51 years: Manchester United fans revive their biting mockery of City

The Sky Blue club faces potentially heavy sanctions

Manchester United fans are preparing to raise the famous "counter" banner once again in the Stretford End, mocking Manchester City during tomorrow's Premier League clash with Tottenham on Saturday.

The banner returns after City were found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League. The verdict has cast a shadow over the club's titles, trophies many now see as tainted.

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According to "The Athletic", "The Red Army" group paid 114 pounds sterling to produce a new banner reading "51 years", a symbolic cancellation of the 20 major titles City have won since Abu Dhabi's takeover in 2009.

History of the banner

The banner once counted the years since City's last title. It first appeared in 2000 bearing the phrase "24 years", a nod to their League Cup win back in 1976.

Fans updated it every year until it finally came down after City lifted the FA Cup in 2011. Its final outing came in 2010, during the second leg of the League Cup semi-final between the two sides at Old Trafford, carrying the phrase "35 years".

Back in 2013, the "Stretford End Flags" group sold the original banner, counter included, to a collector in Kuwait for 7,000 pounds sterling. They are now trying to get it back.

Enzo Maresca faced the press for the first time since the ruling on Friday morning. The Manchester City manager denied that the club's titles are tainted.