As rivalries go, the competition between Manchester City and Manchester United (lovingly known as Man. U by its fans, and by many other less affectionate name by rivals) is a strange one. Unlike Edinburgh’s Hearts and Hibs or Liverpool’s Everton and LFC, City and United’s fans aren’t known for being from two different sections of town.
No, in Manchester the divide is much simpler — Mancunians root for City, and everybody else? Well, they go nuts for United.
As some City fans like to say, Old Trafford (United’s famous home ground) isn’t actually within Manchester’s city limits — «and neither are 98% of United fans.»
Indeed, United has official supporters clubs spread far and wide, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Shanghai, China, from Ottawa, Canada, to Sydney, Australia. Osama bin Laden was even rumoured to be a Man U fan in his youth.
So where does the rivalry between the two originate, and what is it about the sides that makes their supporters go wild?
Part of the rivalry may stem from the different expectations that surround each of them. Founded as Newton Heath L&YR F.C. in 1878 as the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot — two years before City — United boasts a world-wide reputation and is usually found in the top-5 teams in the English Premiership. Because of this, supporters from out-of-town (and out-of-country) fill Manchester hotels well in advance of games, chomping at the bit for the opportunity to watch excellent players who are famous the world over.
Conversely, fans of Man City — founded as St. Mark’s (West Gorton) in 1880 by Anna Connell and two churchwardens of St. Mark’s Church, in Gorton, east Manchester, and claimed to have early links to local Freemasonry — tend to be native Mancunians.
At local derby time it can turn into quite a production. For fully-booked hotels Manchester natives are not the customers to expect. Rather, they support City with enthusiasm.
What are the prospects for each team in the upcoming season? Manchester United has a strong team, but some of their players are looked at as being past their best playing days. Sir Alex Ferguson, who has managed the team since 1986, might need to push the players harder to have the same level of success Man U has enjoyed in previous years. Manchester City, with its more home-grown reputation, should perform to expectations in the upcoming season — but bear in mind that for many City fans, a season where they beat their rival neighbors and win bragging rights over out-of-town Man U fans can usually be considered a successful one.
In booking a trip to see either teams, it’s a good idea to plan ahead, especially when traveling to Manchester during a United game. This is when Manchester’s hotels fill up far in advance, especially those located around Old Trafford, and leaving your plans till the last minute can mean you (and anyone traveling with you to see the game) might be left out in the cold.
The 2009-2010 season promises to be an exciting one for both of Manchester’s Premier League teams. Who will come out next May with the better record and happier fans? Time will tell, but for many, the choice of who to support is already made.
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