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Some will say that the significance of this match can never be fully understood by an outsider, and to an extent they may be right. There is something about living side-by-side as neighbors with the blues in Manchester which may provide an understanding that we will never quite grasp. However, as a true Manchester United fan there should be hatred deep within yourself for Manchester City, regardless of geography. Every time we play them pride is on the line, and don’t you ever forget that. No matter where you live, the desire to always be the top team in everything, especially in Manchester, should always reign supreme.
My own experiences with Manchester City led to the development of a very potent hatred for the bitter blues. I have always hated Manchester City; part of my duty as a United fan. They were an annoyance, but our rivalry with them was dwarfed by our rivalry with Liverpool. The gap between the importance of the two closed rapidly upon my arrival at university. In my first year at university I was randomly assigned a diehard Manchester City supporter as my roommate. Perhaps with the exception of that roommate being a scouser, there is no worse fate to befall a United fan than this. The bitterness which spewed from the mouth of my roommate was like dumping gasoline onto a blazing fire; my disdain for City grew wildly into animosity. That is not to say he was a bad guy, because we did become friends, but with regards to what club he supported he was unbearable.
He claimed to support Manchester City as a result of his love for Oasis, which is fair play to him I suppose. His hate for United was initially far more than my own hate for City. I was busy focusing on knocking Liverpool off their perch than to be bothered by a club that never truly posed a threat. He said all the regular bitter garbage you would expect from a City supporter. I wish I had even a penny for every time he claimed we bought our success or that I was a ‘glory hunter’ along with all of my fellow fans. I would’ve had quite the handsome-looking bank balance at the point, but alas all I took from it was a stronger hatred for Manchester City. It was made particularly hard by the fact that City did the double over us that season in 2007/08. As you all know, though, we decided to cast our shadow over them by winning a slightly bigger double. My dear roommate actually got excited that his club had beaten the Premier League and Champions League winners twice that season. I think he might have been sarcastically joking, or at least I hope he was. At the time you would rarely find a City fan in America, and this was my first real encounter with one. At first I thought he was the minority, but every encounter I have had with City fans since then have essentially confirmed that they are all just like this. And simply put, that makes them all unbearable.
That was before the days of the Sheik. That was before the days of Carlos “Judas” Tevez. Back then City was nothing more than a mild nuisance, regularly finishing just shy of relegation. In something of an ironic twist, the following year their fortunes changed as Sheik began pouring his money into the Wastelands. I say ironic because City was now doing the very thing he claimed to hate United for – spending money to buy trophies. The next time I saw him I of course brought up this very point, to which he could only attempt to justify by responding that City had suffered enough and so they now deserved their new-found wealth and any success it would bring them. I decided against bringing up the fact that United had actually earned all their cash and that he was being incredibly hypocritical. After all, he was right, City had suffered a lot, the least I could do is let him enjoy his delusional bliss for one night.
Once the Sheik arrived at the Wastelands, though, City fans transformed from being a nuisance to being insufferable. Perhaps nothing is more symbolic of this time than the infamous “Welcome to Manchester” poster with Carlos Tevez. After years of hating United and everything we stood for they were now trying to become us, armed with all the money of their new-found sugar daddy. They used to claim we bought all our trophies because we could afford to buy some of the world’s star players, a favourite in the City fan’s repertoire of insults against United fans. But now City have been in a class of their own when it comes to spending in the transfer market. Oddly I did not hear any complaints when they won the FA Cup last season. Surely based on their logic they had bought that trophy. Guess not. Another favorite insult of the typical City fan was of course that United’s fanbase was nothing but ‘glory hunters.’ In fact, they still use this one. And while their fans are busy attacking United for these so-called ‘glory hunter,’ their club’s own media department has been busy making a ‘bluffer’s guide’ essentially welcoming any new fans they may have from around the world as a result of their FA Cup triumph and qualification for the Champions League. What is it called when you support a team because of their success? Oh right…
My good friend Matthew Galea is an Australian-born Manchester United supporter and was fortunate enough to be in the crowd at Old Trafford when Wayne Rooney scored THAT goal against our noisy neighbors. To assure I am not alone in my hate for City, I asked Matt to kindly contribute his own thoughts and feelings on the Manchester derby…
Having been fortunate enough to be in Manchester for, and in the build up to, one of the most eagerly anticipated and closely contested derbies that have ever been witnessed in Manchester, I think it is safe to say that as overseas fans we sometime fail to appreciate just how massive this match is. Sure, the rivalry has perhaps increased with City’s billions, but whether City are competing for the big prizes or not, losing to them is never an option. I think the greatest thing that I took away from attending a derby in person, besides witnessing one of Old Trafford’s greatest moments in it’s long, rich history, would probably be the memories of the faces of anguish on the supporters around me when City equalized rather fortuito usly in front of the Stretford End. The game still had some way to go, but just the mere prospect of City scoring one goal against United was unthinkable to those around me. It established in a realer sense than I had ever considered it before; just how important this game is to Manchester United the city’s leading football club, and to the fans who face those who wear blue day in, day out. It was an experience that added a whole new dimension to my support of the club, leaving no doubts in my mind that a match against City is never on to take lightly.
When our beloved Manchester United line up against Manchester City at Wembley this Sunday, it should not be viewed as just another game. The Community Shield is not the most prestigious of trophies, but it certainly provides bragging rights for the start of the season. With Manchester City and their fans constantly talking of the tides turning in Manchester, the Manchester derby may well reach new levels of intensity. We are the top team in Manchester, and they want to be the top team in Manchester. It can never be just another game. This is for pride, although it always has been I suppose. But for the first time in decades City actually have the weapons to challenge us for the title, but no matter how much they spend or how much they win, they will never be Manchester United. They can never match our history or duplicate the romance that comes hand-in-hand with the club. City will always just be a hollow, plastic wannabe who benefited from the sugar daddy who funded their push success.
With all this on the line, it makes this year’s Community Shield more than just a pre-season trophy to kick off the season. This is much more than that. This is symbolic of the war between these two clubs now. Should City win, god forbid, then they will spend the next year claiming the tides of changed. But if we win, then we will reassert that we are the dominant team in Manchester and that City are still just the pretenders. Every player that pulls on the red shirt at Wembley should have that very thought at the forefront of their minds. Players have spoken about learning the history of Manchester United once they have arrived at the club. They know what it means to wear this badge, and I expect them to fight to make sure that there is not a single doubt at full time that Manchester United are still the best club from Manchester.
2 comments:
GLORY GLORY MAN UTD
City supporters who you refer to as 'bitters' (are you intending to be ironic here by the way?) hate United and their supporters due to local rivalry. Your complete arrogance makes it a fair bit worse. Would you care to explain what you mean by 'history' or further how one football club's history could match or be superior to another's? No, you wouldn't because it is subjective isn't it?
When it comes to the issue of buying success, what are you trying to say? Success is bought (and football teams that can afford it should buy it) or is success something that comes despite financial input (in which case you shouldn't be so upset that City are now in a stronger position than your debt laden club and can challenge for it)?
One criticism that I am certain you would've heard from your room mate but you have not written about is the fact that United do not belong to Manchester residing, as they do, in Salford.
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