S. Carr

Why Blue?

I’m 23 years old and Blue through and through! Like the majority of City fans I’m actually from Manchester, unlike the supporters of Trafford Rangers! I started supporting City in 1987 and have yet to see them win any major trophy, yet as the song goes… I’m City till I die… But why? Why do Blues choose to support City in a time when the Rags are doing so well? This is what most Rags ask. It would be interesting to see what other Blues think, but here’s my answer.

City fans are known for their loyalty and this puzzles Utd fans, they can’t understand why we support City. What does this tell you? It tells you that they can only comprehend supporting a successful team and if that team were to become less successful (or more accurately when!), they would no longer see a reason for supporting them. I love City for the humour and the passion of the supporters, when they sing their hearts out to try and inspire a team that is losing 2-0 in Division 2 with only a few minutes to go. City fans are the most optimistic fans around; if we win the first game of the season then we’re going to win the league! Yet it usually turns out that we get relegated and 30,000 still turn out to watch their beloved City!

I choose to watch City beacuse it’s actually possible to get a ticket, they’re not all taken by Londoners on a glory hunt, which leads nicely to the comparison between the electric atmoshere at City matches and the boring atmosphere of a United match i.e. glory glory Man Utd being the only song they know! I hate the Utd players because of their prima donna attitude, it’s one rule for them and another for other clubs. Do I sound jealous? Wrong, yes I would love for City to sample the success that Utd have enjoyed but not at the cost of the club. I would rather we won nothing than turn City into a greedy plc, where you can’t get a ticket, the players are from another planet (Beckham’s wedding?) and the supporters have such funny accents? The hype the media pump out about United is laughable, they don’t call the ground Old Trafford, it’s the “Theatre of Dreams”. When Giggs scores a goal it’s not a great goal, it’s the best goal ever scored (Arsenal, FA Cup). I have a brother (14 years old) who is also a season ticket holder at Maine Road, yet he is the only City fan in his class. When his mates knock on for him in their United shirts with their usual “City lost again” remark, I ask them how did United do? “Won of course” is their answer, but not one of them has ever been to OT, not one of them has ever been to the Cliff, but more surpisingly, not one of them shows any dissappoinment at this. Do they really understand the true meaning of football? Have they sung their hearts out to inspire their team? Have they bit their nails on the edge of their seat when their team are losing in injury time? Have they hugged and kissed complete strangers when their team clinch promotion? Have they cried when their team got relegated? Have they watched their team get slaughtered and still go to the next match? They haven’t experienced football!

For me City is a football club where the working class fan can go and enjoy the ups and lots of downs of supporting his local side. For me United are the richest and biggest club in the world with supporters from all around the globe, that is why City is Manchester’s team and I’m City till I die!

First printed in: MCIVTA Newsletter #538 on