R&W My Dad was a Utd supporter, he didn't know why, and started just after the war finished whilst he was still playing. All I knew growing up was Man Utd although he took me 1 week to the City and 1 week to the Rovers where I saw his idol Tom Finney. Through his contacts at the FA we had seats (£4 each) behind the Royal Box at Wembley in 1968 for the Benfica final. He was so emotional that night 10 years after Munich watching Matt Busby and Bobby Charlton in warm embrace at the final whistle. Because of my Dad I have a very well hidden soft spot for Utd and glad they won yesterday.
I have a simular story, a very quiet but high regard for Man Utd, in my case it was the Munich air disaster, the Busby Babes, I also occasionally used to go to Old Trafford and Maine Rd when younger, funnily enough I always remember some woman always ringing a pesky bell continuously at Maine Rd, used to like a player called Mike Summerbee, Loved Sir Matt, Bobby, Duncan Edwards, Tommy Taylor and all that followed. I must state Bristol City have always been my number 1 priority but it was nice to see Man Utd do Liverpool at last, can't say anymore..
I grew up disliking Man U intensely - and Liverpool. This was basically because as a kid at school in the 1970s I expected people to be either City or Rovers, and not support Man U or Liverpool simply because they were successful. For a while that was the case - at primary school you were either red or blue and supported one of the Bristol sides. Then, when we started to struggle in the early 80s, all the Man U and Liverpool ‘fans’ started to appear - and take the piss mercilessly out of my continuing support for the BS3 side. I saw them as treacherous bastards and hated their clubs as a result. Now of course I’ve mellowed in adulthood - but I still think of West Country ‘fans’ of Premiership clubs outside of their local region as ‘plastics’ - not proper fans. I’d go as far as to say I have more respect for a Gashead or a Swindon fan than a plastic. I don’t hate their clubs anymore (the Prem sides) and I don’t actually ‘hate’ the plastics themselves - I just think they’re a bit sad not to support their local sides.
As a young lad I supported Liverpool in the 1st Division, mainly due to Kevin Keegan. and City in the 2nd, for which I was a season ticket holder, then in my teens City got promoted, I then realised City were my team, I didn’t care about Liverpool at all. I still have a bit of a soft spot for Liverpool, although I have to say I find their fans extremely annoying.
