Noisy Neighbours must change their mentality

Last week I logged onto Twitter and Facebook following United's 3-2 win over City in the FA Cup and found what I was expecting to be plastered over my timelines. Manchester City fans treating their defeat, at home, to their nearest rivals, as if they had just won the FA Cup. Yes, City were plucky in the second half and certainly deserve some credit. Going back to the infamous 6-1 match at Old Trafford earlier in the season, United lost by that scoreline after having 10 men for 40 minutes. City had 10 men for 80. This was of course picked up on by Roberto Mancini and the majority of City fans as they basked in the glory of their defeat.

Here's a thought for City fans. You lost the game.

Forget how many players they had on the pitch and how brave their team was in the second half, nearly pulling off a glorious comeback. They NEARLY pulled it off. They did not complete. The game finished 3-2 to United and the holders were out of the cup to their nearest rivals. This is not the Manchester City of old who would have accepted a plucky 3-2 defeat of this sort and treated it as a moral victory. This is a new Manchester City who are top of the Premier League and were holders of the FA Cup. No defeat for a team looking for success, should be treated as a victory, particularly not one in a derby. When Darren Fletcher scored to make the score 3-1 to City in October, in search of another couple of goals United became sloppy and conceded another three instead. But let's say someone had popped up to make it 3-2, only for it to finish that way. Would the United fans have been happy? Of course not, we would have been devastated, whatever the scoreline, to lose to our local rivals in such a big game.

That is where the two clubs still differ. Yes, City were very good in the second half last week (although a lot of the comeback was to do with United flaws as much as their strengths), but they lost the game and are now out of a major competition. Moral victory or not, it was a defeat and if City really have the ambition to become as big a club as United, they need to learn to treat defeat like defeat. A friend said to me in defence of City last week, "people need to realise that City aren't s*** like they were 5 years ago". I agreed with this view, but it is the City fans who still have that mentality. A big club has a big mentality where only a win will do. Losing to your nearest rivals in a competition which you are the holders of and treating it like a victory? That is a sign of a small club with a smell mentality.

So, City fans, be proud in defeat. But it was not a victory. Until that mentality is changed, you will still be the noisy neighbours.