Bitterness Swings From Blue To Red

Vital Manchester City received the following article from newbie, bluerichy.

In the old days it was a certainty that united would finish above us (well in my old days). Mondays after the derby were days I wanted to stay under my duvet and not face the world. Whether I was at school, Uni or working we almost always lost and the ribbing I took was awful. I almost became bitter.

I still remember the date of the 5-1 (29.09.89). Hinchy's bullet header, Oldfield's sublime finish...and the game was marred by crowd trouble. I remember my dad saying there was no justice as their yobbish fans were herded by police horse from the North Stand to the away end...we would probably lose as well. Well we didn't and I became a true believer that day. A believer, that in my lifetime the balance of power in Manchester would, at some point, change.

I feel the scales are now tipping in favour of our beloved Blues. My Facebook wall is where the ribbing, joking and banter goes on now, between a mix of Red and Blue friends. Things have changed though; no longer is there the smugness shown in the past by Red fans. They are looking over their shoulders at their noisy neighbours who, in all aspects of the club, are catching up at pace. Their posts reflect this, becoming more bitter and so much less smug. They look at their starting eleven and compare them with ours.

An aging Scholes and Giggs, Fletcher and O'Shea are hardly filling us with fear or them with pride. They haven't replaced Ronaldo or Neville - Ferdinand is not getting any younger and Van der Sar is retiring in two months.  Whilst at City we have Hart, Richards, Kompany, De Jong, Silva, Johnson, Toure, Tevez and Dzecko, all players to strike fear into any opposition. They jibe about our mercenary players and our lack of team ethic. No longer do they see us as a harmless annoyance but rather a real threat to their crown.

Their jibes have become bitter. The City fans are proud and sure of their beloved team's exciting future...something admittedly a little unfamiliar to any honest Blue. Now the Reds are the uncertain ones, grasping at straws to belittle us and regurgitating the negative rubbish printed in the press. When Ferguson goes and saddled with massive debts, they all fear the worst.

No longer are we bitter Blues...but they are bitter Reds.

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