2023-24, The first season of Houston Red Army being recognized as an official Manchester United Supporters’ Club (MUSC) was a success! Old faces returned with aplomb during a Premier League campaign that had its ups and downs, as new faces rolled in and became part of the family by late May. Sure, the football could’ve been better to watch…. And less stressful…. But when has “less stress” ever been the Man United way?
Comebacks against Villa and Brentofrd in the league were wonderful highlights, as was that January/February period when we looked unbeatable! (that had a quick end to be fair) But what reminded United fans and the football community alike that we are still Manchester United was the FA Cup. What a run! All of us at R Bar exploded with joy when Amad placed that late winner in the corner against Liverpool! Then we won a topsy-turvy semi-final on penalties that is probably better to forget any additional details about if I’m being honest. But it set the stage for an epic FA Cup Final… And against all the oddsmakers predictions, we beat our noisy neighbors Man City, in a classic United masterclass of attacking football.
Through the highs and the lows, thank you to everyone who made it out to R Bar for the matches. The atmosphere and camaraderie is what makes this group special and provides an amazing attraction to watch the game with everyone. Despite any negatives of poor football, bad weather, the evil nature of time zones, seeing people at R Bar bright and early with a beverage in hand, smiles on faces, and the bellow of various accents singing football songs of our heroes makes it all worthwhile.
It would be remiss not to mention some of the fellow reds we lost last season. Mr. Mike Winters, Man U Mike himself, will be sorely missed. His eternal energy, witty humor, and sense of pride for his club and love for his fellow fan were infectious. May his spirit always live on through calling Luke Shaw “fatty”, singing “MAN U MIKE IS A RED! HE HATES SCOUSERS!”, and most importantly remembering the great moments we had with him, double Myres and Coke in hand, along the way. We will also miss the hairy microphone of a man who is James Midkiff. Despite attending a match at R Bar back in 2022 as a joke to wind us up for caring so much about football, he quickly fell in love with Man United and even more so with Houston Red Army’s cast of characters. Along the way, many of us taught him little lessons and told little stories about the club, which concluded with him purchasing 6 retro Man United shirts with “James 69” printed on the back. Two infectious, loving human beings, whose names and traditions are still alive within this club.
This season there will HOPEFULLY be less somber moments such as that and as a result, we are ecstatic for it to start! The renovated wall looks amazing! With the scarves flowing down and the brand new artwork under the middle TV look so cool! We’re planning to host some additional events to attend for those that are interested as well as some fun surprises along the way. So once again, thank you for your commitment and the great memories that we continue to share. We hope this season will be something to enjoy and remember fondly. GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED!
