Why you supported our wonderful club

Moved from Scotland and my first mate was a Blue. If he was a Rag I'd have been more of an obnoxious cünt.
 
My grandfather came to Manchester from Leeds around 1900 and began watching City. He went to watch them bring the cup home in 1904 apparently. My dad was brought up as a City fan and all my mum's brothers were City fans so from 1955 onwards I was taken with the family to see City. When I had lads of my own they came with my Dad and me to watch the blues, but this ended in the early 80s with the increasing trouble, not at inside the ground but rather going to the ground and from it after the match. Working away from Manchester and then abroad made getting to games out of the question, but we managed to get there again when we were in the third division! It's a dad's'n'lads thing.
 
Henkeman said:
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.
Click to expand...

Fantastic stuff, Henkers, old boy!
 
Sure I've said it before The local minister in Marple was a Geordie, knew my old man and took me to Maine Road for the game. 1967 thank you Bill Heweson.
Please no obtuse comments as his daughter was killed in an accident , cheers.
 
My dad scarpered as soon as I was born! He was a rag twat, met up with him 20 years later and told him where to go. My mum married a blue. He was a bigger twat who knocked seven shades out of Mum, my step-sister and two step brothers (the kids he had with my mum after they married) and he took a great delight in battering me most of all.
It was him that took me to my first game 5-1 against Newcastle 18/1/75 and I found my escape, my love and reason for living.
I don’t thank him one bit because it was my choice to be a City fan. I love this club with every single breath I will ever take. Extreme? Maybe. Mad? Definitely. I never question why, I don’t ever want the answer.
I really did have the last laugh too cos the bald headed twat died in April 2011 so he missed the start of it all.
 
dad took me and my two brothers early to mid seventies a night match at home to Carlisle we got beat 2 1 (an all to regular occurrence for a lot of my teenage years)but we were all hooked to a magical game under floodlights.couldnt understand why my dad was so pissed off on the way home.
 
Whilst you obviously aren't my first team, I started looking out for City after Paul Powers amazing free kick in the 1981 semi final.
I was about the only kid at school that wanted you to beat Spurs
 
Kinkladze. Father has always supported the other folk. Same with other extended family. Mother never really cared for footy.

Didn’t get on with him that well growing up. Saw a game where he had the ball glued to his foot; Mesmerising. When talk of football and support came from my father, told him I liked Kinkladze. He asked who he played for. When I told him City, he said to me I’d have to live elsewhere. Haha.

Also went to Bede’s as well. Met Lawlor, Gunn and a few others when I was there. Remember when Mancini came to the school and went to the chapel to pray before the all important game (I think it was around that time). Joked about how that little visit helped win it. I digress.

Being left alone with the TV on and watching highlight reels of Kinkladze got me hooked on the team.
 
My favorite player when i first started playing football as a 6/7 yr old was Francis Lee. At the time i had a full Bolton Wanderers kit ( bought for me as a birthday present. He then transferred to City and my allegiance transferred. Success followed for City under Mercer and Allison and this cemented my loyalty. At the time all the kids at school or in my street were Bolton, Man Utd , or Everton. No one followed Liverpool. No one i grew up with followed City until a new lad came to our school.
 
Born into a family of thick, illiterate rags. Grew up surrounded by thick, illiterate rags (though some of my closest friends were and still are decent lads).

There was only ever going to be one outcome - I've never been one to conform.
 
Growing up and living on the south coast of Brighton, my generation only liked to support; Utd because they won everything (back then), Liverpool because they would be brainwashed about how good Liverpool were in the 80s (let it go), Chelsea, well they popped up all over the place when the cheque book came out. For me..... well, I loved the colour light blue and always been one not to follow suit and rebel. Then one day I saw this player score an absolute worldy, Jamie Pollock and full pelt, chipping it over 2 players (including one of his own team mates) and then lobbing the keeper with a header. It turned out to be one of the best own goals of all time but being only 6 or 7 at the time I thought to myself ‘Wow, if he can score like that in his own net, imagine what they can do against the other team’ And that for me was where it all began and 23 years later I still love this team and will do until the day I die!
 
