Manchester City is getting roasted online after posting a photo of new signing Jack Grealish and other players dressed as Peaky Blinders – the popular BBC show which is set in Birmingham.
The club made headlines when they paid a record-breaking £100m for the Aston Villa player and it appears that someone on the Man City social team got a bit carried away with the transfer.
The club’s official Twitter account posted a mocked-up picture of five of their players walking away from the Etihad Stadium while dressed as Peaky Blinders characters, including the trademark flat caps and waistcoats.
The tweet also referenced the famous line from the BBC series “By the order of the Peaky Blinders”, with the club writing: “By order of...,” with an eye emoji.
People have assumed that the image is a nod to Grealish’s roots. He was born in Birmingham. But, with the exception of Grealish, nobody else in the photo is from the area.
By order of... 👁
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 10, 2021
🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/yEa2QolD7B
Raheem Sterling was born in Jamaica and raised in London; Phil Foden was born and raised in Stockport; John Stones was born and raised in Barnsley, and Kyle Walker was born and raised in Sheffield.
Grealish himself was actually raised in nearby Solihull. And anyway, why is a Manchester club linking itself with something so clearly associated with another city?
So many questions – and football fans wasted no time pointing all this out...
….we sign ONE player from Birmingham and admin loses his mind 😭😭
— 🅰️ (@abzMCFC) August 10, 2021
You literally can’t get your own thing?! This is honestly one of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever seen! Total lack of pride in your own city!
— James Wassell (@jameswassell) August 10, 2021
Seriously? @ManCity That's just embarrassing. Give your heads a wobble.
— Wendy 💙 (@kippaxcat) August 11, 2021
— Jamie. (@Jaydogg_3001) August 10, 2021
New season of Peaky Blinders looks shit. https://t.co/ctFHUHs40S
— John (@fizzycfc) August 10, 2021
ah yes the famously mancunion peaky blinders https://t.co/B2j2T4DJ9A
— Callum King (@CallumKiing) August 11, 2021
Points deduction @FA https://t.co/xCfCLFRYpO
— ryan (@rdb13_) August 10, 2021
This has to be a parody account surely….?! https://t.co/6vcR1CIeE9
— Howard Eastwood (@Howard_Eastwood) August 11, 2021
Others also pointed out the detail that Peaky Blinders is based in the Small Heath area of the city, which is associated with Birmingham City FC and not Grealish’s former club, Aston Villa (which is located in Aston, Birmingham).
Birmingham City can do this. Manchester City definitely can’t.
— Arthur Newman (@ArthurNewman_7) August 10, 2021
1) Jack is from Solihull not Birmingham
— Mr B (@Mr_B_solihull) August 10, 2021
2) Peaky Blinders are associated with Small Heath/Birmingham City FC
You’ve had a nightmare here!
Putting a Villa fan in Small Heath cosplay is an absolute shambles, to be fair.
— Nanomatticles (@everysongsung) August 10, 2021
Odd… Peaky Blinders was based in Small Heath, home of Birmingham City, odd research?
— Carl Hobbis (@hobbis_carl) August 11, 2021
Someone needs to remind the Man City admin that they signed Grealish from Villa and not Small Heath.. 🥴🤮 https://t.co/TZ80Lsmg3k
— Chris Rowley (@chrisrowley4) August 10, 2021
Some just couldn’t see the connection between the gangster family and the Man City football players...
What on earth does a bunch of murderous gangsters taking over a city have to do with football? https://t.co/XXHCi6M5j3
— Gilles (@GillesOffTheWeb) August 10, 2021
Peaky blinders are brutal criminals… what are you saying about your own players? Disgusting
— jamie dickson (@jamiedickson95) August 10, 2021
How embarrassing... using a premise of a programme re violent men (great programme but not a great crossover message re slashing faces etc)... based in Birmingham not Manchester... failed again!
— Martin Ellicott (@M_Ellicott) August 11, 2021
Manchester City broke the British record with a transfer fee of £100m in signing Grealish from Villa.
The 25-year-old had signed with Villa as a boy and described the decision to move as “one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make.”
Grealish explained: “I’ve always said how much I wanted to play Champions League football – I couldn’t do that at Villa this year.
“I have come here to win silverware and play in the Champions League, so that is my only focus now.”
