I've been a city fan all my life.....

[Patrick]

I have been the only blue in the village for 3 years now, its probably how everyone in the village knows me tbh. The local pub has my old reg no (C1TEH) screwed to the wall next to the Poznan flags and Polish gnome.

It's a small village everyone, especially the rosbifs, knows each other pretty well

Yesterday evening a bloke I have known for 3 years popped in the pub and I asked him how he was....

"Much better now city are top, not many people know it but I have been a city fan all my life" he replies

Aaaaaaaagggggghhhhhhhhh!!!

I remember Leeds, Liverpool Chelsea and of course scum fans all saying the same thing at various points in my life and it pissed me off then, now it's my club, it's even worse, and it hasn't even really started yet.

Don't get me wrong, I love the idea that we will now encourage a whole generation of new fans and I love the idea that our success will drive fan recruitment around the world..... Its something else that pisses me off, it's the "all my life" bit, it's the idea that whilst we were being heralded as the best fans in the world for going to shit holes like Wycombe and inventing songs like "we lost last week and we lost today" he couldn't have named a city player. He probably had a vague idea which division we were in, but that's about it, no shirts, no cereal bowls no daft stickers on his car.... Just a vague supporting of the team when he was a kid....

Now he stands next to me in the bar and declares there are two lifelong city fans in the village

I suppose I best get used to it

[brite blu sky]

Didn't you question him a bit at the time.. like when you reacted AARRRRRGGGG!! you must have had some thoughts pop into your mind. I mean without getting into any kind of 'im a bigger fan than you' shit, at least setting some kind of boundaries between you and him at a personal level. Why is it only when we are top of the league that this bloke can feel happy to say he is a lifelong fan? That needs questioning imo for it's psychological dodginess if nothing else.

It is different for expats too i rekon, but i'm still convinced that there will be a lot of 'fans' in Manc itself that will only come out of the woodwork when City win the league.

The bottom line is that nothing can take away the way you feel about your own history of being a City fan.

[Fesan]

Ask him who managed gillingham in the playoff final and you should have outed him as a new fan:-) Heck, ask him who we played in the playoff final:-P

Re: new fans, I think we should be gratefull for them all, even the idiots who claim lifelong support. Atleast he does not throw bottles in the stadium or knife people after games:-)

[Bingo Lewis]

my stepson's are 'new fans'. only coz they're 11 and 6 like, but they still weren't even born for the 99 playoff final.

it's the older lot that switch allegencies that bother me, they can fook right off

[lets all have a disco]

I hope loads of my rag mates switch over i'll never let them live it down,as for you Bingo your two step sons can do what they please they are a credit to you and Di.
Oh and Patrick man up,buy some shots,have some cheese do whatever and stop being me me me.

;-)

I also like City and have done for a while.

[Bear60]

A London loud mouth North N south cockney Chelski fan saw me at a fishing match last year wearing my city shirt and mouthed to me Their coming out of the woodwork now, I put him in his place.

[city72]

All my life ive been city, my dad his dad all city, i ended up in north east england 25 years ago so speak with a geordie accent. I hate it now when meeting people and talking about football, as i feel i have to explain why im ctid.

[ruralblue]

Well Patrick, between us we managed to come up with a way to bump your stalker off and we will come up with ideas to get shut of this chap!

[Dunnylad]

Sod who we played in play-off final, who we beat in play-off semi :)

[Dunnylad]

Or who scored our equaliser in FA Cup round 2 at Darlo - it was cold, it was crap & we nearly went out - those were the days - doesn't make any of us bigger or better fans, but ousts those who claim to have been there forever & ever

[Blue Since 76]

Or who scored our equaliser in FA Cup round 2 at Darlo - it was cold, it was crap & we nearly went out - those were the days - doesn't make any of us bigger or better fans, but ousts those who claim to have been there forever & ever

Bugger, can't remember. But I was at Chester in the first round, if that counts.

