'Longest week of my life' - how are Manchester City fans feeling after charges verdict?

"It's been one of the longest weeks of my life. It feels like the situation is changing every few seconds."

Manchester City fan Steven McInerney was talking to BBC Sport as the fallout continued after the club were found guilty of the majority of the 115 charges levelled against them.

"My mood's varied between doomscrolling and catastrophising to suddenly feeling quite defiant and thinking this is just football," the 41-year old from Manchester added.

It's been 14 days since news of the guilty verdicts began to emerge. They were later confirmed by the Premier League , though the club continue to deny the charges and are appealing against the decision .

The reality is a case that has been hanging over the Premier League since February 2023 shows no signs of an immediate resolution, with the appeal outcome and potential sanctions still unknown.

Which, in turn, leaves plenty of time for those who support the blue half of Manchester to reflect and contemplate what the future has in store for their club.

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Steven's first City match was in 1994. Back then, the Blues were enjoying their third consecutive season in the newly formed English top flight under the management of Brian Horton.

"I've been in every mood possible, which for a City fan, is pretty normal," he said.

"People largely didn't expect the verdict to come because this had been going on for so long. It blindsided me and I think it blindsided the football world.

"All I want to do is make sure my club is going to survive this.

"If your club does things that are out of your control, it affects you as a fan. It's going to be a lot harder to enjoy football until this all comes to fruition. I don't expect anyone to care about that, and that's fair enough."

City will return to action after the international break with an away match against Liverpool .

The charges City were found guilty of relate to a period from 2009-10 to 2017-18. They won the Premier League three times then, including pipping Liverpool in 2013-14.

The memories of lifting those trophies will live on for fans.

Rachel Herdson, from Altrincham says her support is unwavering.

"Last Friday, when I went to bed, I was a Manchester City fan. I woke up a City fan. And guess what? Even after the bombshell, the Premier League statement, I am still a City fan," she told BBC Sport.

A season ticket holder since 1989, Rachel says the fact the club are appealing against the decision gives her more belief they'll clear their name.

"Don't get me wrong I am not doing cartwheels, because the club's name is being tarnished," she said.

"And I think even if we go to the High Court and win any sort of appeal, it'll still be tarnished.

"In all this, it's being lost what some of the achievements were. The likes of Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva... what they won in the game...

"This is my club. I love this club. And if the worst happens and our next derby is against Altrincham, I'll be there like I always have been."

If City are unsuccessful in their appeal, the possible sanctions are wide-ranging, and include a substantial fine, points deduction, transfer bans and even expulsion from the Premier League.

Fan groups are organising an 'old-school away day' at Anfield - calling on the 3,000-strong travelling support to wear retro shirts and take inflatables.

Inflatable bananas were popularised by City fans in the 1980s and have been synonymous with the club ever since.

The intention behind the 'away day' is to say City won't be defined by what has happened over the past 10-15 years.

Season ticket holder Dave Wilson, who will be at Anfield, told BBC Sport: "The fans have been through some dark times and we got through it with humour.

"We were in the second tier when the bananas thing came out and football was not in a great place overall. It was to bring some fun.

"City fans won't hide from our football club and whatever ends up happening, we - as fans - will do it in our unique way."

Rylan Vernon was born in Manchester in 2008 - and while most of his friends are Manchester United fans, he chose the blue half of the city.

He has known only success, with the high point being their Treble in 2022-23.

"Obviously I love my team - I back them all the way," he said.

"The rules were put in place by big teams so no-one else could get a chance to become a big team. And now that someone has, who was little, they're trying to do them for financial fair play."

The 18-year-old doesn't want to entertain the fact the club might fail in their appeal and says no matter what league they are in, they will have his full backing.

"Nothing's confirmed yet, but I'll back my team whenever. City for life. Even if we did go down, we'd come straight back up," he added.

City will head to Anfield top of the Premier League, with fans feeling that work on the pitch should not be overshadowed by events off it.

"The players are professionals - they will get on with it," said official supporters' club representative Kevin Parker. "These players are seasoned internationals.

"Anfield is always a hostile atmosphere, not overly because of what has happened.

"This issue has been hanging over us like the sword of Damocles over the last eight years. Their fans will be singing songs and chanting things but that doesn't bother us. We have faced it before when going to Anfield."

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