Franny Lee's Barrel Chest
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 23 Aug 2005
- Messages
- 4,308
With apologies to Dr Martin Luther King Jr. ...
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest day in the history of the Premier League.
Two score and four years ago, a great team in whose symbolic shadow we have since stood, won the First Division championship. This momentous achievement came as a great beacon of hope to thousands of Manchester City supporters who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice and by the constant media frenzy over Manchester United. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night in the shadow of the team from over the road.
But 44 years later, Manchester City will still not receive the credit they deserve. 44 years later, the life of the Manchester City supporter is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination by the press, Sky TV, the BBC and more besides. 44 years later, the Manchester City supporter lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of overwhelmingly positive publicity for Manchester United. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense, here in Manchester we have to cash a reality cheque. When the architects of the Manchester United publicity machine wrote the words of the agenda, they were signing a promissory note to which every football supporter was to fall heir. This agenda was a promise that all supporters, yes, all supporters would be guaranteed a seat at Old Trafford and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that City have defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as our supporters are concerned. Instead of honouring this sacred obligation, City have given the press a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of the football world. And so, we've come to cash this cheque, a cheque that will give us upon demand the riches of credibility, and freedom from constant criticism by the press and media.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind the media of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of basking in the glory of the title. Now is the time to make real the promises of Sheikh Mansour. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of the shadow of Manchester United. Now is the time to lift our team from the quicksands of media injustice to the solid rock of media respect. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of City’s supporters.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of City’s title winning season will not pass until the end of next season. For City will be Champions until then. 2012 is not an end to the wait for the title, but a beginning. And those who hope that City needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the media returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in Manchester until City are given the credit they deserve. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of football until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place at the top of the Premier League, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for success by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative play to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of that wonderful 6-1 win at Old Trafford.
The marvellous new optimism which has engulfed City supporters must not lead us to a distrust of all football supporters. Other supporters have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their team is inextricably bound to our team for we all compete for the Premier League.
We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of Manchester City "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as there are trophies to play for. City are the victim of the unspeakable horrors of media coverage. We can never be satisfied as long as our team, heavy with the fatigue of playing, cannot gain the respect of the media. We cannot be satisfied as long as City’s press is negative. We can never be satisfied as long as our players are stripped of their right to be proclaimed player of the year. We cannot be satisfied as long as a City are accused of “Buying the title”. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream and the press finally acknowledge our achievements.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from abuse from United fans. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for respect as a City supporter left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of being mocked by those United fans. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Ashton, go back to Blackley, go back to Stockport, go back to Prestwich, go back to Moston, go back to the slums and ghettos of Stretford knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in my love of Manchester City.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning fair and impartial media. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all teams should have equal press favour.
I have a dream that one day on the red side of Manchester, the sons of United supporters and the sons of City supporters will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood without jealousy and bitterness.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Malaysia, a state sweltering with the rabied support of Manchester United, sweltering with the heat of red propaganda, will be transformed into an oasis of sky blue.
I have a dream that one day we will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their shirt but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Stretford, with its vicious fans, with its manager having his lips dripping with the words of "Not in my lifetime” -- one day right there in Stretford, little United fans will be able to join hands with little City fans and be converted to the blue faith.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every away stadium shall be visited and each team shall be defeated. The tough places will be made easy and the crooked referees will be made straight; "and the glory of the City shall be revealed and all fans shall see it together."
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the Etihad with.
With this team, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this team, we will be able to transform the jangling nervous dischord of our supporters into a beautiful symphony of total football. With this team, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for City together, knowing that we will be considered the best team one day.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of City’s supporters will be able to sing with new meaning:
Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone, without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own!
And if Manchester City is to be a great club, this must become true.
And so let City sing from the prodigious hilltops of Hampshire.
Let City sing from the mighty mountains of York.
Let City sing from the heightening Allegenies of Abu Dhabi.
Let City sing from the snow-capped Rockies of Scotland.
Let City sing from the curvaceous slopes of the Pennines.
But not only that:
Let City sing from Stone Mountain of Stretford.
Let City sing from Lookout Mountain of Urmston.
Let City sing from every hill and molehill of Manchester.
From every mountainside, let City sing.
And when this happens, when we allow City songs to ring, when we sing from every village and every hamlet, from every county and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all football supporters wearing blue shirts, white shirts, green shirts and claret shirts will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old City song:
We love you City, we do, We love you City we do!
