Thread: I need a Premier League team Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.


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Posted by Beeswax Altar (# 11644) on :
 
Premier League games are now shown on network television in the United States. I've decided to break down and select a team to follow. Problem is I don't know anything about the teams. So, I need help picking a team.

Here are my criteria

1. Manchester United and all other flashy teams are not options.

2. Teams in danger of falling out of the Premier League are not options.

3. My team should be a contender.

4. I want a well run franchise that sticks to the fundamentals. Give me the Premier League equivalent of the Pittsburgh Steelers or San Antonio Spurs. I'm looking for solid and businesslike without the attitude.

5. If none of the teams fit the criteria, I'll go with Liverpool because I already have a t-shirt or Gamaliel's team's biggest rival.

Any suggestions?
 
Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :
 
Contender for what? If you want to root for a potential league champion, you really have no choice but to go flashy- United, Man City, or Chelsea.

If you want a contender for the fourth champion's league spot, you can go a little less flashy. Spurs, Arsenal, and Liverpool would fit the bill. Everton has had a strong start so far, and have a good history of bringing in and starting American players.

If you want a contender for a Europa league spot and you can go less flashy still. Have you considered becoming the only Stoke fan in your city? They were a surprise promotion a few years ago, but have stayed in the top tier by playing nasty defense. Maybe the Baltimore Ravens of the Premiere League?
 
Posted by Beeswax Altar (# 11644) on :
 
I know at least one Arsenal fan. I like Liverpool's working class reputation which is sort of Steelerish (perhaps unfairly Eaglesish). According to wikipedia, Liverpool has won 18 championships though the last one was 22 years ago (and I have a t-shirt). I'm liking the Stoke City idea. I could be one of the only Stoke City fans in the United States.
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
Here's some information about the owners of Premiership clubs. If you rule out the flashy and moneybags outfits then I'm afraid that leaves the losers plus Newcastle, Stoke and Everton.

Everton was a founder member of the old Football League and have been in the top flight (the Premiership, previously Division One) longer than any club except Arsenal. They are English-owned, play decent football and yes, I'm a supporter.
 
Posted by sewanee_angel (# 2908) on :
 
Take a look at Everton. Or maybe more particularly Moyes at Everton. imo, he does more with less (money). I have really liked what I've seen him do w/ the budget he's got. And cheering on Tim Howard is a plus from a US perspective.

How much do you follow USA players? Would a team become more interesting to you if there was one (or two) interesting Americans on it? Everton have Howard. Spurs have Friedel & Dempsey. Stoke have Cameron. And Aston Villa has a couple.
 
Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :
 
What the biggest clubs have is a large squad of players, so they are able to rest players more often.

For excitement try an attacking team, whic means living on your nerves. Try Newcastle, good attack but leaky defence, there are always going to be some good wins and bad losses - like the recent 3-0 defeat - but not many boring games.

Defensive teams can be tedious when they play each other.
 
Posted by EtymologicalEvangelical (# 15091) on :
 
I support Manchester City, but as they are a moneybags team, then I would agree that Everton would be a good team to support, as they are consistently good in the top half of the table. They also don't sack their manager every five minutes.
 
Posted by The Weeder (# 11321) on :
 
Manchester City is much less flashy then Man United. I would go for City all the way.
 
Posted by The Weeder (# 11321) on :
 
On the other hand, Newcastle United fans cheer them on with the wonderful Geordie expression 'Haway, the Laads!' And they sing Blaydon Races.

[ 08. October 2012, 19:18: Message edited by: The Weeder ]
 
Posted by Starbug (# 15917) on :
 
Try Southampton, if your nerves can stand it. They've just gone up to the Premiership after seven years of relegation. My husband's a Saints fan - trust me, your life would never be boring! [Big Grin]
 
Posted by sewanee_angel (# 2908) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by The Weeder:
On the other hand, Newcastle United fans cheer them on with the wonderful Geordie expression 'Haway, the Laads!' And they sing Blaydon Races.
But isn't Newcastle one of those Huge Clubs (tm) that also does not fit the "well run franchise that sticks to the fundamentals" nor equivalent of Steelers/San Antonio Spurs? But maybe their time in the Championship changed them?
 
Posted by MarsmanTJ (# 8689) on :
 
West Bromwich Albion are doing rather well, in no danger of relegation, and not really a 'moneybags' team.
 
Posted by birdie (# 2173) on :
 
Another suggestion for Everton here. But you'd have to get rid of your Liverpool shirt...
 
Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :
 
I know nothing about soccer, but have been, for conversational purposes, an Everton supporter since about 1972. I just liked the name.
 
Posted by Panda (# 2951) on :
 
Swansea City! The only Welsh team; still 11th in the table despite a few recent losses, but tied their last game. A cheerfully underdog team that beat Man City and Liverpool last season. And it's their 100th anniversary this year.
 
Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by birdie:
Another suggestion for Everton here. But you'd have to get rid of your Liverpool shirt...
I visited the UK in 1998, right after Arsenal won the double. When I got home, I ran out and purchased an Arsenal shirt. I was a teenager, I didn't know any better.

Flash forward ten years, when I actually started following the premiership regularly. I went through the same discernment process as B.A. is going through now, and managed to settle on Spurs, not even thinking about that old shirt.

That damned Arsenal shirt still sits at the bottom of my drawer, as a reminder of my youthful indiscretion. So you wouldn't be the first person to make a leap of that magnitude.

There, my late night confession for the day. Take it easy on me, please. [Hot and Hormonal]
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
Don't worry about the 'wrong' shirt. Think how much you can raise for charity by wearing it for a day.
 
Posted by Beeswax Altar (# 11644) on :
 
Thanks for your suggestions

I'm liking Everton. Still, they are a bit of a trendy team. After finding out that Liverpool's anthem is "You'll Never Walk Alone," they are looking less appealing. Who has a show tune from Carousel as their song?

Wales is the ancestral home of one branch of my father's family. I'll give some consideration to Swansea City. However, they don't appear to fit the contender criteria very well.

Newcastle United is out. All of NFL and NCAA football teams (except for one) go for the high octane offenses withe often leaky defenses. If I pick a team, I want one that plays solid defense.

I haven't looked into Stoke.

Southhampton and West Bromwich Albion have both been relegated in the past.

