Barry Thompson

Why Blue?

As a new recruit to MCIVTA I would just like to say, as first impressions go the newsletter’s brilliant – keep up the good work and here’s a short story of why I’m a Blue.

It all started when I was about 6 and had just moved from Ripon up to Hexham in Northumberland. My father had just retired as a jockey and it was my first day at school; at break time all the kids were playing FA Cup singles (remember that, everybody picks a team and it’s everyone for themselves), and since I was the ‘new kid’ everybody had first choice of the teams, so all the good ones had gone: Newcastle, Liverpool, Spurs etc. so one of the older kids said I should be Man City as they were naff.

Not thinking much of it that weekend, I was watching the football results and Man City were playing Liverpool away; I think they won 1-0 and to this day I still don’t know who scored but after begging my old man to let me stay up and watch MotD I think Joe Corrigan was hit by a coin and that is my only memory of the game.

A couple of years later, my support now cemented, my father took me to my first game against Newcastle United thinking that I would join him as a ‘TOON’ fan. City got stuffed 5-0 by Keegan and Co; that made me even more determined to stay Blue, much to the disgust of my old man.

All through school and even today at work I still get loads of flack, but generally good natured. Respect comes from the true football fans up here who haven’t jumped on the bandwagons of Newcastle and Sunderland, but as there are loads of ex-Rags who are now Mags it will be interesting to see how long they stick with Newcastle and as one true Mag friend says: “at least when City come good City fans will not have the stigma of being called a Glory Seeker.”

And that’s why I am and always will be Blue.

P.S. David Johnson in MCIVTA says he can’t think of another decent right back in the whole of England – how about Steve Watson at Newcastle, big, strong, fast and can cross a ball and is not afraid to get stuck in. Does anybody remember when City tried to sign him for