newcastle will affect future fans of the club. More successful clubs = further spread fanbase.

People don’t like to admit it, but the reason the top clubs have larger fan bases is because they win.

City don't have a larger fan base and have won the league the most of all the top 6 over the past decade and they struggle to fill the Etihad, week on week.

This is a positive not a negative IMO. The worst thing about United these days is the fanbase. Entitled, unwilling to accept the notion that we are not number one, all too ready to heap sh*t on the club at every opportunity because of it.

That's the contribution of the 'pick the winningest team' generation that we were bestowed with. Let this generation pick a different club. In 10 years time they'll all be doing the same thing to them.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[r1z3mu]

For me real United fans are for life. So the only supporters that United can loose are "fake" supporters - the ones that need to declare somewhere that "I'm Manchester United supporter" and can easily jump and declare "I'm MC or PSG supporter" next week.

 

[Deery]

If the next generation change teams because we don't win a trophy for several years, they were never a fan in the first place, same goes for the older fans.



City don't have a larger fan base and have won the league the most of all the top 6 over the past decade and they struggle to fill the Etihad, week on week.



Couldn't have said it better myself.

Not necessarily change teams but Young 7/8 year olds have no emotional connection or loyalty to the club and if the football’s shite I don’t blame older fans for not being as interested and investing as much time or money in the club also.

 

[harms]

A new generation, I'd imagine. I doubt that many children whose parents aren't affiliated with United are choosing to support us those days, so it'll happen gradually. But it won't leave us without fans, of course, but we may move a few positions down on the list in a couple of decades.

 

[Nicolarra90]

Please, stop these cringy threads.

 

[ManchesterManchester]

Only the absolute worst, most plastic fan imaginable would ever change clubs. It's a total no-no and no self-respecting supporter would ever even consider it. You pick your side, you stick with it through thick and thin, and that's that.

Most people take their allegiances from family members, friends etc. I grew up when Liverpool were the dominant force. I truly thought I would never see us win a league title in my lifetime. Did it make me support Liverpool? Did it feck. Did Liverpool's two decades of dominance make them bigger or better supported than United? Not even close. By the same token, did Liverpool's thirty years without a title make them lose their support en masse? No it didn't.

The likes of citeh etc will pick up a few more floating voters, but support is passed from generation to generation and it takes generations to change even a little.

Look at citeh. A decade of success and attractive football, easy access to tickets etc, and they can't even sell out home matches half the time.

It isn't going to happen.

Regarding your opinion on fans, I agree that fans dont change club but I feel you are underestimating that fans can decide to stop spending money. You have to remember nearly every Man Utd fan is foreign. The core supporters only make up a small percentage of the 700million. Someone in China can very easily decide to stop buying mutv and shirts but still support the club.

Regarding your point about Liverpool, again I feel you are not seeing the full picture. Liverpool might not have won the Premier league in 30 years but they remained very competitive, challenging for the PL title many times and also won champions league twice, Europa league and FA cup 3 times. You also have to factor in that there wasnt as much competition for fans or money in the game. Top 4 and sponsorship is essential to having funds for transfers now.

Man Utd are not competing for any trophies at all right now, we couldn’t even win the Europa league final. If we continue to not even challenge for any trophies for a sustained period then although local fans will continue to support us. Continuing to loose on the field will have a huge impact on our global revenue.

 

[JB7]

Not necessarily change teams but Young 7/8 year olds have no emotional connection or loyalty to the club and if the football’s shite I don’t blame older fans for not being as interested and investing as much time or money in the club also.

Yeah this is the thing though, "if the footballs shite", it isn't. At our worst we're still in the Champions League most years and therefore in the top 4 or 5 teams in the country.

So it isn't "shite", it's just not at the level some of our more entitled supporters have come to expect.

 

[padzilla]

We won't lose existing fans necessarily but the number of fans supporting us in future generations will obviously be reduced - I am not entirely annoyed by that, what does concern me is it will be an indication we are no longer the elite club we once were.

