You seem down to earth good to have you here (For now
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Question: With respect you've 'Bought' the FA Cup and now the league. By that I mean without the investment it's fair to say you probably wouldn't have. Does your success seem hollow to you now?
I should add I'm really not trying to be funny here would really like to know your thoughts.
Not in the slightest.
The day we won the FA Cup was just completely mental. I ended up going alone because the coach ticket we were given by the club was misprinted and told us we had to get to the coach park for 8:00am, when we should have been there for 7. ("Typical City") Imagine the look on our faces when the huge car park was filled with empty and no coaches, apart from one reserved for the stewards only. There was one space left on the coach, and my old man pushed me on there and he was left to wave us off. I can't imagine how heartbreaking it was for him to be stranded there, watching us set off to (hopefully) see us lift our first trophy in 35 years. I had to work the tube on my own which for us Northerners is like trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube; so frustrating. The guy who was sat in front of me during the actual game was your typical Moss Side lad. Skinhead, tattoos everywhere, I'm sure some of you know what I'm talking about having been to Maine Road a few times. Anyway, he just would not sit down the whole game. I tapped him on his shoulder and asked him to just sit down a bit. Him and his Hulk-like mates turned round towards me and stood up. Thankfully, a lot of our other fans around us told them to sit down and enjoy the match. At the final whistle, they all turned round to me and started crying. I was in their pictures, we sung City songs for the next hour while the players paraded, it was amazing.
Anyway, I guess the point I'm trying to make with this is that no matter who we beat to get to the final and no matter how much money we spent, all of this could have still happened. If it was Bolton who got to the final somehow, there could have been poor sap who experienced the exact same thing I had. Some guy in Stoke could have completely mirrored me, except he was crying at the end for a different reason. I've had to endure so much playground bullying and taunts in the pub because I support 'bricky City'. To actually go back home and tell them that we won a trophy, and
actually be able to brag about something; there is nothing hollow about that.
Sorry for going on (and going slightly off topic), I thought the best way to make my point was to tell a little story. Besides, just be thankful I haven't even mentioned Aguero vs QPR.
After a Spurs-City game at the Lane, can't remember the exact year (2010?), we had won 1-0, I got the train up to Chester to meet the missus. I sat with three City ST holders on the way up. I'll never forget their wide-eyed excitement about the takeover and hearing stories about the dark days of lower-division football and the rest.
They were football fans who loved their club, nothing more, and it was a pleasure to spend time in their company chatting and listening to their self-deprecating humour about how 'only a club like City could stuff this up' when I asked what the future held for them. Very similar to ourselves actually!
I remind myself of this experience when I venture into Bluemoon to see what they're saying about Spurs!
I guarantee 95% of the ST holders at the Etihad will be exactly like that. Still working class people, with a few stories to tell and a few laughs to have. And I'm not sure I know which 1-0 Spurs you're referring to, there have been so many of those in recent years!
Good luck finding something positive though. The only other teams that the people on there like are our reserves and our youth squads. A few good Spurs fans post on there, but I think they find it difficult to have a decent debate. I think many people are still hurt over THAT Ricky Villa goal.
I think Spurs and City fans both see their teams as the masters of fudging things up at times.
Definitely know what you mean. There a few parallels to draw between the clubs, like snatching defeat from the claws of victory, and being under our rivals for such a large period of time. It's why I'm pleased Spurs are actually challenging Arsenal now, I hope to see a changing of the old guard in the next few years.
