Why you supported our wonderful club

[Goats left knee]

As a young Irish boy, it was never gonna be the typical Man U or Liverpool for me. I was playing outside and looking in my sitting room window seen Niall Quinn score a nice diving header (would have been 1989 or 1990)
I had been due to go away on hols.. and I had been a Norwich fan up until then, I went to the sports shop, they hadn’t got any Norwich jerseys but had the maroon away City kit.
That was that for me! The rest is history! Anyone know who it might have been against?

 

[rabatblue]

Like so many, I was taken as a child by my father.

But I'll tell a little story I have done before about the coda to it.

My father went constantly from his boyhood to the mid seventies until the family moved south when I was little. So I didn't get quite the same experience, it was going to visit family that I would be taken to games ("I've put up with it for 40 years, I don't see why he should get away with it"), so throughout the eighties I would go to occasional games. It was always a wonderful treat.

Into my adulthood I'd still make the trek north to see City. Not often, maybe a couple of games a season, and more usually to City away matches in the south in those days when you could get tickets for them.

My father as he got older stopped going more or less. He had grown out of the habit of it, though would watch on TV and still was very much a blue.

Come 2011 and City reached the cup final. A friend of mine was a member of the Sussex FA and they got tickets to such things, and knowing me as a City fan asked if I wanted them. Obviously I did.

So I rang my father and said that it was 30 years since he first took me to a game, the FA Cup 3rd round v Crystal Palace (January 3rd, 1981). He didn't remember. I then said that year City had reached the cup final, and we watched it at home. Wouldn't it be nice, all those years later to watch it together again?

"Oh yes it would. That would be nice. Do you want to come down and watch it with us?"

"I could dad. Or you could come with me to Wembley".

I will treasure that long silence for the rest of my life. And what a day we had. The turning of the circle - son taking his father to football.

I love my Dad for introducing me to City. And though I don't go remotely as often as many on here, I do go. I'm there on Saturday, I'm up for the Spurs league match. All because he took a little boy to Maine Road, wide eyed in the North Stand, wondering who this lady with a bell was, watching Joe Corrigan patrol his six yard box and do shuttle runs across it.

Haven't posted for years. But this one brought a tear to my eye and moved me to get off my arse. Or maybe it's the red wine...

First game was West Ham at home - 76 I think. My grandad took me. From the moment I walked up the steps with him, saw the brilliant green pitch (we had a black & white telly!) and heard the crowd I was hooked. Joe Royle got two that day - we won 3-0. Couldn't understand why these big lads were running around shouting "United" when we were playing West Ham! For two more years my grandad took me to nearly every game (but never to the derby). He had a season ticket in the main stand and used to ask the guy at the turnstile if it was OK to take me in and sit on his knee. It always was (except once, when some jobsworth said no - that day, we watched from the North Stand). To this day the smell of pipe tobacco evokes memories of that time - beating Derby 4-3 when Mike Doyle got sent off, Colin Bell's return against Newcastle, Big Joe wearing a red shirt against West Brom, Peter Barnes mesmerising when we beat Spurs 5-0...

My grandad died in '78, and I wasn't allowed to go on my own after that until '82, by which time we'd become truly shit. But I got a season ticket anyway and they were happy days. Even though we got relegated that season, there was something magical about the place. Although I didn't fully realise what that magic was until my last game at Maine Road - the 0-1 against Trevor Brooking's West Ham in 2003. I knew I couldn't make it for the last game of the season a week or so later, so I stayed behind to take it all in. It was only then that it struck me me that this wasn't just a game - it was about identity and heritage. I was there because my Grandad took me on his knee nearly 20 years earlier, and he did that 'because he'd grown up in Ardwick and come obsessed with City as as a lad in the 1920s. So this wasn't just about me - it was about a transmission of passion and loyalty through the generations. I felt him there with me that day.

