It two weeks time, Manchester City will have to reflect on the 35 years that have gone by since they last won a trophy. 1976 marks the year when Abba were at the top of the charts with Mama Mia, the first commercial Concorde flight took off and Rocky was the most popular film at the pictures. To be a City fan who actually remembers seeing their team win a trophy, you’d have to be at least 40-years-old.

In this context, it makes sense that City fans would try and find something to cling on to, particularly in light of all the success United have had in this time. 11 League titles, 2 European Cups, 8 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, as well as the Cup Winners’ Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup and Club World Cup. Every year that passed where they won nothing and every year where we added another trophy to our list built up the resentment and bitterness our neighbours feel.

So when outside of Manchester, they told the lie that proper Mancunians support City. Anyone who lives locally to Manchester knows this is bollocks, but it is a myth that has done the rounds for a while. Famous blue, Jason Manford, was recently interviewed and had to come clean about the lie. “It’s one of those things where we’ve gone over the years ‘Yeh, there’s no United fans in Manchester’ but there is. There’s bloody loads of them.”

United have had higher attendances than City every single season since the 1940s, even when United were forced to play at Maine Road after Old Trafford was bombed. Even this season, with City giving away their tickets for a fiver in Europe (and £1 for under 16s), their stadium has been just over half full. Either there’s only a few thousand football fans in Manchester or those Berties are telling porkies.

So, whilst United get to sing about being top of the league, City fans were left to sing about their lie, “the city is ours”, during our victorious game against them yesterday. With 20,000 empty seats, are you fucking sure?

———–
STATS: United vs City – The Best Supported Club Since The 1940’s?
STATS: Which Fans Don’t Go To Their Ground?
PICTURE: Edin Dzeko Must Be Confused