Why do you support your football team

[nirvana]

Prompted by recent events, a little nostalgia and the picture of Don Rogers I wonder why people support the teams they do ?

My Dad was an East Fife fan and later, when we had translators, I also discovered he was a pretty keen Rangers fan too.

Between 1967 & 1970 we lived in Cyprus - I went to a forces school but lived in a mainly civilian area in Limassol. I didn't really know anything about football but during my time there some big kid told us we were all Arsenal fans, he seemed to take it pretty seriously so it seemed wise to give him my 100% support.

We returned to the UK in 1970 as, even though invasion was some years away, things had already become quite unsettled in Cyprus with an assassination attempt on Archbishop Makarios and an increasing number of violent events between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. I was 8 when we left but remember Cyprus and the events of the time quite well.

Funny how the mind works but from my first year back in the UK I can only remember 2 events - I remember desperately trying to stay up with my Grandad to watch the Ali-Frazier fight - I can't even remember if it was on the radio or TV but it was quite an event as a whole bunch of family were together to experience it. My Grandad had boxed for the Army in his younger days and was a massively keen boxing fan - he really wanted to share his passion with all of us and since he always gave us some change out of his pocket it seemed the decent thing - to try and enjoy what he so loved. We buried him yesterday - 98 years old. Fair play.

The second memory followed quickly - Charlie George came on my telly looking like a glam rocker and smashed it in the back of the net , man I loved that guy nearly as much as David Bowie at that time. Not sure I knew a whole lot what was going on but I knew my team had won the cup. Think I was indifferent to the League title that accompanied it as you had to be a proper fan to appreciate the league. There was nothing much around of the league on TV to capture the imagination of an 8 year old at that time.

Anyway, obviously an Arsenal fan, born and bred - still like to pay homage to the big kid who led us to be Arsenal fans - 8 years later, in 1979, we moved to London. Incredible thrill to be able to just get on the tube and rock up with a few quid to watch them - happy days.

[arbboy]

Should be a really interesting thread when the lolapool and manure fans from the SE come on board to explain their reasons

[Longy]

I lived in Norfolk as a kid therefore I support Norwich, it was that or supporting my dad's team Exeter. Pretty easy choice given we were a top flight team at the time, who had a couple of seasons finishing top 4 and were in the title race till March time.

I also support Queen of the South because I liked the name when the classified results come on the TV/radio..................

[vegaslover]

I'll be one of the lolpools then

My parents hate football, so I didn't get into it until I move up to the juniors at School.

A kid I became mates with loved football and supported Liverpool, so I started following them!

[muckthenuts]

I'd love to know why we support any football team. It's ridiculous when you think about it.

[DungBeetle]

I remember walking with my Dad to Watford v Oxford, 1st game of season after 1986 world cup.  Said to my Dad "I don't care who wins as long as there are goals."  How wrong I was.

Remember lots of shouting in the first 5 mins and thinking it was a great atmosphere, and then remember the adrenaline surge when John Barnes broke clean though and the rapture when he slotted the ball under Alan Judge.  Absolute bedlam.  Been hooked ever since.

Of course after that good season, Taylor left and Watford promptly went through a decade of terrible football for my first ten season tickets.

[icles test]

Newcastle fan; glory supporter

[TightEnd]

I was born in Norwich and then lived in Lowestoft as a toddler

My father was a sales rep for Royal Insurance and the family moved with his job to Leicester

I was 7

For my birthday in 1974 my uncle took me to Leicester v Luton, a 0-0 draw, sitting underneath the odd exec boxes (which were brand new then) at the small end of the ground

Peter Shilton was in goal, in an all white kit

I remember Keith Weller one on one with the keeper, and him saving it

I remember Lenny Glover skinning his full back down my end

That was that, next went back for my 8th birthday and so on

40 years later, its Leicester v Burnley tomorrow and I will park almost to the spot where i first watched them on the car park next to the student flats that now occupy the Filbert Street site.

[redarmi]

Lived in Middlesbrough all of my life and went to a few games when I was a very small kid with my parents but the team were absolutely dire and got relegated and nearly went bust.  I started supporting Man Utd.  When I was 11 Boro were in what was the 3rd division and on Christmas Eve my Dad came upstairs and asked if I fancied going to watch them on Boxing day.  Given that the alternative was probably the sales with my Mum I jumped at the chance but when we got to the bus stop we waited and waited until after about 90 minutes we finally accepted the buses werent running that day and went home.  We decided to try again a couple of days later when they played Newport County and I fell in love with everything about it.  After that game in 1986 me and my Dad never missed a home game together until i went to university in 1994 and he has probably only missed a handful since despite us moving to Cumbria in 1989 and not having a car so having to take a 6 hour each way train ride.  When I get back to the UK now the first thing I do is look at the fixture list to see when I can get to a game.   Bernie Slaven is still the biggest hero I ever had and it still stings a bit when arbboy reminds me of the time Leicester spoilt our promotion party in 1988.  Daft really isn't it but once the bug has got you.......

[craigbetts]

Growing up in Donny I went to work in a local spar aged 14, for a few hours on an evening twice a week after school. