Liverpool and Manchester

[Merseyrose]

Hi everyone

During my stay in England back in the late 80s and on my subsequent visits to England/Liverpool, I always heard and read about the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester and thought it was all in good fun, more or less. However, since joining this forum, I've read several posts mentioning Manchester and Mancunians in not so friendly words and now I wonder whether this rivalry is more serious than I used to think. What's really up with this? Could anybody explain it to me, please?

Thank you so much in advance.

Love,

Merseyrose

P.S.: There are similar rivalries between German cities, most notably between Cologne and Düsseldorf, and I'm not too sure either how serious that particular rivalry is...

I love Manchester I have two friends from there that i have kept in touch with for over 20 years. I used to go clubbing up there in my youth been there many a time and never had a word said about me coming from Liverpool. I think we are very similar to Manchester people, they also have a great wit When on holiday i always seem to meet people from Manchester and have a great laugh with them. Along with London, Newcastle, and Bristol people, oh and people from Cardiff know how to party and have fun I love teaming up with them.

As with anything there are small pockets of people who will always have a go. sadly this is what is reported, and not the many people who get along and could not care where another person is from.

One of the funniest people i ever met was a German guy named Joe, a policeman from Stuttgart. he was so funny dancing and singing all day long. we had a ball with him. I lost his email on the way home, wish i knew him now, great guy

Back to Manchester, its great as it has the Airport that takes me to Spain.

[Waterways]

Originally Posted by Merseyrose

Hi everyone

During my stay in England back in the late 80s and on my subsequent visits to England/Liverpool, I always heard and read about the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester and thought it was all in good fun, more or less. However, since joining this forum, I've read several posts mentioning Manchester and Mancunians in not so friendly words and now I wonder whether this rivalry is more serious than I used to think. What's really up with this? Could anybody explain it to me, please?

Thank you so much in advance.

Love,

Merseyrose

P.S.: There are similar rivalries between German cities, most notably between Cologne and Düsseldorf, and I'm not too sure either how serious that particular rivalry is...

Manchester is jealous of Liverpool. It comes down to that. We are different than them. We area multi-cultured/national people in origin, while they are predominantly of the surrounding Lancashire districts. We have a different accent derived from the many nationalities that made up the city - the only accent in the English speaking world attributed to a city, all others are in areas.

Historically Liverpool was the commercial city, Manchester the industrial city (the world's first). In the 1980s both cities declined rapidly. However, government money and focus is making Manchester the commercial centre of the north west of England, while leaving Liverpool behind. The BBC is moving a large part of their operation to Manchester from London without consultation, and creating 1000s of jobs too. Liverpool, is the most filmed city in the UK after London. Many large films are shot here, complete with studios. Go figure.
Look at:
LIVERPOOL'S film and TV industry

The local North West TV is based in Manchester and looking at it you wouldn't think a large city 30 miles away existed. The TV stations there do not cater for the needs of the Liverpool area. We are not interested in what went on in a small town or village on the Pennine foothills - a place most here have not heard of or been to.

Manchester regularly sneers Liverpool. Liverpool couldn't care less about Manchester - it could be 1000 miles away for all we care. The city becomes concerned when London directs investment towards them instead of Liverpool. London circles talk of a commercial hub city, naming Manchester.

Having Manchester as the centre of the North West just doesn't make sense. They have the Pennine Hills to one side and over them is the commercial capital of Yorkshire, Leeds. Liverpool is better located, with Wales to the south, and traditionally been a commercial city. Manchester's port is now an office complex, Salford Quays, while Liverpool's port is dealing with more cargo than ever before and expanding with new post-Panamax container terminal being built - post Panamax are ships too big for the Panama Canal.

Liverpool and the Wirral are planning large complexes:
Peel Waters

Liverpool John Lennon has stolen a hell of a lot of trade from Manchester airport too, and is buildings a combined air/sea freight terminal.

It just doesn't make sense to favour one city over the other. Give them equal funding and they will sort themselves out.

If Liverpool was a city state like Hamburg is, the city would be a very different place to what it is today. We would have control of our own affairs.

[Waterways]

Originally Posted by Gnomie

Back to Manchester, its great as it has the Airport that takes me to Spain.

Bill Bryson said Manchester is "an airport with a city attached".

[lindylou]

Originally Posted by Gnomie

As with anything there are small pockets of people who will always have a go. sadly this is what is reported, and not the many people who get along and could not care where another person is from.

One of the funniest people i ever met was a German guy named Joe, a policeman from Stuttgart. he was so funny dancing and singing all day long. we had a ball with him. I lost his email on the way home, wish i knew him now, great guy

Back to Manchester, its great as it has the Airport that takes me to Spain.

It's true Gnomie, it doesn't matter where a person is from if you get along well.
I have Argentinian friends who love Liverpool and we stayed friends even throughout the Falklands war.
I have friends from all walks of life.

re airport - we only ever use John lennon airport even for getting to
Spain

[lindylou]

I agree with a lot of what Waterways says in his post, regarding with the way Liverpool is located in comparison to Manchester and the way Liverpool is treated by the powers that be.

[Mark R]

I think it is mainly down to football (especially Liverpool & Man Utd). I have no problem with the place (I believe my great grandmother was a Manc). It can get quite unhealthy regarding the football though...Manchester does have other cultures in its city - there is a Chinatown and an Irish contingent represented and also Asian communities. I don't think it does anyone any good ****ging each other off.

[JMLE]

Originally Posted by Waterways

Bill Bryson said Manchester is "an airport with a city attached".

In a similar vein to what I read about Coventry many years ago. It was decribed
as being a tip with a ring road around it and a ring road with a tip in the middle.

[Merseyrose]

Thank you so much for your very interesting replies, everybody!

Anybody else who'd like to contribute?

[No-ones_Princess]

Originally Posted by Merseyrose

Hi everyone

During my stay in England back in the late 80s and on my subsequent visits to England/Liverpool, I always heard and read about the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester and thought it was all in good fun, more or less. However, since joining this forum, I've read several posts mentioning Manchester and Mancunians in not so friendly words and now I wonder whether this rivalry is more serious than I used to think. What's really up with this? Could anybody explain it to me, please?

Thank you so much in advance.

Love,

Merseyrose

P.S.: There are similar rivalries between German cities, most notably between Cologne and Düsseldorf, and I'm not too sure either how serious that particular rivalry is...

I used to live in Good old Deutchland and I spent a fair amount of Time in Dusseldorf and Monchengladbach watching football and Shopping. I was always under the impression that it was freindly rivialry between Duss and Col but I may have a torist/mil perspective.

My liverpool family take the manchester thing quite seriously which I find funny as my best mate is from Salford. Its too do with football though as we are a mixed family of Liverpool Blues and Reds and we can hardly hate each other can we?