Foreign Fans

[Tim of the Oak]

Well, I m from Constanta not Bucharest, but I m glad you had a nice time here. Lots of blues visiting Constanta those days.

Thanks rapidCT. Constanta sounds like a good place.

Btw I sorted a ticket for the home game for a great guy who drives the National Exoress bus from Manchester to Bucharest and back. He supports City and Bucharest.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

So I am probably the fan a lot of you don't particularly care for! Anyways, here is my brief story.

I am from the USA, and in Fall of 2011 my then 6 year old son was getting really into soccer. My buddy from UK (United fan btw), told me if you want him to learn how to play pick a good team in Europe to follow and have him watch that team. We decided on EPL due to the language and ease of watching. Now we had to choose a team. I had only ever heard of United. Everyone around me was a United fan, so I didnt want to choose them. I read a preseason guide to the Premier League article on ESPN. It described Man City as a club with some history, hadn't won anything in a long time, but maybe had the best roster in the league and an exciting young striker named Aguero joining. It didnt hurt the colors were the same as the UNC Tarheels, our college team.

I learned as much as I could about the team, the sport, and I was lucky to choose a team at a time they had their most magical season ever. Going through that I was hooked for life. My son and I are attending our first game in Nashville Saturday. Its been a great few years supporting them. Hopefully we can make it to Manchester for a game in the next 2-3 years.

The vast majority of Blues from Manchester will welcome your support. We've had several people from the States joining our Supporters Club on trips to home games. They were serving in the Forces before returning home, when their bases were cut.

As Bill said, lots of people on the Forum will be happy to help with information for any Blues travelling to their first games.

 

[GX Blue]

So I am probably the fan a lot of you don't particularly care for! Anyways, here is my brief story.

I am from the USA, and in Fall of 2011 my then 6 year old son was getting really into soccer. My buddy from UK (United fan btw), told me if you want him to learn how to play pick a good team in Europe to follow and have him watch that team. We decided on EPL due to the language and ease of watching. Now we had to choose a team. I had only ever heard of United. Everyone around me was a United fan, so I didnt want to choose them. I read a preseason guide to the Premier League article on ESPN. It described Man City as a club with some history, hadn't won anything in a long time, but maybe had the best roster in the league and an exciting young striker named Aguero joining. It didnt hurt the colors were the same as the UNC Tarheels, our college team.

I learned as much as I could about the team, the sport, and I was lucky to choose a team at a time they had their most magical season ever. Going through that I was hooked for life. My son and I are attending our first game in Nashville Saturday. Its been a great few years supporting them. Hopefully we can make it to Manchester for a game in the next 2-3 years.

Thats not true mate. You are a blue. Just like everyone else on here. Everyone has their own story and yours was a great read. Hope you and your son enjoy the game Saturday.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Football is still a very niche interest in the US. Only a few hundred thousand people will watch any given EPL game on TV here. I can't think of a current EPL player that would be recognized walking down the street anywhere in the US. I have to constantly explain that no, I don't support Man U, I support a different team that is also from Manchester. When City wins something, there's no glory. I don't even have anyone to tell who would care. But watching City play and win gives me joy. I also support my local MLS club, but the level of football isn't even close. If an English person likes basketball, I can only assume they watch the NBA.

Also, I have never heard NFL fans resent foreign fans or complain about the London away games. The fact that fans around the world are interested in your club should be a source of great pride.

Don't assume. I actually did like basketball as a teenager and played it and used to go and watch Manchester Giants and we had crowds of 11-14000 at the MEN. Yes I watch the NBA but I don't have a team, as I've never lived there and have no emotional or family attachment to any of the cities or local communities.

Also that's very sad if NFL fans don't mind losing games to another country. The day the Prem follows this trend is the day English football dies for good!

 

[Sir peace frog]

So I am probably the fan a lot of you don't particularly care for! Anyways, here is my brief story.

