Can anyone explain the Aston Villa - Birmingham City rivalry? What are 'Blue Noses?'

msknutson · Feb 15, 2006

I'm an (rabid football fan and player) American from California, and work with a lifelong Villa supporter - he referred to City supporters as 'blue noses,' but won't explain further. He hinted at some less than PC definitions, maybe rude, or ???, but won't explain. Of course, the more secretive he is, the more that I want to know! Here in the states, a blue nose is a kind of prude, somewhat priggish and maybe snobby.

Obviously I understand the local derby rivalries, etc; well, but am unable to get any more information here - and google references 'blue noses' quite a bit, but no real explanation other than a couple items stating that Birmingham City fans are called 'blue noses.'

Can anyone enlighten me? Obviously I don't want to incite flaming, and promise to not take sides, but I'm really, really curious. cheers all!

steveedster · Feb 15, 2006

Because they play in blue! Everton are also known by the same name near where I live in Liverpool. It is no more complicated than that!

Leto · Feb 15, 2006

Re: Can anyone explain the Aston Villa - Birmingham City rivalry? What are 'Blue Nose

Order of the Blue Nose - One who has crossed the Arctic Circle in a ship.

Seems fairly straightforward to me.

steveedster · Feb 15, 2006

Re: Can anyone explain the Aston Villa - Birmingham City rivalry? What are 'Blue Nose

Leto said:

Order of the Blue Nose - One who has crossed the Arctic Circle in a ship.

Seems fairly straightforward to me.
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Its because they play in blue, trust me on this.

salmacis · Feb 15, 2006

Re: Can anyone explain the Aston Villa - Birmingham City rivalry? What are 'Blue Nose

steveedster said:

Its because they play in blue, trust me on this.
Click to expand...

There's slightly more than this. Birmingham City have always been known as the "Blues" because of the colour of their shirts. However, "Bluenoses"....

In the late 80s, a pledgathon called "Comic Relief" was started. One of the ways of raising money was to sell plastic comedy red noses (like a clown's) and get people to be sponsored for wearing them all day. Soon, identical plasitic noses in blue instead of red became part of the Birmingham City supporters kit. Presumably, some Birmingham fans refused to wear a red nose (being too close to the colour of Aston Villa) so wore a blue nose for charity instead. Remember, this is back in the day when there was a bit of a craze for stupid supporter accoutrements - inflatable bananas at Manchester City, inflatable haddocks at Grimsby Town, etc. The noses themselves were a shortlived fad, but the name stuck.

steveedster · Feb 15, 2006

Then why are Everton also known by the same name? In Liverpool all LFC fans refer to Everton fans as blue noses too. one thing they both have in common is they play in blue, therefore this must be the origin of the nickname.

superdave · Feb 15, 2006

OK, but how does "noses" get into the equation?

FWIW, a bluenose, in America, would be the type of person who would favor Prohibition, or preach "just say no," or oppose sex education in the schools and favor abstinence training instead.

Albion + England · Feb 15, 2006

msknutson said:

I'm an (rabid football fan and player) American from California, and work with a lifelong Villa supporter - he referred to City supporters as 'blue noses,' but won't explain further. He hinted at some less than PC definitions, maybe rude, or ???, but won't explain. Of course, the more secretive he is, the more that I want to know! Here in the states, a blue nose is a kind of prude, somewhat priggish and maybe snobby.

Obviously I understand the local derby rivalries, etc; well, but am unable to get any more information here - and google references 'blue noses' quite a bit, but no real explanation other than a couple items stating that Birmingham City fans are called 'blue noses.'

Can anyone enlighten me? Obviously I don't want to incite flaming, and promise to not take sides, but I'm really, really curious. cheers all!
Click to expand...

Well the rivalry is pretty obvious as theres only a couple of miles in between the grounds however it's not always been the main rivalry in the area - it used to be Villa and Albion before W.B.A's decline. In recent years Blues and Villa has become nasty and Albion focus on Wolves.
The Blues fans are often called Zulu's too - due to their notoriously naughty element amongst the fans. Villa have always been more successful and generally played better football over the years than Blues who haven't really done much in their history but stroll around the fringes of the bigtime.
I went to a game at St. Andrews a few years back to watch Blues v Albion and i'm sure they had a mascot dressed up as literally a huge blue nose.
But anyway, Villa are sh!t.

Leto · Feb 15, 2006

Re: Can anyone explain the Aston Villa - Birmingham City rivalry? What are 'Blue Nose

steveedster said:

Its because they play in blue, trust me on this.
Click to expand...

Oh. I thought all Birmingham fans had traversed the Arctic Circle. That's that cleared up

msknutson · Feb 17, 2006

thanks, everyone! i would enjoy seeing someone dressed as a large blue plastic nose, parading around on a football pitch! So it's similar then to the typical crazy american mascot craze ... three-legged horses, snails, demented birds, etc; probably better left to my imagination at this point! cheers!

mat r. · Jun 29, 2015

we are called bluenoses because when it comes to success, we are left out in the cold. thus, when your left out in the cold, your nose turns blue. KRO everybody.