Why we should all stop calling Manchester United ‘Man U’

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Some football clubs have names that’ll just roll off the tip of your tongue – take Everton, for example. They have the nickname ‘the Blues’, but there really isn’t a need to shorten down their name.

It’s pretty much the same for Liverpool – ‘the Reds’ – but Manchester United are given numerous alternative names because theirs is a mouthful.

The shorthand is often Man United, or even just United – the same goes for Manchester City – but some fans will often shorten their name down to ‘Man U’.

This is wrong.

Tribalism in football can be ugly, with a minority of rival supporters sometimes turning to tragedy to ‘get one over’ the opposition.

Unfortunately, the Hillsborough, Heysel and Munich disasters (to name a few) are typically brought up a few times per season.

And this is where we explore why ‘Man U’ is inappropriate shorthand for Manchester United, as it was never their fans who gave them that name.

The unfortunate nickname was first used by some rival supporters in a disgusting chant about the Munich disaster, as highlighted in this Bleacher Report article.

The song went like this:

Man U, Man U, went on a plane,

Man U, Man U, never came back again.

So by referring to the club as such, fans are unknowingly causing offence.

If you use ‘Man U’, it’s time to scrap it and stick to Manchester United, Man United, United or just call them ‘the Mancs’ like I do.

Even if we separate the nickname from its roots, doesn’t it seem odd anyway? How often do you hear ‘New U’ or ‘Sheff U’ being used for Newcastle and Sheffield United?

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