If I used Zappa's method of picking the team with the best name, I'd go with Arsenal.
 
Posted by Jigsaw (# 11433) on :
 
Let's face it, if you rule out the big clubs, and also those who might get relegated, you're not left with much in the middle. That's just the way the Premiership has become, I'm afraid. West Ham (my team, but owned by two pornographers so I guess that rules them out for you) Wigan, West Brom, Southampton, Reading, Norwich, Swansea are all vulnerable to relegation.
I'd go for Stoke City - a decently run club in a town that needs all the help it can get, a great version of "Delilah" sung when they score, and with great pubs if you ever visit. And despite what someone said earlier, they do play some attractive football too.
 
Posted by Beeswax Altar (# 11644) on :
 
Does Everton have a song?
 
Posted by Jigsaw (# 11433) on :
 
I don't think they have one signature song, but the team run out to the theme tune of the old BBC TV police series "Z Cars", set in that area of Liverpool.
I've heard their fans sing several other songs about past glories, but I don't think they've an equivalent of "Blue Moon" or "Bubbles" or "You'll Never Walk Alone" or "When the red red robin" that are the hallmark songs of other clubs.
 
Posted by goperryrevs (# 13504) on :
 
Everton or Arsenal.

Moyes has consistently done miracles with no money, and Everton deserve a lot of respect. However, they are not a contender - no chance of them winning the PL.

Arsenal are the only 'well-run' of the bigger teams. They consistently make profit and refuse to overpay players. This results in them selling at least one star player every summer, which results in the media saying "it's the end for Arsenal", who then go on to unearth another star player from somewhere and always stay in the top four. They haven't won anything for a few years, but they have much more chance than Everton.

As an Ipswich fan, my advice is whatever you do, don't pick Norwich. They're a bunch of inbred yokels, unlike the Tractor Boys.
 
Posted by Beeswax Altar (# 11644) on :
 
Only 6 teams have a chance of winning the Premier League?

That's worse than Major League Baseball.
 
Posted by Ariston (# 10894) on :
 
This is painful to admit, but, if you want a chance of winning a trophy, Arsenal might not be the best choice. I'm surprised IF hasn't come along already bandying about both my name and the sorrid details.

Summery: Arsenal is a bit like the Chicago Cubs. They appeal to people across class lines, have a fan base that sticks around even after things start to look bad, play a very particular sort of football that's great fun to watch (if you don't mind not winning all the time), and, most importantly, seem incapable of winning the league, no matter how good they actually are.
 
Posted by Starbug (# 15917) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:
Does Everton have a song?
Yes, they do. Here's a video: http://video.football.co.uk/channel/Everton/video/256
 
Posted by Starbug (# 15917) on :
 
Regarding Southampton, they were a great club until Rupert Lowe came along. He made a series of managerials cock-ups, employing coaches to act as managers and then adding insult ti injury by hiring Harry Redknapp, who was hated by the supoortters because he's previously managed their rivals, Portsmouth.

Lowe didn't just drag the team into the lower leagues, he also led them into administration. The club only started to imrove after the finally left and the late Marcus Liebherr bought it. Liebherr's estate and family and now overseeing the club, with greatly improved results.
 
Posted by Dormouse (# 5954) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Panda:
Swansea City! The only Welsh team; still 11th in the table despite a few recent losses, but tied their last game. A cheerfully underdog team that beat Man City and Liverpool last season. And it's their 100th anniversary this year.
Okay, I don't follow football, and MrD is a Man Utd supporter (even though he's from Kent, he has followed Man Utd since he was about 9 years old, so I will forgive him for being a non-Northern supporter) I vote with Panda for Swansea City. I have (kind of ) supported them since they got into the Premier - in a "how did my boys do?" kind of way, rather than watching every match - but I think it would be good to support the underdogs-who-actually-aren't-doing-too-badly.
 
Posted by goperryrevs (# 13504) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:
Only 6 teams have a chance of winning the Premier League?

That's worse than Major League Baseball.
More like two or three, outside chance four. Either of the manchesters, if not Chelsea, outside chance Arsenal.

If you really want to pick someone who's got a chance of winning, then that's all you can pick from.

Spurs or Liverpool might get good again, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
 
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Starbug:
quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:
Does Everton have a song?
Yes, they do. Here's a video: http://video.football.co.uk/channel/Everton/video/256
I'd vote for Everton just for the song. A good old music hall style song beats the hell out of '"Blue Moon" or "Bubbles" or "You'll Never Walk Alone" or "When the red red robin"'. What the hell are having those about? [Roll Eyes]
 
Posted by Marvin the Martian (# 4360) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:
Southhampton and West Bromwich Albion have both been relegated in the past.
So have almost all of the current Premiership teams, barring the flashy moneybags at the top. The question is how will they get on in the future, not how they did in the past!
 
Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :
 
Oh Man City have been relegated in the past. So it is even true of the current flash money bags.

Jengie
 
Posted by Trickydicky (# 16550) on :
 
There is only one option - West Bromwich Albion. A well run club without loads of money. They buy sensibly and nurture talent. Yes, they have been relegated, promoted, relegated and promoted - which is why we're called 'Boing Boing Baggies'. (That is another reason for supporting West Brom -we're the only team with a decent nickname). But relegation is most unlikely over the next few seasons I think. And if you want to go back far enough (late 1970's) we were the team that really allowed black footballers into a team - Cunningham, Regis and Batson. Although my son supports Stoke, they have a reputation of playing, shall we say, physical football.
 
Posted by Ricardus (# 8757) on :
 
It's worth pointing out there are gradations of moneybags.

Manchester City and Chelsea are basically billionaires playing fantasy football in unlimited cash mode.

Manchester United got rich by a combination of good football and the ability to commercialise absolutely everything. Basically they are the Microsoft of the Premier League.

Wenger at Arsenal IIRC built most of his success on a shoestring budget - scouring the world for teenagers with undeveloped talent and building them up. They seem actually to have declined as they got richer.

I'm not sure about Liverpool, whom I sort-of support (like Dormouse in a 'how did they do this week' way). Last season they seemed to have a lot of free money to waste, and this season they're fielding youth sides and getting hammered.
 
Posted by Ricardus (# 8757) on :
 
To clarify: I think giving young players a chance is a Good Thing. However in Liverpool's case it is partly symptomatic of having Spent All Their Money last season.
 
Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :
 
quote:
Panda: Swansea City!
Seconded! (Or maybe I should say fifthed or sixted already? [Biased] ) But I've lived in Swansea, so I'm not completely unbiased.
 
Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:

2. Teams in danger of falling out of the Premier League are not options.

3. My team should be a contender.
Apart from "The Big Four" (where "4" is actually a number that varies randomly from 2 to 6 between years and you never actually know which it is going to be until about ten weeks in to the season) there are no teams not at risk of relegation. Not even Liverpool.

quote:

4. I want a well run franchise that sticks to the fundamentals. [...] I'm looking for solid and businesslike without the attitude.
There are none. They are all stuffed full of attitude. None of them are run on lines that any sensible business would tolerate for a moment. Welcome to the wonderful world of football.
 
Posted by Ricardus (# 8757) on :
 
Q: How do you make a small fortune out of a football club?

A: Start with a large fortune.
 
Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 
OK, I'll answer the question.

The flashy big-money teams at the moment are both Manchester teams, Arsenal and Chelsea. Arsenal are considerably less flashy than the other three.

In the recent past Spurs, Liverpool, and Newcastle have been at that top level and they are usually the most likely to end up top-middle this, or any, season. Though that doesn't mean other teams won't. But if you want a long-term relationship with a team unlikely to spend much time outside the top flight, those are the best bet.

Me. I'd go for Newcastle, for no other reasons than my Dad's family used to support them (and long, long ago even sometimes play for them)

Which brings us to the other thing. In Britain hardline football support tends to be extremely local, centred around the location of the team, (or sometimes particular ethnic or religious or political affiliations - that's mroe common in Scotland than in England or Wales) But lots of more low-key supporters just pick the biggest teams of the moment.

Which means that the top four(ish) teams will have worldwide support and you can bump into their memorabilia and branded goods pretty much anywhere. For some reason Liverpool is in that category too, even though they are rarely contenders for the top spot any more. Maybe its the Beatles. But you can go into a sports shop anywhere from Seattle to Shanghai (I mean taking in Asia and Africa, not just the Pacific Ocean...) and find branded goods with the logos of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea. And these days Man City as well, and probably also Spurs. There is a certain amount of worldwide support for Newcastle and Everton as well.

Also teams that do well for a while then drop out tend to preserve some nationwide or even international support long after they were contenders. The classic case of that is Leeds, whio haven't been very good for thirty years, or in the Premiership for over ten, but still retain some loyal support from outside their home city, West Ham are in a similar case (though they managed to get back into the Premiership)

So if you want to be cool you want to choose a team not on that list. After all, whoi wants to be a MOTR crowd-follower?

So go for Swansea for some fun football. Every year at least one team tried to take the Premiership by playing fast, fluid, attacking football, while giving away lots of goals. Last year it was Blackpool. This year it is Swansea.

Or else Stoke. No-one in your part of America is likely to have ever heard of the place. They are probably going to stay up, maybe even in the top half of the table. And the chance of meeting a real Stoke fan from Stoke is so low you can pontificate about them to your heart's content, and no-one can say you were wrong.

Though just to be safe I would learn a bit about the club's history and current players, just in case.
 
Posted by Zacchaeus (# 14454) on :
 
The Everton tune, if I remember right is an old sea shanty called Johnny Todd, it was used by the BBC for Z cars but it wasn’t set in the same part of the City. Everton are based in the Everton District of Liverpool, Z cars was set in Kirkby one of the large new housing developments outside of Liverpool.

Everton were one of the football teams who released pop songs during the fad to produce them.
 
Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by ken:
For some reason Liverpool is in that category too, even though they are rarely contenders for the top spot any more. Maybe its the Beatles.
They did win the Champions League in recent memory, and have quite a history of success. Because you could only get Champions League games on basic cable for many years, I suspect that kind of success matters most to American fans. It does say something that Lebron James, who may be just as famous for his glory hunting fanship as his jump shot, picked Liverpool as his favorite team. He's also a purported fan of the Dallas Cowboys, who haven't won anything since he was 10, so a history of success still apparently matters to that kind of fan.

[ 09. October 2012, 16:53: Message edited by: Og, King of Bashan ]
 
Posted by sewanee_angel (# 2908) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by ken:
Or else Stoke. No-one in your part of America is likely to have ever heard of the place. They are probably going to stay up, maybe even in the top half of the table. And the chance of meeting a real Stoke fan from Stoke is so low you can pontificate about them to your heart's content, and no-one can say you were wrong.
Unless Beeswax Altar runs into American soccer fans who follow MLS & the US national team. Stoke have an American, Geoff Cameron, who has a bit of popularity among certain segments of the fanbase.

A chunk of Americans who like soccer and follow the US national team but do not already have a strong favorite team in the EPL (or other European league) tend to follow teams that have US internationals, especially if they're popular players. Now, much of that definition of "follow" is semi-casual--how'd the team do & how'd 'our' guy do type stuff. This phenomena is the reason I'll always have a soft spot for Heerenveen even though I don't "support" them. A young Michael Bradley played there.
 
Posted by Beeswax Altar (# 11644) on :
 
OK...Liverpool is officially out of the running. The Lebron James endorsement did it for me. Liverpool sounds like the trendy pick of those trying not to be trendy.

In doing my due diligence, I took a look at Chelsea and Manchester City. Both make Manchester United look appealing. I'm not cheering for an English soccer team owned by billionaires from Russia or Abu Dhabi. Might as well cheer for an English soccer team owned by a billionaire from the United States. At least, Glazer not only made his own money buy made it legally.

The only big team I'm open to considering is Arsenal. Arsenal apparently has plenty of money but it isn't spent on making the team better. I have mixed feelings about that. Everton, Stoke, and Swansea are still in the running as well. Might as well have a look the Spurs while I'm at it.
 
Posted by Beeswax Altar (# 11644) on :
 
The Premier League needs a salary cap and revenue sharing. Parity would increase the overall value of the entire PL. 5 of the 10 most valuable sports franchises in the world are NFL teams. Just imagine the money that could be made if more Premier League teams had followings in the United States. Yep, English Football could use an injection of good old fashioned American Socialism. [Two face]
 
Posted by Twangist (# 16208) on :
 
Spurs are quite well run financialy ... Can't say much more as I am very biased!!
 