[getdressedmctavish]

If that's all you got to worry about mate, I'd offer a little prayer and get on with enjoyin it. who gives a feck?

[Mark Garrett]

Or who scored our equaliser in FA Cup round 2 at Darlo - it was cold, it was crap & we nearly went out - those were the days - doesn't make any of us bigger or better fans, but ousts those who claim to have been there forever & ever

Bugger, can't remember. But I was at Chester in the first round, if that counts.

Paul Dickov scored the equaliser late on at Darlington in 98-99 season, cracking volley if memory serves me right. Think Gabbiadini scored for them.

Chester away - I too was also there, was in FA Cup 3rd Round but in 99-00 season. The Goat scored a couple that day and we won 4-1

[Chinners]

I used to be the only City fan in the village ... there's at least 10 now

[frozen_pea]

Born and raised in Manchester so never been the only blue in the village, but am seeing it.

I see 3 Friends from school and college on face book, every matchday put "Come on City!" and comment on our result.
I doubt 2 of them have been to our stadium, and I know none of them went to Maine Rd.
I was in secondary school for the '99 final, got bollocked off a teacher for wearing my City shirt in the week, with another lad who was a proud city fan. These people on Facebook never mentioned watching the match, never mind going to it!

Keep being told, oh this guy is a massive city fan, has been all his life. Yeah used to go to Maine Rd as a kid, stopped going, couldn't go when he had kids and a family. Never been to the Etihad yet is in his 40's and quite comfortable. Yet he's a massive City fan?
In my eyes, he went as a kid as his nan lived in Moss Side, lost interest and now we're doing well is a big fan again.

Not saying you have to go to be a true fan, and understand some people can't. It's where the fuck were you claiming to be a massive fan when we didn't score at home from New Years day until the end of the season?
where were they when George Samaras was our multi million pound signing?
These events much more recent than my whole (immediate) family at Maine rd seeing us get relegated on the last day of the season from a 2-2 draw with Liverpool?
What about when Sir Joe tried to save us, demolishing Stoke on the last day of the season, yet it wasn't enough to keep us up (but enough to take them down). As a 13 year old, with a lot of rags at school, that wasn't easy to take. Still had a season ticket, still loved the club.

I know we'll get bandwagon jumpers, new fans and plastics but like the original poster, it the ones who claim to have been life long fans, yet never claimed that whilst we were going through the shit. They really get to me!

[Slim]

Doesn't have to be anything that clever.

Bandwagoner:"I've been a City fan all my life"

You:"What, since we played at Hyde Road?"

Answer1:"You cheeky bugger, I'm not that old"=City fan.

Answer2:"Yeah, since those days"=Not a City fan.

[ronk]

I know we'll get bandwagon jumpers, new fans and plastics but like the original poster, it the ones who claim to have been life long fans, yet never claimed that whilst we were going through the shit. They really get to me!

You don't get it, bandwagon jumpers don't tell you they just switched teams, not normally anyways, and no one minds them so we shouldn't call them bandwagon jumpers.

Every rag is a lifelong fan.

[Rag_hater]

I have been a fan since the Sheikh bought us and I bet my dicks bigger than yours

[Slim]

I know we'll get bandwagon jumpers, new fans and plastics but like the original poster, it the ones who claim to have been life long fans, yet never claimed that whilst we were going through the shit. They really get to me!

You don't get it, bandwagon jumpers don't tell you they just switched teams, not normally anyways, and no one minds them so we shouldn't call them bandwagon jumpers.

Every rag is a lifelong fan.

Did you switch teams ronk? Defending the plastics like that, I suspect it's for more than just belief.

[Blue Since 76]

Rags on the phone ins always say how long they've been supporting them for to try and not look like a glory hunter. It's never mattered to us until now when you'll start feeling the need to say you were a city fan since before the take over.

Maybe they could come up with some sort of campaign medals for us - the didn't leave Wembley at 2-0 down medal, the sat through all of Pearce's home game medals etc.