Being a fan of lighting technology and in particular floodlights, I was drawn to the might towers that adorned Maine Road.

and the fact that I was dragged along at the age of 9 by my uncle to watch us lose to Aston Villa and then it kind of just became a habit.
 
At the age of 2 given the choice by my old man. City, your staying at home, United, your off to Barnardo's. With the first 35 years of my life should have gone down the Barnardo's route! Having witnessed the last 10 years just wish after his 50 plus years attending week in week out that he had been alive to witness what is happening before us.
 
My Grandad stood on Hyde Road before the first world war. My Dad followed on for 60 ofd years etc My lads are 4th generation.
 
Salford born and bred but it has always been City for our family, definitely 3rd generation maybe 4th, my granddad was a big blue, went to Wembley in 33 and 34, he was born in Archie Street in Ordsall ( the street Coronation Street was based on and where Eddie Colman, killed at Munich lived). Dad followed his lead back in the 40's and 50's yet only ever went to one game with him in 82; it was my Auntie who took me to my first game at Maine Road against Leeds in August 71.
My mum could take it or leave football but never liked United especially Crerand who once got sent off for spitting at someone, she thought that was the lowest of the low and summed up everything about them.
 
Growing up in Ireland, especially in Cork, everyone around me supported United or Liverpool with a few Arsenal and Leeds fans thrown in. (Leeds were good back then...;)) And of course, in Cork, red is the colour of the county shirt so for many, so it seemed a natural progression. But not for me. I hate red - even though I would grudgingly wear something red around All-Ireland time to support the county team as they were invariably involved in the latter stages of the All-Ireland back then. But I have always preferred blue. So on my eighth birthday, March 27, 1968, there was a certain derby at Old Trafford. I listened on the old scratchy radio to the BBC commentary. And the team in sky blue prevailed 3-1. And a new love was born.
I had no connection to Manchester at all, unlike most on here. But for some reason, I totally identified with all things City. I was pretty much the only City fan that I knew of back then. I took my lumps from all the other teams supporters. I ploughed a lone furrow - even though it was a pretty good time to be a City fan at the start: League 1967/68, FA Cup 1969, League Cup and ECWC Cup 1970. Maybe I was just a gloryhunter. I thought the fun would never stop. The near miss in '72 - even though Rodnee was my favourite player back then. (Yes, I know. He replaced the great Alan Oakes as my fave, to make it worse...) The heartbreak losing to Wolves in '74 and the joy of '76 with Tueart's overhead. And then all the barren years to follow.
But in May '99, it all changed. And changed more in May 2011. Both occasions had me blubbering.

I live in the US now and have done since 1989. I have only seen City twice in meaningful games although I have been to see them over here a few times; pretty much every time they have toured the US. Saw City at Maine Road in '74 after begging my uncle in Dublin to take me (1-0 over Stoke - Rodnee scored...;) and a God awful 0-0 with Blackburn in 2005 at the Etihad (CoMS) with Pearce in charge. However, at the latter game, I met so many great City fans from various forums that I still count as friends. (Some one here even...) Absolute salt of the earth folks that I am still in touch with and will see again soon I hope.

I sometimes get up at silly o' clock to watch us over here and am a member of the Boston MCFC Supporters Club. Quite a few Mancs in there too...and I happily posed with the PL trophy with my City-mad son last Saturday when NBCSN broadcasted from Boston. And met SWP too.

So yeah, I'm a plastic, armchair fan. As I said, I have no previous connection to Manchester at all. I envy but respect all of you that pay your hard-earned money to go and support this team, great as it is now. Many of the same folks did the same when we yo-yo'd through the divisions. I hear you especially at the away games, loud and proud. Even those who were actually not at York. Or Macclesfield even...I only wish I could have been there. Total respect and gratitude.

So call me a plastic, but I'm a Blue and have been for over 50 years now. And I'm fucking proud of it. Sorry for rambling but that's my story. Annnnd I will stick to it...;)
 
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