Elaine Harrison

Why Blue?

My 1st recollection of City is that Tommy Booth’s fiancee Janice lived across the road from us in Langley and my older brother (a big Blue) used to point him out to me again and again. My mam’s brothers were City fanatics and had enticed my brother into the ranks. My dad was one of those strange people who in the 40’s and 50’s went to Maine Road one week and the Swamp the next week, but just to spite my uncles he said he was now a Red (I never got on with him!). This was all when I was 8 and being a girl I wasn’t too impressed with football in those days. When my friend Julie and I were 13 we started to like watching Match of the Day but not so much for the football as the footballers (Allan Sniffer Clarke… I was in love)! Then we really got interested in the football and wanted to go to a match. Who should we go and see? City or United? We decided on City as Julie’s brother in-law was one of our favourite people at the time and he was also a City fanatic.

What a match to pick though… Plymouth Argyle, League cup semi-final 2nd leg, City having drawn the 1st 1-1. We went round to the Kippax and were overwhelmed by the crowd and queues that we saw, we didn’t know what to do; luckily a guy at the front of the queue recognized us for a pair of novices and pulled us in front of him saying “get in here girls”. We got in the ground and nothing could have prepared me for the sight of the ground from the top of the Kippax… breathtaking! I was hooked there and then and Julie felt the same way, what an atmosphere, there has been no other love since! The first few years were brilliant, winning the League Cup (no-one can take that experience away from me), finishing second in the League, fantastic. I remember us beating Leicester City 5-0 when Kidd got 4 and being thrilled watching us on match of the day (after watching from the stands earlier), Barry Davies commented “People watching this abroad must be thinking if this is your second placed side how good must your first placed side be?”.

I remember the 1979 Cup final; me my 2 brothers were supporting Arsenal and my dad of course United. When they equalized he was crowing and when Sunderland scored in the last minute we were all tormenting him. Of course the last 20 years have ground us all down, but I am still proud to be a City fan, it’s Julie and my 25th season ticket this year. I wish sometime I hadn’t broadcast the fact that I’m a Blue so loud to so many people as the stick I take is unmerciful sometimes! I made sure my three younger brothers, nephews etc. are all City fans and two of my younger brothers are season ticket holders.

I like so many others love this club and as it has been torn apart so have I, but I will never give them up… Keep the faith.

C.T.I.D.O.F.T.T.M. (City ’til I die or fly to the moon)

First printed in: MCIVTA Newsletter #459 on