Never mind the team – it’s Manchester United’s fans who were embarrassing on Sunday

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

Anyone who was at Old Trafford on Sunday to see Manchester City annihilate their neighbours or who watched the highlights on MOTD2 would have seen the same thing. United fans streaming out of a ground a full 20 minutes before the end. Yes, their outplayed team were 3-0 down but so what? By the time the sixth goal had been hammered in by Edin Dzeko, most of the stadium was about a quarter full. That’s just plain embarrassing.

Being a supporter, as most other fans know, is about being there for your team through thick and thin. Or as until recently, in City’s fans’ case, being there through thin and thin.

City, let’s not forget, regularly had crowds of 30,000 plus in the third tier of the football league just over a decade ago and, more recently, were still drawing crowds of around 46,000 despite not having won a trophy since the Boer War (or so it seemed).

United’s fans, of course have previous. In the 1999 Champions League Final when their team somehow fluked a late 2-1 win over a far superior Bayern Munich, many United fans had already left in the ground. Most of them had scuttled off, seemingly certain that their team had lost. Imagine. Your team is just one goal behind in Europe’s premier club competition and you can’t even be bothered to see it through.

The same thing happened against Barcelona in the same competition’s final last season. Most had legged it long before the final whistle, leaving Barca with only a semi lap of honour to perform.

Why does this happen? Are United fans spoiled by success? Is it the sheer number of gloryhunters they’ve attracted over the years who just will not countenance failure? What will happen if the team does go into a tailspin? Will the fair weather United fans still turn up in such numbers (even if they only hang around for 70 minutes)?

And then there were the death threats aimed at City’s goalkeeper Joe Hart in the second half of Sunday’s derby, a sinister reminder of the black-clad thugs who threatened Wayne Rooney when he was considering jumping ship last winter.

Manchester United fans – the UK’s most embarrassing? I think we all know the answer to that.

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Tagged as: Bayern Munich, edin dzeko, manchester city, Manchester United, Wayne Rooney

{ 81 comments… read them below or add one }

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city true faith October 25, 2011 at 5:18 pm: Mike, 18k in your first ever CL game, now that is embarassing.
mike October 25, 2011 at 5:23 pm: anymore examples ?
cause i can keep them rolling for city…

myths,lies,bullshit

united will always be the bigger and better team on and off pitch.
SWP's back October 25, 2011 at 5:30 pm: Percentage wise Mike, who got more for their opening CL game? Utd or City? I’ll give you a clue, they lost at the weekend.

As for first big game? Yeah – Liverpool will be a test. I know we had one playing Fulham away, but other than that, we haven’t really faced anyone that could test us yet.
SWP's back October 25, 2011 at 5:33 pm: Bigget and better on and off the pitch? I love the way you juxtapose that nicely with calling others “liars”.

We”re already bigger than you ON it flower. The whole of the country see’s it, even the bookies.

As for being bigger “OFF” it, I couldn’t care less if you’re always the pride of Singapore. You may see brownie points in that but I suppose it’s all you have left to cling to.
Bex October 25, 2011 at 5:50 pm: MIKE ‘united will always be the bigger and better team on and off the pitch’ … Sorry united just got slaughtered in your own backyard by city!!! Biggest team in the world?! United aren’t even the biggest team in Manchester !
Dick Cruncher October 25, 2011 at 5:54 pm: Mike

I find people like you pathetic. It was you who used the dick analogy and I doubt whether anyone here now would doubt you are by far and away the biggest dick.

United bought their success. They were part of the quango that came up with the novel idea of calling a competition for non Champions along with a few Champions, the Champions League.

If you understand anything at all you will also know that just as United were started to win things again they were enjoying the relatively vast sums of money being pumped on by Sky. United used that leverage because that’s what it was, to outbid and outperform other clubs.

You can go on about Uniteds massive following for as long as you like. We know you have more fans Worldwide than City. Your success and marketing has been very helpful in this but the two record crowds at a League ground still stand for Maine Road and United will get no where near those crowds.

