City fan' letter in "Radio Times"

[mexico1970]

I agree with you.

And BTW I think the pro Utd and pro Liverpool bias is entirely understandable and predictable. Because of the dominance of those clubs in the 80's and 90's they attracted the support of kids who have grown up to infest every nook and cranny of the media. Of course it is only amplified by years of Utd and Liverpool former players as pundits and commentators.

But it is changing, slowly. I expect we will slowly see this shift as more and more kids grown up supporting City. A CL win or two would cement that even more. But I was in a shop in Corfu the other day and they had 3 footy shirts (only 3) for sale, up on the wall:

Mbappe 7
Ronaldo 7
De Bruyne 17

Doubtless Haaland 9 will bring in a shed load of new supporters as well.

There is more to this though isn't there? Both the rags and the scousers have an overwhelming Irish support base with a smattering of scandinavian thrown in.

Why is the Irish contingent of both teams fan base so heavily represented?

 

[Jazzyblue]

A very high up Manchester rabbi wrote to the MEN when this happened speaking up for Bert. He wrote passionately about how that was just one man and you can't blame him for greater crimes and exhorted every Jewish blue to stick with the team and not punish him or them over it. It certainly worked with plenty of blues, but probably not all. I don't recall any issue with our fam, my dad just continued to love the team! And his dad never batted an eyelid. He had served in the army himself and knew what people had to do in war. We never considered changing. How could we? Blue blood isn't it.

Inspirational, Liz. Puts me in mind of this lovely piece about Vera Cohen, until recently the oldest living Blue.

The incredible life and times of Man City's most loyal fan

From Manchester City's first league title win in the 1930s to Pep Guardiola... she witnessed it all

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

 

[Chippy_boy]

There is more to this though isn't there? Both the rags and the scousers have an overwhelming Irish support base with a smattering of scandinavian thrown in.

Why is the Irish contingent of both teams fan base so heavily represented?

I dunno. Is it random? Like you get a group of kids who randomly support one club and then their mates start supporting same and it mushrooms?

On a smaller basis, how come Stockport is so dominantly blue, whereas parts of Manchester are definitely more red? For example in my school (Marple) there were about 150 boys in my year and like 2 were reds. There was the odd Everton fan and others here and there but easily 100+ were City fans. I didn't know of a solitary Liverpool fan in the entire school.

 

[KS55]

Go on then, I give up...............?

Bell Book and……..(catholic ritual)

 

[nmc]

Perfectly put. Fwiw, I do believe that any company makes a doc about football thinking about viewing figures and there are millions of Liv fans so that is why they got that doc and we're not going to get one.

The constant jibe, particularly on Twitter, is about the size of fanbase. And I am constantly baffled by the idea that I should care about getting millions of tourist fans. I can't tell you how much I don't give a toss about that. All these fans, of Liv and Utd, jibe at how empty our stadium is and how nobody supports us etc. As if this metric should be desirable? As if I should WANT millions of fans. I do not.

I broadly agree - i have no desire for City to win the award for most Twitter followers etc but also I’m conscious that we need to be open to new supporters - back at Maine Road we developed a real siege mentality - for good reason - but we don’t need that now - we are the best team in England and possibly Europe and we should be open and welcoming - you don’t need to come from Moss Side to support City anymore - I’ve seen a few people having a go at ‘tourists’ at games - and I just think it’s wrong - it’s inevitable we will attract new fans as we become more successful and take on a higher profile and we all need to adapt, change and accept… personally I’m absolutely loving City right now and I wouldn’t change the past for anything but I don’t miss Division 3 and the trips to Colchester, Wrexham and of course York! I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d get tired of trudging to Wembley !

 

[Plain Speaking]

Was there any discernible difference in which households received the Radio Times versus the TV Times?

The Radio Times was the more upmarket publication was it not?

When I was a young lad I used to visit this posh boy's house and his parents wouldn't let him watch anything that was on ITV! BBC only for them, poor lad.

 

[Tolmie scores]

I broadly agree - i have no desire for City to win the award for most Twitter followers etc but also I’m conscious that we need to be open to new supporters - back at Maine Road we developed a real siege mentality - for good reason - but we don’t need that now - we are the best team in England and possibly Europe and we should be open and welcoming - you don’t need to come from Moss Side to support City anymore - I’ve seen a few people having a go at ‘tourists’ at games - and I just think it’s wrong - it’s inevitable we will attract new fans as we become more successful and take on a higher profile and we all need to adapt, change and accept… personally I’m absolutely loving City right now and I wouldn’t change the past for anything but I don’t miss Division 3 and the trips to Colchester, Wrexham and of course York! I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d get tired of trudging to Wembley !

Broadly agree as well, whilst you shouldn't HAVE to come from within 5 miles of the old Bradford Colliery! it is much better for the club if the vast majority of match goers are local...hopefully less dashing off 15 mins before the end!! One key point here though is the type of fan that starts supporting City due to our success when they live 3 miles from Ipswich's ground for example...I don't like to see local cubs struggling because their core base is simply attaching themselves to a winning team. It brings with it a characteristic such as arrogance and entitlement...I live in the south now and arguing with cockney reds from both ends of east lancs...is seriously detrimental to your mental health...''BUT you were born next door to Loftus Road, your dad goes FFS'' it really isn't great to have a ground half full of what in all honesty are likely to be glory hunters (I wouldn't abuse them at matches mind).....But where were they when we were getting behind the likes of Mark Lillis! or where were their dads more importantly? Probably supporting their local team which is the the right answer in my opinion....think of the environment for one, I watch Enfield most weeks now, mainly because I can walk with m mates across the park and have a pint on the way home too... of course always City first, your born with that when its a staple part of my families life for generations.

 

[BeerIsTheBest]

Bell Book and……..(catholic ritual)

Roger?

 

[mexico1970]

I dunno. Is it random? Like you get a group of kids who randomly support one club and then their mates start supporting same and it mushrooms?

On a smaller basis, how come Stockport is so dominantly blue, whereas parts of Manchester are definitely more red? For example in my school (Marple) there were about 150 boys in my year and like 2 were reds. There was the odd Everton fan and others here and there but easily 100+ were City fans. I didn't know of a solitary Liverpool fan in the entire school.

I don't really know mate all I can put the Stockport thing down to is the south Manchester thing for City. In the main I genuinely believe that people who invest everything tribally into a club they have no connection to at all are not really fans, they can change their shirts willy nilly I have seen it loads of times, now that isn't to say that people can't be fans that would be ridiculous but to really really feel it you have to have gone to school with a rag or a rag has to go to school with a blue.

Irish people just go to school with rags and bin dippers in reality.

 

[DenisHasDoneIt]

https://www.migrationmuseum.org/tag/alexander-altmann/ Rabbi Altmann wrote in support of Bert! Imagine what it took to do that? It was big, HUGE, that the rabbi did this at the time.

I double-like this Liz. “After such knowledge… what forgiveness!”

That’s the point of museums, and archives of record. So we learn from what we knew, and not forget.