“City, the Knicks, and Why Modern Fandom Won’t Faze Us.”

It’s a great time to be a City fan. A treble, consistent trophies, the signings, the greatest manager of all time.. there is no denying the obvious. The investment from HH Sheikh Mansour catapulted City to the top of the English football pyramid and Pep Guardiola’s arrival ensured that we would reach a level that has seldom been reached in the history of football. We are currently living through the most successful, star-studded period in our clubs history. Yet despite the footballing excellence and relentless pursuit for growth and betterment off the pitch, being a City fan constantly seems like we’re under fire from all angles, fighting a war at home and abroad against negativity, tribalism, trolling, and gatekeeping, all seemingly at an all time high - why is that? 

In the early days of my City fandom, when we weren’t winning, being a fan was simple. I didn’t necessarily care about winning. I loved our colors. I loved Sun Ji Hai. I loved that I wasn’t copying all my friends (and family) who were all fans of cartel clubs. The jokes were all in fun and I took it in stride because regardless of what any said, I was a blue and nobody could take that away from me. Fast forward to today, the jokes have become insults, racist remarks, and at times, threats against my life by those overzealous keyboard warriors who insist on hiding behind their screens and saying whatever they’d like. Our excellence has cultivated an all-time level of contempt and hatred by rival fans, insistent upon tearing down our accomplishments at all cost, desperately clinging to their history for relevance. 

Unfortunately, this level of disdain isn’t limited to rival fans. The core of City’s fanbase are what many refer to as the ”Maine Roaders,” local, match-going legacy fans and season ticket holders who bleed blue. These are the lifeline of the club, crucial to the identity and soul of who/what City is. They refer to outsiders as “plastics” and proudly sing “we were there when we were shite.” In general, they are the best of us. However, some can be somewhat stuck in their ways, resistant/reluctant to embrace the sweeping change that City has gone through in the Mansour era.. and despite my initial disdain towards tribalism and gatekeeping, I don’t necessarily blame them. 

Then there are the newcomers, aka Maine Roader’s worst nightmare. In City’s case, glory-hunting fans who saw the shining trophies and decided to hop on the bandwagon. And while their enthusiasm is welcome, too many are rash, overreactive, and like our rival fans, have no filter, limit, or consideration for their words and “criticism.” Their incessant need to find a scapegoat and/or have a “gotcha” moment is a plague in the modern era of football. Where stats and memes dominate narratives, feeding trolls and their insatiable need for attention and validation. For example, after a resounding 3-0 win in the Champions League yesterday, there was seemingly more slander than praise for several of our players. Grealish has a phenomenal game and people can’t seem to praise him without comparison to his teammate. An assist and “he got lucky.” Nunes has a solid game, still adapting to Pep’s demands, and apparently he’s “never going to be good enough.” And when we as fans praise them, it becomes “you don’t know ball.” Or “did you even watch the game?” This “every player is shit if they don’t get a 10/10 and every fan doesn’t know ball if they don’t agree with my overreactive, toxic take” mentality is tiresome and childish. 

Here’s the thing: success attracts attention from all sorts of new fans (and haters) from around the globe, good and bad. Attention that our existing fanbase and rival fans aren’t exactly keen on. And when the first exposure to the club is winning, winning becomes the expectation, the demand and anything less is considered failure. Why do you think these kids slander our players and drive senseless agendas against our own? There is no genuine love or loyalty.. they just love the success. There is no suffering and reward. It’s immediate gratification they’re after. More fuel for rival fans to slander us with. 

Now, nobody should be blamed for flocking to clubs with illustrious and trophy-rich histories. Fans understandably want to associate themselves with success. But for some.. chasing trophies isn’t what being a fan is about. I like to talk about the Knicks (probably more than City fans care to listen/read), a professional basketball team located in New York. The parallels between pre-takeover City fandom and Knicks fandom is one that I frequently think about. Being a Knick fan prepared me for the heartbreak of City fandom at a very young age, toiling in mediocrity and having plenty of “typical City” moments themselves. And like the Knicks, there was a time when City fans were happy with hope alone. But the lack of success didn’t define the club or fans, it actually empowered them. I’ll see overseas NBA fans of the Warriors and Bucks telling me “we” own you. The same way Rags and Scousers and Madridisras and schnitzel Bayern fans are in my comments crying all the time about City being a “small club with no history.” But the jokes are really on them because all this talk just makes me love my club(s) more. Is this not something we can unite around instead of senselessly arguing amongst ourselves? 

It is my hope that we can and we will. Being a fan to me, especially a City fan, is about being a part of a family, a community. Backing the players when things go wrong, especially when they’re at their worst. To have hope when things seems darkest, to have belief when there doesn’t appear to be any. Remember when the charges dropped against us? Siege mentality, us against the world.. Success is special but the journey to success and the people around you is what makes sports so incredibly unique, what makes being a fan truly worth it. And no matter what anyone says, one day they’ll realize that we didn’t choose these teams because of success or winning. And we won’t leave if they start losing. 

One team, one fanbase, against the world together. 

Written by: SHEIKH