You are clearly in denial about the thuggish of some of your chav followers which suggests to me you have little contact if any with Manchester as many reds I have talked to have witnessed teh attacks you denied,.

One only has to hear the death threats to Rooney and Hart to know the mentality of some of the wretched that support your glory hunting vehicle.

Go a few years without winning things as you and your ilk wont be seen for dust. You really are that fickle.

If you want each of your deluded “facts” to be demolished please repeat them all and I will deal with them. I am certainly not going to trawl through your nonsense to satisfy your whim when you cannot even accept the behaviour of your moronic fans.

Quoting Tony Wilson as a source of corroborative data is probably the most laughable and ridiculous source of “fact” one could ever imagine. Pathetic.
mike October 25, 2011 at 6:07 pm: dear me, you just dont get it do you ?

we also got battered 4-1 off liverpool and what happened that season ? 5-0 off newcastle, 6-3 off southampton. plenty of people have wrote us off in the past and what happened them seasons ? by all means google if you wernt a fan back then.

united fans dont have to lie or prove anything… yet your the ones pushing myths and and lies but now your selling your soul just like the horrible monster you once hated

sheik mansour my lord, and a banner saying thank you to your sugar daddy, no wonder all the older city fans i know cringe at the “etihad” and watch it in the pub these days instead of being surrounded by the wackey kerrazzyyy new age fans who do the poznan !

still not a response to any of facts, pathetic and totally small time, rank up there with stoke and middlesbrough
mike October 25, 2011 at 6:12 pm: so when we were winning nothing and went 27 years without winning the league, we still averaged the highest attendence… and when we got relegated how come we still had the highest figures ? and why were united fans all over maine road in every stand on derby days yet you never showed up at old trafford

i am from manchester and didnt witness the wembely stuff, big deal. do you remember your .. sorry for laughing “cool cats” who used to lurk on street corners picking off united shirters in their 1′s and 2′s then claiming that as a result ?

there were stories of city fans singing munich songs behind police lines yet when challenged on this without police they used their kids and wives as a shield. laughable but saying that city have always been laughing to united hence you never show up in town on derby day… the city is yours though, keep telling everyone that !
SWP's back October 25, 2011 at 6:26 pm: All the older City fans watch it in the pub with you eh? Surprised to hear a non match going Utd fan prefers an pub/armchair to a ST. How novel.

It doesn’t matter though, you’re lying through your teeth, I don’t know of any fan that cringes at the Etihad or has stopped going you bitter little liar you.

Going back to your bollocks and “propa nawty” hoolie bollocks above, you really are talking out of your arse, something I see you are fond of. Utd took a slapping that day of the faces and took it out on families on Wembley Way (semi). Still, you had to let your frustrations out somehow after being knocked out of the cup I suppose.

As for losing to Liverpool and Southampton, yes I was around then, neither of those sides that beat you had the team, squad, manager, set up and resources that we have did they.

I wish there was someway to stay in touch with you, I would love to see your nervous breakdown as the season rolls on.
DodotheBlue October 25, 2011 at 7:34 pm: Mike, You are either very naive or live in your own little world like most of the glory hunters that support UTD. Yes UTD won the league when they got beat, BUT how long ago?? How many players with the experiences of humiliation and embarrassment are left within the team??? Your manager has but your ‘young squad’ haven’t. Football is very much a confidence game and now we’ve seen the rest of the league just how fickle they are then I very much doubt they will be winning the league this year. I’m not saying City with win it either but they are much more experienced in the big games then the majority of the UTD players. Not necessarily in UK, but in Spain and Italy.
As foe SWP’s comments, I was there too, and it was sickening watching the thugs attacking females and their children. AND just like the cowards they are, when we approached they ran off.
BTW I’m old and still have my season ticket, I go to home and away games.
CiTyBlUe October 25, 2011 at 9:10 pm: United fans are without a shadow of doubt an embarrassment to English football and England, as well as an embarrassmenr to their club as much as United are an embarrassment.