Posted by Trickydicky (# 16550) on :
 
Ken - Newcastle have just ruled themselves out. Sponsored by Wonga! (a payday loan company that has a reputation of charging exorbitant rates of interest).

West Brom. last time we started this well we won the league. In 1919.
 
Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:
The Premier League needs a salary cap and revenue sharing.
It would never work in our free-market big-business culture!

Actually there are continual calls for salary caps all over football, and there is a half-hearted attempt to force clubs to limit their wage bill as a proportion of their total income. A straightforward individual salary cap would probably be illegal though. Restraint of trade.

The Premier League already has revenue sharing on the thing that counts, the TV rights. The top clubs get more than the rest though.

quote:

5 of the 10 most valuable sports franchises in the world are NFL teams. Just imagine the money that could be made if more Premier League teams had followings in the United States.
Just imagine the money that could be made if American football had the kind of following all over the world that real football has!

All you need to do is introduce a proper promotion and relegation system so that there is some element of risk and excitement in the game. It ought to matter when a team loses. And get rid of that silly draft system - let the players play for anyone they want to. And start them younger too. None of that college football crap. Its good for the ratings. Makes for longer careers and closer fan identification with the stars. And everyone likes to see some new 17-year-old kid go up against the big boys. Especially when they win. And who in China is going to tune in to Texas v. Rice? (Actually who outside Greater Houston is going to?)

And speed the game up. It takes far too long. Cut out all those ad breaks and time-outs. You ought to be able to finish 60 minutes of play in less than 90 minutes! These days sports fans are busy people who don't have the time to spend to watch three hours of football on TV twice a week! And all that stopping and starting is boring. TV viewers have small attention spans and large remote controls.

As for all that armour and padding - the real foreign money is in merchandising and kids in Aisan and South American countries can't afford all that equipment. The teams should wear shirts and shorts like every other sport. It also adds a little bit more risk back in. Like Rugby. Makes it more exciting. No-one ever admits it but the TV audience like it when someone gets hurt. (Why else would anyone watch motor racing?)

[Two face]
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:
The Premier League needs a salary cap and revenue sharing. Parity would increase the overall value of the entire PL. 5 of the 10 most valuable sports franchises in the world are NFL teams. Just imagine the money that could be made if more Premier League teams had followings in the United States. Yep, English Football could use an injection of good old fashioned American Socialism. [Two face]
A salary cap works for American Football because the NFL is the unchallenged top of the game. The Premier League directly competes with Spain's La Liga and Italy's Serie A for the top players and to some degree with the national leagues of Germany, France and Russia. There are some very wealthy clubs elsewhere, such as in Turkey and Japan. That leaves alternatives of a Europe-wide agreement on salary caps, which would be open to massive abuse (it has Russian and Italian clubs in for a start) or a European super-league, which would concentrate all the wealth in one place.
 
Posted by Shire Dweller (# 16631) on :
 
The only clubs capable of winning the Premier League are Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal
Potential winners stretch to Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle, but that's getting fanciful.
Winning the league shouldn't be a criteria (for the reasons outlined in posts above)

I'd suggest a relativly unusual choice is good (suggestions below), because if you pick any of the 'Big' teams (inculding Arsenal or Liverpool) and ever speak to an English person you'll instantly be labelled 'glory supporter' or 'fair weather fan' or assumed to have bought merchandise and then become interested.

A relativly unsuccessful team would make your interest far more interesting.

Everton are your overall best bet. Followed by Tottenham, and Stoke or Aston Villa would make you very unusual.

Dont pick Man Utd for their American owners. I don't like that club but their owners are awful – its not the Glazers own money invested but a series of loans. They're wringing cash from their asset, not building the club for the future.

A reasonable American owner is Randy Lerner at Aston Villa. You can tell he's American because of his Christian name. They're from Birmingham (which is always unfashionable), they're not flash but have some potential to go on a good run occasionally.
 
Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :
 
If you get down to little things, it’s kind of cool that Villa advertises for a local charity on their shirt. Don’t think for a minute that I am fooled into thinking that their owners are any less greedy than the rest of them because of it (the same goes for Barca) but it’s kind of cool.
 
Posted by Beeswax Altar (# 11644) on :
 
The Spurs are out of the running.

I can't get over the big chicken.
 
Posted by Starbug (# 15917) on :
 
Are you referring to Chirpy the Cockerel? http://www.interviewbooks.com/spurs_-_football_mascots_-_chirpy.htm [Big Grin]
 
Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 
Bear in mind that among football fans it is considered Very Bad Form to adopt a team because they are winning. That makes you a "glory hunter" and there are few lower forms of life. You are supposed to choose a team for reasons beyond your control, and it then becomes part of your identity, you are stuck with them for life. That's how the myth works, anyway. So you need a team you can live with! One whose supporters you identify with. So in order to choose your team - or rather know which one has been inevitably chosen for you by fate - you need to know something about the clubs and their supporters.

To help you get on with that I hereby present you with an overview of the stereotype supporters of the different London clubs. (maybe someone more local can add northern or midland teams)

Disclaimer: What follows is utterly unfair, prejudiced, and almost entirely without basis in real life. And at least partly self-contradictory as teams have tens or even hundreds of thousands of supporters and so can have more than one conflicting stereotype. But most football fans woudl recognise some of it...

Supporters of London Premier League Teams (in alphabetical order):


Arsenal supporters:

Normal North Londoners. In some ways the default side for inner London, the nearest we have to a team representing all of London rather than one part of it. Quiet fans, likely to clap politely rather than cheer. (the "Highbury Library") Sometimes the supporters claim to be the true East Enders or Cockneys which makes West Ham and Millwall supporters laugh. Posh people who pretend they aren't posh. The traditional team for recent arrivals in London who don;t know much about London, the team you follow if you want to fit in and not take sides. Lots of Irish supporters going back many years, and now by a long way the favourite football team of Africans living in London. If a trendy young novellist supported a football team and wrote a film script about them then it would be about Arsenal. Oh, guess what...

