MCI Presents: City Circle 003, Fan-Focused Interview Series - ErlingRoIe

Everything we do here at Man City International revolves around our incredible fans, local and abroad. We wanted to create a platform that connects people, helps them learn about our club, and broadens their perspectives beyond what they might already know. We are back with the third installment of ‘City Circle’, our fan-focused interview series and who better to join us than one of the most well-known City accounts on Twitter? Formerly known as @JesusRole, we are thrilled to welcome our friend @ErlingRole to discuss content creation, running an account with a large following, dealing with trolls and much more. Dive in and get to know the man behind the account below: 

• Hello ErlingRole! Thank you for joining us for Man City International Presents: The City Circle. We’d love to know a little more about you. How did you first become a Manchester City supporter, and what drew you to the club?

When I went to Year 5-6 in Primary School in 2009-10 in Manchester, there were a lot of United fans at my school. I was big fan of Messi back then but never actually supported a club. My father is an Arsenal fan because he lived in London before he moved to Manchester where I was born so I never had any connection to them tbh. I was always a person who always supported the underdog even when it came to movies or cartoons, at that time City were huge underdogs in the City. Since then I was a City fan and got to know more about the club and the fans.

• As one of City’s biggest content creator/influencer accounts, what motivated you to create, build, and scale your profile?

I just decided to download Twitter to voice my opinions about football. Somehow I noticed my account started growing, I never really expected to have that many followers at first but it somehow happened and here we are :) 

• Manchester City’s success has attracted a lot of attention and sometimes criticism from rival fans. How do you handle negativity and maintain a positive and inclusive environment within your online community?

Honestly, I always get trolls under my tweets so I’m pretty numb to it tbh, doesn’t really affect me in any way. It all comes from jealousy at the end of the day, no matter how much of a moral high ground they try to play. If we weren’t winning no one would say anything about our owners. Btw, I have very good feeling those charges will make the Premier League look very funny under the light.

• As an influencer, you likely receive numerous messages and comments from fans. How do you manage the expectations and requests of your followers while maintaining your own unique voice and perspective?

I wouldn’t say fans but just people wanting to see our players appreciated on Twitter through me because of the follower mass I have gained. I try to stay as positive as possible although it’s pretty difficult when things aren’t going so well. I try to represent our fans as best as I can.

• With the club becoming synonymous with success in recent years, is it a challenge to balance celebrating achievements without being perceived as glory-hunting or discrediting the club’s long-time supporters?

No, there should no balance. I don’t care where you live. If you’ve decided to support City, you are allowed to be as loud as you want because we have earned it. Obviously with every successful club there will be people there for the glory but I reiterate if you know that you supported the club for the right reasons you can be as loud as you want.

• Manchester City has a strong presence on multiple social media platforms. How do you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and techniques to create engaging content that stands out in a crowded digital landscape?

I stay up to date with news through @City_Xtra on Twitter for most of the news as probably nearly every City fan on Twitter does. I don’t really use any techniques apart from trying to support the players on my platform, so nothing too special apart from reacting to our matches etc.

• Any tips you’d like to share for fellow aspiring influencers/content creators?

I would say don’t copy what anyone else does just because it worked for said person. It depends what type account you are running at the end of the day but choose your niche, whether it’s a personal account or an account dedicated to your club.. which I have. 

• Looking ahead, how do you envision the role of influencers within the Manchester City fan community evolving, and how do you see yourself adapting to those changes?

I see us playing a huge part in the future because players do check socials more than ever before. So I think we hold a responsibility to have limits to what we say and not overreact to certain things. We’ll probably have a much larger fan base in the future so it will be difficult to keep it the same but I do hope we keep it this way.

• What do you think is the biggest misconception about Manchester City, and how do you respond to those who may not understand the club’s history or identity?

In the past, the biggest misconception would be people calling the match going fans plastics for not filling the stadium when the truth is that it’s not easy for them to consistently do that when we play so many games. Most of the matchgoing fans are locals. However, I feel that stigma is slowly fading away because this season the fans have been better than ever. You barely see empty seats and the atmosphere has been incredible. People hate to acknowledge that.

• What is your hope for the future of Manchester City, both in terms of on-field success and the club’s impact on its community and fans?

That we priorities the fans when it comes to feedback because without the fans, football is nothing. I hope that connection stays strong and our owners don’t become distant like other club owners have been. 

Written by: Sheikh

For anyone interested in participating in a City Circle interview series, please send an email to sheikh@mancityinternational.com.