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest day in the history of the Premier League.
Two score and four years ago, a great team in whose symbolic shadow we have since stood, won the First Division championship. This momentous achievement came as a great beacon of hope to thousands of Manchester City supporters who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice and by the constant media frenzy over Manchester United. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night in the shadow of the team from over the road.
But 44 years later, Manchester City will still not receive the credit they deserve. 44 years later, the life of the Manchester City supporter is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination by the press, Sky TV, the BBC and more besides. 44 years later, the Manchester City supporter lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of overwhelmingly positive publicity for Manchester United. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense, here in Manchester we have to cash a reality cheque. When the architects of the Manchester United publicity machine wrote the words of the agenda, they were signing a promissory note to which every football supporter was to fall heir. This agenda was a promise that all supporters, yes, all supporters would be guaranteed a seat at Old Trafford and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that City have defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as our supporters are concerned. Instead of honouring this sacred obligation, City have given the press a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of the football world. And so, we've come to cash this cheque, a cheque that will give us upon demand the riches of credibility, and freedom from constant criticism by the press and media.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind the media of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of basking in the glory of the title. Now is the time to make real the promises of Sheikh Mansour. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of the shadow of Manchester United. Now is the time to lift our team from the quicksands of media injustice to the solid rock of media respect. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of City’s supporters.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of City’s title winning season will not pass until the end of next season. For City will be Champions until then. 2012 is not an end to the wait for the title, but a beginning. And those who hope that City needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the media returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in Manchester until City are given the credit they deserve. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of football until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place at the top of the Premier League, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for success by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative play to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of that wonderful 6-1 win at Old Trafford.
The marvellous new optimism which has engulfed City supporters must not lead us to a distrust of all football supporters. Other supporters have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their team is inextricably bound to our team for we all compete for the Premier League.
We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of Manchester City "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as there are trophies to play for. City are the victim of the unspeakable horrors of media coverage. We can never be satisfied as long as our team, heavy with the fatigue of playing, cannot gain the respect of the media. We cannot be satisfied as long as City’s press is negative. We can never be satisfied as long as our players are stripped of their right to be proclaimed player of the year. We cannot be satisfied as long as a City are accused of “Buying the title”. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream and the press finally acknowledge our achievements.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from abuse from United fans. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for respect as a City supporter left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of being mocked by those United fans. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Ashton, go back to Blackley, go back to Stockport, go back to Prestwich, go back to Moston, go back to the slums and ghettos of Stretford knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in my love of Manchester City.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning fair and impartial media. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all teams should have equal press favour.
I have a dream that one day on the red side of Manchester, the sons of United supporters and the sons of City supporters will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood without jealousy and bitterness.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Malaysia, a state sweltering with the rabied support of Manchester United, sweltering with the heat of red propaganda, will be transformed into an oasis of sky blue.
I have a dream that one day we will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their shirt but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Stretford, with its vicious fans, with its manager having his lips dripping with the words of "Not in my lifetime” -- one day right there in Stretford, little United fans will be able to join hands with little City fans and be converted to the blue faith.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every away stadium shall be visited and each team shall be defeated. The tough places will be made easy and the crooked referees will be made straight; "and the glory of the City shall be revealed and all fans shall see it together."
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the Etihad with.
With this team, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this team, we will be able to transform the jangling nervous dischord of our supporters into a beautiful symphony of total football. With this team, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for City together, knowing that we will be considered the best team one day.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of City’s supporters will be able to sing with new meaning:
Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone, without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own!
And if Manchester City is to be a great club, this must become true.
And so let City sing from the prodigious hilltops of Hampshire.
Let City sing from the mighty mountains of York.
Let City sing from the heightening Allegenies of Abu Dhabi.
Let City sing from the snow-capped Rockies of Scotland.
Let City sing from the curvaceous slopes of the Pennines.
But not only that:
Let City sing from Stone Mountain of Stretford.
Let City sing from Lookout Mountain of Urmston.
Let City sing from every hill and molehill of Manchester.
From every mountainside, let City sing.
And when this happens, when we allow City songs to ring, when we sing from every village and every hamlet, from every county and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all football supporters wearing blue shirts, white shirts, green shirts and claret shirts will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old City song:
We love you City, we do, We love you City we do!