May 13th 2012 - Your Story....

[Patrick]

From a new member "FoShow" - who thought it would be a great idea to post his version of that glorious day.....

What were your thoughts - how did the day pan out for you?

[Patrick]

Here is mine... It may be boring to read but i'm going to love writing this...

I want to start briefly around July 2011 - apart from Marios dodgy show-boating in pre-season I was full of optimism and was hopeful of a pot and a top 3 finish - the community shield put my feet right back on terra firma.

Fast forward to late October - 1-6 - still one of the biggest days of my life - will we ever see this again? I don't know - truly remarkable - worst day of Baconfaces life - well for 6 months anyway! But now my hopes had begun to rise - we actually had a real live tangible hope of the premiership, but there was still a long long way to go, time to remain calm and carry on. There was something unconvincing in a few of our victories as the year got older, but we kept the 8 point gap... then we started to slip. - No Vinnie, No Yaya... No confidence... oh dear reality was setting in. Why oh why do I keep letting City get my hopes up?

Leap forward again to late April - we'd blown it - my mate came up to me on the mountain and showed me his iphone - 4-2 to scum. I wasnt that gutted, I had known that we'd lost it the rags, I had had time to get used to it - I even had to take my hat off to them and admit, when it came to the pressure part of the season, we arent in the same league. That rancid purple nosed drunk, knows how to handle the pressure, how to turn the screw, how to win the league - and we are amateurish by comparison.

A short while later, back down the mountain, in a bar, the same mate asked me if I knew the score - I think I told him to piss off. But he insisted and held up his iphone again - I ran outside, leapt over the balcony and face planted into the snow - partly because, yes there was a chance - a slim one, but mostly because they had fucked up a great opportunity to really nail the coffin lid down.

I got the rare chance to return home for the derby. A great night and all of a sudden it was in our hands..... even if we still had to go to the barcodes - who were on red hot form - especially away.

Every game was now a final - we beat the scum, we beat Geordies, we played like heroes - and all of a sudden we were favourites again. We had been favourites for most of the season, but just a few short weeks away we had been 50/1 against, one bookie had already paid out on the scum.

May 13th 2012

I woke up very early, thankful that the day had finally arrived. I remember Gillie and a few others had been saying on here for the last few days that the title was already ours. Sure we had overcome the massive hurdles against the two Uniteds, but we still had to win a game of football and I couldn't start celebrating until it was ours - that would be tempting fate.

I was looking forward to it, and I was pretty confident that by that afternoon I would be caught singing that awful championie song. I think we were 1/7 on to win the title by now - it wasn't a nailed on certainty, but surely it was as close as you get. Citys Mega Money Galacticos, brimming with new-found confidence - playing like gods own, versus a team of city rejects fighting for their lives managed by Sparky - der.

Keen to get on with it I went down the pub early to watch the Celtic game with a sweaty sock called muff who is a mad hoops fan. Gavin, the bar owner had laid on a cheese fest and a bunch of us were in there to watch the last throws of the season. Muff kept trying to make the celtic game interesting even though rangers had handed them the title some months before.

Watching gorgeous Georgio Samaras play reminded me of times past, we were playing shot football, everyone picking players and buying a round when they score. Muff had also bought in a bottle of Buckfast to try and remind him of his abused youth - at 5-0 it was already getting a bit messy.

The Celtic game finished - Muff added some champagne to the mix and I started to prepare my table and chairs for the Maine event. My confidence of the morning was beginning to disappear and I was getting as nervous as hell. Some of the youngsters, French and English popped in around this time and started to play pinball and pool - pushing my table out of the way so they could get room in for their game. I moved out the way and asked them to finish up before 2.30 so I could watch the build up and game in peace without their distraction and noise.

At 2.30 I asked again if they could make this their last game - at 2.40 one of the young guys from the village told me to fuck off. He is a wiry lad with muscles I can only remember, but I think he was a little shocked at the response - i really hate people telling me to fuck off when I am pissed - anyway, they stopped playing pool.

I moved my table back but I was still ready to pull the arms off little kids. I was so angry - not because of the young lads, but because here I was ready to watch the game of my life - literally, and instead of being full of anticipation I was ready to fight people.

Gavin and Muff calmed me down with a few extra shots and the game kicked off.

After about 15 minutes I had completely forgotten the incident and had just started getting really nervous as their keeper started to look like he was having a blinder - chance after chance went by and my nerves started to kick in big time - we all know if you dominate and dont score the other team nicks it - and probably half a dozen people were there to remind me in case I forgot. Then Mad Zabs missed - I was sure he missed - everyone thought kenny had played another fine save.... but then it went in. I usually go mental but I was rooted to the chair. My confidence returned and I enjoyed half time....

