re: Club or country

Country > Club. I am an American fan of United and have been fortunate to see my club win trophies. At this point, the US winning the world cup is something mythical and unattainable. If I were to witness the US win the WC, the only thing to do would be to just blow my load.

As for many actual Mancs, there is no debate that country is greater than club. In fact, there is a great deal of friction between many United fans and the Ingerland national team. I have copied and pasted a section from a popular United blog, the Republik of Mancunia, explaining the name choice and the sources of discontent:

What’s in a name?

“Republik of Mancunia” is a term used by Manchester United fans as a way of expressing Mancunian pride. It also is used by some to show their apathy towards the England National Football Team.

The “Republik of Mancunia” attitude developed for several reasons. Firstly, the idea of Mancunian pride, which can be seen in other areas of culture associated with Manchester, not just football. Also, because Manchester United fans feel as though the players and fans of their club are treated unfairly by the English press and English football fans, now, and in the past. To call themselves Mancunian, and claim they are from the “Republik of Mancunia”, and not English, is showing this displeasure with what they regard unfair treatment.

It is well documented that ‘Stand up if you hate Man U’ used to do the rounds at Wembley, when the likes of David Beckham, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt were all on the field.

A “Republik of Mancunia” banner, written in faux Cyrillic, can be seen at Old Trafford, at the Stretford End, the most vocal area in the stadium. This is used because one of Manchester United fans’ nicknames is The “Red Army” and their “firm” is also known by this name, as well as it being the name of the army of the Soviet Union.

Also, “Republik of Mancunia” can refer to a “nation” of Manchester United-focused people. A Republik is also associated with ideas on anti-monarchy. Therefore, the Republik of Mancunia is a separation between these people, and England.

Several chants have arisen from this movement. A popular chant is “We all agree United are better than England.” Another chant is in reference to the treatment David Beckham received after returning from the 1998 World Cup. Effigies of our player were burnt in the capital whilst United fans offered him unwavering support. When Beckham later scored a last minute winner against Greece to give England entry to the next World Cup, the chant “Did you cheer when Beckham scored?” was born and sung to opposition fans during league matches.

Manchester United midfielder, Paul Scholes is an apparent follower of this thinking. Despite being one of the most naturally gifted midfielders to ever play for England, he retired from the national side aged 30, since which he has been asked repeatedly to rethink his decision. “I decided to call it a day with England because it just wasn’t any fun any more. I don’t know why it became like that, I’d just stopped enjoying it,” explained Scholes. “I like being at home as well there was an awful lot of time away from home and my family and for me there’s nowhere better than Manchester.”

United captain, Gary Neville, has echoed the same sentiments when talking about returning from injury. “Getting back into the England squad is not something that I think about,” he said in November 2007. “Playing for United has always been the most important thing for me and remains so. If England recognition comes, that’s a bonus – but it’s not something that I think about too much. I’ve always considered it an extension to playing for United.”

The Republik of Mancunia – a Manchester United blog – is firmly of the belief UNITED > England.