There was a time when Manchester City fans might not have relished going to watch their team play. Especially in the mid-2000s—when the club were strapped for funds and relying on cheap transfers and loan signings—supporters might have considered why they were spending their hard-earned cash on watching yet another poor performance.
The displays got so bad at the then-named City of Manchester Stadium during the 2006-07 season—the final year under Stuart Pearce's management—that some season-ticket holders stopped going before the end of the campaign.
In effect, they were paying to do something else on a Saturday afternoon other than suffer the 90 minutes of uninspiring and dull football that was on offer—and that would probably end in a defeat, too.