They accuse everyone else of ruining football and spending loads of money for glory, and they have been doing the exact same since 1902.
CiTyBlUe October 25, 2011 at 9:13 pm: Thats hilarious Mike considering, Manchester City holds the highest ever attendance record for a domestic game at Maine Road which has never been broken.

Where were your fans sitting when Old Scaffold were bombed by Hitler?
Leaney October 25, 2011 at 9:30 pm: Mike, the hardman keyboard warrior. Ill deal with Wembley first, you lot deserve a right old slapping for what some of you did against older men, women and kids. How the hell do they sleep at night, IF you were not involved then dont comment but if you were you also deserve a right old slapping, coward, could of been a good mate of yours and his daughter, wasnt nice……

2nd are you saying that you are comparing a Southampton team who were average at best or a crazy gung ho Newcastle team to our team of world super stars? Honestly? You speak about experience yet you have THE most inexperienced keeper in the league (vital position) a lad at right back who was playing with his mates on hackney marsh not 4 years ago? a centre half who had one ok season for blackburn? A fat and useless brazilian who is in and out of your side like anything? and a mexican who has played one full season? o yeah and a player who played for wigan last year who you keep telling us is dead good? Im sorry but when you look at our side we have plenty of experience, we have world cup final players, champions league final players?

I personally dont know ANYONE who has give up going to the match and goes to the pub instead? think your getting confused with your tele watching wanker friends. You know the ones I mean, saturday afternoon, same pub, same seats, same time get the beer in and get warm? Shameful but hey you believe your a true supporter, after all you buy the shirt dont ya eh? Bet you still wear your tevez shirt round the house dont ya? Pathetic. Also who are these new bread fans your referring to? I see the same faces i saw at maine road every home game and some away games. Ive had my ticket since 1989, been through soooooo much rubbish its untrue but im still there and you will tell people i dont deserve it? really? On what are you basing this? is your ONLY arguement the fact that your worried and envious? (queue the envious of what crap) ill tell you, Hart, Richards, Vinney, Nigel, Silva, Milner, Nasri, Dzeko, Balo and Aguero…….. Go on tell me you dont want any of this lot and ill show you a liar!!!

Its time you woke up son and realised that this isnt a fad or a bash this is the real deal, our sheikh isnt going anywhere. I know you all prayed and swore you would be good buys if he did leave but unlucky he isnt going anywhere. Your THIS bitter now? what the hell are you gonna be like in afew years time? actually scrap that you will have ended it all if you keep this up or your ticker will call it a draw!!! If you could only realise what we see you would stop it. You call us bitters, we had near on 20 years of you winning trophy after trophy, buying the best players (then calling them you own) and bullying everyone. We won nothing and you REALLY enjoyed rubbing our noses in it and then when we defended ourselves we were bitters? O dear have you even heard yourself ? you are the new bread bitters and you cant even see it? You would be better placed by being a tad humble and agreeing we aint too bad and we have some world clas stars but alas, you cant do it can you? Now there is a new big rich kid on the block and he makes you look a tramp and again ya dont like it.

Im done with ya but STOP looking backwards life is about the future and ours is blazing and yours is dull, cherio saddo
bluemoon117 October 25, 2011 at 9:40 pm: @mike,

i have read most fo your comments (got bored towards the end) but every single one you just say the same ‘facts’ is there something wrong with you?

you quote a gent from 2001… a year after united won the treble and a year after city were promoted from division 2! very convinient they managed to ask every supporter in manchester, or was that just on matchdays they asked people (76,000 red, 33,000 blue?!)

your facts are merely age old comments form other united forums and blogs you have smashed together in hope of making a substantial argument, which is why no city fans are taking you seriously.

City have been through their dark days and the fans that were there have covered themselves in glory, (myself included, at 20 i have been going for 13 years now) The stand alone fact is that twice in a year united fans have streamed out of the ground against city in the last 10 minutes (20 on sunday) even when you so often grab late goals! I cannot fathom why any fans leave early, but the amount on sunday was an embaressment for any real United fans.

