FC United
In my life time I have seen the club I love get relegated the equivalent of 5 times, with two promotions, and a succession of shysters, con men and idiots running the club. I've seen us leave the league, scrap in the conference, go bust and reform, and I, along with 1500 or other so have NEVER turned our back on the club, as we love it, warts and all.
So we are to applaud some idiots that have been following Man Utd wining things for years, and then decided to form their own club as they didn't like the way they were being priced out of the game - something that has happened due to Utd floating on the stock exchange and pushing the game into financial melt down for everyone else? Or how about when in the first 4 seasons of the club (FC Utd) being formed they went about and cherry picked the best players from that level by throwing the cash they had. Complete hypocrisy. They want to be seen as loyal to the old club, and the old value - and thus don't play in green and gold, but keep with the colours of the sold out club red, and again fail to even come from Manchester and are from Bury. Oh, and they want Saturday afternoon football, and accessibility for all. Go look at their recent fixtures, and you will see they play most of the time on a SUNDAY, and go and look at their OFFICAL fans forum - you can only access it if you have a work Email - cutting loads of fans that don't have one from commenting on their club. Keeping it real, and fair for everyone again I see boys!
Interestingly since FC United formed Bury have found that their away support has fallen by around 80% - could this be due to the fact that this b*stard offspring of Man Utd play at their ground when they are away after all?
And they are still attracting the glory supporters. Fan groups and associations all over Europe. One of the Halifax directors a few weeks ago was supposed to be meeting a FC United fan to talk about some posters (FC United fans will know him as "MonkeyTown Red"), but was late for the meeting as traffic was bad on his way down from bloody LONDON!
I remember as a kid being taken down the Shay by my dad, and the mad rush to the front of the Skircoat when we scored a goal. I remember every promotion, and heart breaking relegation, and the people I have seen for years at the club. Its all about history, pride and passion. The things that make a club is the fans - the shysters and crooks come and go, and the ones that pick up the mess are the loyal ones.
I will NEVER accept that these idiots should be given respect for walking out on their club because they disagree on what is happening. How can the b*stard offspring of one of the most hated clubs in the land be seen as a good idea of a club and a good example, and how can those glory fans that jump ship for more non league glory (Interesting to see that the crowds have gone from 6000+ to around 1500 now they aren't dicking teams each week and Man Utd have had moderate success ) and say they are "keeping it real".
Oh, their fans are great because they sing for large periods of the game? Well they had a massive fan base to pull retards in to follow them, and have come from watching their old club win everything and bully the little clubs around for years. Easy to sing when you are wining. Late 20/ Early 30 year olds singing their heart out about how they "love" this club that didn't exist 10 years ago, and how they are FCUM through and through, loyal and great, take the p*ss out of the REAL fans. Go look at the REAL clubs around, and you will see that there is a good amount of "old guard" pensioners, who love the clubs, who don't sing, but have real passion, real heart and real love for the club. Supporting their home town club isn't a fad, or something they are doing to look good, its what they do because they love it. Something these idiots at FC will never understand.
Salford, Mossley, Ashton Utd, Curzon Ashton, Droylsden, Hyde, Stalybridge, Trafford and a small team called NEWTON HEATH all in and around Manchester were all around for disgruntled fans who wanted a change without trying to make some bullsh*t stance that means nothing.
Im shaymen till I die - those FC Utd fans won't be FC until they die, and they can't even claim to be MUFC through and through either. f**king muppets.
In my life time I have seen the club I love get relegated the equivalent of 5 times, with two promotions, and a succession of shysters, con men and idiots running the club. I've seen us leave the league, scrap in the conference, go bust and reform, and I, along with 1500 or other so have NEVER turned our back on the club, as we love it, warts and all.
So we are to applaud some idiots that have been following Man Utd wining things for years, and then decided to form their own club as they didn't like the way they were being priced out of the game - something that has happened due to Utd floating on the stock exchange and pushing the game into financial melt down for everyone else? Or how about when in the first 4 seasons of the club (FC Utd) being formed they went about and cherry picked the best players from that level by throwing the cash they had. Complete hypocrisy.
Im shaymen till I die - those FC Utd fans won't be FC until they die, and they can't even claim to be MUFC through and through either. f**king muppets.
My take on FC United here, having become a member and attended dozens of a games. It's a proper club, built n values and not selling out to win at all costs. - https://mattfutsalfejos.com/2015/12/13/manchester-...
I have ticked off another item on the Bucket List.
I am now a very proud owner of a football club.
An owner of United.
FC United of Manchester, that is.
The story starts ten years ago. In 2005 the Glazer family acquired Manchester United and riddled the club with debt. The hostile takeover was the final straw for many fans and another example of football becoming about business and television and no longer about football or the fans.
Excessive ticket prices and variable kick-off times ruled by TV companies have ruined the experience and accessibility of every day Mancunians (or any English), watching the game and the club they love (whichever club that is).
So a group of fans set up their own rebel fan club called FC United of Manchester. The reason for being is simple. Taking football back to it’s roots. Saturday 3pm kicks off most of the time, terraces to stand and active support. No selling out with the over commercialisation of football at the expense of the fans. £9 tickets. As a policy, the shirts still don’t bear a sponsor.
Fast forward 10 years and the club has been promoted five times and is one level off becoming professional, currently in the sixth tier of English Football. They just beat local rivals Stockport County away, who were in the same division as Manchester City just a few years ago. After ten years of sharing and renting other clubs’ grounds, they have built their own ground, Broadhurst Park. 5000 capacity.
The club is about more than just recreating the Manchester United of old, who they now describe as “two clubs, one soul”. They are ambassadors for fan owned football and the revolution of taking the power back and having football for footballs sake. Another motto of the club is “Making friends not millionaires”. It is the most family friendly and welcoming environment I have ever been to at this level of football.
The club is built by the fans and funding and exists for the fans and the community. I spent my Saturday with 20 fans in the pouring Manchester rain planting trees around the ground, part of ongoing work being done. Although there is the new ground, there is alot of room for growth with new stands planned int he future. The fans are putting in alot of the legwork. That is what the fans do, and what a club built by the fans for the fans means.
I took my good friend from New Zealand (and massive Arsenal fan) Richard Boyd along to watch a game. It was one of the most memorable games of football in my life, and even had him chanting “United” by the end too. It was up there with the Phoenix’s first ever home game and New Zealand qualifying for the football World Cup. 3-1 down with minutes remaining, the terraces were a wall of noise and roared the team to two late dramatic goals. A great video of this experience is here, filmed on Rich’s GoPro.
So, what is my financial stake in the club?
£12.
I get a membership card, rights to buy tickets to any big home games in advance (most are cash at the gate), and a vote in different decisions the club makes.
I get a sense of belonging, a team that plays for the fans, and I am joined on match days with fans who stand and sing for the duration of the match. This is real community football, not a TV game show to sit and watch. We are active participants, not passive consumers.
You can become a co-owner too.
If you want to sign up to become a co-owner yourself, sign up here. If you live in New Zealand please send me your details and I will deliver it to NZ for you.
We need to take football back. For the people.
“Won’t pay Glazer, work for Sky. Still sing City’s gonna die. Two Uniteds but the soul is one as the Busby Babes carry on.”
This is awesome for all the right reasons. Well done to everyone involved. Real football, real fans.