CaliforniaBlue said:
It’s pretty common to see posters questioning whether someone is a real City fan or not, but it’s a pointless debate unless everyone has the same understanding of what being a real City fan actually means. Not that we’re ever likely to come to a consensus, but just out of interest to see the range of opinions, what’s your definition? (it's trickier than you might expect, when you try to spell it out)
For me, the simplest definition is someone who would want City to win in any game we could possibly play. You might like City a lot, but if you have stronger feelings for another team, then I don't think you can call yourself a real City fan (this seems a bit harsh if you follow City as well as, say, a lower division team, but I can't think of any way around it - if the two teams played and you didn't want City to win, it's hard to consider yourself a real City fan). I don’t think it matters where you were born, or how many games you’ve been to, how many generations of your family have supported them, or how long you’ve supported them. If City are your number one team now, you’re a real City fan in my opinion.
Think you are correct in what you say.
If you are a City fan you have no second team, or a soft spot for another team such as Bury, Wigan , Stockport etc (particularly with the fact that we have lost to such teams at various times) or follow another team in Spain, Germany , South America etc.
As a City supporter you want the first team to win every game and all the reserve\youth teams and now the Womens' team also. If New York City now represent the City family also, you want them to win the MLS (especially beating any team from Miami and also the LA Galaxy).
You want City to win every trophy, none of this prioritisation nonsense, and in particular win every Derby match.
If City are winning 4-0 you want them to put the opposition to the sword even more,5-0, 6-0 etc, no easing off (as we did when 4-0 up against Utd last September)
Imagine a scenario (hopefully it will never come true), but City were playing Liverpool who were chasing the title with Utd, and a City win would hand the title to Utd. If you support City you would still want City to beat Liverpool.
As a City fan you are aware of the History of the club not just the recent 3 years of winning but also the 1937 and 1968 title winners and the FA and League cup wins in 1904, 34, 56, 69, 70, 76 and thus far, our 1 European win in 1970, and aware of Citys' players (past and present from Eric Brook and Frank Swift to Sergio Aguero and Joe Hart) and are aware or have memories of the dark days from 1977 - 2010 when we won nothing at all and had to endure embarrassing defeats to Halifax, Shrewsbury, Brighton HA, Bury, Oldham, Stockport (which made the recent Cup defeats to Wigan even more sensitive) and losing 8-1 to Middlesbrough etc, and the brief chinks of light i.e. 10-1 v Huddersfield, 5-1 v Utd, 5-1 promotion day v Charlton, 4-1 promotion day away at Blackburn, Play off win v Gillingham, 4-3 comeback v Spurs in the FA Cup, 3-1 win v Utd in the last Maine Road Derby, 4-1 v Utd in the first Derby at the Etihad etc.
