Wall Street Journal article

[blue1969]

My lad came home with arag shirt when he was young. I dont think he beleived me when I said that I would burn it. Ever seen what a steam iron does to a shirt?
He got the point. He's now a ST holder

 

[m27]

Not only did my Dad support United he played for them as well before being being released at 17. He's the same age as Nobby Stiles. All my family are Salford Reds so it looked inevitable I would be. However, my Dad had never gone regularly to games because he was always playing on Saturdays so when he took me to see United in 1984 when I was 8 years old it was the first time he'd been for years. We went a few times but I didn't enjoy it, even at 8 years old I realised the people sat around us were dicks. They were abusive (I'll never forget one bloke abusing Billy Garton all game eventhough Garton was a young Salford lad fresh in the team) and arrogant. We went a few times more but we both didn't enjoy it and my Dad kept commenting on how it wasn't how he remembered.

Then one day he suddenly decides to take me to Maine Road to see City v Oxford United, it was still the 1984/85 season. I instantly fell in love. Despite all the United games I'd been to being sell outs and about 24000 being at City in a 2nd Division game the atmosphere was great and the people proper funny. I even liked how Maine Road looked and was obsessed with the masses of bodies stood on the Kippax (we were on Platt Lane). Not only did I love it my Dad did as well and we hardly missed a home game for the rest of the season and the Charlton 5-1 game was the happiest day of my short little life.

From then on, United were gone from my life and, more brilliantly, my Dad's as well!! Fast forward 25 years and my Dad has his season ticket next to mine and he hates United almost as much as me! He has got some stick from family members and, in normal circumstances, I would say you NEVER change clubs....but I think this is a beautiful exception to that philosophy.

 

[LongsightM13]

Great posts, m27 and 1969

 

[Dyed Petya]

Misleading. The self-aggrandisement of that West Midlands shithole is a particular bugbear of mine.

Yes, Birmingham's claim to being the second city rests entirely on population but the metropolitan areas of the West Midlands and Greater Manchester have almost identical populations, while what you might call the Manchester conurbation (i.e. taking account of areas not formally within the metropolitan counties) is bigger than Birmingham's. It just happens that the city boundaries of Manchester itself give an area with a smaller population, which is nothing more than a historical accident.

Manchester regularly tops polls for being the second city, is easily England's second city in terms of international recognition and reporting in the interational news media, and in terms of sports, culture, media and general influence, I think we far outstrip Birmingham. It isn't even close.

sorry mate, I think your a bit wrong on that, I hate bham by the way.
polls do not make a city any bigger, do they?

I'm not wrong about any of it.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Every fathers worst nightmare. Having a black sheep of a son like Tony Parker.

Got a renegade BlueDipper. But at least he stayed on the right side of the colour spectrum.

 

[The Northern Baptist]

sorry mate, I think your a bit wrong on that, I hate bham by the way.
polls do not make a city any bigger, do they?

I'm not wrong about any of it, you moronic f**kwit. Polls don't make a city bigger, they show it's more important, and I'm arguing that while B'ham may have a bigger population, there's a lot more to the issue than simply the number of people who happen to fall within an arbitrary set of boundaries. Please come back and argue when you can f**king read and when you've managed to advance your IQ past 30.

Manchester is the 9th largest city in the uk, but no doubt it is looked on as the second most important

 

[Bigga]

Not only did my Dad support United he played for them as well before being being released at 17. He's the same age as Nobby Stiles. All my family are Salford Reds so it looked inevitable I would be. However, my Dad had never gone regularly to games because he was always playing on Saturdays so when he took me to see United in 1984 when I was 8 years old it was the first time he'd been for years. We went a few times but I didn't enjoy it, even at 8 years old I realised the people sat around us were dicks. They were abusive (I'll never forget one bloke abusing Billy Garton all game eventhough Garton was a young Salford lad fresh in the team) and arrogant. We went a few times more but we both didn't enjoy it and my Dad kept commenting on how it wasn't how he remembered.

Then one day he suddenly decides to take me to Maine Road to see City v Oxford United, it was still the 1984/85 season. I instantly fell in love. Despite all the United games I'd been to being sell outs and about 24000 being at City in a 2nd Division game the atmosphere was great and the people proper funny. I even liked how Maine Road looked and was obsessed with the masses of bodies stood on the Kippax (we were on Platt Lane). Not only did I love it my Dad did as well and we hardly missed a home game for the rest of the season and the Charlton 5-1 game was the happiest day of my short little life.