I am from the USA, and in Fall of 2011 my then 6 year old son was getting really into soccer. My buddy from UK (United fan btw), told me if you want him to learn how to play pick a good team in Europe to follow and have him watch that team. We decided on EPL due to the language and ease of watching. Now we had to choose a team. I had only ever heard of United. Everyone around me was a United fan, so I didnt want to choose them. I read a preseason guide to the Premier League article on ESPN. It described Man City as a club with some history, hadn't won anything in a long time, but maybe had the best roster in the league and an exciting young striker named Aguero joining. It didnt hurt the colors were the same as the UNC Tarheels, our college team.

I learned as much as I could about the team, the sport, and I was lucky to choose a team at a time they had their most magical season ever. Going through that I was hooked for life. My son and I are attending our first game in Nashville Saturday. Its been a great few years supporting US. Hopefully we can make it to Manchester for a game in the next 2-3 years.

YOU didn't choose city, city chose you :)

 

[DruntBlunt]

I have a similar story to the other Scandinavian blues on here. Growing up in the 60-70’s we were served English matches on telly every Saturday and every kid had to choose his team. Preferably one that no one else had. Of course the lemmings all had Leeds or rags and later on Liverpool but my closest friends had Wolves, Ipswich, Stoke, Spurs and Newcastle. For a while I had Oldham but they were never shown and when my brother chose to be a rag there was but one option for me – it had to be City. (Still keep an eye on Latics though ;-)) I joined the Norwegian Supporters Club and had my first trip to Maine Road some time shortly after the League Cup win in 76. Can’t remember what match but it ended 0-0. But I got to drink beer in public for the first time :-)

I did follow a Norwegian team later also but my football heart was forever rooted in England. The local team where I lived played in 7th division and we kids just hated them for claiming the only grass pitch around. We had to play on gravel.

Hope I can afford a trip over this season, last time was vs Chelsea in the cup a couple of years ago. Stood near the corner flag close to the away stand and shouted abuse at Moaninho for two hours. Epic :-)

 

[ob]

Just renewed my Cityzens card this week, that's 39th season been going (had season ticket for while but had to give it up due to unable to afford it).

From Coleraine Northern Ireland, supported City as watched them on TV winning stuff in late 60s and early 70s, spent my first weeks wages (£15) attending my first game aged 16 in 1978

 

[Man_City_Loyal]

having this debate on twitter over preseason abroad.

I am happy that we have fans over the world, but i would love to have our local preseason games back.

The sports getting Americanized so much, and it annoys me that people living abroad can watch a 3pm kick off legally after i have struggled to get a match ticket.

 

[Passittogordon]

Not sure if I count but half my family is from Manchester and half from Scotland. My great grandad was a goalkeeper for Manchester City before the first world war, I was born in Oban but lived in Blackley since I was 5 and watching City at Maine Road since then too. Do I count as a foreign fan?

 

[Deleted member 77198]

having this debate on twitter over preseason abroad.

I am happy that we have fans over the world, but i would love to have our local preseason games back.

The sports getting Americanized so much, and it annoys me that people living abroad can watch a 3pm kick off legally after i have struggled to get a match ticket.

Hear hear.

The Premier League is getting too AmericaniSed and I really don't like it at all. Or should it be put that its priorities are lying with the rest of the world rather than its local fans? Not just America, but everywhere else. With mooted 11am kick offs so nobodies on the other side of the world can watch it in their prime time slots on tele, pre-season tours that don't take into account player and team preparation but instead are all about money - all that can fuck right off for me!

I think pre-season should be left to the manager to decide where we play, not the money men. In a meeting with a CEO, DoF and a manager it should go; "hello *coach's name*, what do you think the best preparation for the team should be for pre-season?" and then they follow that to the letter. I doubt managers are even involved in any of these kinds of meetings at Premier League clubs.

I hate the way the sport is going. I'm in a minority in this view, I know, but I feel like if the club could drop the "Manchester" from our club name and we're call us "Cityzens FC" while the Premier League plays all their games on a tour of the world every week because it would generate more money, they'd do it. And loads of other clubs would jump at the chance, not just City.

And with rows of seats at away games, even big away games, where not a single long standing fan is stood and there are fans with half'n'half scarves or even simply scarves of the home team attending heir first ever Premier a League game - the game is on its arse when it comes to its traditional identity.

I'm not just started to get annoyed by it, I'm starting to fucking hate it!