With as many professional football teams as there are in Greater Manchester and England as a whole, there are bound to be some unusual nicknames here and there.
Today, we’re looking at some of the more interesting stories from the area, as well as the stories about how they got there in the first place.
The Red Devils
Starting out with historically the most famous club of the region, younger fans of Manchester United may be a little less familiar with the Red Devils nickname. As with many key parts of the club’s history, this name links back to the legendary figure of Sir Matt Busby, who saw the nearby Salford rugby club pick up the same nickname on tour.
Busby loved the aura and imagery behind the devil name, and he hasn’t been the only one making use of it over the years. Plenty of brands have taken a hellish motif for the dark, powerful, and fiery connotations, not least of which the gambling industry.
Games like the Kingdom Below slot or others like Lil’ Devil and Devil’s Number are popular fixtures in many online casinos as they give off feelings of power and excitement. This is what Sir Busby was also angling for in part, combining the club’s colours with fierce motifs to create an apt name for a strong team.
The Latics
Things get a little confusing here as depending on who you ask, The Latics could be one of two teams from the area who each furiously lay claim to having it first. Both Wigan Athletic and Oldham Athletic make use of the nickname, apparently derived from the word ‘athletic’ itself, although the evolution of that is lost to time.
Whoever has the better claim, it is certainly one of the most unusual nicknames in English football, considering that by itself, the word doesn’t mean anything at all. It may not have the same weird punch as The Biscuit Men of Reading or Pools Monkey Hangers of Hartlepool, but it stands out for uniqueness all the same.
The Trotters
Even if you’ve lived in the area for your entire life, you’d be forgiven if you’ve never heard of The Trotters. That’s because the name has fallen out of favour along with the original meaning of the word, but there was a time when it was a byword for Bolton Wanderers, now more commonly known as The Whites or simply The Wanderers.
It’s not entirely certain where the ‘trotter’ term comes from. Some attribute it to pig’s trotters being a delicacy around Lancashire, but most claim it comes from the local phrase ‘trotting, which meant pulling pranks. In either case, the culture has moved on a long way since then and despite the best efforts of old-school fans, it’s rare to hear The Trotters as a nickname even at home games.
So there you have some of our more interesting selections from the region, although if you go down out of the professional teams, we’re sure you’d find plenty more interesting options. British football fans are nothing if not incredibly creative!
