Sunday 22 May 2016

‘Empty seats’ results are in…



It’s probably a piece I least like doing (less mentioned about them the better, especially in a City Blog) but around this time of year I calculate my season-long-collated attendance results of both City and Manyoo. More accurately, I look at the empty seats of both teams in every game – league, domestic cups and Europe.

 

Why? Well…simply put, having taken grief from embittered fans for many, many, MANY agonising seasons; it’s become very apparent to a lot of us Blues that they no longer have any sticks left to beat us with apart from one, which has been getting increasingly worn out over the last few season and, which, has the words etched on it, “Empty seats”. 

 

So starting in season 2012-13, I started to collate my own statistics…




First of all…


…sticks now consigned to the garden-waste recycling bin:

“You’ll never finish above us”                  -        BINNED!
You’ll never be as rich as us”                   -        BINNED!
“You’ll never get into Europe”                  -        BINNED!
“You’ll never win a trophy”                      -        BINNED!
“You’ll never win the Premier League”       -        BINNED!

And, so, they pull out the only stick they really have left, which is, of course, the “empty seats stick”.

Seasons gone by (since I started collating my stats)

2012-13 season - Manyoo finished 1st and Manchester City finished 2nd:

Manchester City capacity                            Manyoo capacity
47,805 domestic                                            75,765 all competitions
45,500 Europe

Manchester City’s least number                 Manyoo’s least number
of empty seats (highest attendance)          of empty seats (highest attendance)
30 v Real Madrid (Champs League)            160 v Reading (Premier League)

Manchester City’s most number                 Manyoo’s most number
of empty seats (lowest attendance)            of empty seats (lowest attendance)
19,790 v Aston Villa (League Cup)             29,407 v Newcastle Utd (Lgue Cup)

Manchester City’s number of                      Manyoo’s number of
empty seats all season                                empty seats all season
45,797                                                             51,892

-       Least number of empty seats at a match goes to Manchester City
-       Most number of empty seats at a match to Manyoo
-       An overall, season different of 6,095 more empty seats at Manyoo

Summary of the season: Manchester City come out WAY on top in this first season of ‘stats gathering’, with the least number of empty seats at any one game as well as seeing Manyoo with the highest number of empty seats at any one match. The most empty seats overall throughout the whole season also goes to Manyoo and, therefore, the last stick is very quietly put away in a draw somewhere…


2013-14 seasonManchester City finished 1st and Manyoo finished 7th:

Manchester City capacity                            Manyoo capacity
47,805 domestic                                            75,765 all competitions
45,500 Europe

Manchester City’s least number                 Manyoo’s least number
of empty seats (highest attendance)          of empty seats (highest attendance)
79 v Barcelona (Champs League)               397 v Aston Villa (Premier League)

Manchester City’s most number                 Manyoo’s most number
of empty seats (lowest attendance)            of empty seats (lowest attendance)
22,286 v Wigan Athletic (League Cup)       17,102 v Norwich City (League Cup)

Manchester City’s number of                      Manyoo’s number of
empty seats all season                                empty seats all season
82,786                                                             51,097

-       Least number of empty seats at a match goes to Manchester City again
-       Most number of empty seats at a match, however, to Manchester City too
-       An overall, season different of 31,689 more empty seats at Manchester City

Summary of the season: Although Manchester City claim the least number of empty seats at any one match; Manchester City also have the most-empty seats at any one game this season as well as the overall empty seats record and, so, the last stick found again and waved around for the mere difference of 1,093 more-average empty seats than Manyoo per game. Strange attendance results after the previous season and, also, in a season where we won the Premier League and Manyoo came 7th


2014-15 seasonManchester City finished 2nd and Manyoo finished 4th:

Manchester City capacity                            Manyoo capacity
46,300 domestic (a change)                         75,765 all competitions
45,500 Europe (a change)

Manchester City’s least number                 Manyoo’s least number
of empty seats (highest attendance)          of empty seats (highest attendance)
357 v CSKA Moscow (Champs League)    280 v QPR (Premier League)

Manchester City’s most number                 Manyoo’s most number
of empty seats (lowest attendance)            of empty seats (lowest attendance)
13,954 v Aston Villa (League Cup)             1,254 v Cambridge Utd (F.A.Cup)

Manchester City’s number of                      Manyoo’s number of
empty seats all season                                empty seats all season
49,533                                                             8,620

-       Least number of empty seats at a match goes to Manyoo this time
-       Most number of empty seats at a match to Manchester City again
-       An overall, season different of 40,913 more empty seats at Manchester City


Summary of the season: Despite finishing a creditable 2nd after a late surge; we had an awful season performances-wise and we don’t come out of this too well at all. Manyoo take all the records this season – the lowest number of empty seats at any one match whilst, at the same time, we have the most number of empty seats at any one game. Chuck in an average per game of 1,515 more empty seats per game than Manyoo too (although I have to add that this season we played 7 more home games than our neighbours from Trafford to accumulate those stats) and ‘the stick’ has now been varnished and even given its own rack on the wall!


