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

[john@staustell]

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.

Me and my eldest have the 'sat through every Alan Ball and Frank Clarke home game medal'. It's the City equivalent of the VC.

[Blue Since 76]

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

I'm losing it - been convinced for years that was the first round the previous season. Was 2000 the year we lost to Leeds at home when they were a chumps league side?

Did we start in round 2 in 98/99? In my defence back then, the FA Cup was a distraction as we weren't going to win it

[Slim]

It's a lot like telemarketers I get calling from India and the Phillipines who apparently are convinced they are sounding Australian. They always say "I am from Melbourne, Victoria" and I am sure no-one in Australia has ever felt the need to clarify which state the 2nd largest city in the country is from.

Same with being a bandwagoner/gloryhunter/plastic. I never felt the need to justify how long I have been a City fan,(I know the intro thread they do, but that's slightly different) and if I am speaking with someone and instead of "I am a City fan" it's "I have been supporting City since XXXX" then all I am hearing is that Indian accent again. Same with Patrick's mate although he sneakily weaves it into "I'm a lifelong City fan". I think from now on Patrick will be hearing "Thank you, come again".

[ashton287]

Norwich selling out 3 weeks before the game says it all really.

[stevefromdonny]

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

do i win something if i tell you

[brite blu sky]

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.

this.

unless of course you bumped into john68..

[mr_nool]

As a foreigner with an accent I experience this problem from a different viewpoint.
A few years back, if I was watching a City game in a pub, I always got into conversations with British fans from other teams. They always thought it was funny that I supported City, wanted to know why, how it started, etc.
Now when I open my mouth and they hear I'm not Manc, they just look at me with contempt and immediately write me off as a bandwagoner.

[Chinners]

I started using my new tactic last night. Was at a party and sure enough a couple of people were asking about my blue poppy .... it got round to how long and why I supported city and so I just said "since about September 2008 because of that Arab guy thats got all; the cash", they were rags/gooners and didn't even challenge the statement just said 'oh'... my mates were pishing themselves and played along

[zuricity]

I don't give a toss if we now have a load of Johnny come lately's following City, i really don't care. I know who my team is and it's City. I don't need to justify that to anyone and i don't care if a city fan doesn't believe me. I as a city fan wouldn't lower myself to chastise a new city fan for being a city fan. "cos of all the money etc". What i witnessed at ot the other week , standing next to "badly drawn boy" before the game ( " badly dressed boy, more like") , capturing mario's flick on my iphone for the third goal and walking around for days with a permanent grin , is enough. So what if the owner builds an 80000 seater. It all just cements the obsession i have with my football team.

Bring on Newcastle, i can't wait.......

[Chinners]

I don't give a toss if we now have a load of Johnny come lately's following City, i really don't care. I know who my team is and it's City. I don't need to justify that to anyone and i don't care if a city fan doesn't believe me. I as a city fan wouldn't lower myself to chastise a new city fan for being a city fan. "cos of all the money etc". What i witnessed at ot the other week , standing next to "badly drawn boy" before the game ( " badly dressed boy, more like") , capturing mario's flick on my iphone for the third goal and walking around for days with a permanent grin , is enough. So what if the owner builds an 80000 seater. It all just cements the obscession i have with my football team.

Bring on Newcastle, i can't wait.......

Chinners likes this

[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.

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

Never, but I was relatively late when it came to watching English football (I was about 10).

Them being the ones who go out and say they just started supporting the club/watching football. I wasn't defending bandwagon jumpers, but I saw a fair few people switch allegiance when they were young. None of them ever want to tell you any different, in fact for me they're often the ones who shout the loudest about being lifelong fans.

[Cocacolajojo1]

As a foreigner with an accent I experience this problem from a different viewpoint.
A few years back, if I was watching a City game in a pub, I always got into conversations with British fans from other teams. They always thought it was funny that I supported City, wanted to know why, how it started, etc.
Now when I open my mouth and they hear I'm not Manc, they just look at me with contempt and immediately write me off as a bandwagoner.

Ive experienced the same thing. Theres an increasing suspiciousness amongst cityfans, especially towards foreign fans.

