What determines who you support in Manchester? Is it a geographical thing?

[Nebuchadnezzar]

My dad supported City..

Just to ask an irrelevant question... I went round the roundabout in Stockport last week (the one with the co-op pyramid) and written in the white paint on the road was "E'ley" - does anyone know what that refers to? It has been irritating me.

Edgeley?

 

[KS55]

Todmorden?

No, l live in Bingley now. All the guys of my age (ahem, 70) who come from round Craven....that is Keighley Skipton
etc, support Burnley, but there are more Leeds and even Bradford now amongst those younger. Of course, there are hundreds of pretend manure supporters, but you can catch them out by asking where OT is ! Plenty of City scarves around here now.....I was one of only 2 blues in Bingley when I first moved here. Cheers !
(P. S. My local corner shop, the guy supports Pool, so I shall be giving it large today.)

 

[KS55]

I thought it was just us that had that. At least you have buried it.

The religious angle in Manchester football is quite interesting. (cue for long winded history).
City, as we all know started as St. Marks West Gorton. The church was protestant but everybody was welcome to join, the real motivation was to combat poverty, crime and gang warfare. The protestant thing faded away quite quickly after several amalgamations with other local clubs. After WW1, City had a strong connection with Jewish families who had migrated from central Europe and lived in Moss Side. (see Bernstein). In 1948, City signed Bert Trautmann and many Jews objected to the German paratrooper. About 40,000 people joined a mass demonstration and things got quite nasty. The situation was saved by an open letter in MEN from the chief rabbi of Manchester addressed to all Jews, reminding them that theirs was a peaceful religion and urging forgiveness and reconciliation. Some Jews abandoned City and went to the dark side. Later, Bert became active in organisations whose purpose was to heal the wounds.
United has a much misunderstood connection to catholicism. It started as a railway workers club, not a church inspired organisation. At the beginning of the 20th century, Trafford Park opened as the first industrial park in Britain.
On that site started Ford UK, with the first conveyor belt manufacturing system in Europe. They, and others, were short of labour, so they recruited hundreds in Ireland, who, naturally, were catholics. And where did they go on Saturday Afternoons nearby ? Yep, them.
Manoo built on this Irish Connection over the years, but they are not ' a Catholic club .' The BBC, of course, think they are.

When Niall Quinn was a transfer target for City, he was worried thinking City was protestant and United Catholic. Discopants came from a staunchly Catholic and Irish republican background. As a kid he was banned by his family from playing the English game and had to sneak off to do it. Eventually he was persuaded that City was not protestant and so joined us.
This is from memory, so feel free to correct me.

 

[Bilboblue]

My godfather played 300+ games for city, my mum, dad and auntie are blues, so I've never known any other team (thank the lord). Middlewich where I grew up was a big blue supporting town, with supporters clubs and niddries coaches did travel to Maine Road and away games. I've no rags in the family, there are 3 other blues, 4 red dippers, 1 barcode/macc town, 1 blue dipper and 1 potter.

Who is your Godfather, pal?

My family originally came from Prestwich, it comes from my grandfather, he was married with a couple of kids up there but things went 'tits up' and he decided to move to Gloucestershire, where he met my Nan and settled down in Cirencester. He then went and had 13 kids (!!!!!) with her.

Oh, and he married her bigamously, we found out recently!

So as with most people, I didn't have a choice, thanks Granddad :o)

 

[york away to this!]

When I was at primary school my best mate's dad had a filling station/repair garage. The manager there was a big blue and he used to take my mate. One day I went along for the ride and was hooked. We were in the Platt Lane watching Villa (I think, though could have been wetsham) and I jumped up when they scored as they were in claret/maroon and that's what colour the benches were. Needless to say my mate's dad asked me what the feck I was doing!

My mum and dad were both from Yorkshire so clearly not really footy followers (other than my dad used to play for Yorkshire boys and had a trial at Bradford). I do have a dark secret though of having Bobby Charlton's autograph on my bedroom wall for a while when very young. My dad had a driving school and taught his kids. He also taught Swales Out's children and later Tommy Docherty's.

My elder brother used to cycle to the swamp one week, then get the bus to Maine Road the next and was from that bizarre generation of "just going to the match". Once I became obsessed with city he did just start going to watch us and dropped the rags, so I'll let him off...

 

[Sir peace frog]

Loads of liverpool fans when i was growing up early eighties a lot of them rags now.

Strength of character thing, no self confidence, let me be part of a winning tribe.

My eldest lad got loads of shit at primary school for being a blue and moved to the darkside to fit in. Not spoke to him since the gutless twat :)

my mate was a Liverpool fan ,used to go to anfield ,he was even at Hillsborough ,I went to the replay at old Trafford with him , hes a united fan now and denies he ever was a Liverpool fan.

 

[ballbag]

I know a fair few reds who were Liverpool fans in the 80s. Two of them now say that they were always rags. Another one reckons that he went to watch Liverpool play United at Klanfield, but because of his accent he was set upon by scousers so he changed in to a United fan there and then (I can only imagine changing into a rag there and then is somehow similar to when Pinocchio changes into a donkey).

 

[talkativesprout]

my mate was a Liverpool fan ,used to go to anfield ,he was even at Hillsborough ,I went to the replay at old Trafford with him , hes a united fan now and denies he ever was a Liverpool fan.

My school best mate was like a liverpool ultra in the 4th yr compared to me. i only had eyes for city and the football up until then, as such much of the other clubs rivalry had gone under my radar.

It's not big or clever but i remember him teaching me Munich songs to get up my utd friends nose and giving it bifftas on the school yard to the rags.

Lost contact with him after school for a few yrs...fook me he added my on facebook said allreet and what not. I looked at his profile and nearly fell over, King Eric, whiskey nose and dippers are thieving cunts...Of course when he giving it lge i like to remind him that he is a trophy hunting ****.

 

[Stockton Heath Blue]

38 years to the day, my Mum's cousin took me to my first City game - Colin Bell's testimonial. He was the only Blue amongst a shitload of Rags in the family. To this day, he still apologises because I grew up never seeing us win a thing. I tell him that it was character building and made me a better supporter as a result. The last 9 years was plenty payback. Never considered anyone but City and never will.

 

[KS55]

I know a fair few reds who were Liverpool fans in the 80s. Two of them now say that they were always rags. Another one reckons that he went to watch Liverpool play United at Klanfield, but because of his accent he was set upon by scousers so he changed in to a United fan there and then (I can only imagine changing into a rag there and then is somehow similar to when Pinocchio changes into a donkey).

Nobody who is a real fan changes their club. It's in the blood . God knows I've had enough excuses in the last 60 years, but I wouldn't dream of it.