THIS SEASON 


Manchester City finished 4th and Manyoo finished 5th:

Manchester City capacity                            Manyoo capacity
55,097 domestic (a change again)              75,765 all competitions
53,000 Europe (a change again)

Manchester City’s least number                 Manyoo’s least number
of empty seats (highest attendance)          of empty seats (highest attendance)
0 v PSG (Champs League)                           220 v Swansea City (Prem League)
Was actually 39 OVER allowed
capacity for European games

Manchester City’s most number                 Manyoo’s most number
of empty seats (lowest attendance)            of empty seats (lowest attendance)
16,851 v Hull City (League Cup)                 19,028 v Ipswich Town (League Cup)

Manchester City’s number of                      Manyoo’s number of
empty seats all season                                empty seats all season
87,802                                                             56,307

-       Least number of empty seats at a match goes back to Manchester City
-       Most number of empty seats at a match to Manyoo this time
-       An overall, season different of 31,495 more empty seats still at Manchester City

Summary of the season: Manchester City claim the award this season for the least number of empty seats at a match whilst Manyoo, this season, also have to ‘suck up’ having the emptiest number of seats at any one game. Although Manchester City still have the most overall emptiest seats at an average, this season, of 1,105; the season just gone sees the largest number of empty seats Manyoo have had in the last 4 seasons by a figure of 4,415.

And yet many of them, this season, have STILL pathetically taken the newly-polished stick from his rack on the wall and waved it at us vigorously whenever they get an embitteRED attack of ‘lemons & limes disease’! I would say, I alone, have had this pulled on me at least 12 times this season by various individuals masquerading as Manyoo fans who, ironically, never - or hardly ever - attend Scaffold Trafford.


 Whatever next? “Our pies are nicer than yours”?

Thursday 19 May 2016

Manchester City - Prediction outcome results

For a bit of fun, every season since the 2013/14 campaign and after the summer transfer window has closed, I attempt to predict not only where we might finish in the Premier League and what other silverware we might pick up along the way; but also, rather boldly if you don’t mind me adding, where the other 19 clubs will finish in the league too.

 

Here are the results of this season’s attempt that have…varying degrees of success.




Firstly, my predicted league table that I posted in September 2015


1st Manchester City (Up one from last season…AND CHAMPS!)
2nd Manyoo (Up two…and league 'runners up')
3rd Chelsea (Down two…but still in an automatic Champs League spot)
4th Arsenal (Down one…and forced through the Champs League qual games)
5th Swansea City (Up three…and into a Europa spot)
6th Tottenham Hotspur (Down one…and into a Europa spot)
7th Liverpool (Down one…and possibly into a Europa spot)
8th West Ham United (Up four…and joint-best league climbers’ form last season)
9th Crystal Palace (Up one)
10th Leicester City (Up four…and joint-best league climbers’ form last season)
11th Southampton (Down four)
12th Everton (Down one)
13th Watford (Not applicable)
14th West Bromwich Albion (Down one)
15th Stoke City (Down six…and biggest league fallers from last season)
16th Bournemouth (Not applicable)
17th Newcastle United (Down two)
18th Aston Villa (Down one…and relegated)
19th Norwich City (Not applicable…and relegated)
20th Sunderland (Down four…and relegated as the bottom side)

And so…


1st Leicester City (9 places up on my prediction…but can you blame me?!)
2nd Arsenal (2 up on my prediction – close!)
3rd Tottenham Hotspur (3 up on my prediction)
4th Manchester City (3 down on my prediction)
5th Manyoo (3 down on my prediction)
6th Southampton (5 up on my prediction)
7th West Ham United (1 up on my prediction – NEARLY!)
8th Liverpool (1 down on my prediction – NEARLY!)
9th Stoke City (5 up on my prediction)
10th Chelsea (7 down on my prediction but, like Leicester, can you blame me?)
11th Everton (1 up on my prediction – NEARLY!)
12th Swansea City (7 down on my prediction)
13th Watford (SPOT ON!)
14th West Bromwich Albion (SPOT ON!)
15th Crystal Palace (6 down on my prediction)
16th Bournemouth (SPOT ON!)
17th Sunderland (3 up on my prediction and wrong about them going down)
18th Newcastle (1 down on predication (CLOSE!), wrong about ‘em just surviving)
19th Norwich City (SPOT ON!)
20th Aston Villa (2 down on prediction (close), right about 'em getting relegated)

Point to note: All 3 promoted teams from the previous season I got SPOT ON! Weird...

Onto City’s cup campaigns predictions


Prediction: Quarter Final.
Outcome: Wrong by 2 rounds, after getting to final and winning it!

 
Prediction: Finalists at least and, therefore, very possible winners.
Outcome: Wrong by 4 rounds, as we went out in the 5th round…no thanks to the English Football Association and ill-thought, critical comments from Alan Shearer.


Prediction: Round of 8 (quarter finals)
Outcome: Wrong by just 1 round, as we got as far as the semi-finals!

So…with something that is so very hard to predict anyway added to a crazy, unpredictable season that we’ve just experienced; can I give myself a 6.5/10 for effort?

Thanks, as always, for taking the time to visit / read.

Addition (update):


I forgot to add that I always do a Premier-League-only, pre-season and then a pre-match prediction and at the end of the season, I do a 'precentage correct' on both. Interestingly this season, it just goes to underline - compared with other seasons - just what an unpredictable season it has been.


                                         Pre-season prediction              Pre-game prediction



Percentage correct 2011/12:           57.9%                                  65.8%

Percentage correct 2012/13:             65.8%                                   68.4%

Percentage correct 2013/14:           63.2%                                  71.1%

Percentage correct 2014/15:           60.5%                                  55.3%

Percentage correct 2015/16:           50%                                     55.3%