Why do you support your side?

overmaars

overmaars

1,000+ Posts
Just curious in general; what draws someone to being a LFC or ManUre fan? Is it your regional ancestral heritage, or some other personal affinity for that team? Or is it just the bandwagon effect because those teams are always good and it's just easy?
 
i had the luxury of visiting England and staying with my grandparents when i was younger (i think it was around 1991 or so) and i remember LOVING the Chelsea blue and was hooked then.

When we were in Somerset, near Yeovil, we met a couple of kids who were part of the Sheffield Wednesday academy/team. So i hold a special place for them as well.
 
when I was growing up, Pumas had two guys on the team that used to score goals by the bushel: Cabinho and Hugo Sanchez. It didn't hurt that they had a really cool uniform to boot.
 
More than likely it is because "it's just easy". All of us who follow soccer both here in the US and abroad know that coverage isnt great...even with FSC and Gol. Unless we have something drawing us to a particular club (parents, place of birth, etc) than it is most likely that a new soccer fan is going to choose a club that is easier to follow (they are good) as opposed to one who isn't so easy to follow(not so good at the moment). The true test for these fans will come when their chosen team goes through a down time...if the fan sticks with his club through the bad times...calling them "bandwagon fans" would be unfair; however, if that fan jumps ship and goes to the flavor of the week, they are open to any and all judgement for their fanship behavior.
 
Like 1899, I am a big Pumas supporter. I was always like the colors and took classes at UNAM when I first moved here to Mexico City. Goya Goya!
 
How can you not love a team like this:

Pumasviejostiempos2-1.jpg


And yes, that is Bora as the coach.
 
When I was 12, my dad went for a business trip to London. I was really into soccer, so he thought I'd appreciate an English soccer jersey. I was also really into the Beatles, so he figured Liverpool would be a good one to pick. Alas, the sponsor on their jersey was Carlsberg, and he knew I couldn't wear anything with an alcohol product on it to school. Instead, he got me a Manchester United jersey, simply because he correctly guessed I'd think the black jersey they had that year looked really cool.

For that reason alone, Manchester United became my team, and I've been a fan ever since. Lucky for me, they're also a good team.
 
I grew up loving and playing soccer in the super-competitive Classic (select) soccer leagues of the DFW area in the late 70's/early 80's, but did not have an allegiance to any particular European team at that time.

I joined the Navy and took a shore-based intelligence assignment in Wales from 1989 to 1994. My best friend over there was from North London and a lifelong Arsenal supporter. I became an Arsenal fan by going to many games with him, but also went to a lot of international and club matches, too. That's when I became a fan of Dutch football, and Marco Van Basten is still my favorite all-time player. I witnessed some amazing goals from the Dutch teams featuring Van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Guillit, and Ronald Koeman.
 
I was assigned by the USAF to exchange duty with the Royal Air Force in 1970. Wrote to Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea about getting season tickets. Spurs never replied. Chelsea was late. Went with the Gunners because they were closer. Had season tickets for 2 years. Saw them win the "Double" (both league and FA Cup). Have been a fan ever since. Really liked watching ManU with Ronaldo also. Admire Liverpool because of their fan support.
 
I moved to London and thought I would be a Fulham supporter since I lived in Chelsea.

I obviously couldn't support Chelsea because that would make me a gigantic douche as this was 2005.

My good friend in New York literally begged me not to support an EPL team until he could take me to WHL for a match.

I went to the Norht Lndon Derby in October and was hooked.
 
In '88 I decided I wanted to follow or root for a British soccer team. It was impossible to follow short of going to the library and looking at tables and fixtures on Micro Fiche or magazines that were dated when you got them. Being a massive fan of the music of Manchester it was to be a Manchester team and the only one that got pub was Man U. A Wednesday afternoon I decided it would be them and would read up on them for the future, starting next week.

That weekend I was at a party and a friend motioned me to meet a friend who he knew I would enjoy chatting with. She was from Cheshire (a burb of Manchester) and lived in Manchester. WHOA, too cool. Turns out she dated a member of the Smiths for several years, knew tons of the musicians in that city and told me such fantastic stories. Oh yeah, soccer.

