Sports Banter, Abuse, and a City Fan's New Year Resolution.

Brilliant, so many times I have heard fans banging on about how they beat so and so 20,000 goals to 1 and "how rubbish the other side are" while making out they are the best in the world.

Quote them stating how rubbish the other side are, then being deluded thinking their performance makes them worldclass.

Some people are just so stupid, narrow-minded that they can not see past their own nose, most of them have not got a clue what the word "banter" actually means, they presume it means "pathetic wind-ups and abusiveness" when in fact it means a light and humorous exchange of words and actions.

There is a huge difference between banter and abuse but some seem to mix the two with such rabid disgrace, this is one ref's whistle that can easily provoke violence, not that there is a good excuse for violence because there simply is not.

Some wonder why they receive so much hatred from opposing fans and for an example, you only have to look at a Man United fan and you already know what i am going to say.

To a Man United fan, your just a bitter and jealous person because their club is winning everything and yours is not, they look down on everyone branding themselves the ultimate kings of football fans just because they chose to follow a club already in glorious harmony < that covered 99% of their fan-base unless you were born before the Busby Babes.

Seriously though, how can some people be so pathetically deluded? Why would another club's fan be jealous of a few trophies and a bit of history. If they were that jealous why wouldn't they just support Man United and easily join the glory hunting bandwagon?

To be honest the reason they gain so much hatred is because of the way they treat opposing fanbases, with utter disrespect. I believe people can change but only if they want too, I guess sport will always have an ugly side.

I'll tell you why they don't just join the rest of the glory hunters, because their current club are more important than a few trophies and a bit of history owned by another club.

Most football fans value their clubs more than glory, otherwise everyone on the planet would be supporting Man United. Oh what a complete nightmare that would be.

Here is a Manchester City fan waiting for his beloved club to join the elite, completely aware that if they stray from the beaten path they too could fall foul to joining a typical Man United fan in abusing opposing fans, oh they are not the only ones though, you have the same problem in other countries.

I cannot stop others from straying from the path of respect but I can certainly help myself.

That will be my challenge for the New Year and many more after, to keep what makes me a City fan and not drop so low, keep self respect and respect in full flow (to those who deserve it of course).

Treat others how you would wish to be treated yourself, with a little LIGHT & HUMOROUS BANTER along the way.

Happy New Year everybody.