Martin Doherty holds a Manchester United shirt with 'Dok, 10' on the back, while at Old Trafford.

My United: CHVRCHES's Martin Doherty

Thursday 20 June 2019 09:06

Manchester United have always had a strong following in Glasgow, no doubt due to the influence of the great Sir Alex Ferguson.

Thanks to our legendary Glaswegian boss, the Scottish city has always produced an abundance of United followers.

Martin Doherty, a member of CHVRCHES is one such example, and he spoke to Inside United magazine earlier in the year as part of the ‘My United’ series, in which famous Reds enthusiasts explain their love for the club. Read on to discover Martin’s awe of Old Trafford, his similarities with Wayne Rooney and how he follows the club while on tour...

How, why and when did you become a Manchester United supporter?
“I started following United because of my Irish grandfather who came to Glasgow, but he always followed United. And then eventually I’d watch the games with my dad for years and years, and of course Sir Alex Ferguson was a big draw. Having a Scottish manager being such an important figure was a really big deal for me; 1999 was when I was hooked, on that night. I’ll never forget it.”
Martin enjoyed a stadium tour of Old Trafford earlier this year.
What was your first experience of Old Trafford? 
“I think I was probably 21 or 22 by the time I eventually made it down to Manchester and I was just bowled over by the sheer size of the place. There are big clubs in Scotland but the scale of Old Trafford, and the scale of the club, and the size of the support globally is incredible. Coming here for the first time was when I really got a sense of that.”

Who was your United hero growing up? 
“Cantona, Beckham, Giggs... take your pick. I’d say Cantona. I loved his arrogance and utter confidence. And who can ever forget that celebration when he dinked the ball in [against Sunderland] and just stood there afterwards? That typifies him, he was such a legend.”

What would you say about the influence Sir Alex has had on the club and how proud are you that he’s a fellow Scot?
“It’s huge. To me he’s the greatest football manager of all time and he’s Scottish, so that’s a really big deal to me. I don’t think anyone will repeat what he achieved.”
You mentioned the ’99 Champions League final as a favourite memory, but what other moments stand out? 
“Giggs’s goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup semi in ’99 is another early memory for me, and latterly Rooney’s overhead kick against City is another one of those moments where you remember where you were and everything about the goal.”

Are you a decent footballer yourself and who would you liken your game to?
“Well I try! And it would have to be Wayne Rooney, no.10... that’s the position I played when I was younger. I’m not the tallest guy in the world but I’m quite scrappy!”

How do you keep up with United while you’re travelling the world with CHVRCHES?
“I follow everything. I live in Los Angeles now so it’s a lot of very early mornings or very late nights! It’s easy enough to keep in touch with it all and NBC have all our games on TV, so I watch them all.”
Video
Like most United fans, Martin loves Wayne's overhead kick against City in 2011.
WHO IS MARTIN DOHERTY?

The 24-year-old is a multi-instrumentalist and record producer, who is one part of the band CHVRCHES.

The Scottish three-piece electronic band were formed in Glasgow in 2011, by Martin and fellow members Iain Cook and Lauren Mayberry 

This article first appeared in the May 2019 edition of the Inside United magazine. You can subscribe here.

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