Saddleworth2
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 27 Jan 2014
- Messages
- 21,703
If you look at the History section of this very marvellous fan forum, there is a City timeline which I found quite useful in brushing up on our history. You may be able to pick stuff out of there.My lads have just told me that they are getting grief from “scousers” at school with the usual bullshit: “no history” and “bought success”. They were shocked in the car when I gave them a quick history lesson and told them that city won the Fa cup 60 years before Liverpool and a European trophy before them too. They had never heard of The LIttlewoods family pumping money into the club to “buy” success back in the 60s and 70s.
I’ve seen posts/tweets on here before with these facts in more detail but can’t seem to find one. I seem to remember a Gary James article on that basis. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I want to give my lads a little potted guide to use in future to hit back when some silly arsed 11 year old kid tries to sneer at city. They won’t know what’s hit them.
thanks for any help.
I also have this saved for opportune moments. It was a post on here that I particularly liked and can be customized for other clubs with just a little research.
As for Liverpool - it's important to note that Liverpool's run of success in the 70s and 80s was off the back of major investment from the Moore's family of Littlewood's pools fame. They were a 2nd Division club who invested heavily in the playing squad to kick-start their period of success and then the club was managed very well for the following decade through a series of managers. Similar to City, really.
United went on a spending splurge never before seen in English football after the cash injection of floating on the stock market in the early 90s (equity funding, not commercial revenue) and they broke the British transfer record 3 times in 5 years before Fergurson had won the league. In fact, in 1989, Fergurson took charge of the most expensive team ever assembled in the history of football, this 4 years in to the job and before he'd even won a trophy, remember.
Leeds were a similar sized club to City pre-2008. Leeds had won 3 titles to City's 2, but City had won more FA Cups and more League Cups, and the same amount of European trophies, (although City's was more prestigious). City's attendances have tended to be a touch higher than Leeds'. Prior to the takeover, City's average was 42k and Leeds 26k. Last time both teams were in the top flight at the same time, City's was 2004 - Leeds average attendance was 36k and City's 46k.
When City went down to the 3rd tier, our average attendance was 28k. Leeds average in the 3rd tier was around 24k, with their highest season average being 26k.
So what is it that makes Leeds more "proper" to City in your view? Is it just the lack of success over the last 12 years, or are there some other factors I'm perhaps missing?
Leicester, I assume was some kind of joke, so maybe I'll leave that one out?
So to conclude, I don't blame you for having the ignorances and misconceptions. Unfortunately, the way social media works, negativity seems to spread far more easily than truth. That's not your fault.