I told her that just the other day I chose to pick a Mancunian club to root for, United. She almost spit her drink out. "No. No, you can't." She went on to explain to me what bollocks United and their "fans" are and that one club, is the TRUE club for Manchester and that is Man City. The Blues, it turns out, are the team of my music hero's as well. From Ian to Mark E. Smith, Man City.

That's all I needed to know and all I have not waivered since. If you want to talk about a team that was tough to follow and root for, you have one. Relegation, promotion, relegation, stay relegated...stay, stay, stay, stay, stay, promote, relegate, promote. You see what I mean. I have bloody earned every droplet of my Blue blood for many years.

Have a good day, City 'till I die.
 
Born & raised in North London. Only two teams I could have supported really. Spurs or Arsenal.

Incidentally my first ever footy match I went to back in the 70s when I was a youngster was to see Arsenal.

However, common (but very frustrating) sense soon took over and I have supported Spurs ever since.

I do have a soft spot for Fulham though, because I lived down the road in Putney for the last 3 years. Now I'm back Stateside and I get to talk with all the glory hunters again!


biggrin.gif
 
Despite my monikers' reference to one very keen Dutch ex-Arsenal footballer, I have no love for the Gunners.

For the record, I've been rooting for the Toon going on 16 years. Started following the Prem when FIFA IS came out for PC in 93'; given my Boernician heritage, I identified with the nearest regional affiliate club in the top tier. Newcastle.

Recently I've become a fan of Stoke though... via their Austin connection and because I need someone to watch since the Magpies relegation.
 
There you have my liking of Liverpool. Not a primary like but a secondary one. Being a City fan has been really tough if you want to watch them on the Tellie in the States. So Liverpool filled that gap well during the many times City got relegated. At no point have I rooted for Liverpool over City in a head to head even if the big picture meant damage for Man United. I just cannot root against City in that way.

But against all other teams it is Liverpool after City. That is what HiHK has an issue with. He does not get rooting for another side or more than one. He does not know relegation after relegation. You don't stop rooting for your side, you just have a team in the back seat to get a hand shag from if needed.
 
Before I retired (YEAAAAAA) I traveled often to the Middle East. The only English TV was Sky Sports. It seemed that the only team event was football (USA soccer) and the only team was Manchester United, so . . . I became a fan and even though I don't particularly like the game, Man U. is my favorite soccer team.
 
I saw the EPL for the first time in 1991 here in Austin, I think on HSE (Home Sports Entertainment). It was a one hour highlight show. I watched an entire season with an awe of the talent level. My wife was playing on the UT soccer team at the time. Left winger. After watching the entire season, I saw glimpses of Ryan Giggs in my wife (or vice-versa) and I have rooted for Manchester United ever since. Honey, when you read this, you were an excellent player!!!! (just not quite as good as Giggsy) :) I appreciate all fans of the original football. The passion of it all is incredible.
 
Istanbul. Imagine being from England, deciding that you wanted to have a college football team to follow, and the first game you see is the Rose Bowl v. USC. Then add in that my ancestry is from an area not too far away, the team is half-owned by a UT alum, and the tradition there is second-to-none. Pretty easy choice.
 
My great grandfather on my Dad's side was born in Eccles, England (a township in Manchester). Thus I decided to support a Manchester area team. After viewing a map, it was clear that Eccles is closer to Old Tratford than the stadiums of the other EPL clubs in the Manchester area. Therefore I decided it made sense to support the local team. So it's Glory, Glory Man United for me.
 
Growing up in the U.K. in the late 80's, early 90's and being an attacking midfielder, I was a fan of David Platt, especially when he won footballer of the year in the 89-90 season. I was living about 20 miles south of London, and should have likely followed a london club, but was alwasy partial to Villa, and always have been since.
 
I'm an Auburn fan in American football, so I looked for the Auburn of the EPL. Basically, I needed to follow a club that would be perpetually on the cusp of making it big, only to always break my heart in the end. Tottenham was an easy call.

It's a mental disorder, I guess.
 
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