Who is bigger in Manchester? City or Utd?

[worsleyweb]

I also played for St Cath's team. I don't agree with your memory at all. The manager Fr McGarry was a red. And I can name at least 8 players who were reds. (Feely, Pollard, Connor, A Schilling, Moran, Carthy, Donahue, James...

My name is schilling and Anthony is my cousin. The only rag in a family of blues. Father McCarry - a marvellous man by the way. I went to beaver road and all blues - it must be a catholic thing!

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Anthony's Dad is a season ticket holder at the swa...theatre of dreams. Has been for 30+ years. His brother Micky is also a red, as is his step brother John. I didn't know there were Schillings out Salford way! Merry xmas to you and yours.

They are the black sheep of the family. My dad and other uncles been going to city 50 years. Me for 30 and my brother and more educated cousins are all blues! Uncle mike - thinks he is Alex Ferguson!!

 

[abu13]

I couldn't really give a fuck, I know there is no way I'd ever support anyone other than City.

 

[red 2 hats]

As much as it pains me too say it, there are more Red than Blue in Manchester.

I grew up in Middleton and in the 80's I would say we had the upper hand, our school was about 80 - 20% blue, we definitely had more match going fans even though they had a higher average attendance.

With us being a yo-yo team late 80's early 90's and the introduction of Sky the saturation of football coincided with their dominance, both men and women who had never had an interest in football suddenly became die hard scum fans, they filled the local pubs and swapped tales of how they had always been fanatical while wearing the latest replica shirt.

They became un-bare able , their offspring were poisoned with tales of bullshit and it was easy too laugh at little City who were languishing in the 2nd / 3rd tier of English football, it made them feel superior whilst queuing up to cash their Giros it made them happy that they now belonged too a product that was successful, while their own sad lives were dire and un- fulfilled.

Schools and areas that were once mainly Blue were now red. That's the reason now that it really hurts them, that one thing that they could cling onto, that one thing that made them feel accepted and popular again has been taken from them, and too cap it all, it's little City that has taken that from them, they know that they have fuck all in life that's worth anything. You all know the type, they call us bitter and Bertie's and call us Citehh and think its original and funny, they look around for acceptance and now realise there isn't as many too back them up coz little old City have come out of the woodwork, and some of them areas that turned red are now slowly turning back Blue and this will only continue.

 

[EalingBlue2]

I went to St Catherine's and Barlow. Right in the heart of Didsbury. The pub across the road from Barlow (Parrs Wood Hotel) is full of United fans and always has been since I was a kid. The street I grew up on, has 100 houses and there were 3 families that I can remember as being City fans. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE was united. There was even bunting out for the 85 cup final. I didn't meet proper city fans until I went to Xaverian College and 3 of my mates worked on the turnstiles at Maine Road. They used to let us gib in for free. Although, this backfired at the Derby when Cantona scored and loads of us jumped up and down in the Kippax. Coins, lighters, gob...everything was being lobbed at us. Then a nice policeman opened a gate and we were allowed to run up the side of the pitch and into the away fans who were in the corner of the kippax.

I know all your references. I had a a brief spell playing for the St Caths Saturday League team through an MCFC director's son. It was mostly blue. You are talking about Catholic schools which were mostly your lot. Funny that 'EVERYONE was united' but you had three mates that worked at Maine Road. I am 'Old School' Didsbury and I don't accept your analysis whatsoever.

Wonder if it's s religious thing I went to elm grove then parrs wood and most mates at parrs wood were ex beaver road. Definitely more blues, I left Manchester before united won a prem title though so I'm sure it changed . I also for whatever reason only kept I'm contact after I left with non reds. Always seemed to me as a kid (these are the revollections of a kid) that most of my friends , the school , parents etc were city

 

[Deleted member 58678]

As for matchgoers i would say there are more of us but for pub watching non attendees with no history of attending games it is them. If you go in any pub when they are on it is crowded with easy option taking cowards basking in reflected glory and giving it large, i don't class them as supporters just people who want to fit it and are terrified of deviating from the so called norm. I would say the age range of 18-25 is where we lack as far as matchgoer go, you see away sides coming to the Etihad and in many cases they seem to have a more youthful support than we do when we travel away.

It is up to City to capitalize on our recent success and attract more Mancunians through the gate when the stadium is expanded but i get the impression that your average 20 something working class Manc from Denton, Crumpsall or Withington is not a priority.

That was the case for sure, but just going off the number of City fans I see around me, I think it's changed.

The only way of knowing is to look at gates for Cup crowds when the out of towners don't go, and there you can see that City's support has surged. There used to be no chance City would ever get more than 25k for a Cup game, now it's 40k or a full house.

Take Newcastle in the Cup this season and judge it against United v Newc in the same comp a few years ago.

City attendance = 40,752
United attendance = 46,358

As you can see; fairly similar and I reckon that would be a good representation of how it really is.

I've worked in gyms and also in schools/colleges where you get a large amount of regulars come in through the doors and in my experience I've always found it to be slightly more United than City but no great difference.

 

[worsleyweb]

I am having my final say on the didsbury debate - in all honesty I can't remember one red from beaver road. Me and all my mates started going from the mid 80s aged 7 or 8. The only rags I knew were my cousins and John Moran his mates who were a few of the Irish lads from the parrs wood. I didn't even know where old Trafford was until I was about 15. My knowledge of manchester consisted of fog lane school lane and the 42 bus route to Maine road. A lot of the older Irish community were non match going Reds but a lot of my mates have been hard core city fans match going lads ever since. Liam Gallagher even cleaned our windows for a while- that's how blue we were!

 

[raymondkl92]

OHHH MAN CITY THE ONLY FOOTBALL FANS TO COME FROM MANCHESTERRRRR

Thread closed

 

[Paul11/12]

I wonder what it's like in schools now?

Aguero, Silva, Toure, Hart versus Rooney and RVP. We must be winning that hands down

well in swinton my 9 year old is the only blue in the class , and on his football team.

Well my 9 year old in Sale is probably outnumbered slightly, say 60/40, but he's been to more matches than the UTD boys combined, and your lad probably the same!

 

[Mankymeat FC]

I lived in Didsbury for 24 years and I can't remember anyone from Beaver road? School lane and Fog lane was completely dominated by St Caths and Barlow. The church, the social club, the parrs wood hotel. The first incarnation of the St Caths league football team wore the United away kit. I know coz I played for them! I can only remember 1 city fan who lived on my road. He went to Broad oak.

 

[EalingBlue2]

I am having my final say on the didsbury debate - in all honesty I can't remember one red from beaver road. Me and all my mates started going from the mid 80s aged 7 or 8. The only rags I knew were my cousins and John Moran his mates who were a few of the Irish lads from the parrs wood. I didn't even know where old Trafford was until I was about 15. My knowledge of manchester consisted of fog lane school lane and the 42 bus route to Maine road. A lot of the older Irish community were non match going Reds but a lot of my mates have been hard core city fans match going lads ever since. Liam Gallagher even cleaned our windows for a while- that's how blue we were!

Fog lane, school lane, Didsbury village and up to parrs wood was what I knew from the late 70s to the late 80's and have to say it seemed as if blue was normal and reds were almost immigrants to the area. I only remember two reds well one was a lovely old Irish lady from chorlton who used to babysit and one was a mate Nick who actually lived in fallow field but went to parrs wood because his mum ran a pub in Didsbury. Must have been many more red about I just don't remember them.