Chelsea supporters:

Glory hunters. People who like showing off their money and throwing celery. North London gangsters. Clubbers, druggies. Kids who don't know much about football who fancy supporting a winning team, and don't know where Manchester is. In the past associated with violent racists and neo-nazis (if any are still live they are now too old to be scary). Dominated by the owner, one Roman Abramovich, who basically bought the team and threw money at it to make it win everything, and almost succeeded. Sometimes maudlin drunk Chelsea supporters take you aside in bars, and with tears in their eyes tell you what it was like in the old days before Abramovich when they always used to lose, and no-one thought they were glory-hunters. Life's tough. Now everyone thinks they are glory-hunters. Worst than Manchester United. If you support Chelsea and you want to look even remotely cool you had better have been to your first match sometime in the twentieth century. Ideally before the end of the 1980s. Make that the 1960s. Did I say they were glory hunters?

Fulham supporters:

Posh people who don't care whether you think they are posh or not. Ex-Chelsea supporters who can't afford the ticket prices at Chelsea any more. Fictional characters in British comedy or crime TV series set in London. Especially when played by Dennis Waterman. Minor American pop stars who fancy a one-off visit to a safe football match for a photo-op. Non-violent, peaceful, couch-potatoes.

QPR supporters:

Ex-Chelsea supporters who can't afford the ticket prices at Fulham any more. Tube drivers. Blokes who sell veg down North End Road. Unemployed residents of Hammersmith and Shepherd's Bush council estates. Cyclists. Asian shopkeepers. Working-class Greens. Indy bands. Composers of ambient music (don't ask me why that should be, I'm just the reporter)

Spurs supporters:
The default team for outer north London. Working-class North Londoners and suffragan bishops. Got called "the Yids" by West Ham supporters, back in the days when people said things like that at football matches without getting arrested, and reacted by adopting the term (and the Star of David) themselves. The fictional docker Alf Garnett was presented on TV as a Tory-voting, racist, West Ham supporter - but the actor who played him, Warren Mitchell, was a left-wing, Jewish, Spurs supporter. Footballing-wise they have two ambitions - to be almost as good as Arsenal, and to be a bit better than West Ham. They have no trouble achieving either.

West Ham supporters:
Industrial workers, dockers, construction workers, street-market traders, and petty criminals who live north of the river. Racists who don't like blacks and Jews. Small-time gangsters and petty criminals. Pornographers. They go on and on about the West Ham Style of attacking football. This really did exist - for about five years in the late 1960s. Basically a load of sad has-beens who can't shut up about Bobby Moore and the World Cup and how they are the Only True Cockneys. Of the ten best-selling films or TV series ever made about football hooliganism, nine have featured West Ham supporters. There's a reason for that. (The reason starts with an "M" and is currently in another league)


Talking of other leagues, although they are not so relevant to a would-be glory-hunter who is only interested in the top level of football, I add in a supplement on the supporters of London teams in other divisions. In alphabetical order.

Barnet supporters:

Barnet who? Do they even have a football team? Well, sort of. Probably the most anonymous team in the South of England. We suspect their followers of being retired librarians who spend a lot of time in the potting shed, but that's only a rumour, because, franlky, there are so few of them they don't even have a proper stereotype. They have the only football stadium in England with more beer pumps than supporters. Though "stadium" is putting it a bit strongly, its really just an ordinary playing field in the corner of a public park. With a clubhouse right next door. Which can happily fit all the supporters, home and away, from a typical match.

Brentford supporters:

People who live in Brentford and quite like football. Er, that's about it really.


Charlton supporters:

Mostly harmless. Family team. Dads take their kids. South-East London fans who can't bring themselves to follow Millwall because of the reputation. Nice, ordinary blokes who happen to live in the most boring anonymous part of the huge London metropolis. Well, not counting Beckton or Dagenham or Sutton... actually the Charlton ground is set on a pleasant wooded hillside with a wonderful view over the Thames all the way to central London. Doesn't help the football though.


Crystal Palace supporters:

Wide boys, spivs, trainspotters, nerds. People who think they know lots about football theory and go on about zonal marking all the time, like they were Europeans or something. The nearest thing to an official Care in the Community team. Wannabe Chelsea supporters. Wannabe Barca supporters. They have some irritating loser who bangs a drum all match because they can't chant or shout any more. Wannabe NFL supporters. They even have cheerleaders. Cheerleaders! At a football match? In Croydon? [Killing me]

Dagenham supporters:

Blokes who spend their spare time doing things to their cars. Car factory workers. Unemployed car factory workers. Retired car factory workers. Car mechanics. Car drivers. Men with cars.

Leyton Orient supporters:

Real-ale drinkers. North-east Londoners who can't afford the tickets at Spurts or Arsenal, and wouldn't want to support West Ham. Northerners who live in London and can't get to see their home team and fancy a game of football. People who hate West Ham supporters, but not enough to actually hurt them. If they were into hurting Hammers they'd support Spurs or our last team:

Millwall supporters:

Industrial workers, dockers, construction workers, street-market traders, and petty criminals who live south of the river. Not so much racists as turf-warriors who don't like anybody not from round here. Once upon a time associated with Scots living in London, more recently quite a few Turks and eastern Europeans. South London gangsters. Anyone up for a fight. Fat drunk blokes with shaven heads. Notorious for a long-running (over a century) and occasionally bloody feud with West Ham supporters. And that's all most people remember about them. Unbeatable slogan: "No one likes us. We don't care."
 
Posted by shamwari (# 15556) on :
 
I am a Charlton supporter.

Have been since 1947

and fit none of the categories you outline.
 
Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 
I feel mildy guilty and just want to point out that those really are the unfair stereotypes... not the truth. West Ham fans are not, on the whole, more racist than any others, but peopel say they are. Millwall fans are not, on the whole, violent, but the unfair stereotype is that they are. And so on...
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by ken:
I feel mildy guilty and just want to point out that those really are the unfair stereotypes... not the truth. West Ham fans are not, on the whole, more racist than any others, but peopel say they are. Millwall fans are not, on the whole, violent, but the unfair stereotype is that they are. And so on...
..... apart from Crystal Palace that is.

Did you leave out AFC Wimbledon intentionally?
 
Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 
No, I forgot them!
 
Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by ken:
Disclaimer: What follows is utterly unfair, prejudiced, and almost entirely without basis in real life. And at least partly self-contradictory
And yet still incredibly funny.
 
Posted by Quizmaster (# 1435) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:
The Spurs are out of the running.

