Unlikely City fans

Falastur said:
In fairness, a number of the people who have been mentioned here (like Kevin Hart, Jackie Chan, Dirk Benedict) are just celebrities who have been invited to visit City at some point and have been photographed holding up a ceremonial shirt to mark the occasion, but it's all just publicity. There's no real evidence they follow the team, they just have been wrapped up in City PR at some point. The Hoff is questionable, as he's put pictures up on social media wearing his Yaya shirt years after receiving it, but hasn't really done much to suggest he wears it for anything other than he likes the shirt and the player.

However, in order to positively contribute, I will add this: I believe that we can possibly claim the first PM to ever openly support a club. Arthur Balfour, 1st Earl Balfour and Prime Minister from 1902-1905 was a City fan, IIRC because he was persuaded quite early on to be a patron/financial supporter of the club and ended up being a fairly major benefactor.
Click to expand...
He was also an official patron of MUFC and once he lost his East Manchester seat he never mentioned City again. He did wear a City rosette at the 1904 final though. Earliest 'celebrity' fan is something I've searched for. LS Lowry was a Blue (born 1894) and I was hopeful that music hall star George Robey because he did charity events at Hyde Rd and was friendly with Meredith, but in later life he is recorded as a Chelsea fan and the man who picked Iutd's 1909 kit!
 
Gary James said:
He was also an official patron of MUFC and once he lost his East Manchester seat he never mentioned City again. He did wear a City rosette at the 1904 final though. Earliest 'celebrity' fan is something I've searched for. LS Lowry was a Blue (born 1894) and I was hopeful that music hall star George Robey because he did charity events at Hyde Rd and was friendly with Meredith, but in later life he is recorded as a Chelsea fan and the man who picked Iutd's 1909 kit!
Click to expand...

Fair enough. I guess you could argue that back in the pre-war years people used to be more willing to support Manchester clubs in general, although I know some dispute that. And as for George Robey, I guess you'd have to also watch out for that if his connection to the club was through Meredith, there's also a chance of him defecting after Meredith left in 1906 anyway, so I'd probably have avoided that one regardless. Interesting info all the same, though. I'm obliged as always, Gary.
 
Falastur said:
Fair enough. I guess you could argue that back in the pre-war years people used to be more willing to support Manchester clubs in general, although I know some dispute that. And as for George Robey, I guess you'd have to also watch out for that if his connection to the club was through Meredith, there's also a chance of him defecting after Meredith left in 1906 anyway, so I'd probably have avoided that one regardless. Interesting info all the same, though. I'm obliged as always, Gary.
Click to expand...
I do actually quote Balfour as a Blue and share your opinion. For me finding him at a cup final wearing a City rosette and stressing his satisfaction at City's win was enough to say that he did actively support the club then - and the cup spent its first night in Manchester at the Ardwick Conservative Club (adding to Balfour's connection) - but he may well be another like so many modern celebrities who become fans for a period as it will gain them support in some way. Balfour always knew that City fans were his constituents I guess. But I am happy to keep referring to him as a City supporting PM.
 
Gary James mentions Lowry; I remember a documentary on TV not long before he died. He was asked what he thought about when he was painting. He answered that he thought about City and if we were going to win on Saturday. Some things never change !
 
bennyboy said:
Was Lowry a frequent attendee of Maine Road.
Click to expand...
Yes. And he painted a scene at Maine Rd. He also refused to go to OT with Harold Riley because iof his love of City. All well documented, although occasionally tv docs try to give the impression that he would've been interested in a Utd. Absolutely untrue. Worth remembering Lowry was ten when City 1st won FAC - that is where I think his interest came from.
 
Gary James said:
Yes. And he painted a scene at Maine Rd. He also refused to go to OT with Harold Riley because iof his love of City. All well documented, although occasionally tv docs try to give the impression that he would've been interested in a Utd. Absolutely untrue. Worth remembering Lowry was ten when City 1st won FAC - that is where I think his interest came from.
Click to expand...

Great.Thanks for that.
My favourite artist.I was at an exhibition a few years back at the Tate Britain.
The guide said he was a Bolton fan.
I pointed out that he was a Blue.
No idea if she changed her info after.
To be fair he did do a masterpiece of the crowd going to a match at Boltons ground.
 
Gary James said:
I do actually quote Balfour as a Blue and share your opinion. For me finding him at a cup final wearing a City rosette and stressing his satisfaction at City's win was enough to say that he did actively support the club then - and the cup spent its first night in Manchester at the Ardwick Conservative Club (adding to Balfour's connection) - but he may well be another like so many modern celebrities who become fans for a period as it will gain them support in some way. Balfour always knew that City fans were his constituents I guess. But I am happy to keep referring to him as a City supporting PM.
Click to expand...
There's a modern day connection between Balfour and City. His constituency chairman was a man called Charles Dreyfus, who was an anglicised Frenchman. Dreyfus set up Clayton Aniline, the site of which now houses the CFA.