So then it all went tits up - I was speechless when they equalised, I was elated when Joey walked, I was struck dumb when they took the lead.

At about 88 minutes I started to cry. Numb-skulls started taking photos of me crying, but there was no fight in me now. How could this have happened? We had done the hard work, this wasn't the final hurdle, this was a small twig on the road to glory - but somehow we had still managed to trip over it.

Muff - who by now is as drunk as only a scot can get is putting his arm round me - trying to make me drink champagne, and telling me not to worry, we were still going to win it. I really didn't need a happy clapper just then - I told him to piss off. I blubbed some more

Then Dzecko scored - I wasn't really watching the game by then - I wasn't ecstatic it was too late - it was just another cut among the many cuts City have dealt me, someone was having a laugh and making failure even more painful.

I don't know how I found out we had won - I dont think I saw it but Im not sure. I know I stayed seated, I think I just cried a bit more - I watched the pub go mental as if it was a dream - I watched the replays - I just kept crying and crying and crying.

People started hugging me, people started kissing me, people started going mad - I was the only real city fan there - the only one who really cared - but all my mates joined in - even the young lad at the beginning bought me a drink and said sorry!

Then I started to throw myself around a bit - I'm quite a big lad and I don't fly very well

I woke about 4am again - the pain was incredible - broken ribs. Not sure if you have experienced them but you cant get out of bed, roll over, wank, fart etc. Forget coughing, and sneezing is beyond pain - but the smile on my face wouldn't go away.

It still wont go away. I have had quite a bit of bad news since we won - house sale fell through - broke my nose through drinking - but I'm still smiling..... and welling up

I'm still not sure how it feels to win the league, it hasn't settled in yet - maybe it never will - maybe I have protected myself for so long against the heartbreak that I just cant handle it. Whatever - I just don't really know how to feel - perhaps its like a birth, or a death of a loved one - its just not an emotion I can slot into an emotion slot.

The last day of the season really was unbelievable and perhaps that's the problem

If you got this far - well done - writing it down was a great experience

[Chinners]

Bloody hell thats a weird way to finish the final day. Some of us went to the final game whilst others watched it on telly in pubs or round mates house .... you went to a hen spa party? It's a bizzare world you live in fella.

[Sister of fu]

I dont think i paid enough attention to it all. I cant for the life of me really recall what i did when we scored. I know I missed Edin's goal as I was sat down crying. I think when we scored the 3rd Lee jumped on me and i hugged and touched lots of people around me, i just dont have a clear memory. I hadnt even had a drink. Does anyone else feel like that? I think the stress of it really did take its toil and i dont just mean that game I mean the last bloody 4 weeks of the season. I must have been hell to be around.

[failsworthblue]

I had another dream again last night and we got beat again!

I remember looking at my best mate at 2-1 and he looked as i felt, "broken"

The rest is a bit of a blur , I actually felt worse at 2-2 , but then the next thing in front of us was Sergio and he cracked it in.

I cannot explain the feeling, the emotion was to much.

I doubt that I will ever experience anything else like that again.

[Blue4SureSince1954]