I can't get over the big chicken.
With that comment you are already an Arsenal fan.
 
Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Glad you pointed out AFC Wimbledon, Sioni. Did you see they were an Only Connect clue recently?

Tottenham has its fair share of racists too. EDL (English Defence League) supporter I knew (taught) was a Tottenham supporter and he reckoned the Yids was a good excuse for a fight. They do soccer schools out here as their community work. Mind you, I knew a lot of kids at that West Ham - Leyton game where there was all the trouble a couple of years ago - the ones who came in saying "Did you see me on telly last night, miss?"

[ 11. October 2012, 06:50: Message edited by: Curiosity killed ... ]
 
Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by ken:
Bear in mind ... We don't care."
Holey moley ... I'll stick with the All Blacks after all
 
Posted by Marvin the Martian (# 4360) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by ken:
(maybe someone more local can add northern or midland teams)
The midlands is easy to do:

Aston Villa supporters:

Upper and upper-middle-class folks, or those who aspire to be one day. The sort of people who say "I'm from Solihull/Sutton Coldfield, actually" when asked if they're from Birmingham. People who think their company renting an executive box makes them a fan.

Birmingham City supporters:

Working and lower-middle class folks, or those who pretend to be in either of those categories because they think it's cool. Brummies and proud of it.

West Bromwich Albion supporters:

Sandwell residents and people from north-east Birmingham who don't fancy the trek to Villa Park.

Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters:

People from Wolverhampton.

Walsall supporters:

People from Walsall who can't be bothered going the extra few miles to support a decent team.
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
Glad you pointed out AFC Wimbledon, Sioni. Did you see they were an Only Connect clue recently?
I missed that. Does anyone know what they have in common with Aldershot, Accrington Stanley, Leeds United and Leicester City (and probably others besides)?
quote:


Tottenham has its fair share of racists too. EDL (English Defence League) supporter I knew (taught) was a Tottenham supporter and he reckoned the Yids was a good excuse for a fight. They do soccer schools out here as their community work. Mind you, I knew a lot of kids at that West Ham - Leyton game where there was all the trouble a couple of years ago - the ones who came in saying "Did you see me on telly last night, miss?"
THFC is a football club. With the possible exception of FC St Pauli (Hamburg), every football club has racist supporters. Racism may be horrible and abhorrent and all the rest but there's a lot of it about and it infests all levels of society.
 
Posted by The Intrepid Mrs S (# 17002) on :
 
As for me and my household, we support West Ham.

There's just nothing we can do about it, it's in the blood. My late FiL began to support them when he and MiL moved into the East End from darkest Lincolnshire something over 60 years ago, and Mr. S got taken along to matches once he was old enough. I supported them because of their role in winning the 1966 World Cup, and we even went to the Cup Final where they beat Fulham (HOORAY!). Now Master S., in spite of being a Cardiff season-ticket holder, still has claret-and-blue blood in his veins and when it comes to the put-to (as it did last season) can't bring himself to support anyone but West Ham.

I know they're owned by two pornographers, but they are OUR pornographers and genuine fans, not just people who have bought a team because they think they can make it into Man U. Not even porno-merchants are that stupid!

Every now and again, like when Lou Macari took over as manager, we try and Put It All Behind Us - but it just isn't possible.

Mrs. S, 'West Ham till I die'
 
Posted by Sighthound (# 15185) on :
 
Call me old-fashioned (I am) but I find it hard to understand anyone supporting a team to which they have no personal connection. Above all, I find it hard to understand someone picking one because they are 'big', 'successful', or 'cool'.

I support Manchester City because I come from Manchester and because my father, uncle and two grandfathers supported them. I supported them in the second and third tiers, I support them now they're Champions, and I'd support them if they were in the Blue Square North. If they ever go bust, I won't suddenly start supporting Barcelona. I'll give up.

This type of discussion makes me realise why I am so uncomfortable in the modern world.
 
Posted by Beeswax Altar (# 11644) on :
 
Apparently, soccer/football is nothing like any professional sport in the United States. The NFL only has 32 teams. Many people live in a state with no pro team and have to choose a team. Also, every team in the NFL has the potential to play for a Super Bowl. The gap between the have and have nots is greater in the NBA but the draft gives every team the chance to make a run at a title every now and then. Even MLB has a draft and luxury tax.

The closest thing in the United States to soccer in the UK is college football. Of a 116 Division I teams, only around 10 have a realistic chance of winning a national title. Fans of other teams define successful seasons by making and winning a bowl or defeating their rival. For instance, Army's chant is, "Go Army beat Navy. Who the hell are you?" Most weeks the other team will beat Army by a large margin but if on the last week of the season Army beats Navy, all the Army fans are happy. Sadly for Army fans, Army hasn't defeated Navy for a decade.

Looking at it that way, the smartest choice for a US fan would be Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal, or the Spurs. All have major rivalries and the potential to make a run. However, I'm only still considering Everton.
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:
Apparently, soccer/football is nothing like any professional sport in the United States. The NFL only has 32 teams. Many people live in a state with no pro team and have to choose a team. Also, every team in the NFL has the potential to play for a Super Bowl. The gap between the have and have nots is greater in the NBA but the draft gives every team the chance to make a run at a title every now and then. Even MLB has a draft and luxury tax.

The closest thing in the United States to soccer in the UK is college football. Of a 116 Division I teams, only around 10 have a realistic chance of winning a national title. Fans of other teams define successful seasons by making and winning a bowl or defeating their rival. For instance, Army's chant is, "Go Army beat Navy. Who the hell are you?" Most weeks the other team will beat Army by a large margin but if on the last week of the season Army beats Navy, all the Army fans are happy. Sadly for Army fans, Army hasn't defeated Navy for a decade.

Looking at it that way, the smartest choice for a US fan would be Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal, or the Spurs. All have major rivalries and the potential to make a run. However, I'm only still considering Everton.
Make your decision quickly. Our most influential current player, Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini, is out for three weeks with an injury, which probably includes the Merseyside derby on 28th October!
 
Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:
Looking at it that way, the smartest choice for a US fan would be Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal, or the Spurs. All have major rivalries and the potential to make a run.
Rivalries don't come much bigger than Newcastle/Sunderland.
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by balaam:
quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:
Looking at it that way, the smartest choice for a US fan would be Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal, or the Spurs. All have major rivalries and the potential to make a run.
Rivalries don't come much bigger than Newcastle/Sunderland.
That is so, but it means bugger all to anyone south of the River Tees.
 
Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :
 
You think Man U , Man C don't have a rivalry, that is news to me, who spent my teens hearing how Man u was not a proper Manchester club.

But then so has Sheffield Utd and Sheffield Wed but irc neither of them are Premiership at present. However for the excentric I think the original has to be the choice, I mean Sheffield F C .

Jengie

[ 11. October 2012, 16:48: Message edited by: Jengie Jon ]
 
Posted by Caissa (# 16710) on :
 
My beloved Reds are stinking early in the season. I think we need a Liverpool derby soon to warm things up.
 
Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sighthound:
I supported them in the second and third tiers, I support them now they're Champions, and I'd support them if they were in the Blue Square North. If they ever go bust, I won't suddenly start supporting Barcelona. I'll give up.
I admire your loyalty. I feel the same way about my NCAA football team, which is probably going to win one game this year. The trouble for American fans of association football is that it is hard to keep up with any team that you cannot see on American TV. Until a few years ago, that meant that you either had to pay out the nose for a better cable package, or pick one of the Champion's League competitors. Now, we can get Premiership action on basic cable, but if your team falls down to the Championship, you are going to have a long-distance relationship for at least a season. So that is why you really take a risk in supporting someone from the bottom half of the table, and why no one in the States would voluntarily decide to support, say, Crystal Palace at this point.
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Og, King of Bashan:
quote:
Originally posted by Sighthound:
I supported them in the second and third tiers, I support them now they're Champions, and I'd support them if they were in the Blue Square North. If they ever go bust, I won't suddenly start supporting Barcelona. I'll give up.
I admire your loyalty. I feel the same way about my NCAA football team, which is probably going to win one game this year. The trouble for American fans of association football is that it is hard to keep up with any team that you cannot see on American TV. Until a few years ago, that meant that you either had to pay out the nose for a better cable package, or pick one of the Champion's League competitors. Now, we can get Premiership action on basic cable, but if your team falls down to the Championship, you are going to have a long-distance relationship for at least a season. So that is why you really take a risk in supporting someone from the bottom half of the table, and why no one in the States would voluntarily decide to support, say, Crystal Palace at this point.
There are far better reasons to not support Crystal Palace and ken has described some of them. The fact that the building the club is named for burnt down seventy-five years ago has to count against them too, but Norwood Sidings FC doesn't have much of a ring to it.
 
Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:

The closest thing in the United States to soccer in the UK is college football.
Actually, in terms of organisation the closed thing is probably baseball. But its not very close. Unlike American football, baseball has a full set of lower leagues. There are probably a lot more professional baseball players than there are American football players.

There are well over a hundred fully professional football teams in England (and about twenty in Scotland which is proportionatly far more per head). And many, many, more semi-professional and amateur ones. The English football league system is the largest sporting competion in the world. There are literally thousands of teams in it. And hundreds of different competitions, leagues, and cups. Lots of teams win lots of things all the time!

quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
quote:
Originally posted by balaam:
quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:
Looking at it that way, the smartest choice for a US fan would be Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal, or the Spurs. All have major rivalries and the potential to make a run.
Rivalries don't come much bigger than Newcastle/Sunderland.
That is so, but it means bugger all to anyone south of the River Tees.
[Ahem!]

Up the Toon!

quote:
Originally posted by Og, King of Bashan:
... and why no one in the States would voluntarily decide to support, say, Crystal Palace at this point.
But wouldn't it be so cool if they did? Well, maybe not Palace, because, after all, they are Palace. But some other second or third tier team. Much more interesting than following the herd.


quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
....t Norwood Sidings FC doesn't have much of a ring to it.
They play in Sainsbury's car park these days.

I have a ticket to a mach at Palace in a couple of week';s time. But I won't be at the home end.

I think its good that the name of the Istanbul football team Galatasaray, being interpreted, means "Celtic Palace" [Smile]

[ 11. October 2012, 17:37: Message edited by: ken ]
 
Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Selhurst Park is where Crystal Palace play - OK, it's in the car park of a Sainsbury's hypermarket - but honest it's Selhurst Park.

And what's wrong with the Maccams?
 
Posted by Beeswax Altar (# 11644) on :
 
I took a look at the Football League Championship teams.

How did the Blackburn Rovers get so bad in such a short period of time?

Who is likely to be promoted this year (Cardiff City is in first at the moment)?

Lot of teams with cool names in the Championship (Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich, Wolverhampton, Blackpool and of course Nottingham Forest).
 
Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :
 
Imagine that a cash-rich but experience-short management group bought a once-respected but struggling for a few seasons NFL franchise in a working-class town, hoping to make some money. I don't know, maybe the Kansas City Chiefs or the Buffalo Bills. The owners put the team in advertisements for their brand and take them on an exhibition tour in the middle of the season. That ownership group also brings in a new head coach, who has one of the worst seasons in franchise history. All that lands the team at the bottom of the league. The coach never apologizes to the fans for the bad result, and the owners don't have the guts to sack the coach at the end of the season. The fans would be pretty upset, right?

Now imagine some of the comments on the Bills or Chiefs discussion boards if on top of all that the ownership group is from Mexico.

I think that about sums up how toxic the Blackburn situation is right about now.
 
Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
[tangent]Quizmaster! It's great to see you posting here!! [Big Grin] [/tangent]
 
Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:
Apparently, soccer/football is nothing like any professional sport in the United States.
Having had the capacity to observe both from my distant spot on the globe, I think you're correct.
 
Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:

Who is likely to be promoted this year (Cardiff City is in first at the moment)?
Far too early to tell!

Cardiff does look likely, and I'd guess at least one of Brighton or Blackpool will be up there as well. Maybe also Hull (though they lost to Posh!)

Wolves, Leicester, Blackburn all likely to be contenders, and you can't write off Middlesborough or Huddersfield.

Of the current top-half teams I suspect that Leeds and Palace are unlikely to make the grade, and its possible that some of the bottom-half teams will improve drastically and get into the play-offs - my money would be on Forest or Watford to have the best chance at that; with Burnley or Bolton or even Birmingham as outside bets. "Big clubs" all, as they say. Bolton can't stay as bad as they've recently been, can they?

