The biggest issue is that Stoke rushed to put 1863 on their badge and then celebrate an anniversary in 2013 to make some cash. Typical of some clubs marketing. MCFC did absolutely the right thing putting 1894 on our badge - we have evidence, proof etc. Had the club put 1880 that could have made City a laughing stock as:
- there may well have been soccer games before 1880 (I find it hard to accept that a game against a church from a different religion, who had to travel several miles on trains, and then the game was reported on in at least 4 different newspapers was the actual first. More likely this was the second season or at least the 3rd or 4th game). Had 1880 been put on and then we suddenly find evidence of a game in 1879 then that would have made the club look silly.
- The club re-formed and merged several times and so the root from that first reported game to 1894 is a complex one and could be argued by some that MCFC is not the same club (indeed Ardwick AFC continued after MCFC was established for a while and many Ardwick figures were against the new club MCFC; plus MCFC themselves claimed to be a new club and not a reformed Ardwick).
Facts are important to football fans but, as with the Empyhad, no history and other jibes, so many ignore the evidence.
