MCI Presents: City Circle 004, Fan-Focused Interview Series - Laura Graves

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 fourth installment of ‘City Circle’, our fan-focused interview series and we’re thrilled to welcome Laura Graves, writer, editor, and co-host of the popular Blue Balls Podcast. 

• Hello Laura, hope you are doing well. Thank you for joining us for Man City Global Presents: 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?

It’s a pleasure, thank you for the invitation. How I became a City fan? That’s a funny one, if you were to ask my family that they’d be stumped. A lot of my immediate family are United fans. Though my dear late Granny was a City fan and her brothers too. They were at the game Bert Trautmann broke his neck.

Anyway, I was a shy kid, and everyone around me was obsessed with United in the 90’s. So think I sort of fell in love with the underdog. I also played football and trained with a City coach, and one of my PE teachers was dating Shaun Wright-Phillips. So we just felt like a match made in heaven. Then my dad took me to my only ever Maine Road game, he’s a United fan too but this was probably the only good thing he ever did for me. I couldn’t tell you what game it was. But I can tell you the heart and soul I felt around the club, from the fans. It was beautiful. It has been the best love story ever since.

• From the day you started supporting City until now, how has the club changed?

Well, we’re rich. Haha I am kidding. Sort of. There is no denying that our more recent success is down to the money we have been able to invest, the players this has attracted and the managers – especially our current one – has been the biggest contract to previous years. Along with these changes, the way we are ran as a business, which is vital in the current structure of football (we can thank the cartel for that), means that there will be decisions made at a club business level that some fans understandably don’t appreciate.

• What do you think are the key values that Manchester City represents as a club, and how have those values evolved over time?

I think this is one of the most incredible things about this club. I mentioned the ways in which we have changed. But there are some things that will never change because it sits at the heart and soul of the club, of which I felt at Maine Road. The sense of community, friendship, loyalty, family, pride, fight and passion. They are values that we will see in all City fans, from the club itself. It resonates with me. I go to the games on my own, but we are never alone when we are part of the City family.

• Man City is known for its success on the pitch. How do you approach covering the team’s victories and achievements while also providing objective analysis and critique when necessary?

It’s not easy. Sometimes I have to remember to be balanced and to be calm when thinking about the game objectively. I also like to remind myself that we talk about City being a family, and we support family even when they are going through a rough patch. Players see what we say or write on social media. They are human. The players are just as much a part of the family we talk about.

• 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?

The whole no fans and no history is the biggest misconception ever. A more ridiculous conspiracy than the Antarctica being a big wall. I honestly don’t bother responding to stupid anymore. It can’t be cured. I find myself almost taking the bait sometimes, and then I remind myself that it just isn’t worth it. People mocked us when we were naff, and they do now. I have learned not to care.

• City is a globally recognized football club with a significant fanbase. As the co-host of the Blue Balls MCFC podcast, how do you approach tailoring your content to resonate with different audiences, including local and international fans?

We have a huge international base of listeners which I know both Tone and I are incredibly proud of. We all love City. Whether local, international, new and old. We are an inclusive club. So why should that not apply to our supporters too? I will be honest though, we talked about doing the podcast for a while and we just wanted it to be something fun. We don’t take it too seriously, in that, if no one listens to it, that’s absolutely fine. We just talk about the club we love and topics we find interesting.

• In your opinion, what sets Man City apart from other football clubs, and what makes the fan community unique?

I think that is multifactorial. At the moment the players and Pep are setting the level of world football and have been for the last few years. Off the pitch, we are incredibly well run as a business. We are creative and innovative which takes work from everyone around the club. The fans have been through things that would test the loyalty of most. Yet blues stood by their club, we’d go to battle for the club – as the Premier League forced us all to do this season. We wouldn’t have it any other way, because of all the values I mentioned above.

• What is your opinion on the current ownership and management of Manchester City, and how has that impacted the club’s success and identity?

Without Sheikh Mansour, we don’t know where we would be in terms of success, the fans would still be there. We do know we would not be on for a treble, PL champion threepeaters or the best football team in the world currently. Khaldoon is an incredible leader, I have a bit of a soft spot for him. Whilst on the surface, the success, the trophies, the celebrations, the fireworks are all fun and we love it. The core of the clubs identity, the values, they are no different, in my opinion. That is illustrated in the continuous work they do within the community and the development you will see around East Manchester.

• What advice would you give to younger Manchester City fans who are just starting to follow the club and learn about its history?

Ha! Great question. I would say that genuine love and loyalty for a club will get you through the hardest of days. The fans, the community is something incredibly special – don’t take it for granted. Don’t take the success for granted, because football is like a cycle. The club at the top might change every decade or so, but your club or your love for that club can be the same for the rest of your life. The club has not always been successful but we have such a rich history. Learn about it. Reach out to the old school blues and they will talk your ear off about it – after all, there is no one better to learn from.

• 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?

I hope that Manchester City as a club will hold firm in its values, no matter how far they are pushed by external factors such as clubs that are rotten to the core but have everyone fooled. I hope they will continue the great work within the community and holding the fans at the core of their decisions – though of course, there will be some things that not everyone agrees with. My final hope is that we can win a Champions League for the benefit of Pep, and players like Gundogan and De Bruyne who are getting on a bit. It was hard seeing legends like Vinny, Ferna, Sergio and David Silva go without one. It would be amazing for the guys if they can do it. I am happy with everything we have achieved on the pitch so far. Long may it continue – but if it doesn’t, I’ll still be there.

Written by: Sheikh

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