Why You Support City

[nottsblue]

Started following City in about 80/81. My best pal at school back then was a City fan and I liked the blue shirt. Odd how a number of us who have said that about the shirt colour mattering when you’re a nipper! My old man and uncle were both big Utd fans but from about 78/79 through to 81 my dad spent a lot of time working away in Poland for Laings so he never took me to the swamp. Had he have done so then it might have been a different story. Once I went to Maine Road for the first time in 83 for my birthday that was it. I was hooked. He tried taking me to the swamp afterwards in a bid to get me to change allegiance, but I was having none of it.

Going to school in Macc in the mid 80s there were about 5 City fans in the whole year. Majority were rags and dippers, if anything the dippers outnumbered the rags. Tough days but if anything, being the underdog is what supporting City used to be about back then and I guess it’s why a lot of us middle age and older fellas still have bouts of Cityitis!

[Kippax Sean]

85/86 St.Bonifaces primary school lower broughton, big row broke out and you had to declare city or utd. City! Seven siblings and 4 blues 4 reds, one of those families.87 first time I stood on the kippax, magical. Followed City home and away up until 99 when I moved to Ireland. Brought my wife and daughter to their first game in 2005 and get over at least once a year ever since, now with four Junior blues. Love City.

[zuricity]

Born in Hulme to a family of Rags, Went to both the swamp and Maine Rd tbh.

Was that normal back then? As my father in law said he used to go and watch City (more than he did the rags) when he was a kid but is now a die hard rag.

Jib in both was easy, i was 9/10/11 yrs old Mase, living in central M/cr normal for me and many others. Growing up in Hulme it was ow't for now't TBH. A mate of mine denies it but he was with us.

Can back you up being from Hulme too. Perfectly normal to have Rag mates playing footy at school, or the two Boys clubs ( Loxford and Proctors). Even playing for Mercer Celtic, a mixture of both ( with the occasional Perv Senrab luvvie). More rag mates than City fans at that time where i lived. Glory hunters then too....

If City reserves had no game on , i might go to the dump to watch Georgie with mates - he was good, have to say.

First game was a cup game Bury away . Jimmy Murray wearing telephone directories.

My old man used to play for Mercer Celtic....

I was born in Jersey in 1980 - didn't get a choice of club as my dad was a die hard blue.

Used to get to Maine Road whenever we came over to visit my Grandparents so saw at least 2/3 games a season from 1989 onwards.

I moved to Manchester in 2005 and have had a season ticket since the Sven season.

I was the same at School - no local team in Jersey so apart from one Southampton fan (and my brothers) most were glory hunting Liverpool and United fans - would love to go back in time and tell 13 year old me all the abuse will be worth in one day!

My Dad said , "Son you'll do the right thing, we're blue".

Never ever a question about it, even when surrounded by mates at school that were Rags . You just do.

Re : Mercer Celtic, moved on at 15 to the Lancs Amateur League, played with both sons of Jimmy Murphy ( both really great guys and Footballers - but still Red), great banter , good times , even if there was some serious stuff going on with hooliganism. Kippax being shelled with glass from broken bottles coming off the roof , Sometimes quite wild .

I'll never forget how it all went bad when we played Fenerbaçhe at home. What a shock !

[Mase]

85/86 St.Bonifaces primary school lower broughton, big row broke out and you had to declare city or utd. City! Seven siblings and 4 blues 4 reds, one of those families.87 first time I stood on the kippax, magical. Followed City home and away up until 99 when I moved to Ireland. Brought my wife and daughter to their first game in 2005 and get over at least once a year ever since, now with four Junior blues. Love City.

Jesus, Lower Broughton! Remind me to not argue with you if it kicks off on here

[Kippax Sean]

85/86 St.Bonifaces primary school lower broughton, big row broke out and you had to declare city or utd. City! Seven siblings and 4 blues 4 reds, one of those families.87 first time I stood on the kippax, magical. Followed City home and away up until 99 when I moved to Ireland. Brought my wife and daughter to their first game in 2005 and get over at least once a year ever since, now with four Junior blues. Love City.

Jesus, Lower Broughton! Remind me to not argue with you if it kicks off on here

Watch out or I might hit you with a . followed by a , lol.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

I grew up in Moss Side but I'm a blue because my big brother was (I still meet him before games). He took me to my first game (3-3 versus the scum in 1971) and I've been going ever since. My dad took me to most games (nice of him as he's a rag (being Irish)) until the 4-0 against the rags in 1975 when Colin Bell got his serious injury. That was the last game he took me to due to the arseholes pissing down on everyone from on top of the outer wall at the back of the Kippax. Went solely with my mates from that game on. Never regretted it (not even under Pearce, the utter cunt).

