Man Utd Fans- For The Sake Of Balance

[Tyler Durden]

When the term "Man United fans" comes up. Most of us immediately think of plastic wankers from places miles away from any 'M' postcode. Indeed my own brother is a Manure fan and therefore I refuse to engage in any lengthy discussion about football with him.

But my experiences with the genuinely Manc Manchester United fans (of which there are quite a few) have never been anything but positive.
Last time we played Arsenal in the cup at Old Trafford over a decade ago. They stopped us in the street several times before and after the match to wish us all the best before and offer their commiserations after.
Yesterday I spoke to three or four of them and had decent conversations. They listened to my stories of following our train wreck of a club whilst I patiently humoured them as they told me of their "problems". We shook hands and wished each other all the best (even if I wasn't entirely sincere ).

I get the impression that these real Manchester United fans are probably as scornful of the hangers-on and plastic pricks who associate themselves with their club as the rest of us. The kind of knobheads who call Talksport and 5 Live from Tunbridge Wells and Croydon to fucking embarrass themselves with their complete lack of knowledge about Man Utd or football in general.

I know that feeling sorry for them isn't the done thing, but it must be weird for them to go to Old Trafford every other week, knowing that probably half the ground is filled with aliens and tourists who would drop their support like a sack of shit if the club ever really fell on hard times.

For all the shit and adversity we face as Blades, we have an identity. Any other supporter of our club you meet knows the club and all its trials and tribulations down the years. I for one believe that losing that would be a worse fate than struggling on the field.

 

[west_yorks_blade]

For all the shit and adversity we face as Blades, we have an identity. Any other supporter of our club you meet knows the club and all its trials and tribulations down the years. I for one believe that losing that would be a worse fate than struggling on the field.

Exactly. And yet we still get big blades slagging off glory blades fans who turn up at games like yesterday's.

Since when has anyone followed the RAWW for the glory?

 

[shorehamview]

All the Man Utd fans sat around us had local accents. There was a good mix of age groups too considering the seats would have been rather expensive.

And yes, there were plenty taking pictures outside the ground. Just like Blades do at Bramall Lane.

 

[judge]

Same here with liverpool fans
There are literally hundreds of thousands of them .nearly every one you meet is a red or a blue but while the everton fans tend to be regular attenders the red fans seem to make do with watching the games on tv

When you press them on it its usually a matter of money .in all the 6 years ive lived here i have only ever met two season ticket holders and only one was a scouser and he would basically finance his season ticket by selling his man utd ticket for a ridiculous price to an.irish /cockney/scandinavian every year

The price of success i suppose

 

[Barney]

I think there ought to be a strong policy at Man Utd giving the most obvious of priorities to the real fans, whilst doing everything they can to discourage the plastic one's only supporting them because of who they are. Can't put my finger on exactly what that would be as I don't know what they're doing now but the hardest of stances on that would do wonders for them. They have lost their 'real fan' identity and it's a shame to see.

 

[Bladesman]

When the term "Man United fans" comes up. Most of us immediately think of plastic wankers from places miles away from any 'M' postcode. Indeed my own brother is a Manure fan and therefore I refuse to engage in any lengthy discussion about football with him.

But my experiences with the genuinely Manc Manchester United fans (of which there are quite a few) have never been anything but positive.
Last time we played Arsenal in the cup at Old Trafford over a decade ago. They stopped us in the street several times before and after the match to wish us all the best before and offer their commiserations after.
Yesterday I spoke to three or four of them and had decent conversations. They listened to my stories of following our train wreck of a club whilst I patiently humoured them as they told me of their "problems". We shook hands and wished each other all the best (even if I wasn't entirely sincere ).

I get the impression that these real Manchester United fans are probably as scornful of the hangers-on and plastic pricks who associate themselves with their club as the rest of us. The kind of knobheads who call Talksport and 5 Live from Tunbridge Wells and Croydon to fucking embarrass themselves with their complete lack of knowledge about Man Utd or football in general.

I know that feeling sorry for them isn't the done thing, but it must be weird for them to go to Old Trafford every other week, knowing that probably half the ground is filled with aliens and tourists who would drop their support like a sack of shit if the club ever really fell on hard times.

For all the shit and adversity we face as Blades, we have an identity. Any other supporter of our club you meet knows the club and all its trials and tribulations down the years. I for one believe that losing that would be a worse fate than struggling on the field.

Well I guess that's why some fans had enough when the Glazers took over and started FC United.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Well I guess that's why some fans had enough when the Glazers took over and started FC United.

FC United was another subject we discussed.
A lot of Man Utd fans feel bitterly betrayed by them breaking away, because they were also real fans at one point but they decided that MUFC no longer represented them and so they split.
As a result of that they've basically ceded the soul of the club to the plastics, and the Man United fans that have stuck with the original club have become more marginalised.

Even though I'm sympathetic to FCUM and their principles, I can definitely see the other side of the story after yesterday.

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

Well I guess that's why some fans had enough when the Glazers took over and started FC United.

Quite a number of the FC United element still go to OT on a regular basis [STs/Box Holders]
First or there abouts for the "BIG" games when it comes to getting tickets.
Not knocking them, it's their right to do what they desire, but the hardcore Manchester United supporters, who I know, who were there during the lean years, despise their hypocrisy.

