Ged Parker

Why Blue?

At primary school Miss Addison asked the boys to find out who City’s ‘keeper was, and why was he famous. Well, it was Bert Trautmann of neck-breaking fame. So we all became City fans. But living in red red Flixton, and City doing their usual nosedive to Division 2, everybody, but Johnny Yates and me switched.

Why didn’t I? My dad relented and took me to Maine Road in September 1962, where I watched David Wagstaffe, Peter Dobbing, Dave Bacuzzi and the rest get thrashed 6-0 at home by West Ham (we counted 7), and Bert getting sent off after the third for kicking the ball in the ref’s back!

Hopeless cause? – well the following week my dad took me to Old Trafford where City beat them – the other lot – 3-2, and recently returned Denis Law got booked.

There followed childhood of fear and lonliness, disappointment and ecstasy. Fear from going to secondary school in Salford, and watching the other City fan, Cummins, get his head kicked in every Monday. Loneliness from being the only City fan on the bus until Trafford Bar. Disappointment from Man U winning the Cup and sending City down but ecstasy when Joe and Malcolm arrived, and Johnny, and Tony, and Mike, and Colin, and, and… and glory!

Good days can come again!

P.S. we are close to the 20th anniversay of the start of City decline – the second half at Highfield Road in October 1977? Why was that 45 minutes so critical?

Ged Parker (Washington, Tyne and Wear)
Yes, yes – I did go to the Stadium of Light.

P.S. Suggestion
Why not indicate in the Why Blue index page the year contributors started mainlining the Blues – e.g. my entry:

First printed in: MCIVTA Newsletter #333 on