Prevalent might be the wrong word, but it certainly has happened and happens. Mainly top 4 sides though and Liverpool shirtwise in Hull. Probably helped by these being sold in many outlets and cheaply a few months after their release. You do see a lot more City shirts these days now, however, I think you can only buy these from the club shop (might be wrong here as I haven`t bought or tried to buy a top since the 80s). Whereas, of course, the other teams have their shirts sold all over the place including the many cheap low rent sports shops
So essentially, the divide and the hatred wasn`t historical? It was just borne from City's failures on and off the pitch in the relatively close past? I imagined the dislike of City from RL fans to be generational spanning 4 or 5; but you're suggesting it (generally) spans 1 or 2?
There was the occasional mocking and derision of City by jealous RL fans but that was it. You never saw a black and white scarf- it was a genuine minority sport in Hull. As has been documented, it came to a head in 1980 at City v Brentford when Hull turned up and cheered on Brentford. Rovers fans for whatever reason seem less hostile, but also have numerous idiots who support Rovers and Leeds, or Rovers and LFC. They also support Brazil in the WC, USA in athletics, the All Blacks in RU and whoever won last year's Eurovision song contest.
I found out afterwards that a lot of the comments had been orchestrated. I knew a lot of the people involved and the more profuse comments were offered by people who were desperate to be a member of a group or clique. Several years previously my life took a different direction and I think it offended some people. Living in London I had to travel long distances see City practically every weekend. This affected Friday nights and Saturday nights. I would play football on a Sunday for HCSS and I was shattered afterwards. This would mean I didn't have weekends to pursue other activities. I decided other things were more important. I know what you mean about antipathy. HCSS's website used to acknowledge that I started HCSS - I handed out cards at Gillingham and some other matches down south. Obviously as soon as people saw me I got a lot of support and help from other fans such as Andy Wilson, Andy Evans and Mike Brogden. After the dispute on TigerChat I noticed that any reference to me was removed from HCSS's website. Rewriting history was par for the course for the people involved!
Having left Hull in 1973 I am out of touch with recent history. I thought all three professional clubs were doing well and were OK with each other (except Hull and Rovers!) when I lived there.
A survey done a few years ago showed that the team then with the most season passholders living outside their city boundaries was Leeds United followed by Liverpool and then Man Utd. There were loads of soft sods from Hull supporting Leeds even back when you were living here. Had a go with one of them when Leeds played Tottenham at Boothferry Park. Someone who was the fan's representative not so long ago used to organise buses to watch Liverpool. As for Man Utd, don't you remember OPE Reds, Wingfield Reds and all the rest of them? One reason I have always respected Burnley. Small place but people there either support their local club or no one else. You don't see people walking around there with other clubs shirts on like you do in Hull.
So at the time Hull FC were diminishing (at the same time our fishing industry was diminishing too), were Rovers in equally bad shape? Could it have been possible that a successful City in the 70s (if say Terry Neill's side had gone up) that rugby could have been all but obliterated in Hull? It seems to me, from someone who was born in the 70s and who isn`t as up on Hull's history as they should be, that if your account is correct (and I'm not doubting you) that RL has had a fantastic propaganda machine that whitewashed this history and unflinchingly has it poised as the unequalled soul of Hull folk since the mid 1860s. So, who's behind this propaganda? Merely the parochial elite who in turn influence local media etc?
Anyone who was at that Brentford game had their views altered that day. Worst of all was that a lot of the sad twats who were there cheering when Brentford scored were ex City fans. It was only about 3 or 4 years previously when FC twice had less than 1,000. Then all,of a sudden thousands went to Wembley declaring they hadn't missed an FC game for years.
The propaganda came from the local media who found it easy to make capital out of a small sport where success was easier to attain(though both Hull rugby clubs are massive underachievers if you compare the success of clubs from far smaller places). The HDM and RH's reporters acted like PR agents for rugby league whilst the football reporters with a few exceptions had no connection or interest in the club or the area and moved n as so as the chance came. The HDM in particular loved anything negative about City playing up any crowd trouble whilst ignoring or brushing under the carpet anything which happened at rugby A lot of people forget that for a brief period in the 1970s the speedway team were getting more than City, Rovers and FC combined.
