About me…

(1970-something to May 2018)

I’ve been a Manchester City fan all my life; heavily influenced by my dad.

My first recollection of players and a squad that I began to follow - and soon idolise - was with the likes of [in order of playing position] Joe Corrigan, Alex Williams, Bobby McDonald, Willie Donachie, Dave Watson, Kenny Clements, Paul Power, Gary Owen, Asa Hartford, Peter Barnes, Mike Channon and Dennis Tueart. I caught the back-end of Mike Doyle, Tommy Booth and the great Colin Bell in his brief, “return” period but we were moving on to the likes of (previously mentioned) Tueart & Channon and “ooo”-Roger Palmer by then.

My idol was (big) Dave Watson.

My dad took me to a few home games over the years; my first was in the late 70s at Maine Road against Tottenham Hotspur. I think we won 3-1.

An absolute defining moment for me was when we were beaten 3-2 in the F.A. Cup Final replay against, again, ffffff…flippin’ Tottenham Hotspur. I was just approaching my 10^th birthday and as the final whistle sounded, I recall not wanting my dad to see the tears.

I walked quietly into the garden and tried to swallow the hard lump that had developed in my throat. Once I’d ‘chocked it back’ it was like an epiphany - even at the age of just 9 I knew that if defeat hurt the heart THIS much then I must be in love with them; I must stick with and follow this football club come what may.

A few years later and a friend of my mum; her husband took me to two very crucial games against Oldham Athletic (0-0) and Charlton Athletic right at the end of the 1984/1985 season. We beat Charlton 5-1 on the last game of the season and gained promotion to the-then 1^st division.

Promoted and playing our football in the top league; for some reason I didn’t go to a single match! I was only 13 but looking back, I just can’t think why I didn’t go to any games. We finished that season 15^th - we had survived!

Then, at the age of 14 and in true-suffering, Manchester City supporter style; I took the plunge during a dreadful second season in the ‘top flight’. I began to take myself off to home games on my own; paying less than, or about, £5 on the turnstile. Dipping my toe in the waters of being a supporter of a major but often struggling football team; this was for me!

I was a Kippax Stand lad and loved every minute of it. I used to stand quite low down at the front and toward the right-hand-side; progressed higher up and towards the back and, as the seasons passed, eventually shimmied over to the more-noisy left side near to where the away supporters were penned. I sat in a similar position at the Etihad Stadium from the opening match until May 2018.

Back to the season of 1986/1987; I went to 13 games, including a 3-2 home defeat to Ipswich Town in the Full Members’ Cup on Saturday 31^st January 1987, 3:00pm KO. The reduced-sized, fold-out, 7-page (including front and back covers) “Match Magazine” was just 20p!

Of the matches I attended we won 5, drew 3 and lost 5. We were relegated; having finished second-bottom to bottom side Aston Villa.

With a sense of resolve I was completely hooked and purchased my first ever season ticket. At still – and just about – 15 years of age; it was a junior season book and cost just £45!

Since then - and over 32+ seasons later - I can probably count the amount of home, league games that I’ve missed on my fingers & toes and from the 1987/1988 season to around the mid-90s, I went to a good-number of away games too from as far-North as Sunderland to many in the London area (and lots in-between).

When I moved away from home and into the housing market I stopped the hard slog of mostly-negative away results but, for the most part, I VERY much enjoyed my ‘away trips’. Great days in fact! Sadly, paying bills then took president over funding away games.

But I carried on the season ticket for league games and, when possible, home-cup-games ritual; purchasing my [consecutive] 32nd season ticket (card) up to the 2017 / 2018 season.

We haven't stood up at grounds at our level of football for many years now, of course, but I like to think that I still had that old spirit of vocally driving-on my team right up to the end of the 2017 / 18 season. I more-often-than-not used to come home with a hoarse throat…

As we moved from Maine Road and into the Etihad Stadium, I joined with a couple of friends in writing for a new fanzine that one of them had created called, ‘A Million Miles Away’.

Taken from one of the lines in the Club’s anthem, ‘The Boys in Blue…

…it ran for 10 issues and spanned 4 seasons. It was great fun; a little hard work getting the time, sometimes, but very rewarding indeed. After years of ‘not writing’, my wife was urging me to ‘take up the pen’ once again; sighting a ‘Blog’ as one possibility. She was right - I was missing it and on 28^th April 2013, ‘Blue chews-daze’ was born!

So having just missed out on the highly successful late 60s and early 70s; I’ve seen the barren times, the really barren times and the really, REALLY barren times. So much so, in fact, that I’m still catching my breath from the EF5 tornado that has swept through our wonderful football club from 2008 to current day. More to follow I hope…

So that’s me. As always, thanks for ‘taking the time’.