The quotes on attendance and away support is completely out of context again, attendance is shown form gate receipts, not from how many are in the ground, as has happened a few times to both clubs, empty seats have been there because some people just dont make the game in time or at all, such is life.

United history is very impressive, but that is all it is, history, you do not get any points in the league or goal-headstarts in games for it, and as mentioned, 20 years ago our trophy cabinets looked very similar, anybody who denies united have ‘bought’ their success is a liar and a fool, city are now just playing catch up, and not one single one of you rags can bear to think that the possibility of the tides changing, when your kids grow up, it will be city fans sat high and mighty on 20 years of history, not united.
Mr Bluesky October 25, 2011 at 10:53 pm: Catch us if you can… and that goes for the next 20 years. United fans know their era is over, they’re panicking and won’t accept the fact City’s 6-1 (yes six – one) demolision was only the start of things to come. Rooney is by far Utd’s best player, yet I wouldn’t swap 3x Rooney’s for 1x Silva. City’s squad is far superior in every department. City are in a different league now, Utd are 5 pts adrift… the closest they’ll get to City the rest of this season. Disrespect and arrogance, it’s payback time !
donna October 25, 2011 at 10:58 pm: Mike, everyone on here ripping the piss…There speak sense, u speak shit! Was it not City who used to be labelled “the bitters”? It must wond u up that we have proper fans who love city through all the shit. Had some of the best laughs at the match singing ‘Wembley….just a shitty place in london that we’re never gonna see…” We love our club and enjoy all that it does…. U on the other hand don’t seem happy!!! 1-6…just to remind u!
Mr Bluesky October 25, 2011 at 11:13 pm: Turn the 19 at Old Trafford upside-down and it reads 61, perhaps City should hang this up in the BluCamp with a yearly clock-over until the scum manage to repeat the same performance at our place… Somehow I think it’ll take more than 35 years !
factsfirst October 25, 2011 at 11:34 pm: call me old fashioned, but i dont think a five point lead in October is particularly worth shouting about
factsfirst October 25, 2011 at 11:40 pm: sorry, had to LOL at the ‘too many gloryhunters’ from the article. Whats City’s tagline now? ‘Be Part of It’? To me that says ‘now we’ve got lods of cash and are doing well, come along and support us’. Is that not a complete advert aimed at attracting glory supporters?
mike October 25, 2011 at 11:42 pm: donna can you translate that in english please ? something about proper fans, 20quid a ticket plus a free city shirt and you dont sell out… while our fans get ripped off and fleeced for every penny but still get 50k midweek for a carling cup game

nobody is taking the piss on this ABU page as you are all like giddy lickle city fans after 1 result and hundreds of millions of pounds.

i remember us being 12 points behind at christmas….. its nothing new for united. everyone hates us, i fucking love that. its great knowing we effect everyone and wind everyone up. nobody is responding to my statements though, you HATE everything about us yeah. foriegn fans, etc etc etc you pride yourself on being a manc club and push the myths and lies and bullshit about all mancs following city. your are so loyal. how many of you were in the 3007 ?

BUT you sing “sheik mansour my lord” and have banners thanking him in the etihad (selling your soul) and dress up like mongs with tea towels on your head. embarrassing for you ? the irony is amazing
bluemoon117 October 26, 2011 at 12:33 am: @mike, are you illiterate or do you just not read the comments? there were 2 very in depth responses to you…

you have now said about the 3007 about 5 times, we get it!

50k at a midweek carling cup COULD have something to do with the cup scheme united put in place where as any ST holder MUST have tickets for these games, who wants to throw money away and not turn up? But of course not being a ST holder you wouldn’t know any of that now would you, where as city have a cup scheme that isnt compulsory…

The chants to the owner of the club and the banner are a mere recognition of the gratitude we have to him, not one single city fan would say we would be where we are without him… if somebody walked up to you in the street and gave you a million pounds, would you walk off and give them a v, never think of them again? NO, our gratitude to our owners is on the same (if not less) scale as your ‘green and gold’ AGAINST your owners, how embaressing for you.
Dean October 26, 2011 at 12:55 am: Mike will you do us all a favour and shut the fuck up.

