Our growing international fanbase

[mike channon´s windmill]

Gobsmacked last night to walk through our urbanisation to see not one but TWO lads wearing red and black away kits playing football on our futsal pitch. One with Kun and one with Dzeko. Was literally rubbing my eyes in disbelief. Didn´t get pics but I have these which I took down town in the big kit shop. If stuff has arrived here then I can tell you the eagle really has fookin "landed" !

 

[blueyorkie]

Seriously who gives a fuck where people come from. I for one embrace the fact that liddle Citeh are attracting fans from around the world - in fact, I fucking love it !! I can't wait to be on holiday next year and some foreigner instigate a conversation of how brilliant City are rather than say "Manchester ahhh Manchester United"
If these guys spread the word and buy kits etc and wind the Rags up along the way then I am all for it. The top and bottom of it is that these are "Fans" where aslong as I am at the Etihad every other week then I am a "Supporter" and feel no threat from these guys.
PS any non Mancunian City fan reading this forum, I apologise on behalf of the many Blues who love the fact that you follow our team regardless of where you are from :)

Good post and on behalf of the many Blues who love the club despite carrying the 'handicap (!!)' of having not been born in Manchester, thank you for it.

I first starting to follow City back in 1973 (so we can't even put it down to Glory Hunt Phase 1) as a naive nine year old from the wilds of the west of Ireland. I had no association with Manchester so it can only be put down to a stubborn reaction to the accepted norm. where I lived, that you could only possibly support United or Celtic or both.

I had my first trip to Maine Road in the 1984/5 season when Jim Melrose scored what is still one of the greatest City goals I have ever seen versus Notts County. I became Travel Secretary of the Dublin Supporter Club and travelled across from there regularly for a few years before moving to the UK. Even then, I couldn't even make the move an easy one, ending up in the south coast and consigning myself to 450 mile round trips for a pre match pint in the Osborne.

My last 25 years of 'glory hunting' has given me the pleasure of visiting those footballing cauldrons of Roots Hall, Gigg Lane, Layer Road and Vale Park - rather than the Nou Camp, the Bernabeu or the San Siro.............and do you know what - I would do it all over again for the great people and friends I've met in those trips and for that feeling I was finally able to experience at Wembley last May. Over the years these marvellous fans have come from Düsseldorf as well as Denton, from Oslo as well as Oldham and from Penzance as well as from Piccadilly and Prestwich. If we are now building a team (and a profile) that gives a kid in Singapore or Mumbai the same buzz I have felt from the association with this club that I made nearly 40 years ago.....and still feel just as strongly today.... then good for them ........and welcome along.

I'm sorry if my non Mancunian roots still makes me 'plastic' to a small minority of the locals but to those of you that feel that way, I'm sorry - but you're stuck with me competing for your tickets for another while yet (I promise not to steal the gravy from your chips though).

Brilliant post that sums up what it is to be a Blue, wherever you were born.
City have always been a warm and welcoming club, hop on and enjoy the ride, its sometimes bumpy.

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Seriously who gives a fuck where people come from. I for one embrace the fact that liddle Citeh are attracting fans from around the world - in fact, I fucking love it !! I can't wait to be on holiday next year and some foreigner instigate a conversation of how brilliant City are rather than say "Manchester ahhh Manchester United"
If these guys spread the word and buy kits etc and wind the Rags up along the way then I am all for it. The top and bottom of it is that these are "Fans" where aslong as I am at the Etihad every other week then I am a "Supporter" and feel no threat from these guys.
PS any non Mancunian City fan reading this forum, I apologise on behalf of the many Blues who love the fact that you follow our team regardless of where you are from :)

Good post and on behalf of the many Blues who love the club despite carrying the 'handicap (!!)' of having not been born in Manchester, thank you for it.

I first starting to follow City back in 1973 (so we can't even put it down to Glory Hunt Phase 1) as a naive nine year old from the wilds of the west of Ireland. I had no association with Manchester so it can only be put down to a stubborn reaction to the accepted norm. where I lived, that you could only possibly support United or Celtic or both.

