Brian Nicholson is the Member of the Month for March.  He has been a member of the MUSCC Executive for a number of years, who has a rather ususual connection with Aston Villa. 

Brian (left) with Danny Ioannou at Old Trafford

Hi,  my name is Brian Nicholson and I am proud to be MUSCC Member of the Month for March, 2013. I currently live in Toronto and this is my home town.   I'm a lawyer (Barrister as the British would say) with an office on Eglinton Avenue East, Mississauga. Most weeks I watch United at the “Main Event”. I discovered it when I moved back to Toronto from law school in Windsor. I wandered in and met the regulars and then became one myself. It’s always fun to watch the match with other fans and the atmosphere is always great there.

How did I become a United fan?  Well that’s a story in itself.  My maternal Grandfather was from Birmingham and his father (my great grandfather on my mother's side) played for Aston Villa.  As a young boy my maternal grandfather would get me to read scores to him from the Toronto Star. No Satellite in the late 70s. I wanted to be a Villa fan like him but he wanted a rival so  he told me to follow United like my other grandfather. So in fact, I became a United fan by way of my father's side who were from Manchester (Salford) even though  I never met my paternal grandparents.  . That was it for me though.  I was hooked even though they were not so good in those days.  It seemed that  United were always in the shadow of Liverpool and even Villa. I still dread the Villa/United matches as it makes me miss my Granddad..
 
I have been to Old Trafford. I saw United beat Benfica in a Champions League match and then beat City later in the same week.  What a thrill.  It was a life changing experience. I have never been to any sporting event like it. I was struck by the reality of the situation and the entire experience has stuck with me.  I desperately need to go back.

My favourite all time players are :-  Eric Cantona, Roy Keane and Bryan Robson.  I loved how each one played.  They were star  players but  the team was first. There was no individual bullshit with them. Well okay Keano kind of snapped at the end but generally he would bleed for the team.   My biggest thrill as a fan would be the treble year. It sounds cliche but that was just a magical year.

Currently,  I think the team still needs midfield help. We can score and our defence has some youth that I find encouraging.   However,  we need to replace Scholes and Giggs with long term solutions.

Like most United fans I have some memorabilia connected to the Club.  On my Office walls I have some framed pictures of  1930s teams, Busby babes etc.-  that would be my most precious stuff.

So far this has been a good season and I’m prepared to make predictions.  .  I think the league is close to being wrapped up for the Reds but the Champions League is a long shot. There are too many teams left that could damage us. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern are all dangerous and while I'm optimistic, I never bet on the CL. The FA Cup is always a bit tricky and anything can happen in a Knockout competition  but I think we'll win it. We've had some bad luck in the FA over the last few years and I think this is our year. 

With best regards to all United fans. 

Brian.

My name is Tina Sing and I am honoured to be the MUSCC Member of the Month for February, 2013. I was born and raised in a small town called Sarnia, Ontario. 

I'm currently in the fourth year of my PhD studies in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto where my thesis is focused on Cancer research.

How did I become a United fan you might ask?  It all began for me about a month before the 2012/2013 season, when I met a few MUSCC members (Jim, Derek, and Michael). They heard I liked soccer and I knew a bit about Manchester United, so they convinced me to join MUSCC immediately and come watch the matches at Main Event. I was impressed by how passionate they were about the team and all their stories about going to Old Trafford. Since then, I have been a regular attender at the Main Event with them and all the other United fans there. This is the first year that I have been a MUSCC member and I've been having a fantastic time meeting all the other Red Fans. It's such a great atmosphere and I love learning about the team from all of the life-long, die-hard fans!

I have played soccer for my whole life. I fell in love with the game at the age of 8 in the school yard during recesses. I signed up for house leagues soon after and then started playing competitively at age eleven. I played for the Sarnia Spirit until I was 20 years old, then a German club in London for a couple seasons, and now, I play for the Islington Rangers in Etobicoke in the Premiere League of the Toronto Soccer Association (TSA). I also spend my free time playing a lot of pick up, recreational and co-ed soccer throughout the year - I really love to play!As a player, I started out a bit more defensively in the middle. As I got older, I moved up and eventually played a high striker position. After undergoing ACL reconstructive surgery 2 years ago, I now fluctuate between playing as a striker or an attacking central midfielder.