Next year will be the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration and Dreyfus was also instrumental in that. He was Jewish and an ardent Zionist, and employed Chaim Weizmann, who became the first President of Israel. Dreyfus introduced Weizmann to Balfour (and also to Winston Churchill who was MP for Oldham at the time). It's likely that some of those meetings would have taken place at the Clayton Aniline works so not only have City ruined football, they've also ruined Middle East politics.
 
Gary James said:
Johnny Ball always claimed to be a Liverpool fan according to Zoe in an interview years back - she claimed her picking MUFC led to banter etc.
Click to expand...

Yes he is, he has a season ticket at anfield. Him and wife were on an episode of 'allstar mr and mrs' (or whatever it's called) and it formed an answer to one of the questions.
 
MES, Mark E Smith is a Blue apparently, this might be on here, but I can't be arsed trawling through the 30 pages.
 
Prestwich_Blue said:
There's a modern day connection between Balfour and City. His constituency chairman was a man called Charles Dreyfus, who was an anglicised Frenchman. Dreyfus set up Clayton Aniline, the site of which now houses the CFA.

Next year will be the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration and Dreyfus was also instrumental in that. He was Jewish and an ardent Zionist, and employed Chaim Weizmann, who became the first President of Israel. Dreyfus introduced Weizmann to Balfour (and also to Winston Churchill who was MP for Oldham at the time). It's likely that some of those meetings would have taken place at the Clayton Aniline works so not only have City ruined football, they've also ruined Middle East politics.
Click to expand...
Very good PB. I wonder what Dreyfus would think of our owners?
 
Got a good list of musicians as blues

Noel and Liam
Guigsy (Oasis)
Johnny Marr
Mark E Smith
Ian Curtis
Mike Pickering
Reni
Jim Glennie (James)
Craig Gill and Stephen Holt (Inspirals)
Billy Duffy (Cult)
Doves
Tom Ogden and Joe (Blossoms)
Jack Mitchell (Drummer for Johnny Marr)
Cian (Super Furry Animals)
Badly Drawn Boy
Mark Burgess (The Chameleons)
 
Brightwells left peg said:
Very good PB. I wonder what Dreyfus would think of our owners?
Click to expand...

Quite frankly he would probably have been embarrassed because the mess the site left behind was unbelievable. Our owners took a long time washing the carcinogenic and generally obnoxious waste from the soil that the chemicals spilled over time.
 
Gary James said:
There's a photo of Lloyd George with Meredith and, I think (from memory), Albert Alexander which I've always assumed was taken as a one off meeting of two great 'Welshmen' rather than 3 potential Blues. This is interesting and I may dig deeper to find out more about the photo. He was born in CoM so it fits and he'd have been about 30 when we were reformed as MCFC, 40 when FAC was 1st won.

I did wonder if your granddad confused him with Arthur Balfour -local MP who went to a City game and was PM at time of City's 1904 success. He claimed to be a City fan. Possibly, then City have had at least two PMs wo have supported them.
Click to expand...

Possibly Gary, although my old granddad was a blue from 1907 and his info was usually spot on.I stand to be corrected of course.
 
Blue Mooners who aren't familiar with Arthur Balfour (see above) might care to know that he is involved in the invention of the phrase "Bob's your uncle". Balfour's uncle, the PM Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, aka Lord Salisbury, was wont to promote his nephew Arthur to all sorts of positions of power in the land, culminating of course with Arthur Balfour himself entering 10 Downing Street. Hence "Bob's your uncle" refers to any nice job well done and generally sorted.
Nepotism is OK if you keep it in the family.
It is my business to know these things.
Thank you and goodbye.
 
Pezzer2 said:
Got a good list of musicians as blues

Noel and Liam
Guigsy (Oasis)
Johnny Marr
Mark E Smith
Ian Curtis
Mike Pickering
Reni
Jim Glennie (James)
Craig Gill and Stephen Holt (Inspirals)
Billy Duffy (Cult)
Doves
Tom Ogden and Joe (Blossoms)
Jack Mitchell (Drummer for Johnny Marr)
Cian (Super Furry Animals)
Badly Drawn Boy
Mark Burgess (The Chameleons)
Click to expand...
There's a few more.

Roy Harper.
Some of The Wanted (not sure which ones off the top of my head.
Marc Riley (who was also in The Fall).
 
calum down said:
really?
i didn't know that.

for me, she is the most beautiful woman to have ever lived.

JCZ6.jpg


about 20 years ago i met a lookalike, she was stunning.
i was totally devastated when my mate, a fellow blue, not only pulled her but ended up living with her.
it all came to an end though, her arse grew to the size of a small country.
Click to expand...
I know it's wrong and shouldn't be encouraged, but gotta laugh at your last remark - hahhahahahahaha.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top