Even more annoying is that dilution of stature was all so avoidable if it wasn't for the blunderings of our owners with one bad decision after another.

 

[Lemon Moon]

I might go support Morecambe FC but only because I heard they have a Michelin star for their pies...

 

[Deery]

Yeah this is the thing though, "if the footballs shite", it isn't. At our worst we're still in the Champions League most years and therefore in the top 4 or 5 teams in the country.

So it isn't "shite", it's just not at the level some of our more entitled supporters have come to expect.

There’s literally threads about how we can’t control or pass a football.

 

[JB7]

There’s literally threads about how we can’t control or pass a football.

That's because we have a lot of overly dramatic, entitled supporters on this forum. We supposedly can't control or pass a football yet we're still probably the 4th best team in the country. Strange isn't it?

 

[Rightnr]

That's because we have a lot of overly dramatic, entitled supporters on this forum. We supposedly can't control or pass a football yet we're still probably the 4th best team in the country. Strange isn't it?

Or you're just wrong? This place is a bigger eco chamber than a Facebook group of Karens.

 

[TheReligion]

Or you're just wrong? This place is a bigger eco chamber than a Facebook group of Karens.

Nah he’s right.

I’d love to know the average age of posters on the Caf as looking at the match day thread it’s populated with spoilt brats with child like mindsets.

Finished club, mates FC etc

Just feck off. Club and forum would be better off without.

 

[Bwuk]

City don't have a larger fan base and have won the league the most of all the top 6 over the past decade and they struggle to fill the Etihad, week on week.

Citys fanbase is growing. It's miles ahead of where it was, as is there global appeal.

I would imagine at any primary school, a lot of the kids will support City compared to back when I was at school.

 

[Eleven-Eighteen]

It's already happening but the results will be seen over a period of time. I have nephews who support City and Liverpool. If United keeps this up for another decade, our average age of supporters will be 50

 

[Bilbo]

"Through thick and thin" is when your beloved club struggles but is genuinely trying to come back (like United after relegtion). When you see that the club is owned (!!!) by people eho do not care and are turning it into something unrecognizable? When the only thingg surviving is the name? I am not saying you would switch clubs, but how do you stick with the club that itsels has stopped caring?

This is very unusual. I don't think Liverpool ever had ownership who didn't care, or we did in previous dark times. We do now

This comes down to how you want to perceive the club. You do have a choice on that, and United are not always going to be exactly what you or I want it to be. I don't believe for one moment that United are not trying to the best again - we've just done a bad job of it and we happen to play in, by far, the strongest league in the world.

 

[Daengophile]

After 47 years of following United, it's difficult to see anything other than an organisation that is ruled by the sole task of making revenue for the owners and players who are ruled by the sole task of making revenue for themselves.

Fans have devolved into pawns

 

[Chief123]

I was actually thinking about this recently and I think it’ll happen very soon the next generation aren’t sitting around for another rebuild and older fans will eventually get bored.

I think the transition is well under way. I know we laugh at City for having no fans, but I'm seeing so many youngsters choosing Man City (more than Utd nowaday). That's where fanbases are built. Young followers who grow up to teach their kids to follow their team. We laugh about it, but glory hunting is how it all starts. No kid nowadays chooses Utd to support unless their father/family is a supporter.

 

[Bilbo]

Regarding your point about Liverpool, again I feel you are not seeing the full picture. Liverpool might not have won the Premier league in 30 years but they remained very competitive, challenging for the PL title many times and also won champions league twice, Europa league and FA cup 3 times.

Lets pick a time period, fairly recent, and look at that. Between 2009 & 2016 Liverpool's league finishes were 7th, 6th, 8th, 7th. 2nd, 6th, 8th. No trophies in that period. In fact, they've only won 1 domestic trophy in the last decade. 4 in the last 20 years (2 were league cups). I wouldn't class this as being very competitive at all. A huge underachievement if anything. It didn't stop them from having a huge worldwide following though, and it won't stop United either.