From then on, United were gone from my life and, more brilliantly, my Dad's as well!! Fast forward 25 years and my Dad has his season ticket next to mine and he hates United almost as much as me! He has got some stick from family members and, in normal circumstances, I would say you NEVER change clubs....but I think this is a beautiful exception to that philosophy.

*sniff*

That was Bootiful.

Brought a tear to my eye, that did.

*sniff*

 

[vonksbignose]

Not only did my Dad support United he played for them as well before being being released at 17. He's the same age as Nobby Stiles. All my family are Salford Reds so it looked inevitable I would be. However, my Dad had never gone regularly to games because he was always playing on Saturdays so when he took me to see United in 1984 when I was 8 years old it was the first time he'd been for years. We went a few times but I didn't enjoy it, even at 8 years old I realised the people sat around us were dicks. They were abusive (I'll never forget one bloke abusing Billy Garton all game eventhough Garton was a young Salford lad fresh in the team) and arrogant. We went a few times more but we both didn't enjoy it and my Dad kept commenting on how it wasn't how he remembered.

Then one day he suddenly decides to take me to Maine Road to see City v Oxford United, it was still the 1984/85 season. I instantly fell in love. Despite all the United games I'd been to being sell outs and about 24000 being at City in a 2nd Division game the atmosphere was great and the people proper funny. I even liked how Maine Road looked and was obsessed with the masses of bodies stood on the Kippax (we were on Platt Lane). Not only did I love it my Dad did as well and we hardly missed a home game for the rest of the season and the Charlton 5-1 game was the happiest day of my short little life.

From then on, United were gone from my life and, more brilliantly, my Dad's as well!! Fast forward 25 years and my Dad has his season ticket next to mine and he hates United almost as much as me! He has got some stick from family members and, in normal circumstances, I would say you NEVER change clubs....but I think this is a beautiful exception to that philosophy.

Wonderful, wonderful stuff!

My dad's a red, as is that whole side of my family, but he fucked off when I was 3, & my mum's side were blues. My grandad took me to my first game & I too was hooked from the word go (even though I thought we were playing West Brom, cos I'd heard of them, when in fact we were playing Birmingham City, who I hadn't)!

Anyway, all my mates at school were blues & my mates dad started taking me along to Maine Road regularly & I couldn't change allegiance even if I'd wanted to! I know this because I tried to after the 1985 cup final in an attempt to impress my dad. He took me to the scum's homecoming parade & I said "Dad, I think your right, I should become a U**ted fan"! The words stuck in my throat (even as an 8 year old), & being surrounded by those horrible, humourless pricks that day is the same feeling I get around them to this day! Utter, total contempt! I don't know how I knew at that age what a crowd of wankers they were, but I knew! Maybe its because I'd been going to Maine Road for a while by then & knew what it felt like to be among my own people! Northern people! Proper football fans!

Anyway, I've never once regretted my blue allegiance. Even during our dark days, when they were winning everything in sight whilst we floundered, that just made my love for the club even stronger for some reason. I knew they needed me and all of us more than ever then, & I'm still proud of the way we all did our bit to carry the team through the dark days in the second division!

I wouldn't swap my sometimes painful experience as a City fan for an easy ride as a Rag for all the tea in China!

City til I Die!!!!

 

[Dubai Blue]

sorry mate, I think your a bit wrong on that, I hate bham by the way.
polls do not make a city any bigger, do they?

I'm not wrong about any of it, you moronic f**kwit. Polls don't make a city bigger, they show it's more important, and I'm arguing that while B'ham may have a bigger population, there's a lot more to the issue than simply the number of people who happen to fall within an arbitrary set of boundaries. Please come back and argue when you can f**king read and when you've managed to advance your IQ past 30.

Wow, what a ridiculous over reaction. Are you always this chilled out?

 

[Dyed Petya]

I'm not wrong about any of it.

Wow, what a ridiculous over reaction. Are you always this chilled out?

Actually, I posted after a few drinks and having read it again the next morning, have deleted it. Fair enough, criticism deserved.