It’s time to put the ‘typical City’ expression in the history books
IT’S now officially time to consign ‘typical City’ to the history books. The only thing that’s typical about the Blues now is having quality, character and a fantastic team spirit.
If I had a pound for every time I’ve heard the expression ‘typical City’ I’d be a rich man! The phrase refers to City fans believing if there’s a way for the club to shoot itself in the foot, it will do.
There’s been plenty of evidence, down the years to back it up.
Way back in 1937-38 City, as the previous season’s champions, were relegated. As if that wasn’t ‘typical City’ enough, they were actually the division’s top scorers with 80 goals, AND scored more than they conceded that season, 77. Yet they still managed to achieve a, so far, never-to-berepeated feat.
Twenty years later, the Blues scored 104 goals in a season, but also conceded 100.
More recently, in May 1998, all City needed to do in the last match of the season was win at Stoke, and hope that Port Vale or Portsmouth didn’t. City won 5-2, but Vale and Pompey won too, sending the Blues into the third tier of English football.
The infamous 2012 Premier League title win should have been so much more straightforward. A goal up, but then 2-1 down before THAT stoppage-time Sergio Aguero goal finally started the shift away from ‘typical City.’
For all the unnecessary drama Blues fans have endured through the generations, I would not change a thing.
It has created a humour and humility among the supporters that I’ve rarely seen elsewhere. At the weekend, though, I saw three games that suggest that ‘typical City’ should now be confined to the history books.
On Saturday morning, the under-18s came back from 1-0 down to beat United 4-1.
I then witnessed the EDS team also prove their character by coming from behind to beat Spurs 4-2. On Sunday, it was the firstteam battling back from a goal down against a feisty Huddersfield Town to take all three points.
I’m not saying there will be no more hiccups along the way, but I believe the days of City finding new ways to set unwanted records or making life extra difficult for themselves are over for the foreseeable future.
My hope is the fans will still have that typical self-deprecating sense of humour, and humility, and we never forget where we came from.
It’s what makes City fans special.