United legend Scholes tears into City fans over empty seats on European nights
Trust your rivals to stick it in and twist when your side is down.
Paul Scholes has launched a scathing attack on Manchester City's fans for failing to create a special atmosphere on their Champions League nights.
The Etihad Stadium, which has a capacity of around 48,000, saw a crowd of just 37,509 when City hosted Italian giants Roma on Wednesday morning (Singapore time) in a Group E clash that ended 1-1.
It was City's lowest home attendance in Europe's elite competition since they entered it in 2011.
Ex-Manchester United midfielder Scholes believes that City's efforts on the pitch in Europe have been missing the added bite from supporters at clubs like Liverpool and United, and blasted the Sky Blues fans for taking their participation for granted.
No European night feel
Speaking as pundit for ITV, Scholes said: "I was lucky enough to play at Old Trafford and we always talked about the atmosphere on a Tuesday night, the special atmosphere you create, and the crowd is rocking when you go out for a warm-up.
"At quarter-past seven, there's empty seats everywhere. When you come here it just doesn't have a European night feel to it. You go to Liverpool, you go to Old Trafford, you go to Chelsea, they have a special feeling for it.
"I don't think they realise what a big game this is. They've got the team, they've definitely got the players, the quality is definitely there, but do the crowd realise how lucky they are to be in this competition? I don't think they do."
The empty seats against Roma also prompted another ex-United player in Rio Ferdinand to ridicule City's plans to expand their stadium to a capacity of 60,000.
The QPR defender tweeted:
Source: PA Sport
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