10 Sep 2026 11:37:30.
Starting a new thread here. Down below Patrick told his story, including going to school with Tony Wilson. That was really nice, as were all the sentiments expressing the life time commitment we all share through the good times and the bad times, and through the changes in the game itself.
It triggered a few bells though. I went to Thailand one Xmas and my girlfriend at the time left me for Tony Wilson. Both of them are gone now.
My parents separated and then divorced when I was 4. My father was bankrupt, moved away, and my mother, who was just 23 with 2 small children moved back in with my grandparents who sent me off to boarding school before I was 5. It was a period of time completely divorced from family, community, and needless to say football. I do have a recollection of my father, a City fan, taking me to Maine Road once. But in the end it was a Utd friend who finally piqued my interest in the drama of it when we were sitting at his house one Saturday afternoon avidly awaiting the results on the teleprinter.
It was the winter of 1962/3, United and City were both flirting with relegation.
My stepfather was a foundryman. I worked for him at James H. Dennis on Trafford Park Road during my late 20s and very early 30s. The company, my stepfather and that part of Trafford Park Road are also gone.
Willie Satinoff, who died in the Munich disaster, was a distant relation. He was gone a long time ago before I knew anything about anything.
So things change. I'm about to be 75. The one constant through all the changes has been Man United. Like (I think) everyone on this site, I feel I've been let down and my commitment abused by the owners of the club. I may have chosen to protect myself from investing too much emotional energy, but underneath it all there's no escape! It's in the blood! And, unfortunately (?) for my son, who has just moved to Switzerland, it's in his too. He'll be bringing his 10 year old daughter with him to the match this Sunday. Let's hope they don't go home disappointed.
10 Sep 2026 15:23:49
I might be one of the younger supporters on these sites at 32, but I still remember my first United shirt. It was a hand-me-down grey Sharp kit from 1995-96, given to me when I was four years old in 1998.
From that point on, I was obsessed. I watched as many games as I could and vividly remember the 1999 Champions League Final, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær scoring the winner. As fate would have it, I share the same birthday as Ole, and as a child that naturally made him my hero. Every Christmas I wanted the latest Manchester United annual, and I would proudly take it into school just to show people Solskjær's profile and prove we shared a birthday. I have bought the shirt every season since that first one, and they're all still up in the attic today, in a range of sizes that chart my journey from child to adult.
Growing up in Coventry, and with my parents separating when I was young, getting to Old Trafford was never easy. Thankfully, I had family in Littleborough and whenever we visited, a trip to Old Trafford was almost guaranteed. Sometimes it was just the museum and stadium tour, but if I was lucky, it would be a matchday too. Those trips helped strengthen what was already becoming a lifelong bond with the club.
As I got older and became more independent, I made it a priority to get to games whenever I could. That wasn't always straightforward, as I played football at a decent level myself, which meant weekends were usually out of the question. Midweek European nights became my opportunity. One of my favourite memories is the 2016-17 Europa League run. I drove from Coventry to every home game from the group stage through to the semi-final, when Marcus Rashford scored that extra-time winner against Celta Vigo. After each game, it was a two-and-a-half-hour drive home before getting up for work the next morning, but it was worth every mile.
That luxury became harder once I became a dad. My daughter is three now and is being raised firmly as a United fan, despite being surrounded by Coventry supporters who are understandably enjoying themselves back in the Premier League. I have nothing against Coventry City, they're my hometown club and I like to see them do well, just not at United's expense.
It's fair to say I started supporting United during the glory years, and I was often labelled a glory supporter because of it. But football doesn't work like that. Once a club gets hold of you, it's yours for life. That's exactly how I feel about Manchester United. I've seen the highs, the trophies and the dominance, but I've also lived through the decline that followed. It's difficult to see where we are compared to those days, yet the hope never disappears. Like every United supporter, I still believe we'll get back there one day.
10 Sep 2026 16:17:09
Ajh, random new thread started, can you have a word. ?
10 Sep 2026 16:46:49
Aye, Tumbleweed. Naughty of me, but sometimes the threads get so long no one's going to read what you're writing.
10 Sep 2026 17:15:02
Only kidding, Newname.
10 Sep 2026 17:32:52
Yeah, outrageous. Lovely stories though.