The reason why nobody is replying is because you’re on here every 25mins chattin shit and people are just leavin you to it! We don’t care, you’re family don’t care, you’re mates don’t care, the world doesn’t care.

Get a life you sad cunt
The Baldy Man aka charlton October 26, 2011 at 5:18 am: 1-6. City took a big steaming dump on 25 years worth of history in the space of 90 mins. Rags say its only october and theres time to claw it back. But this isnt the united of old, the comeback kings. That ghost got well and truely exorcised at the swamp on sat. Todays united are a team of no marks, has beens and never weres being passed off as something there not by fergie- sentimental and foolish in his old age. His empires collapsing and its going to be great towering over you losers for nxt 20 years and being there to rub salt into your wounds. Nice victory over aldershot mind. And keep at it! The egg cups your safest bet this season you bums. 1-6.
The Baldy Man aka charlton October 26, 2011 at 6:03 am: It must be a very lonely place inside the heads of manure fans like you. Deluded doesnt quite cut it. How do YOU think sir bobby charlton felt, the old mess? Watching his boys look that vunerable and useless? Ill bet you your skyplus box he cried after that match. Cried like a little girl.
SWP's back October 26, 2011 at 9:14 am: You’re wasting your time with the bitter rag liar folks.

He just keeps repeating his “facts”, it’s the last bastion of those suffering a nervous breakdown, see Rafa.
Howden Blue October 26, 2011 at 12:15 pm: Blues lets be magnanimous in victory and as the players and manager have been doing, lets keep our feet on the ground and take one step at a time. Sunday was job done – 3pts and a statement of intent.
If deluded rags manager, players and fans want to be little us as mere noisy neighbours still, so be it. We know better, but we do not need to get into arguments or brag off about it. The truth will come out in the table by May 2012. Keep calm, cream will always rise to the top! We have a long way to go and do not need to build expectancy and pressure on the players too early. Lets be gracious and professional on and off the pitch, win or loose, and not end up like our spoilt neighbours who over the years we have grown to dislike for this.
My main worry is a sense of armchair glory hunters jumping ship from red to blue after some realisations hitting home on Sunday. They now realise the future is BLUE!
Mystical Mike October 26, 2011 at 12:19 pm: @ Well said Howden Blue.

The Spuds do this to Arsenal every season, yet we always finish above them and will continue too, even with our current squad
Dave October 26, 2011 at 12:28 pm: The guy that wrote this is definitely a city fan.
Blueview October 26, 2011 at 3:12 pm: What our resident rags fail to realise is the Singapore, Far East mob will be quicker to change support faster than the so called “supporters” that exited their seats for the M6 southbound on Sunday, the next 18 months are critical to United, mentally the fan base know the team is second rate to United sides of the past – just wait until that anxiety gets on top of the players on the pitch, the sky’s not yet falling in but the cracks are beginning to show
Blueview October 26, 2011 at 3:15 pm: bluemoon117 – green and gold until we are sold.. what a ridiculous farce – how many green and gold scarfs on sunday ??? not that many at all… that’s why we call them plastics
Kealen October 27, 2011 at 2:05 am: The international supporters of United have always been wagon jumpers, they dumped their United shirts for Chelsea shirts and only pulled them out of the trash when Ronaldo started terrorizing english football. After moving to UK and Manchester 7 yrs ago the sight of alcoholics in red shirts throwing bloodied bodies out of the pub soured me on United forever! I can’t get on one footy website without seeing a reds supporter calling someone a vulgar name or trying to wind someone up. Trying to piss off the Napoli supporters so they attack and injure City supporters is funny if you’re a sociopath living with your parents in council housing and on the dole. While a large number of red supporters are decent people their hooligan mates are the most vocal and visible in ALL of English Football. I can only hope that success and trophies don’t turn Blue supporters into the same arrogant embarrassment

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