<null>

Thanks Patrick. Here's my day.
Slept well. Woke early. Not a care in the world. Then it hit me. Today's the day we win it or throw it away! This thought started the nerves off. I busied myself with my usual Weekend tasks, helping the good lady do a bit of housework, then some gardening. Every now and then my thoughts would turn to the match and the nervous feelings in the stomach would return. Anyway, between 1pm - 2pm each Saturday & Sunday I go to pick up the Mother-in-Law (Nora). She spends 5 or 6 hours with us, has dinner and then I drop her off back home. What's his mother-in-law got to do with it you may ask. Well, for my May 13th day she has a lot to do with it. The first thing she said to me when I arrived at her house that afternoon was "Have you got your lucky shirt on". "Yes! I've got it on". The lucky shirt is a tee shirt I bought at the City Store. On the front it reads Man City 1894. I've wore this shirt every match day since my Red and Black striped team shirt let me down, big style, in the Community Shield match against our noisy and bitter neighbours. Once back at our house Nora and my other half Denise have a mother daughter catch up chat. Not sure what they find to 'Catch Up' on. They phone each other about ten times a day. Anyway, while they are having their chat I prepare my seating arrangement for the match. This is in the form of a bean bag placed in front of the TV with enough room for them to get passed me without walking in front of the TV. Nerves are bad now. The teams come out and the game starts. Pressure, pressure, pressure from City but no goal. Am I not liking this! Then a goal from Zabba. "Come on"!!!!!! We get to half time 1 - 0 that will do. We will score three or four more goals in the second half and that will be it. So it's a cup of tea and a few minutes explaining to Nora the different scenarios that could take place depending on the result of this game and the one at Sunderland. At this point I think I should make it known that if anything Nora is a manure fan. Only because both her sons are and so are their kids. However, she had a husband who died that was a Blue so has a certain empathy for City. So, the second half kicks off. More pressure but no goal. Getting very nervous now. A goal from QPR now and its gone! NO! NO! NO! A sinking feeling comes over me and I start pacing the lounge and hallway. To this day I don't know if it was before or after the second goal that Tommy Tosspot flipped his lid and got sent off. That just made them defend harder. By now we've lost the game and I've been to work and been laughed at by all the manure fans. I sit back down, I'm in a daze now, x number of minutes go by and bang, a bullet through the heart. We're dead for sure. And yes I did think typical City! It's at this point, as I'm pacing around again, that Nora starts to weave her magic. "Come and sit down" she says. "You don't understand". "We're finished". More pressure still no goal. Feeling sick now and pacing again. More pressure still no goal. Denise has gone in the kitchen by now to get away from it all. "Come and sit down". "Nora you don't understand, we need to score two goals and the way we're playing we've no chance". "Look, miracles happen and you've got your lucky shirt on remember". Boom! 2 - 2. "Told you" "No Nora, you don't understand one isn't enough and we're already playing injury time". "miracles happen and you've got you're lucky shirt on". And then Martyn Tyler screams Aguerooooooooooooooooo! and I go mental. No more pacing. Oh no! I'm running, I'm screaming, I'm shouting, I'm a kid again and I'm loving it.

When I float back down to earth I hear "I told you miracles happen". "Yes" you did Nora. And yes they do!


I would like to dedicate this post to my late grandad John, Nora's late husband Alf, and not forgetting Youngy, Doyley, Joe and Malcolm all true blues.

[branny]

I've supported City since 1975 and in all honesty was just looking for them to build on the previous season. What unfolded blew me away.

I was in Lanzarote for the Community Shield with 12 other family members. My Father in law is a blue, my 2 brothers in law are reds. We watched in a pub and I remember at half time, standing over the urinal saying "please don't f**k this up". After the 2nd half "lesson" they gave us I begrudgingly said "well done". We've been here before.

I was back home for the 1st game. 4-0 v Swansea at home. Nowt to get carried away about. By the time the 5th went in against Spurs I had reached the first of many highs that this season would bring.

The 6-1 was watched with 3 mates. 2 brothers who are reds and another mate who is a blue. Over the years i've seen us blow so many winning positions in derbies that I very rarely enjoy them until the 2nd viewing, even Fletchers goal made me uncomfortable and what followed had problems sinking in. The 2 reds laughed it off as a bad day at the office. The banter with them continued throughout the season.

We got to January and I expected our neighbours to start dropping points. It never happened. The first doubts crept in when we lost at Swansea. I remember our lethargic start and the wake up call of the penalty. We didn't wake up though and the texts from rags started to get more confident.

I was at Cbeebies with my daughter the day we played Arsenal and managed to avoid hearing the score. I watched it when I got in. I turned my phone on after it and the texts were now at fever pitch. The number 20 seemed quite prominent.

I went to visit my other brother in law in Brisbane for the run in. He and his youngest son and daughter are reds. His other son is a Liverpool fan (something which nobody understands). I watched us beat Wolves and sat down with them to watch another nail being firmly driven in against Everton, a team with an abysmal record at the swamp. 1-0. Leaped off the sofa with lots of fist pumping. Didn't last long. 1-3, 2-4. F**k! 3-4 B*****ds! A 4th. Unbridalled joy. This is it. We can't f**k it up now.

I'd got in touch with Dazby before I left the UK to ask where to watch the derby. Got up at 4am and went to the Pig n Whistle in Brisbane. Was expecting to be pissed by dinnertime however no licence for booze so was back at in laws for 9am. Got to meet Dazby at Ht and had a quick chat so it was worth the trip. Again, too tense to enjoy so watched it again later. Had various arguments with my nephew about how much more in control we were however his main response was "you only had 3 shots on target".

Was in Sydney visiting another red mate for the Newcastle game. I'm usually quite animated and spouting colourful language during games but as his 4 and 7 year olds were in bed I had to keep a lid on it. Toure scored. Couldn't help it. "YYYYEEEESSSSS". Mate just sat looking pissed off on the sofa. I was much quieter when the 2nd went in.

We flew back on the 11th in time for the last weekend. No sleep for 40 hours though. Can't kip on planes.

13th May 2012.