 

[yamo123x]

To Lose supporters on masse, simple, new 4 year contracts for Phil Jones and Jesse Lingard and Sell Bruno to Liverpool would do it

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

I doubt any serious and living supporter would ever change clubs. God knows I'd have by now if it were an option.

Not sure why I added the word living to this. But eh.

Why isn't it an option? I've never understood this stance, it's a bit like self-flagellation to me. If the team isn't making you happy follow another one that does. No one cares.

 

[Rightnr]

Nah he’s right.

I’d love to know the average age of posters on the Caf as looking at the match day thread it’s populated with spoilt brats with child like mindsets.

Finished club, mates FC etc

Just feck off. Club and forum would be better off without.

Typical. I don't like something, so feck off. What are you doing on a forum, you'd be better served on a Facebook group for top reds.

And btw, mates FC is a real thing, our failures can be directly traced to this myopic policy of the last 10 years.

 

[KirkDuyt]

Why isn't it an option? I've never understood this stance, it's a bit like self-flagellation to me. If the team isn't making you happy follow another one that does. No one cares.

Not really a rational thing is it? It is self flagellation though. "Feyenoorder ben je niet voor de lol" is a thing here.

It also makes me happy, self deprecation is key.

 

[youmeletsfly]

It won't happen. United fans are too stuck into the "united way" ideea and it will be like this forever, even if United win titles or are a midtable club.

Any decent match going fans would have rioted at what the glazers, woodward and the absolutely incapable managers served us in the last 8 years in terms of football quality.

 

[Zen86]

Typical. I don't like something, so feck off. What are you doing on a forum, you'd be better served on a Facebook group for top reds.

And btw, mates FC is a real thing, our failures can be directly traced to this myopic policy of the last 10 years.

Can it? I'd be interested to see the data, because to me it sounds like whiney kids complaining about how un-hip and old-fashioned those people from the clubs past are.

 

[youngrell]

It will take a couple of generations of failure to see any sort of large loss.

As it is, fans who have lived through SAF's success are very likely to still have their children support United, but if they go a couple of decades without seeing success, chance are their children will be less likely to follow suit.

You already see it in small doses with plenty more young Chelsea and City fans emerging, most of whom only know United as successful in the past and a big club in name only. Young kids seem to support other European teams theses days too, with them following players above clubs in some instances.

 

[Chairman Steve]

It’ll take like an average lifetime to see any clear changes.

We still get the glory hunter jokes and digs about fans outside of Manchester to this day, even though we’ve not been successful for almost a decade at this point.

 

[NewGlory]

It will take a couple of generations of failure to see any sort of large loss.

As it is, fans who have lived through SAF's success are very likely to still have their children support United, but if they go a couple of decades without seeing success, chance are their children will be less likely to follow suit.

You already see it in small doses with plenty more young Chelsea and City fans emerging, most of whom only know United as successful in the past and a big club in name only. Young kids seem to support other European teams theses days too, with them following players above clubs in some instances.

I know people are gonna jump on this, but let's have some reality check.

1. Manchester United fanbase is estimated at over a billion (https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...s/manchester-united-fans-news-latest-16771943)
2. Size of regularly match-going crowd is at its absolute best 100K, and size of fans in the immediate geographic region is less than a million at most.

So, with all due respect to local supporters, local supporters only make 1/10th of the percentage of United supporter base. Let that sink in - one tenth of percentage! Be dismissive and call names all you want but also realize what actual numbers are.

The reason I am saying it is: the whole notion that not much will change because the United-fan fathers (always fathers?!) taking their kids to matches will raise their kids to also be United fans, no matter what and somehow kids will just blindly do what their parent says... Really?

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Not really a rational thing is it? It is self flagellation though. "Feyenoorder ben je niet voor de lol" is a thing here.

It also makes me happy, self deprecation is key.

no it certainly isn't rational at all. I guess that's fandom for you.