Hull famously got under 1.000 v Huyton one game in the early 70s, City were comfortably in the teens. I cannot recall seeing/meeting any Hull fans till the Arthur Bunting Reich. Hull were in Division 2 , won every game , got 10,000 for all their home games and all of a sudden it was one big ****ing bandwagon. We were on a slide, relegated in 1978, playing in the third tier, skint, losing. Talk about fickle fans.
In truth, it was only when I looked at the picture you posted the entire thing occured to me - that you were a poster on TC. As of course, you used your real name on there too (well I presume it's your real name) and I recalled there being hostility but with no real detail - hence why I asked. If I remember correctly a lot of the members on there were seriously old enough and educated enough to know better. But you get the pack mentality/need for hierarchy/ scapegoats etc throughout this life. I didn`t post much on TC (as I don`t on here or any forum) but I do recall it being the only City stuff I'd see online at the time (circa '97). Not being Internet savvy at the time and not really knowing what I'd signed up for, I remember being initially perplexed at the first emails from it that started hitting my account. "Who the **** is that?" or "What the **** do they want? "from: ********* Re: Cambridge Utd". Eh?" Anyway, from what you've said, sounds like you retained your dignity throughout the mess - fair play.
I went straight from playing football every night to going to pubs regularly so I didn't really know too much else. If somebody wants to support a different club to their local club we have to respect it. I'm pleased when I meet somebody who is a City fan and they don't have any sensible reason why they chose City.
I don't think we have to respect someone's decision to support a different club to their local one. To me the people who do so are inadequates who think they are getting some sort of reflected glory through their vicarious ways. They just can't accept their own team isn't doing well so latch on to another one (though they don't so this with rugby, probably because it is a small time thing, you don't see people walking around Hull with Leeds Rhinos, St Helens or Wigan shirts. Neither do you see City supporting a rugby club from another city). All this supporting other clubs only came about with the advent of televised matches and has ruined football. The types who support Liverpool, Man Utd etc aren't particularly football fans, they are fans of those clubs and have no interest in games involving anyone else. They wouldn't watch a really good game on TV involving other teams but would happily watch their own club playing the bottom club. To them the league could consist of 4 teams playing each other again and again. If more people supported their local club there would be more competition. Have a look at the 50s and 60s and see how many different clubs won the league and the FA Cup and then compare the last 20 years. I can remember Bolton getting 60,000 and Blackburn over 40,00 and Burnley 30,000 out of a population of 80,000. After the war Charlton were getting 70,000 and Brentford 40.000. Unfortunately those days won't come back.
I didn't make a calculated decision to support my local team. OK, I suppose the odds are that they are the team you would support. Say, I'd been taken on holiday to some place abroad when I was an age old enough to make a decision, say 8, I may have started supporting somebody in another country. I wouldn't have come back to Hull and said: "This isn't very practical. I better start supporting City".
How ironic, first time I ever came across you was on the Gillingham terraces recruiting for HCSS early 80s. Very friendly bloke, dressed head to toe in denim with a bunch of city badges on said denim jacket. Cannot speak to what happened afterwards as I left the UK in the late 80s
Glory fans are fine in my book I think you will find that there are 3 classes of them. The old timers that remember the Raich Carter years then there is my generation when Needler bought Waggy, Houghton and Butler and won promotion and drew at Chelsea in the sixth round of the FA Cup and the new ones that have got interested since we moved to the KC and we will probably have some new ones next season too. It makes no difference when you got the bug but I know when you do it stays with you and widens your fan base. Nobody said I was a glory hunter when I was just getting started as a Hull city fan back in the 64-65 season they were just glad to have me come and shout city on as the crowds got bigger. 50 years on I'm still a huge city fan and whos to say that a newcomer this year might not be doing the same thing 50 year on from now after we are all mostly dead? I think you would be amazed at the amount of people on here are in that 55 to 60 wheelhouse of fans that started supporting the tigers when waggy was banging them goals in. There are probably a few in the late 40's that got interested when Terry Niell was doing good things and we was pushing for promotion in 1971 I think. What I am trying to say is do not look down on people who have only started watching city since wembley there is no such thing as a real fan just people that go and watch us and pay to get in, we are all the same. UP THE TIGERS!!!!!!