I had my first trip to Maine Road in the 1984/5 season when Jim Melrose scored what is still one of the greatest City goals I have ever seen versus Notts County. I became Travel Secretary of the Dublin Supporter Club and travelled across from there regularly for a few years before moving to the UK. Even then, I couldn't even make the move an easy one, ending up in the south coast and consigning myself to 450 mile round trips for a pre match pint in the Osborne.

My last 25 years of 'glory hunting' has given me the pleasure of visiting those footballing cauldrons of Roots Hall, Gigg Lane, Layer Road and Vale Park - rather than the Nou Camp, the Bernabeu or the San Siro.............and do you know what - I would do it all over again for the great people and friends I've met in those trips and for that feeling I was finally able to experience at Wembley last May. Over the years these marvellous fans have come from Düsseldorf as well as Denton, from Oslo as well as Oldham and from Penzance as well as from Piccadilly and Prestwich. If we are now building a team (and a profile) that gives a kid in Singapore or Mumbai the same buzz I have felt from the association with this club that I made nearly 40 years ago.....and still feel just as strongly today.... then good for them ........and welcome along.

I'm sorry if my non Mancunian roots still makes me 'plastic' to a small minority of the locals but to those of you that feel that way, I'm sorry - but you're stuck with me competing for your tickets for another while yet (I promise not to steal the gravy from your chips though).

Brilliant post that sums up what it is to be a Blue, wherever you were born.
City have always been a warm and welcoming club, hop on and enjoy the ride, its sometimes bumpy.

Yup, good post.
On a similar note, 20 years ago I went to Stamford Bridge (the one where Clive Allen pinged in that dipping 25 yard beauty) and the home crowd was 100% knuckle dragging chav WASPs.
On Monday night, there were actually more foreigners present in Chelsea colours than English people. On the walk from Fulham Broadway, I heard Portuguese, Greek, Russian, one of the Scandy languages and what I suspect was Arabic being spoken by pockets of fans in the space of about 200 yards.
As football gets ever more expensive (£110 it cost me and my 2 lads on Monday), and people start having to pick and choose which games they can afford to go to, we're gonna need a similar army of tourists just to keep pace......and before anyone starts on my own location as being suggestive of glory hunterism, I've been going to City since 1974 and have been a season ticket holder for the last 20 years

 

[MCFC1993]

Dont let liam see this thread...

 

[jonny689]

Saw a few european lads (think Italian but could be wrong) outside Burger King in Picaddilly before the Norwich game all with there shirts and scarfs on just before i was getting the bus down to the ground. How times have changed ay!

 

[jonny689]

What an idiotic moronic and stupid attitude

one thing ...could this post be summed up in one word???!

In fairness, this idiot has been completely baffled by the second response, so you might be right.

As for the first response, I'll pass on taking a lecture on intellectual credibility from someone obviously still enthralled by colouring books though.

Thanks for the detailed critique though, Einstein.

Exactly why is the original post 'moronic and stupid?' Its moronic and idiotic of you to give a response like that its his opinion and he is entitled to it, you could be a little more constructive don't you think?

And to be honest jma i totally agree with you, isn't this one of the main things we have given rags shit for over the years? And now because its all these plastics attatching themselves to us 'its ok?' Come on get fucking real! Ask yourself would these new fans be making the trip to Eastlands and buying our merchandise if the takeover hadn't had happened? Of coarse not, they would be following whoever was flavor of the month and ditching them as soon as things went tits up, its fickle and synthetic support that will see the rags numbers at the swamp dwindle and merchandise sales bomb when Fergie snuffs it and it all goes tits up there.

Some people are here for the success and the success only and we had better get used to it but lets not ridicule each other for having our own opinions on the matter.

 

[Happy Feet]

Don't assume that all "asian" or "Chinese" looking people are from overseas.

My family have been in the UK since 1948 - I was 2 years old then. We have lived in the UK ever since, are all British citizens, and speak English as our first language. Yet if I ever came to the Etihad, I've no doubt that some of those on this forum would be annoyed because, unless I have drastic facial surgery, I will continue to look Chinese, and hence be castigated as a "tourist" - although I suspect that my knowledge of this country, its history and its culture, and even of Man.City's history, might actually be better than that of many of those I would upset by my polluting presence in the stadium.

