Malcolm Plaiter

Why Blue?

Early sixties when about 6 or 7 I went with my dad, sitting on his pushbike crossbar – cars only something you dreamed about then. I can’t remember much about the game, except when I wanted the loo I was passed a rolled up copy of the Mirror which puzzled me for a while. Until recently the stadium facilities weren’t upto much anyway. The game could’ve been against Tottenham, and Denis Law may have scored 6 or 4 goals. If anyone can remember then please help.

They were heady days with my dad going to Old Trafford (cricket!) in the summer and Maine Road when the occasion permitted. Soon after we went to live abroad and had a break of 4 years living away, but the seed had been sown and Galatasaray may have been my favourite team for a while (and recently again too!) but City were never forgotten.

Blokes going home for holidays used to bring the Pink and The Chronicle so that was a real treat.

On return I used to get free tickets for the reserves games at home distributed at my school (St. John’s, Chorlton); not many takers as City were in the second division, but it made me happy. Do they still do that I wonder? With the prohibitive pricing these days I feel the fans of the future are not being cultivated.

Anyway, after a year we moved to Nottingham which was devastating, but my dad’s interest was revived by my growing older and being an excuse to go to games and City’s promotion year in the mid-sixties. Countless coach trips over the Pennines, more than 3 hours stopping at every town (loo stop at Buxton), didn’t put us off and the excitement mounted when we got to Stockport. I used to count the Blues scarves from Disley onwards.

By the time I was 14 I was making the journey on my own, dad working away had to do his duty at home at the weekends.

The championship and successful years will never be forgotten, but the real memories and the ones which keep me a Blue are the carefree way the game of football was then played with Joe and Mal at the forefront but plenty of contributors elsewhere (Chelsea, particularly). The game was full of characters then and my team had the most and best of them. A pity that U****d seemed to think they had a right to win everything, and couldn’t join in the fun – or am I prejudiced? I remember my best mate telling me after we stuffed them 4-0 at the Academy that if it hadn’t been for the four goals they would have won! He too was being serious. He was being too serious.

We’ve been up and down which makes for interesting life. You are always kept guessing by City and the heart often suffers.

My wife’s a good ‘un. I’ve worked away a lot, have kept up my season ticket even when I am away and have for the last few years been a regular, with my dad, son and daughter travelling from Nottingham to enjoy pleasure or endure pain every other Saturday.

I hate Sky for their Monday night games as I can seldom get to them and I’ve already paid for my season ticket, so thankfully it’s not too often – No! one game is too often.

Of course it costs me a fortune in replica kits for the kids, but it is paying off. There is no suggestion that they want to watch Forest or U****d, and it’s good to see the sky blue being worn around the town by them and at the local team (Toton Young Football Club) training sessions. They are growing up with the right attitude and can put up with the p*ss being taken out of them. At least a defeat is not the end of the world for us as it is for the Reds (either one).

So really I am blue-blooded, my dad was and my kids are. We all look forward to that one day of pleasure when we win something and can all be there together to see it. Before we die. It’s O.K. for me – I’ve done Wembley etc. But when will today’s supporters know the ecstasy which must surely follow the agony?

I hope Franny does more than turn the ground into one big restaurant, and if success comes please give us a stadium we can be proud of, not just a collection of 4 stands each harking back to days either of former glory (North and Main stands) or current failure (Umbro and Kippax). Doesn’t the look of the ground reflect the mixed up management?

My daughter is on the mailing list. She saw her first match when she was six and is now twelve. I think she is a Why Blue of the future, are there any others out there? Marc is ten and would rather play so it’s a struggle to get him to go.

I’ve rambled a bit but that’s in keeping with the way City are.

First printed in: MCIVTA Newsletter #109 on