Young fans in Asia turning to City - "Why support a team that loses?"

H H

HelloCity

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 May 2008
Messages
20,755
Location
Manchester
www.bbc.co.uk

Manchester United: 'Why support a team that loses a lot?' - how fans in Asia moved on from the Red Devils

Manchester United were once undoubtedly the most popular team in Asia. Now, as they return on tour, fans have started to look elsewhere.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk

Fifteen years ago, United ruled the roost in South Korea, with national hero Park Ji-sung winning trophy after trophy.

"Back then, they were obviously the club which had the biggest fan base in South Korea," said author Lee Seung-mo. "The popularity they had was incomparable with any other European football teams at that time.

"Now they still have many passionate fans, but the situation has changed a lot. They keep underperforming by their standards."

At the same time, other English clubs have been making progress on and off the pitch.

"Especially after Pep Guardiola's arrival, Manchester City got a lot of supporters in South Korea and Liverpool got their glory back," said Lee.
Click to expand...
"City have just been so successful with Pep and Erling Haaland is very famous. United are not only not winning trophies but they are not exciting to watch."

This has, according to Singh, led younger fans to look elsewhere.

"Why choose to support a team that loses a lot?" he said.

There are other options for those starting to get into the sport.

"Some fans, like those who are between 25 and 40 who began following United in the nineties and 2000s, are still there," said Bunyavirapan. "These days, though, the number of kids that support Man City are increasing.

"One of my friends tried to buy United jerseys for his sons but they chose City jerseys instead."
Click to expand...
 
in London I saw few weeks ago on the Jubilee line two parents dad in Arsenal home shirt, mum in arsenal away shirt, kid around age 7-8, in a nice blue Foden City shirt between them.
they couldnt brainwash that kid, well done.

seems to happening in Korea and Singapore too? haha
 
MCFCTrick said:
Become what we once mocked ...
Click to expand...
Betterdeedthan red said:
Unfortunately we have
Click to expand...
Until the UK press (not to mention the "soccer" press here which can't start a radio segment or news article without mentioning the rags or Barcelona) starts calling City the biggest team in the world, discussing players that are or are not "City quality", the club develops a "City way" that's the reason for all the club's success, City have referees bend over because Pep threatens them, one of you lot starts the fucking Kippax Paddock or whatever the fuck and/or we grow a blue Sandra or Flying Pig, Phil Foden gets knighted, and all of us here believe it is our divine right to win trophies regardless, THEN City will be "what we once mocked". :)

Until then, bandwagoners in nations all over are gonna bandwagon. Nature of the beast. Or nature of the best, take your pick.
 
Last edited:
HelloCity said:
www.bbc.co.uk

Manchester United: 'Why support a team that loses a lot?' - how fans in Asia moved on from the Red Devils

Manchester United were once undoubtedly the most popular team in Asia. Now, as they return on tour, fans have started to look elsewhere.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
Click to expand...
When fans talk about club size what they sometimes fail to recognise is fan growth. Which teams are new generations both home and abroad choosing and in what quantities? Clubs are very wary of this. A team can have a period of success and accrue large swathes of new young fans that grow up to be a significant fan base. Conversely history clubs that lose large swathes of supporters as they age, stop going, stop watching or you know what.
 
If it's young kids I understand it. It is simply human to want to be on the side of the victors. There must be few people on here who decided — on their own, as a kid, with no family pressure whatsoever — to support City during our darkest years, exactly when United were winning every bleeding thing in sight.
But I confess I have very little interest in “fans” who as teenagers or adults started supporting United and now think they're City fans. Their right, naturally. People can consider themselves fans of who they want. I just haven't really got anything to say to them.
Perhaps I'm on shaky ground here because after 1966 I was if anything a Chelsea supporter (“Ha!” I hear you exclaim, “knew he was a wrong ’un!” — and yes if we have another “crap” season like this one I'm thinking of going back to them, naturally, then I'll be able to sing “We've got Palmer, Palmer, Palmer”…). It wasn't until the family moved up to the smoky north of south Manchester in the winter of ’67-8 that I became a blue (sky blue, that is). And continued to feel well disposed towards Chelsea so long as they weren't playing us for a couple of years after that. But then I understood that it wasn't done. You can't love two women at the same time…
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top