 

[Focusmate]

I dont think as individuals we stop supporting the team - you might just follow them a bit less closely, but that often happens anyway once you have kids etc,
I was really shocked though, when my childrens school did a football top day to raise money, just how many kids had Chelsea and City tops on. (Bear in mind i now live in East Yorkshire and most people my age here are Leeds fans)
I bet there would have been zero 20 years ago.
Not sure it bothers me though - maybe theyll support Newcastle in a few years…

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

I assume that most “global supporters” will tend to support whoever is doing best at the time when they start getting into Premier League or football in general. For many years this would have been us but in recent years that will have switched to Liverpool and City, so I assume that the global fans will gradually be shifting to those clubs.

 

[The_Midfielder]

I assume that most “global supporters” will tend to support whoever is doing best at the time when they start getting into Premier League or football in general. For many years this would have been us but in recent years that will have switched to Liverpool and City, so I assume that the global fans will gradually be shifting to those clubs.

This

 

[Blake's 7]

English football is cyclic, always has been and always will be. We won the European Cup in '68 yet were relegated to Division 2 a mere 6 years later. The fan base remained and we came back up as Division 2 Champions at the first attempt - our first silverware since that Wembley 4-1 victory. Leeds, Liverpool, Forest, Arsenal, Chelsea and City have all enjoyed periods of success since yet four of them have been relegated more recently than we were.

Fan wise it's the non die-hards that a period of no glory will impact ie kids with no natural affiliation via a family or where they live and the foreign glory seekers. True fans stay. Remember the vast majority of fans support teams who never, or very rarely win things.

We are currently fourth in the league, still in the FA Cup and have reached the knock-out stages of the Champions League. I'd prefer us to be top and playing brilliantly, but we're not. But why would I walk away? Not today, not tomorrow, not ever - that's not what a supporter does.

And only say it quietly, but outwith of what was achieved under Busby and Fergie how much success have we actually had? Are we truly a successful club or have we just been blessed with 2 unbelievable managers?

 

[TheReligion]

Typical. I don't like something, so feck off. What are you doing on a forum, you'd be better served on a Facebook group for top reds.

And btw, mates FC is a real thing, our failures can be directly traced to this myopic policy of the last 10 years.

It’s not the sentiment I have issue with. It’s the childlike uneducated way people express themselves by literally spamming the forum with pointless comments like I just mentioned.

 

[Mr. MUJAC]

Oh, the top reds, loyal to the core. I think calling out sections of the fan base as not real reds is pretty sad and a reflection of the state the club is in. Lots of fans across the UK, incuding the north west, chose United over many years because of the likes of Best and then Giggs and Cantona etc. Success and star players will attract broader supporters. Sure some of them may fade away without these things. But that doesnt make the club somehow better or purer.

Oh bollocks.

It's got bugger all to do with this mythical 'top reds' crap that people spout.

There are hundreds of posts on social media where so called supporters are not going to follow United any more because we aren't winning...or we sold Martial...or we didn't buy a shiny new player.

If we lose that kind of support then I'm pleased. The sooner the better in fact.

 

[Threesus]

When we are not winning, which we are doing right now. It is what it is. We as supporters can only hope for a better future for the club.

 

[el3mel]

Nothing. Did Juve lose their fans when they got relegated thanks to match fixing scandal? I don't think it gets worse than this.

 

[Tap]

Nothing. Did Juve lose their fans when they got relegated thanks to match fixing scandal? I don't think it gets worse than this.

It was only for a season right? Besides, they steamrolled their way back to Serie A if i recall correctly. It’s not enough time and the performances were not bad enough to lose their fans en mass.

 

[Gordon Godot]

Oh bollocks.

It's got bugger all to do with this mythical 'top reds' crap that people spout.

There are hundreds of posts on social media where so called supporters are not going to follow United any more because we aren't winning...or we sold Martial...or we didn't buy a shiny new player.

If we lose that kind of support then I'm pleased. The sooner the better in fact.

oh bollocks ... its also a fine line between the fair weather fans leaving and a major shift in support and attitudes amongst the football public, which would have a long term impact on the club and leave it further behind the top European clubs. We can also do with losing the high horse brigade. If you dont know who that it its you.