Incidentally I don't claim to be a City "fan", only a sympathiser, who supported you against richer clubs when you were underdogs, but am now interested and excited by the prospect of an EPL club being potentially able to challenge the likes of Barcelona and Real in both skilfulness of football and results.

Come to a game then Frank, I'll buy ya a beer at City Square, and look at it from the inside rather than the outside.

I guarantee you will come back again fella!

Many thanks for your kind reply. I realise that a great many City fans will be like you in this, rather than like the small xenophobic, some even racist, minority which will be found in the fanbases of most large football clubs.

I'd love to come to the CoMS/Etihad one day - however as an OAP in not the best of health, living in London, that might be an unfulfilled wish.

Make my day a Thaksin day, are you Thaksin Shinawatra?

 

[chislewick]

Good post and on behalf of the many Blues who love the club despite carrying the 'handicap (!!)' of having not been born in Manchester, thank you for it.

I first starting to follow City back in 1973 (so we can't even put it down to Glory Hunt Phase 1) as a naive nine year old from the wilds of the west of Ireland. I had no association with Manchester so it can only be put down to a stubborn reaction to the accepted norm. where I lived, that you could only possibly support United or Celtic or both.

I had my first trip to Maine Road in the 1984/5 season when Jim Melrose scored what is still one of the greatest City goals I have ever seen versus Notts County. I became Travel Secretary of the Dublin Supporter Club and travelled across from there regularly for a few years before moving to the UK. Even then, I couldn't even make the move an easy one, ending up in the south coast and consigning myself to 450 mile round trips for a pre match pint in the Osborne.

My last 25 years of 'glory hunting' has given me the pleasure of visiting those footballing cauldrons of Roots Hall, Gigg Lane, Layer Road and Vale Park - rather than the Nou Camp, the Bernabeu or the San Siro.............and do you know what - I would do it all over again for the great people and friends I've met in those trips and for that feeling I was finally able to experience at Wembley last May. Over the years these marvellous fans have come from Düsseldorf as well as Denton, from Oslo as well as Oldham and from Penzance as well as from Piccadilly and Prestwich. If we are now building a team (and a profile) that gives a kid in Singapore or Mumbai the same buzz I have felt from the association with this club that I made nearly 40 years ago.....and still feel just as strongly today.... then good for them ........and welcome along.

I'm sorry if my non Mancunian roots still makes me 'plastic' to a small minority of the locals but to those of you that feel that way, I'm sorry - but you're stuck with me competing for your tickets for another while yet (I promise not to steal the gravy from your chips though).

Brilliant post that sums up what it is to be a Blue, wherever you were born.
City have always been a warm and welcoming club, hop on and enjoy the ride, its sometimes bumpy.

Yup, good post.
On a similar note, 20 years ago I went to Stamford Bridge (the one where Clive Allen pinged in that dipping 25 yard beauty) and the home crowd was 100% knuckle dragging chav WASPs.
On Monday night, there were actually more foreigners present in Chelsea colours than English people. On the walk from Fulham Broadway, I heard Portuguese, Greek, Russian, one of the Scandy languages and what I suspect was Arabic being spoken by pockets of fans in the space of about 200 yards.
As football gets ever more expensive (£110 it cost me and my 2 lads on Monday), and people start having to pick and choose which games they can afford to go to, we're gonna need a similar army of tourists just to keep pace......and before anyone starts on my own location as being suggestive of glory hunterism, I've been going to City since 1974 and have been a season ticket holder for the last 20 years

I remember that Chelsea game so well. Had to pick up my mate from Oxford on the way down and was 30 minutes late for kick off by which time they'd shut the away end. Went into the (unreconstructed) Shed and as I recall not only was Allen's corker in injury time but after a linesman's flag had been overruled in the build up. Felt like I was inside Cheryl Cole and trying not to explode. Ended 1-1 and clearly remember hearing one Chels fan saying "If hear a facking Manc, I'll slice a facking Manc". Me and my mate had to go half a mile down the Kings Road before whooping it up! Glory facking days!!