[Mase]

85/86 St.Bonifaces primary school lower broughton, big row broke out and you had to declare city or utd. City! Seven siblings and 4 blues 4 reds, one of those families.87 first time I stood on the kippax, magical. Followed City home and away up until 99 when I moved to Ireland. Brought my wife and daughter to their first game in 2005 and get over at least once a year ever since, now with four Junior blues. Love City.

Jesus, Lower Broughton! Remind me to not argue with you if it kicks off on here

Watch out or I might hit you with a . followed by a , lol.

Haha

[Blue In Bolton]

Born in Bolton in the early 70s and moved down South in the mid 70s to be surrounded by Gooners, Spurs and your typical United/ Scouser "never been North of Watford" fans. Earliest memory of watching a match having never previously been interested in football was the 1980 Cup Final between West Ham & Arsenal and decided to watch the following year's Cup Final between us & Spurs. After the injustice of the result of the 2nd match that was me sold on a life of tremendous disappointments throughout the 80s with brief periods where I thought that we would at least challenge under Judas Kendall (before he went back to Everton) and even worse in the mid 90s with almost suicidal moments with trying to build a team around Kinkladze with jokers like Gerry Creaney, Jamie Pollock and Nigel Clough.

As I could never support a southern based local team and my Mother was born in Withington Hospital I suppose there was only ever one choice and I have never regretted choosing God's own for one moment. CTID!!

[johnny crossan]

We lived in Stockport, my brothers - ten years older than me - used to go to whichever of City or United were at home and took me to both from aged about 8. They were rags so I naturally tried to balance things out. 1956 was my first game I think.

[Paul68]

1968
As my brother was a rag I kinda followed them too, (I was only 9 and he was 18 so I did as I was told)
Then the old man who worked on the railways, and could always get tickets for games all over the country, took me and brother to the swamp and this team in blue battered them 3-1 - this was in the days of Stepney, Best, Charlton, Law, Stiles - so not a bad team.... and I was fucking astounded that a team could do that to Utd, and on their patch too.... Franny Lee scored... Always liked Franny.... Brother tried his best to say we'd fluked it ... bad decisions - offside etc etc.... But I was turning blue by the end of the game...
Later Dad took me to Maine Road... think it was Everton... which again we won.... and you know the feeling, It must be Maine Road, no other ground grabs you and gets it hooks in quite like it... and I was Blue.
Been with the fuckers through thin and thinner and still love them like nothing else. Always will. Get the right fucking hump when we lose. Kids are Blue, Dog and Cat are Blue. I don't even have any red clothing.... Live down Sarf surrounded by rags/Gooners/Yids/Chelsea but always proud to wear City Blue!

[RodneyRodney]

Raised in Chorlton, about 3km from Maine Rd. Started my footballing life as a r*d supporting Best,Law,Charlton,etc. Sat next to Eric Westwood Jr. at Chorlton Pk. Juniors .

A mate dragged me along to Maine Rd. Sept '77, City 2 Bristol C 0 . Gow played for Bristol. 80p admission. Gradually transformed from a r*d to an increasingly fanatical blue over the next few years, still (like a few others on here) visiting the Temple of Doom occasionally - as a "neutral observer" - when they had attractive opposition visiting , (a 0-4 pantsdown by Cloughie's Forrest being particularly memorable).
Totally irreversible diehard Blue since around about '85 - the promotion season & the 5-1 v Charlton.

Memories :
4-1 v Standard Liege, when Barnes scored/made 3 goals in the last 5 mins .
3-0 v AC Milan (Gianni Rivera's last game).
10-1,5-1 obviously.
Bobby Mac in nets (can't remember who against).
Lakey swallowing his tongue.
Away to Oxford, we sang "Only one Salman Rushdie", when the ref., a Mr. A.Q. Buksh, wouldn't give us anything.
Winning the Alex Williams benefit Triv Quiz with a team called "Swales Must Go".
Jumping about 10' in the air and screaming "That's a f* penalty you blind twat!" when Hansen booted Stewart in the FA Cup quarter.
Getting spanked by Derby 6-0 (M. Wright hatrick).
Countless post match pints / curries in Rusholme.
Coventry City in all BROWN(wtf?).
Helen the bell.

