He got me into football and insisted that I support the team in blue.
I moved to Manchester when I was six and didn’t know anything about football but that was his team.
He got me to Maine Road in 1998 for City v Millwall and he introduced me to Nicky Weaver. I’ll never forget it and the rest is history!
My earliest memories of going to City with gramps are about the matchday routine.
We’d get in the car, listen to the radio, talk about all the City news from the week, who might be in the team and how we should play.
We had a season ticket as soon as the new stadium opened and we’d be there every game no matter what.
We’d get some fish and chips then get there early to watch the teams warm up and chat about it all.
We’d have a full debrief in the car home and that was our Saturday! They are really special memories.
Supporting and watching City changed my life because it became part of me and my identity.
If it wasn’t for my grandad then I would never be a football fan let alone a City fan.
It’s my life and my passion now. I love sport and have ended up working in it.
It improved my life in every way and that’s thanks to my grandad and City.
Up until the day he died he would say that City was his life and he was here for 86 years.
Even when he was struggling with his Alzheimer’s, you’d just have to say ‘City’ and his brain would still connect with that even in the darkest times. That was so special.
I can’t put into words what it has been like to watch City under Pep Guardiola.
We’re completely spoilt with the football that we watch. It’s revolutionary and a joy to watch.
It is such a different level to what anyone has ever seen and we’ll be saying that for years to come as well.
We’ve made history with him and he’s set the club up for many years to come and I’ve loved it.
Being a City fan is part of my identity. It’s who I’ve grown up with, connected with, a lot of my life and it is part of my DNA. Being a City fan is an emotion.
Charlie Gibson