 

[spongebobblade]

Arrived at Old Trafford yesterday 3 hours before kick off. The place was buzzing but a large portion of people were tourists and the surrounding streets were like a funfair and I was half expecting to have a go on the dodgems or hook a duck. It's more of a commercial venture than a football team but I don't have any sympathy for the genuine mancs. After all it's the money they receive from these type of people that has helped put them where they are. In our search for a particular boozer we asked 4 different people for directions. All admitted they weren't from Manchester. It took a woman at a burger bar to send me in the right direction though I was a little disappointed as she must have sold out of candy floss

 

[HighfieldBlade]

It would be interesting to see actual demographic statistics on the home attendees of an average league game at Old Trafford.
I wonder if they really have as many 'plastic fans' as popularly believed.

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

Apart from the burger vans, badge sellers and ticket touts.
It's like this everyday of the week at Old Trafford.

 

[shorehamview]

.....I was half expecting to have a go on the dodgems or hook a duck......

They had hook a duck? Fuck, I missed that. A goldfish in a bag would have been good fun on the rammed train back to Sheffield.

 

[WhiteHawk]

the rammed train back to Sheffield.

We got on the train at Oxford Road instead of Piccadilly. Was empty at that point so 7 of us all managed to get sat together.

 

[shorehamview]

We got dropped off in Stockport by my brother-in-law, and so had to stand in the doorway of a picked train. Right next to three transport plod, although the blonde lady one was rather fetching.

 

[WhiteHawk]

We got back into Sheffield at about 9.30 and there were still police all over Sheffield station. Fucking ridiculous. What do they think we're going to do?!

 

[shorehamview]

We got back into Sheffield at about 9.30 and there were still police all over Sheffield station. Fucking ridiculous. What do they think we're going to do?!

One would suggest bugger all, due to the large police presence. Quite a few of the chaps getting off the train were still feeling the effects of the day's libations. Not all pissed up lads behave properly, a thought that may have occurred to the rozzers too.

 

[WhiteHawk]

One would suggest bugger all, due to the large police presence. Quite a few of the chaps getting off the train were still feeling the effects of the day's libations. Not all pissed up lads behave properly, a thought that may have occurred to the rozzers too.

No need whatsoever for Sheffield station to be full of police at 10pm when we all just want to go home. Just the usual over-reaction from SYP, absolutely ridiculous.

 

[wizadry]

No need whatsoever for Sheffield station to be full of police at 10pm when we all just want to go home. Just the usual over-reaction from SYP, absolutely ridiculous.

Lightweight

 

[Treeton Blade]

It all kicked off on Calverts coach

 

[WhiteHawk]

Lightweight

Correct

 

[grafikhaus]

Since when has anyone followed the RAWW for the glory?

I had a chat with a non-football fan yesterday and he asked 'How do you put up with it?'

Off the top of my head I replied 'United fans are like a poor man who wins the Lottery. If we had success, we wouldn't know what to do with it.'

Strength in adversity.

 

[boo radley]

It would be interesting to see actual demographic statistics on the home attendees of an average league game at Old Trafford.
I wonder if they really have as many 'plastic fans' as popularly believed.

Not sure. There is a coach to every home game from Worksop and a number of people go in Cars from Dinno. Multiply that by many towns and villages and it is probably quite a few. Which may also include some Manc exiles like the few Blades we have on here from other places.

 

[metalblade]

We used to have a couple of coaches from Sutton to every home game don't know if they still run but fans travel more these days, I worked with a bloke from Donny years ago who was a huge Man U fan who followed them everywhere even into Europe I think he got into Man U as Graham Rix went to the same school in Donny at that time most lads in Donny were following the scum up the M1

 

[bladesadviser]

There are quite a few in Suffolk. The best one for me was spotting some bloke in a Man U shirt shopping at the same time as the FA Cup final was on and Man Utd were playing in it!!

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

For all the shit and adversity we face as Blades, we have an identity. Any other supporter of our club you meet knows the club and all its trials and tribulations down the years. I for one believe that losing that would be a worse fate than struggling on the field.

Exactly. And yet we still get big blades slagging off glory blades fans who turn up at games like yesterday's.

Since when has anyone followed the RAWW for the glory?

I'm here for the glory, just had to be a bit patient.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

If we had success, we wouldn't know what to do with it.'

The beer would kill me.

 

[HighfieldBlade]

What's the definition of a plastic fan?
Someone who doesn't support their local team and instead follows a team because it is successful?

 

[shorehamview]

There are quite a few in Suffolk. The best one for me was spotting some bloke in a Man U shirt shopping at the same time as the FA Cup final was on and Man Utd were playing in it!!

I was in Morrisons a few years ago one Saturday afternoon, around half three, and saw a young lad in a Blades shirt. A while later I saw him again at the checkout and a middle aged pig in a home shirt was taking the piss a little out of the young Blade who looked like he would rather be elsewhere, along the lines of supporting a better team like Wednesday. I pointed out to the pig that he wasn't much of a fan considering he was in a supermarket doing his shopping while a few miles away the team he claimed to support were playing at that very moment.

I may have peppered my rant with words along the lines of "fucking", "piggy", "wanker" and other similar words that make you attractive to young supermodels. The pig shut his mouth and the young Blade cheered up considerably.

 

[BushBlade]

I've got a mate from Crawley who supports Man U. He does so because growing up in the South east when he did, Asians weren't welcomed by most of the London clubs and the match day experience was unpleasant.
So he followed football on TV and picked Man U because they were on TV a lot.

A lot of kids' parents didn't allow them to go to matches in the eighties because of the trouble so again, they had to follow a team they could watch regularly.

Supporting your local team will give you credibility amongst other supporters but it doesn't make you a better person.

 

[travellingblade]

I felt really sorry for TRUE Manchester based fans, when I saw their sign:-

"2016 Season Tickets - SOLD OUT"

My grandson said that he'd heard that there is a waiting list.

....... presumably "dead man's shoes"

Thank god for being a Blade!