Left Britain in 1990 , never been back. Still watch City as often as possible ; available online here in Oz. Raising my fine son to be a worthy member of the true Blue crew.

WHY do I support City ? Some questions don't need an answer.

[Wonderwall]

Loving these posts, great thtead

[patrickblue]

Mine's easy, and very similar to a lot of others.
Most of the kids at school were rags, and I'm just perverse.
Joe and big Mal timed it just right for me.

[Elvistheblue]

My Dad was a blue, so I guess I didn't have much choice in who I supported. I know I didn't give my son much choice, straight out the hatch and into a city shirt and all that. Not that I'm complaining, not now anyway, although there have probably been a few grumbles along the way.

I wish I could remember my first game more, I'm sure it was against Norwich in 80/81, and John Bond was City manager, not Norwich manager. I would have been about 7 or 8 at the time.

My Dad didn't take me too often. I could see the floodlights above the tress from where I used to live in Rusholme, while listening to the match on the radio, wishing I was there.

I was 16/17 until I started going a little more regular, and it was at this point that it became an addiction to me. The sights, the sounds, the smells all made the experience utterly addictive, and I couldn't bear it when I couldn't get to a game. Once I got my first Season ticket for the 89/90 season, that was it....I've missed about 3 home games since then, in all comps. No matter who we play, what division, what competition, I just have to be there.

[Socrates]

My dad was brought up in Whalley Range close to Moss side , he was blue through and through and could walk to Maine Road before he married my mam.

Did she render him unable to walk? Sorry, couldn't resist

[bobbyspater]

Not far short of 60 years since my first City game - 18th October 1958 - still got the programme and remember it clear as day. City v Portsmouth - Trautman, Leivers, Sear etc, crowd I guess of 30,000 or so - 3-2 to City, but it wasn't just the result that had me hooked for a lifetime as much as something about the atmosphere - a dank, muggy autumn day, standing at the scoreboard end you could smell the mud, Beswick Prize Band marching up and down before the start, the trolleys serving tea and pies, craning my neck to see the halftime scoreboard at the back of the terrace, the constant flashes of light from the main stand as the smokers lit up - even though this was a top flight game there was still some affinity with the only football I had watched previously - Cheshire League at the Silverlands in Buxton. Hundreds of City (and Buxton) games later I wouldn't have had it any other way and having lived in the Manchester area for most of my adult life I can honestly say that most of the City fans I know are very decent people, who have taken the heartaches and triumphs with great equanimity, whereas I can never work out whether those who those who support the other lot are tw*ts because they support United or support United because they're tw*ts!

[City64]

My dad was brought up in Whalley Range close to Moss side , he was blue through and through and could walk to Maine Road before he married my mam.

Did she render him unable to walk? Sorry, couldn't resist

Ha, bit too far to walk from Urmston side of Stretford to Maine Rd but they used to put match special buses on back in the day absolute quality! Can’t even get a train from Wigan the last few months , progress eh ???

[carl_feedthegoat]

My dad was brought up in Whalley Range close to Moss side , he was blue through and through and could walk to Maine Road before he married my mam.

Did she render him unable to walk? Sorry, couldn't resist

Ha, bit too far to walk from Urmston side of Stretford to Maine Rd but they used to put match special buses on back in the day absolute quality! Can’t even get a train from Wigan the last few months , progress eh ???

Noone whinges more than you about transport !! Get a fuxking ubber or taxi you tight arse !

I lived in Romily , posh part of the world and we went to main road in a Mercedes.

[BlueinBosnia]

Everyone in my school when I was kid support the rags so if ever I was asked I said I supported them and followed the sheep. My dad's always been a City fan cause of his dad and luckily he got me just at the right time and took me to City Vs Liverpool when I was 8.

Near identical to this. Everyone in my school was either Rags or Liverpool, with 1 Blackburn fan a couple of years below me (before they won the league) and a 2 or 3 Oxford fans dotted through the years, because their older brothers had been picked up by their scouting network. Working it out from memories, I was City by the time of my 10th birthday, and a Rag the summer holidays after I turned 8, but I can't think of any particular event or point of time between the two that made me switch, and doubt I could narrow it down any more than that.

[Mase]

I genuinely thought I'd be the only one that admitted to "supporting" the rags when first introduced to football - I was going to lie and say I'd been City since coming out of the womb