Michael Pollard

Why Blue?

This is my story on how I became a fanatic of Manchester City. It was 77-78 and at the time I was a Liverpool supporter in a sense; let’s just say that they were the team that everyone followed. It was the League Cup semi-final vs. Man City. Despite the fact that Liverpool won over the two legs 2-1, I was fascinated by the strength in depth and elegance portrayed by a team deemed the poor relations of the Manchester revolution. I was hooked and immediately asked my parents for the kit at Christmas. My bedroom wall was soon adorned with the greats of the past, Nijinsky, Summerbee, Francis Lee and others.

Well, 24 years on and I’m still as fanatical as ever; videos, books, autographs, photos, scarves, hats, football shirts and kits collected from as far as the early days. I have been following City at Maine Road since the 1981 FA Cup Final. Despite living in Hull, I always managed to find the money for a trip down the M62 to watch my beloved City. Win, lose or draw it’s a passion that will die with me.

United may have the money and the stars but they will never have real, passionate supporters. It would be interesting to see how quickly their crowds begin to drop during a difficult phase. City have the support and through difficult times it remains constant. Perhaps Division 2 was a low point, perhaps returning to the Premiership was too early, but now we have the team to destroy the First Division and return by 2002. We all hold our heads high and will do so forever.

First printed in: MCIVTA Newsletter #727 on