Growing up in Sarnia, there were not many people who were soccer fans. Most people watched hockey, football, basketball, and baseball. Because I loved playing soccer so much, when I could find good games on TV, I loved to watch them. After watching teams play from different leagues, I really had no team loyalty. However, I did prefer to watch the English Premiere League and eventually I started watching United games more frequently because I liked David Beckham.
My first visit to Old Trafford will be this May, when United will play Chelsea. There is a group of us from Toronto who are going together, including quite a few who have visited Old Trafford many times before. I'm looking forward to traveling to Manchester with them because they will be able to show me around to all the pre-game festivities. Aside from the match, which I'm sure will be an unreal experience, I'm really excited to see the infamous Bishop Blaize as well as go for a tour of Old Trafford.

My biggest thrill as a United fan was watching the Manchester ‘Derby’ this season at Main Event. It was such an emotional roller coaster. After 2 amazing goals from Rooney, we were all so happy and feeling confident. But then City came back to tie and it was just devastating. In the dying minutes, when a win seemed impossible, RVP stepped up and scored off of a free kick. Everyone at Main Event went crazy! We were all screaming, singing, high-fiving... it was such a great moment for United!

If I could meet a United player, it would have to be my favourite player, Wayne Rooney. Growing up, I started to play as a full-time striker at about the same time Wayne Rooney was making a name for himself. When I watched him in his early days, I liked how hard he'd fight to get the ball and his shooting accuracy. I really aspired to play like him. Today, I still love watching his style of play. Despite some injury problems this season, he's come through for United at critical times and his partnership with RVP has turned out to be outstanding.

Right now, I sport a 2012/2013 home jersey with Rooney on the back, which I love to wear while cheering on United or to play in. My favourite thing about wearing this jersey in Toronto is that it sparks conversations with random strangers wherever I go (good and bad). The next piece of United memorabilia that I would like to get is a scarf from Manchester when I go to see my first game!

This season, I think we have the potential to win the Premiere League, FA cup, and Champion's league! We have plenty of tough matches to play, but if we can keep raining goals while also working out our defensive issues, then there's no reason we can't win the Treble. I'm looking forward to seeing how everything plays out with all the wonderful fans at Main Event. Thanks MUSCC for getting all us United fans in one place to enjoy the matches together. GGMU!

Cheers,
Tina

Armughan Azam is our Member of the Month for December. He is co-chair of the Windsor branch of MUSC Canada. His biggest United thrill is winning the Champions League Final in Moscow.

My name is Armughan  Azam and I currently live in Windsor, Ontario  although my home town is Dulwich, London, England.  I came to Canada in 1998 I believe, right before the biggest snow storm I have ever seen in my life.    I am a  Columnist for the News International Pakistan, and also do some managerial work.

I was born and raised in a “United” family, so when I grew up and learned about football, it was all about “United” football.  United was football and football was United.    Yes, most of my family members are United fans (except for my younger brother, whose an Arsenal fan - we can’t all be perfect I guess).  My Grandad is the biggest United fan in the family.  He moved to England with the navy after the 1947 partition of the sub-continent of India.  He has spent his life in Manchester where he became a die-hard United fan, and from him it went on to my uncles, cousins, and the rest of us. 

I am the Co-Chairman of the Windsor Chapter of the MUSCC  so most Saturdays I will be at the The Manchester Pub, downtown Windsor watching the match with other United fans. The atmosphere is exciting and they open even for the 7:30am kickoffs.   I have seen United play “live” many times.   I'm fortunate enough to visit the Theatre of Dreams every 3 years like clockwork when the family takes the Euro/Asia vacation.

It’s  tough  for me to pick my biggest thrill watching the Reds.   As United fans we're lucky and used to dozens of thrills every season - but if I had to pick one it would be the Champions League Final in Moscow.  About 8 United fans including me watched the game at a venue which was filled to the brim with Chelski fans.  They had already started singing and celebrating after Ronaldo's penalty miss. But  John Terry slipping and Edwin saving Anelka's penalty brought on a euphoria I hadn't felt for a very long time.   

