WARNING : LONG FOOTBALL RELATED POST
I remember the second time I went to watch a competitive match at Anfield. It was Liverpool v. Ipswich town, 3rd round in the league cup, back in 2002. The match ended in a draw, and Liverpool won on penalties. I sat close to the Ipswich fans with a friend of mine, and there was a brief moment when I thought things would kick off, but fortunately, the police/stewards sorted things out. Anyway, after the match, as we were leaving, we came across a group of Ipswich fans. In my ‘Nigerian boy’ attitude, I started to taunt them. Liverpool fans around me told me off immediately. “That’s not how we treat people” was among the phrases I heard that night. The message was clear, and I learnt a valuable lesson about supporting the greatest club in the world.
Liverpool fans might have a bad reputation from the past, however, things have changed. Liverpool fans respect visiting fans, and applaud other teams when they deserve it. When Havant and Waterloovile gave us a cracking match a few weeks ago, Liverpool fans gave them a standing ovation. One of the first things you see when you sit down in the stadium are signs saying foul language is not allowed. I’ve only ever attended a friendly and two league cup matches, so you could argue that the crowd I’ve sat with are not the normal Liverpool matchday crowd. But on all three occasions, the behaviour was immaculate.
Today, Manchester United finished off their week remembering the Bubsy Babes with a league match. They had planned to have a minute’s silence before the match began, but unfortunately for them, the match was against local rivals Manchester City. All week long, Man City fans have been urged to respect the minute’s silence. They even blackmailed them, reminding them that Frank Swift, a former Man City keeper also died on the flight. Fortunately, the minute’s silence was immaculately observed. Manchester City then decided to be very bad visitors, and beat their hosts in the match 2-1. Personally, I was pleased to see that. I find that it was poetic justice. Manchester City fans have been the target of some venomous chants from Manchester United for years.
Before I go into that in more detail, let me tell you another story. A friend of mine, a fellow Liverpool fan, who lived in Leicester was lucky to get a ticket to watch Leicester City against Manchester United. What got to him was the way the Man U supporters insulted Leciester fans throughout the match, and to rub salt in their wounds, they won it. “We’re got a stand bigger than your stadium” was one of the more polite chants. And of course, they inserted a random insult to Liverpool and Manchester City every few minutes. That was the day he started to hate United.
And that is what gets to me. Manchester Untied was expecting Man city fans to behave themselves today, however, they are probably the worst fans when it comes to respecting other teams. No matter who they are playing they pour out poison from the terraces about Liverpool, Manchester City, and any one else.
Tune: Oh my darling Clementine
Build a bonfire,
Build a bonfire,
Put the Scousers on the top,
Put City in the middle,
And we’ll burn the f*cking lot
My younger brother who supports United when to Old Trafford to watch them play West Brom. When he got back, he had learnt so may songs insulting Liverpool, and Manchester City, including the one above. But why do they find it necessary to insult Liverpool and City all the time? I’ve been to a few Liverpool matches, and the worst I’ve seen was in a friendly against Lazio, every time Japp Stam (former United player) touched the play, he was booed, but that was it. And when the other cup results were announced, a loud cheer if Man U lost.
Today, Manchester United fans expected Man City fans to be on their best behaviour, and thankfully, they were. However, I feel they need to look at themselves, if it was them on the other end, would they do it. Whenever Liverpool sing about winning the champions league 5 times, Man United tell us that they may have only won it twice, but they didn’t kill anyone.
Liverpool
We won it five times (2ce)
In Istanbul, we won it five times
Manchester United reply
We’ve won it two times (2ce)
Without killing anyone, we won it two times.
Personally, I think this is pretty distasteful. If Man U was visiting Liverpool when we were remembering the Hillsborough victims? I don’t think so.
In conclusion, and with respect to the dead, Manchester United must have heaved a sigh of relief when no one interrupted the minute’s silence today. However, while those great players whose lives were cut short deserve every honour, Manchester United fans do not.
I leave you with a selection of songs from the Man United terraces:
tune: this is how it feels (Inspiral Carpets)
This is how it feels to be City
This is how it feels to be small
This is how it feels when your team wins nothing at all
Nothing at all…
Tune : Land of hope and glory
We hate Nottingham Forest,
We hate Liverpool too, (and Leeds),
We hate Manchester City,
But United we love you - altogether now…
Tune : Daydream Believer
Cheer up Kevin Keegan,
Oh what can it mean,
to a Sad Geordie b*stard,
and a Sh*te football team.
Tune : If you’re happy and you know it…
If you all hate the scousers clap your hands
In the Liverpool slums,
They knock on the door when they want something to eat,
They find a dead rat and they think it’s a treat,
In the Liverpool slums…
In the Liverpool slums,
Your Mum’s on the beat and your Dad’s in the nick,
You can’t find a job ‘coz you’re too f*ckin’ thick,
In the Liverpool slums…
Tune : Let them know it’s Christmas time..
Feed the scousers,
Let them know it’s Christmas time…
Feed the scousers,
Let them know it’s Christmas time…
Tune : Don’t Dilly Dally on the way
My old man, said “be a city fan”,
I said “f*ck off, you’re a c*nt!”,
“I’d rather shag a bucket with a big hole in it,
Than be a city fan for just one minute”.
With hatchets and hammers,
Stanley knives and spanners,
We’ll show those city b*stards how to fight (how to fight),
“I’d rather shag a bucket with a big hole in it,
Than be a city fan! (all together now)”.
Tune : He’s got the whole world in his hands
They’ve got the tallest floodlights in the Football League,
They’ve got the tallest floodlights in the Football League.
They’ve got the tallest floodlights in the Football League
Oh city are a massive club!
Other verses include…
They’ve got the widest pitch, in the land.
They signed George Weah but he thought they played in red.
They had a derby match with Macclesfield.
Their best ever player played for Ajax reserves.
At last count, they are over 2000 different verses for this song.
P.S. In the days gone by, songs about the Munich Air Crash (’Who’s that dying on the runway…?’) were sang tastelessly by Liverpool fans with responses aimed at Shankly’s death (’Who’s that dying on the carpet…?’) from the United fans. After the Hillsborough Disaster, Liverpool fans stopped singing about Munich, so United fans chanted, ‘Where’s Your Famous Munich Song?‘.