As to who goes down - well anyone still could. You'd have to hope for a miracle to think that Peterborough might do much better than they have been recently, but only 3 points - the result of one match - separates 12th from 21st place.

But its wide open. Which is one reason its fun. And they are competing for the the largest prize in team sport anywhere in the world...

[ 12. October 2012, 17:19: Message edited by: ken ]
 
Posted by Albertus (# 13356) on :
 
Enjoyed your run-down of London club fans, ken (and as it happens, I went to the Den for the first time ever last week and in spite of everything came away confirmed that Millwall is the only club I could ever support - it's in the blood I suppose) but I wonder whether your pen-pictures reminded anyone else of Jimmy trying to recruit Reggie Perrin into his secret army?
 
Posted by birdie (# 2173) on :
 
If Cardiff go up, and Swansea stay up, you've got another big rivalry in the Premiership as well.
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by birdie:
If Cardiff go up, and Swansea stay up, you've got another big rivalry in the Premiership as well.
If Cardiff go up I'll be amazed. Over the last few years they have bottled it spectacularly, notably by losing by six goals on the last day of the season to avoid the promotion play-offs on goal difference (by one goal) and in the next year losing the play-off final 3-2 to Blackpool, having beaten them home and away earlier in the season.

They won't get promoted until Stoke City get relegated, because there is bitter, violent rivalry between sections of the supporters. Maybe South Wales Police plead with them to keep away from Stoke City!
 
Posted by Beeswax Altar (# 11644) on :
 
I've made a decision.

Stoke City is my team.

It came down to Everton, Swansea City, and Stoke City. Ken shamed me away from Everton. Geoff Cameron and Maurice Edu gave Stoke the edge over Swansea.

Go Potters!
 
Posted by birdie (# 2173) on :
 
[Disappointed]
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
Beeswax Altar:

I'm disappointed too, but you'll have fun supporting Stoke City as the 'big clubs' have a long record of unexpectedly dropping points to them. They are probably the nearest thing the Premiership has to Millwall ('Nobody likes us' and a reputation for some shall we say extremely loyal support).

I'm still not sure what ken said to shame anyone away from Everton beyond saying they have some overseas following already.
 
Posted by birdie (# 2173) on :
 
I meant to post earlier, the ways in which people come to support particular teams are many and mysterious. If you grow up in a less football-crazed part of the country but want, for whatever reason, to follow a team, the choice has to be made somehow.

Mr b is from south wales, rugby country rather than football, his parents did not particularly follow football, but when he was about four, someone gave him a blue football kit. And so an Everton fan was made. (It wasn't even an Everton kit - just blue.) He'll also vaguely follow Cardiff City, but if they're ever promoted to the Premiership and play Everton there's no contest.

I'm from the south-west of England - again, rugby country. While I prefer rugby and spent my teenage years going to every Bath home game, if pushed in a conversation about football I will go with Gillingham (yes, really) as that's where my dad was from. For a while they had a player with my maiden name (very unusual in the SW, common as muck in Kent), which I found stupidly exciting. (My knowlege of Everton is steadily increasing but that's not voluntary.)
 
Posted by Surfing Madness (# 11087) on :
 
I'm another one of those who doesn't follow football particularly but if pushed for a team would always go with Carlisle. I am from the South Coast, my Dad supports Brighton and my Mum Southampton (both not seriously.) I have no idea why I picked Carlisle but I did!
 
Posted by Jack the Lass (# 3415) on :
 
When I moved to Scotland I decided I wanted a team to follow (well, 'follow' in the loosest sense of the word!) but didn't want to support either of the Old Firm and probably not an SPL club. I liked the idea of a diddy team. And then I started going out with TME, and it turns out that his brother supported Stenhousemuir (despite them all coming from Luton). So when asked I can say I support the Mighty Warriors - and now I don't live that far away from Stenhousemuir so could (if I ever got round to it) go to a home game.

After picking them as my team I heard that they play a team of comedians who are up for the Edinburgh Festival in August. In 2011 they lost for the first time (bringing the tally to 15 won, 1 drew and 1 lost - I'm not sure what this year's result was). That's my kind of team - never mind the megabucks backers, they kickabout with comedians (I suspect there is a very obvious comment to be made about their football at this point).
 
Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :
 
Back in my youth, the oldest daughter of a family we were friendly with decided to support Queen of the South despite the rest of the family being staunch Manchester City supporters. This was totally alien to my sister and I who when pushed would say West Bromwich Albion as that was the team Dad supported and it allowed us to remain neutral.

The team I actually got nearest to supporting was Stockport County as I used to read the match reports for them on the back of the local free press while I lived in Stockport. The reason was that the writer was a genuine supporter of the club and gave the feel of week in, week out supporting a group of players through their failures and triumphs. Rather more of the former if I recall correctly. He did not go in for bitching about the other side but was more likely to comment on the standard of meat pies at various grounds where Stockport played.

Jengie

[ 13. October 2012, 17:37: Message edited by: Jengie Jon ]
 
Posted by ken (# 2460) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Albertus:
... as it happens, I went to the Den for the first time ever last week and in spite of everything came away confirmed that Millwall is the only club I could ever support...]
2:1 over Bolton and a cracking good game after the missed penalty - both teams and the crowd seemed to wake up and start pushing!
 
Posted by Sandemaniac (# 12829) on :
 
I think I'd support Northampton Town if I really had to have a football club, as I love the idea of being able to scream "COBBLERS!" at the top of my lungs - and be doing the right thing in doing so.

As it happens I've got it easy - born in Essex, bred in Essex, support Essex County Cricket Club. I suppose I could support Colchester United, but it's just not the same now they have a new stadium and the announcer doesn't ask them to celebrate quietly in case the roof give way...

AG
 
Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Cobblers is fun to shout - it was the local team for one address.

The one I really supported for a while was Wimbledon at Plough Lane - I walked to matches (could have walked to Fulham too) and supported them for a good few years - up through the divisions to the Cup Final. I was at the pre-season friendly when the Milton Keynes announcement was made, standing amongst the supporters who went on to found AFC Wimbledon. That was just a little bit noisy and at Colchester, and they did get very twitchy about the noise.

[ 13. October 2012, 22:31: Message edited by: Curiosity killed ... ]
 


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