My favourite piece of United Memorabilia  is a SHARP Sponsored era Cantona shirt with the collars.  A most prized possession, that one. No prizes for guessing who my  all time favourite player is? The greatest center forward that the world has ever seen, Eric Cantona.  The flash and glare, the confidence and arrogance, the flamboyance and anger, and those thunderous volleys... oh lord those volleys.

My predictions for this season are positive for United.   I believe that the current forward line we have gives us a brilliant chance to snatch back the title from Citeh - though we need to reinforce midfield that has often looked short of ideas and creativity, and find a consistent winger to buy.  My prediction is for United to hoist number 20 come May, Chelsea will wobble, Citeh will bottle it like they did last season (before we let 'em back in), and Liverpool... well I'd die a happy man if they go into administration and get relegated.  

Best regards to United fans everywhere.

Our member of the month grew up in Malaysia, became a United fan at a very young age and now lives in Vancouver.

Hi my name is Satvinder Sandhu and I am delighted to be the MUSCC Member of the Month.  I live in Vancouver B.C. with my wife Leah.  However, I was born and raised in a place called Muar, Malaysia , which is famous for its spectacular Muar river,  mangrove forests and  incredible seafood.  I work for a Company called Dayhu Investments, essentially as a Property Manager.  I help take care of Dayhu’s commercial properties as a member of the Operations and Management Department.

I first became a Manchester United fan when I was 5 or 6 years old back in 1970 or 71.  (It’s hard to remember dates at that age).  Football games were broadcast once a week in Malaysia back then although the games were about three weeks old by the time we saw them.  A secondary source of sports news was the newspapers which had good coverage.

My cousins and I used to watch the matches together.  The English F.A. Cup final was always broadcast “live” at about 2.00 am and I remember the excitement of being allowed to stay up and watch it with my cousins and my Uncle.  Liverpool were the big team back then winning everything and one of my cousins became a Liverpool fan.  I on the other hand decided I liked United and chose to throw my support behind the Manchester boys for life regardless of their ups and downs.  My choice was vindicated in 1977 when United won the F.A. Cup, beating Liverpool 2-1.  I was impressed by the Club’s history, its players and the way they played the game.

As for my family, unfortunately, my cousin and my brother are still Liverpool fans, whilst another cousin with whom I was very close was a United fan.  Sadly that cousin passed away whilst still a young man and did not live to see United take the League title in 1993 after a long drought of many years.

I usually watch the matches at home or at my brother’s place.  Sportsnet Connected is the most watched channel in our house.  I have only been to a game at Old Trafford once and that was this past New Year’s Day.  Unfortunately United lost but it was an exciting experience for me and it happened to be the “Gaffer’s” birthday.

My favourite all-time player is a toss-up between Roy Keane and Ole Solskjaer.  Keane was an intelligent player but also very tough.   I admired his attitude. He is someone who takes the bull by the horns and gets it done. Keane would have broken both Suarez's legs and happily taken the 10-game penalty for it.   United ruled the 90's because of Keane. As for Solskjaer, a commentator once rightly observed that just seeing him warm up would put a chill down the opposing manager's spine. He seemed to just come out and score every time.  I remember Solskjaer once came out and scored 4 goals in 15 minutes taking the team from down 2 goals to a 4-2 win.

My biggest thrill as a United fan was winning the 1993 League title after such a long drought (26 years).   My favourite piece of United memorabilia is the key chain I will get with next year's membership package that will say #20 on it.

My predictions for trophies this season?  I feel confident United will get that 20th League title, but the European championship will be tough without another good holding midfielder. Another Roy Keane would be nice, although there will never be another Roy Keane. He was one-of-a-kind and is still missed.   I have tremendous respect and admiration for the “Gaffer”.  His leadership and long term planning will ensure that United will be successful for many more years.

Best regards to United fans everywhere.

Satvinder