Up early. Had breakfast. Still knackered. Posted on here "Don't put us through the ringer, let's have it won by HT". Like that was going to happen. Went to pub at 2. Mainly a red pub and pretty empty at that point. My Wife who's has a passing interest as a blue but has nagged all season that "I care more about football than anything" decides to tag along. I meet 2 mates (1 red, 1 blue) and one of the wifes mates shows up as well. The pub has 2 screens up. The main one showing U*d with commentary and the smaller one showing us without commentary. Another blue walks in so out of the whole room, that makes 5 of us.

Shit! Rooney scores. The whole pub then starts watching our screen. Zabba scores and my confidence grows. Some scrawny Shaggy lookalike starts making comments about Yaya Toures colour as he goes off. My mate has a word and he shuts up.

HT. Confident. 2 points dropped at home all season. 1-0 up. What could possibly go wrong?

2nd half. Cisse scores. Can't believe what I'm seeing. Barton off, strawclutching cries for Tevez to go as well. WTF? Mackie scores 2nd and lots of people start dancing around in front of our screen. As the game wears on there's no shitting it, nopanic just an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. Dzeko scores. We jump up. The rest of the pub doesn't even notice. They're too busy celebrating winning the title. AAAAGGGGUUUUUUEEEEERRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOO!. 5 of us just erupt. Bouncing up and down. Hugging. Just pure ecstasy. The pub is quiet apart from the screams of 5 City fans. Within minutes it's emptying. Some just slip away, others shake our hands and offer congratulations.

We stayed for another hour then made our way to my Mother in laws. I was falling asleep at the table eating. I was out on my feet. Jet lag and alcohol had taken it's toll and I was now out of adrenalin too. Was packed off to bed.

Woke up Monday with a very sore throat. Went to the parade. The atmosphere in the Moon under the water was fantastic. Had a great noght. Wife and her friend met Mancini in a restaurant and had a photo with him.She then broke a bone in her foot and has to spend weeks on her arse so the pleasure-pain balanceof the universe is well and truly being restored.

I'm looking forward to watching it all again though on the 11th.

[john68]

One the great losses City have had over the years was the loss of Brother as a sponsor. Having that logo somehow sums us up. I would have gone further, I would have brought out a line of shirts with Dad, Mum, sister, son....Granddad etc. FAMILY is the word that defines us and brings us together. One huge multi-global, sky blue family, brought together, not by blood but by emotion The love of City, linked by pain, heartache and sometimes even anger at our failures and disappointments.......and now finally joined by the sheer unbridled joy of the last few weeks.

Whenever I meet strangers who are City fans or just see someone wearing the blue shirt, I know they have felt those same things I have, at the same time I have, the same pain, the same suffering and now we have cried the same tears of utter joy.

It is unimportant where i was physically or what I did. What will remain, always, is not only what I felt but how what I felt was replicated all over the World by people I had never met. I/we belong to one huge City FAMILY...God Bless Us.

[DoomMerchant]

One the great losses City have had over the years was the loss of Brother as a sponsor. Having that logo somehow sums us up. I would have gone further, I would have brought out a line of shirts with Dad, Mum, sister, son....Granddad etc. FAMILY is the word that defines us and brings us together. One huge multi-global, sky blue family, brought together, not by blood but by emotion The love of City, linked by pain, heartache and sometimes even anger at our failures and disappointments.......and now finally joined by the sheer unbridled joy of the last few weeks.

Whenever I meet strangers who are City fans or just see someone wearing the blue shirt, I know they have felt those same things I have, at the same time I have, the same pain, the same suffering and now we have cried the same tears of utter joy.

It is unimportant where i was physically or what I did. What will remain, always, is not only what I felt but how what I felt was replicated all over the World by people I had never met. I/we belong to one huge City FAMILY...God Bless Us.

really longwinded way to say you didn't watch the match gramps.

cheers

[indigo]

got up
went to match
drank modestly
got depressed
got elated
walked home
ate food with significant vegetable component
did not break ribs or nose
did not bleed from the arse

[mr_nool]

got up
went to match
drank modestly
got depressed
got elated
walked home
ate food with significant vegetable component
did not break ribs or nose
did not bleed from the arse

Good post!

[Patrick]

got up
went to match
drank modestly
got depressed
got elated
walked home
ate food with significant vegetable component
did not break ribs or nose
did not bleed from the arse

Good post!

My smug brother - but he gave me the tickets to the derby - so actually my lovely brother

[mr_nool]

got up
went to match
drank modestly
got depressed
got elated
walked home
ate food with significant vegetable component
did not break ribs or nose
did not bleed from the arse

Good post!

My smug brother - but he gave me the tickets to the derby - so actually my lovely brother

I'll try not to hold it against him.