What i dont get is why long time fans would want to prohibit newer supporters? Nothing, really nothing can take away the fact that theyll enjoy this ride more than newcomers. Because they were there during the grim times, the contrast will be bigger. Enjoy it ffs and stop worrying about the authenticity of other fans.

[ronk]

As a foreigner with an accent I experience this problem from a different viewpoint.
A few years back, if I was watching a City game in a pub, I always got into conversations with British fans from other teams. They always thought it was funny that I supported City, wanted to know why, how it started, etc.
Now when I open my mouth and they hear I'm not Manc, they just look at me with contempt and immediately write me off as a bandwagoner.

Ive experienced the same thing. Theres an increasing suspiciousness amongst cityfans, especially towards foreign fans.

What i dont get is why long time fans would want to prohibit newer supporters? Nothing, really nothing can take away the fact that theyll enjoy this ride more than newcomers. Because they were there during the grim times, the contrast will be bigger. Enjoy it ffs and stop worrying about the authenticity of other fans.

I agree, but you might think differently if you're one of those who was really there when we were not really here as opposed to someone who was really not there when we were not really here.

When not really being here while you were there is something you identify with and is an important part of how you see fandom and the club, it's sometimes a source of friction with people who are here being not really here when they weren't there when really being there was important and difficult.

Personally, I think we should embrace new and returning fans and just try to discourage them from being cunts rather than from being fans.

[Beeks]

Fuck this 'Can you remember' shit

I can't remember what I did last week never mind what City did 20/30 years ago

[Colin the King]

I work in IBM where there's about 500 Scandinavians, and the amount of City fans now walking around work is incredible - they actually outnumber rags/red scouse fans which is hard to believe, when you think about how it would've been even 2 years ago.

In a way I feel as though, even though it's a bit pathetic, there's more to be admired in someone who comes right out and says 'I never used to be a City fan, but they play great football blah blah and I became one' to someone who's blatantly lying about being a lifelong fan. Most of the people I see around work now wouldn't even know what Maine Road is, or the significance of an inflatable banana, or 2-1 to Mansfield Town refers to, and yet about half of them have allegedly been blues for 20 years.

It's a consequence of success, though. And I'd rather having to put up with a truckload of glory hunters than turn up to watch a 'solid right flank' of Sun Jihai and Vassell trip over the ball.

[bernabias_right_boot]

I slept through most of Pearce's home games!

[Beefymcfc]

I reckon he's said it so he can get close to you, if you know what I mean ;-)

[zuricity]

I work in IBM where there's about 500 Scandinavians, and the amount of City fans now walking around work is incredible - they actually outnumber rags/red scouse fans which is hard to believe, when you think about how it would've been even 2 years ago.

In a way I feel as though, even though it's a bit pathetic, there's more to be admired in someone who comes right out and says 'I never used to be a City fan, but they play great football blah blah and I became one' to someone who's blatantly lying about being a lifelong fan. Most of the people I see around work now wouldn't even know what Maine Road is, or the significance of an inflatable banana, or 2-1 to Mansfield Town refers to, and yet about half of them have allegedly been blues for 20 years.

It's a consequence of success, though. And I'd rather having to put up with a truckload of glory hunters than turn up to watch a 'solid right flank' of Sun Jihai and Vassell trip over the ball.

Thats's why IBM are known as "Big Blue"

[Ted Hughes]

Fuck this 'Can you remember' shit

I can't remember what I did last week never mind what City did 20/30 years ago

I mostly prefer to forget.

I don't mind any neutral who decides to become a City fan, many people started as kids that way; because they were attracted to something about the club; if that 'something' is fantastic football then so be it . I don't like the idea of people converting from other clubs but I like the idea of the club taking money from them especialy ex rags & one day they will burn in hell anyway.

People pretending to be long term blues is out of order though.

[Beefymcfc]

I'm a lifer and have forgotten more than I can remember. The thing is, you can tell a City fan a mile off, we are different to most others and you usually don't even have to ask. We win, we smile. We lose, we smile. It's just part of the make-up.

I was in Egypt a few years back and was sat at the pool bar with my Mrs. A lad swam up and sat next to us and we chatted for nearly a minute (;-)) before we got onto football when he said 'You're a City fan ain't ya our Kid' before telling me he was a Blue. He didn't have to, I already knew.