Who is bigger in Manchester? City or Utd?

[Silva_Spell]

Real fans? Probably Utd ...just.

People who know fuck all about football in general and who don't even bother keeping up with results nevermind bothering to watch the games (even on TV/online) ? Utd by a bigger margin. They're not fans tho.

 

[@BluePhil8]

To echo others.

I work in Trafford but there are quite a few blues there. It's probably an even split or narrowly favours United however for all the rags I've met only one is a match goer.

I can't help but look down on Manc United fans. Especially working class ones. City are a working mans club and invest so much in to the community. The United Foundation is known to be a bit of a joke locally. They have a waiting list for charity work and it all seems a bit like they only do stuff as an after thought for the publicity. Ah well, let them continue glory hunting.

 

[EalingBlue2]

The topic about overseas support triggered a thought about our support in Manchester.

The survey from many years ago by Manchester Metropolitan University (early 90s? - I forget now) of both clubs season ticket base told us that Utd had more season ticket holders in Greater Manchester than City, but that as a percentage City's support was more concentrated in Greater Manchester i.e a higher proportion of City's support was based in Greater Manchester.

We comforted ourselves with that but in reality it was a false argument. Bury or Oldham would be expected to draw a high percentages of their support from their locality.

What I'd like to know is who by absolute numbers has the biggest support in the City. I realise there's no means of knowing and it's all subjective, but in my opinion City are much bigger than Utd in Manchester.

I used to work in the CIS in Manchester, one of the biggest employers in the City and going off my floor, City's match-going support totally dwarfed Utd, we're talking about 5 to 1. When I'm walking down Market Street or through the Arndale you see much more City than Utd.

They have bigger crowds, but the number of day-trippers is amazing, It's said that City's support will go the same way as our match ticket prices are now higher than Utd but for the moment this is rubbish. For League games, almost 90% of the City fans present are season ticket holders. It's why City can charge £50 for match-day tickets (like the Sunderland game), because it's the away fans, and a small number of occasional fans who are paying it.

It used to be the case that City would get 30,000 at Maine Road, and that was our hard core regular support, and they'd go whatever. But then when you made it difficult for the out of towners with midweek Cup games, we'd be lucky to get 25k whatever the price, and we couldn't fill our ground even when we had FA Cupor League Cup Quarter Finals. Now however, it's become very noticeable that if a Cup game is priced reasonably we can fill the ground comfortably.

When I was a kid growing up in the 80s, and then when I used to watch my brother play football in the 90s, a lot more of the kids used to be Utd than City. It was depressing to see. I am hearing this has changed now, but I don't get to see this for myself.

I reckon whether you base it on match-going fans or not, Manchester is now at least 70% blue. What do you think?

In the 70's and 80's in South manchester ie withington burn age, Didsbury and over to Stockport as I was growing up we outnumbered United massively - at school in Didsbury I would say there were more Liverpool fans than United fans and all my mates were blues. That said I have mates who grew up in places like Chorlton , higher broughton etc who would talk about being the only blues in their class. round altrincham and into Cheshire was also very red! I reckon overall probably more reds as the outskirts in the west and north and the big populations of Salford eto were pretty red. Didsbury though was blue.

Mind you i suspect all those Liverpool fans and their kids weren't supporting Liverpools by the late 90's and became rags so things evened out with rag success

That sounds like complete bollocks. I went to school in Didsbury from 81 - 92 and there were about 10 city fans in my entire year at secondary school and 1 Liverpool fan. I can still name them all.

Well 10 kids was virtually my entire year at primary school and at secondary school Blues were most common then Liverpool , United even Leeds. Assume you were at parrs wood?

 

[franksinatra]

To echo others.

I work in Trafford but there are quite a few blues there. It's probably an even split or narrowly favours United however for all the rags I've met only one is a match goer.

I can't help but look down on Manc United fans. Especially working class ones. City are a working mans club and invest so much in to the community. The United Foundation is known to be a bit of a joke locally. They have a waiting list for charity work and it all seems a bit like they only do stuff as an after thought for the publicity. Ah well, let them continue glory hunting.

I am surprised at that to be honest. I can well believe we hold parity (at the least) in Sale but other areas I thought we are poorly supported. The stats sort of support that also.

 

[blueduff]

So many times I've got into an involuntary conversation about football with one of these "utd fans", no nothing about what's going on, talk about obvious players in the game etc then end up asking me who 'they've' got at the weekend. This is usually friends of friends and all that who I don't really know. I'd rather talk about anything than football with them.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

I don't care and to be honest, worrying about it is imho a bit small time. Let the rags worry about it when in 10 years Manchester is 75% blue.

I was just going to post the same so you saved me the trouble.

 

[mancitymick]

All my City family and friends go, mostly season ticket holders. Only one United family and friend go.

 

[franksinatra]

I don't care and to be honest, worrying about it is imho a bit small time. Let the rags worry about it when in 10 years Manchester is 75% blue.

I was just going to post the same so you saved me the trouble.

Seems strange you both clicked on the topic then.

 

[coleridge]

I don't care and to be honest, worrying about it is imho a bit small time. Let the rags worry about it when in 10 years Manchester is 75% blue.

I was just going to post the same so you saved me the trouble.

Seems strange you both clicked on the topic then.

Strange that you felt the need to comment on their opinions.

I'm with Chippy and PB. Why give them any credit? It's all going one way and that's to the blue side.

 

[IanBishopsHaircut]

I used to use this to wind up rags but in reality just based on my work environment alone as a snapshot Id say there were more rags than blues