THE 93:20 MAILBOX - WHY ARE YOU ARE A CITY FAN?

The first of two mailboxes this week asks the following question:

Why did you become a City fan?

 

Mark Meadowcroft

Those of us who were given teddy bears called Franny and Colin came to realise in later life that the good ships “Choice” and “Free Will” had set sail some time previously. I have no memory of being anything other than Manchester City.

 

Curtis Simpson

My first City game was Bury away in 1997 at the age of 8. I wouldn’t call myself at City fan at that point per se. A friend and I had taken up playing for a kids team in Bury after the hype of Euro 96, which led to an opportunity to go to the odd Bury game and that first game just so happened to be against Manchester City. There was a lot of talk in the build up to the game between the other lads on how City were favourites to win the league and that Bury would have to play out their skins to get a result. Something really intrigued me about that. It felt like City were this giant club with expensive players, that should be within touching distance of the top level of football (am I a glory supporter?!).

Even though on the day City were fairly rubbish and nothing like the heroes I had watched on TV in Euro 96, I was absolutely captivated by Georgi Kinkladze. Every time he got even near the ball, there would be a rumble of excitement from Bury fans and the City fans alike. I’d never seen that kind of thing live before and I was hooked. From that point on I tried to play like Kinkladze, I always wore blue and whenever somebody asked me who I supported I insisted I was a City fan. Little did I know City would get relegated and my hero would leave.

 

Martin Creevy

Became a blue cos my dad took me from being born…

 

David Doodson

I was undecided on which team to support growing up, my Mum is a red and my Dad a blue. I was leaning towards United (forgive me) due to their success when Dad got two tickets from our local newsagent to Millwall at home in the 98/99 season. We went and we were about 5 seats away from the Millwall fans in the North Stand. City took the lead late on and the Millwall fans didn’t react brilliantly to this. Suddenly a number of objects of different shapes and sizes started raining down on the home end. Dad was concerned by this and negotiated with a steward for us to move seat. We ended up climbing over the advertising hoardings and walking across the pitch into the Main Stand. At the time the ball went out for a City goal kick and Nicky Weaver came to retrieve the ball from me. From then I was absolutely hooked!

 

Phil Harris

My grandad was and still is a huge City fan and as my Dad isn’t that much into football I sought guidance from my Grandfather as to whom I should support. He had a season ticket at Maine Road for years and took me to my first game in 1989 against Millwall in the FA Cup, a dour 0-0 draw.  I remember my Grandad grumbling that every time he had to take me to the toilet he might miss a goal!  I’m proud to say that I watched the Aguero moment with him in his living room, a moment I will never forget and for me all that more special seeing it with him.

 

John Arrowsmith

Started out in the 1950’s as an Oldham fan and of course they are still my team. However my father took me to Maine Road many times when Oldham we’re away. When I moved to South Manchester many years ago my two daughters started going to City and have been season ticket holders for over 20 years so I obviously still have great affinity with City.

So I suppose I started supporting City in about 1955 when Bobby Johnstone was my hero (he later played for Oldham).

 

Graham Ward

My Dad played semi-pro to a reasonable standard when I was a child, so I was taken to his games, as my Grandad was also involved. His football money paid the rent on the family’s first black and white TV!
He never pushed his preferences on me, so I was taken aback that he was a Red by inclination, and, when I announced I liked the colour of the City shirt (blue has always been my favourite), he became a City supporter. This would be around 1967 or 68. I have to confess I cheered for United at Wembley that year.

 

Tom Potts

I became a City fan around 1961.

I was taken to Maine Road by my paternal grandparents and loved it. They went until they were in their 90’s, my gran was 98 the last time she went. At 81 years old they stood on the terrace for the 1981 cup final.

With forbears like that I had no choice!!

 

Carla Mayers

1980 – my younger brother had arrived and my Mum told my Dad she wasn’t being left on her own with two young kids so he’d have to either stop going to the match or take one with him. She fully expected him to give up his season ticket but instead he gave me his scarf and three and a half year old me became a regular with my Dad & Godfather .They had started going to Maine Road in 1954 – my Godfather was at Grammar School in Manchester & played Rugby on Saturday mornings so Dad travelled over from Todmorden each week. My Mum still hates football, moans how much it took over my life but always gets the same answer ‘You made me go’.

 

Aleksandar Savic

I started liking City back in the 2015/16 season, but didn’t manage to watch any games as I had had some personal issues with the game of football since I was a kid (sounds weird, and it is! 😅).

The point when I truly became interested in the Club, watching games etc was in the summer 2018.

My main reasons for picking this Club are: the underdog status, the sky-blue colour, the music (Joy Division first and foremost, as Ian Curtis was a Blue), and the badge (the golden eagle).

 

Karl Florczak

Two reasons on the “why” front: first, because my Dad said so and second, I lived on Thornton Road as a kid with the floodlight that stood on the corner of the Platt Lane end and Main Stand overlooking my house. We could leave our front door at 2.50pm and still be in plenty of time for kick-off!

When? 1979.

Howard Hockin

As I compiled this mailbox, I decided I would hide my answer deep in the bowels of this page. You see, my dad is a red, so by rights I should be spending every week sat in cramped seats drinking lukewarm Budweiser, rabbiting on about the good old days and that night in Barcelona. I don’t know why I am a City fan to be honest. Growing up in north Manchester, my dad was not as obsessive about the sport as I, nor as tribal as most are nowadays. After all, as many of our elders are keen to point out, they would often go to watch City at home one week, and United the next. No, really.
My dad took me to watch Bury, City and United, and for some reason City stuck. Maybe it was the love of an underdog, though at that age it is unlikely. Maybe it was the lustrous moustache of Neil McNab. Or more likely it was my love of the colour blue, and that sub-conscious gut feeling that Maine Road felt like home.

 

Neil Topping

Influenced by a pal and the fact that my class mates were mainly all reds! 1970, first game Villa away.

 

KippaxCity73

My older cousin has supported since 1974.

 

Bradley

I became a supporter in 1983, my dad and uncle Eli were both City fans. Eli was an odd-looking man who drove a Lada and he would take me to Maine Road. His car was so bad the kids never asked for protection money.

 

Patientman

My dad wasn’t really a big football follower, it came more from my mother’s side, her brother, my uncle, was a big city fan, even tho he came from Oldham, and it’s his influence I remember!

 

Alan Harmer

25/12/67 it was an accident of Subbuteo- was meant to be another but my Nan loved powder (!!) blue. Such is…

 

Andy P

Was about 6, favourite colour was blue, seen a game and fell in love with the kit. Told my dad (United fan) he told me I was adopted.

 

Cheech Exotic

At birth, didn’t have a choice. Took 20+ years for my dad to be vindicated.

 

Peter Thornton

Because my dad was only interested in the pub on Saturdays. (You can walk to OT from my mum’s) And a lad in our class had a dad who was a City fan (not common in 60s Salford)

 

Ronan

I was asked to choose between United and Liverpool so I chose City – and then witness the Maine Road massacre!

 

Manc Lad

My mum and dad owned a grocer’s shop in Kippax Street in the mid 50’s so it was a no-brainier i’d be a City fan when i became old enough.

 

Bobby

Dad took me to a game in 1980 and that’s when I became a proper fan.

 

John Broadhead

 From birth, no other option made.

Lee Glynn

In the 70’s, family were always football connected. They knew staff/players at both City and Oldam so we went to both.

 

Dan Metcalf

No choice – my had is a blue (lone bert in a family of Collyhurst top reds) and so therefore I was one from late 1977 or maybe early 1978, before I popped, arse-first, into this once-wonderful world.