I now live abroad, so don't get to go that often. And my 14 yo daughter isn't exactly mad about football (although she will occasionally watch the highlights if we've won and Aguero has scored!). But I know that one day she'll come to the Etihad with me, and I'm sure that in years to come she'll be looking out for our results and explaining to her own kids why City winning brings a smile to her face. And it won't matter if we're as brilliant as we are now or as shit as we were in the '80s.

CTID

 

[Sky Blue]

As a young Irish boy, it was never gonna be the typical Man U or Liverpool for me. I was playing outside and looking in my sitting room window seen Niall Quinn score a nice diving header (would have been 1989 or 1990)
I had been due to go away on hols.. and I had been a Norwich fan up until then, I went to the sports shop, they hadn’t got any Norwich jerseys but had the maroon away City kit.
That was that for me! The rest is history! Anyone know who it might have been against?

Might have been Spurs away. We won 1-0 I think.

He joined us in 1990.

 

[The Black Shed]

Having been raised in Heald Green it was fairly obvious I'd become a blue. When I went to my first game it was pretty much confirming what my dad secretly thought and what we all think - have I passed on the blue blood! But, if fate had transpired differently and depending on where the seeds blew in the wind, then it would have been either Sunderland or Hibernian.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

This is a beautiful thread.

 

[Citygirl68]

My Dad first went to Maine Road in 1930 when he was 7 years old, his Dad took him in the Kippax where he was lifted over the heads of the fans to get to the front, years later in the 1980's his best friend Joe Smith was selling his shares in city so my dad bought them and became financial director this was a dream come true for him. This dream nearly became even better when Peter Swales agreed to sell his shares to my dad unfortunately on the day they were due to sigh the contracts Peter turned up on our doorstep and said he had changed his mind, dad was gutted to say the least, things went down hill from there and my dad after another failed attempt to take over (Franny Lee beat him) he sold his shares and moved to Spain. He continued to fly over for home games and went to his last game on his 90th birthday where he was presented with a signed David Silva shirt (his favourite player). Dad passed away 18 months ago at the age of 94 and I will thank him everyday for making me a City fan. Thanks Dad and Grandad RIP.

 

[Norbiton]

Friends at junior school insisted I had to be City, and a friend's Dad took me to my first game against Cardiff in 1961 - it said on the commentary on Wednesday night that this was the last time Cardiff had won at City (2-1, City scored first). Second game, home to West Ham, we lost 5-3 after being 3-1 up at half time. How could you not love a team like that? The only down side was friend's Dad's insistence on leaving 15 minutes from time (this really isn't a recent phenomenon), and in those days it was almost certain the result wouldn't be the same as when we left. Ever since then I've never, ever left a game before the final whistle.

 

[The Black Shed]

Lovely story sir, and you've hit the nail on the head, because for me it's all about identity and heritage. Since I moved away from Manchester, I have probably subconsciously increased my passion for City, and the city! My accent has gone, I have no family left there, but do I still feel part of it? Fuck yeah. Losing my accent is key though, it does nail you to a place and a club for identity and I don't have that anymore. So when I wear the colours, especially since the takeover I can sense people thinking glory hunter. However, during the 90's, City were everyone's favourite 2nd club, not any more I feel.

 

[The Black Shed]

WTF have I done to this post? I've written over everything that guy wrote.
lol
and sorry, only been here 6 years!

 

[bluestevei]

well. as im from Doncaster I have no connections at all with city, my dad was a leeds fan as he was born in Harrogate and all the family was leeds fans, I just went to watch Donny rovers, but when I went to high school [ yes I know im old ] most school mates was rovers leeds Liverpool or sheff wed, so I ask my dad who I should follow, my dad said follow whoever you want to, it is your choice. so looking through the sports section in papers, there was a team who wore the colour which was my fav colour which was blue, name of that team was Manchester City so I chose them, it helped that they was playing a cup final against west brom which they won, so all those years ago, I was a glory hunter and then went to first game against either Bolton in lg cup away lost 3-0 or sheff utd away drew 3-3 in div 1 which both games was around the same time in 1972