It’s the fans wot win it – so stop fleecing them

It is always possible to tell the difference between a bunch of Manchester City fans and auditions for the latest Dolce & Gabbana commercial. And in that uproarious packed stand at Brighton on Sunday, there were clearly quite a few folk who hadn’t gone without a meal for some time. But by golly we were a happy, relieved bunch. City supporters have been used to getting kicked in the face at the last moment for so long that no one really celebrated till the result was beyond doubt. ‘Why are you so nervous, you’re 4-1 up?’ ‘I know, but there’s five minutes to go,’ is a joke made for City fans.

But how well behaved everybody was: the City stand stood and applauded when Brighton’s much-loved veteran skipper Bruno left the field for good with ten minutes to go — even though few City supporters had a clue who he was. And all the Brighton fans stayed behind to cheer as the Premier League trophy was handed over. As they said, they knew they weren’t very likely to see the trophy again.

In the end, though, outside the thrilling duel for the title and the brilliance of the top two, it was a fairly routine Premier League season. Chelsea and Arsenal were erratic and frustrating, Manchester United utterly feeble, and Spurs valiantly hung on to their place for dear life despite the heroics in Amsterdam.

It’s the fans who have made this season; Liverpool’s home support is mythologised but it did the trick against Barcelona’s finest, who by the end looked as if they were treading water amid the Anfield wall of sound.

But look at the outrageous way the football authorities are treating the fans now. FA Cup Final tickets this weekend cost up to £145.