It's the day after a frustrating finish from Manchester United – conceding a late goal in a draw with relegation-facing Burnley – and I've arrived at Manchester Piccadilly station. Sixth in the Premier League at the time of writing with four games to play, the team are all but out of the Champions League reckoning, but there is still hope of qualifying for the Europa League. To leapfrog the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle is one thing, but to outdo their longtime local rivals Manchester City, currently on track for a historic record-breaking fourth consecutive Premier League win, is another. United are the only other team to have even come close to this feat in the past.
A stone's throw from the station exit, one of the north's well-revered culinary destinations is bustling. After handing me my vegan sausage roll, a young lad behind the counter shrugs when asked about last night's game. It was simply “disappointing”, he says. Curiously spurred by his curt response, I pose a similar question further along in an eerily empty Starbucks. As his colleague slides a mocha my way, one barista proclaims: “The team is good, it's just poorly managed in my opinion. I don't have anything [bad] to say about the players.” I march on, lending my ear to any local mouthpiece whose views flit between managerial critiques, the impact of a slew of detrimental injuries, and the city being ‘blue’ (Man City's colours). It soon becomes clear that, much like stories of the Haçienda in its heyday, when it comes to opinions concerning Manchester
