Andrew Renshaw

Why Blue?

Well my earliest memory of football comes from the 1976 FA Cup final. My older brother declared himself to be a Man Utd. fan (we lived in Darwen,near Blackburn, so yes he was a glory hunter) and I asked who they were playing; he told me Southampton, and me not knowing it was a David vs. Goliath game promptly declared my allegiance to the Saints! Well, what can I say, Bobby Stokes!

Well I found my favourite player to be Mick Channon and when he was transferred to City I decided if they were good enough for him they were good enough for me. Of course he did not stay long, but by then I was not so fickle and have been a Blue ever since. Best player, Wright-Phillips of the current team and of the past players Peter Barnes is a player fondly remembered, along with Paul Power. I also remember people going on about Liverpool and the RAF and Blackburn with the SAS but we had the WAR, Walsh and Rösler, unstoppable on their day.

Best memories, of course the day against Gillingham; I had just arrived on holiday in Cyprus and had promised the family faithfully that I would not watch the game, ’cause they knew if we had lost I would have been down for the entire 2 weeks, but sitting in a restaurant that night and it being shown in the next bar I heard that it was going to penalties and said b**ger it I have to watch! When I saw the score I thought (as you do being a City fan) that we had blew the lead and let them come back at us; how wrong I was and of course it made my holiday so much better. Recently I was at the game against Newcastle, my first in the superb new stadium, and watched them win and basically stave off the threat of relegation. I could not cheer or jump around though as I was in the middle of the Newcastle fans, being invited by my wife’s boss who has a box at St. James’ but oh did I not love it and gloated all the way home!

Things I feel will be so different next season but we have to keep van Buyten as I feel he will be a class defender, and sell Macken or Fowler if we have to do it to buy him.

First printed in: MCIVTA Newsletter #1021 on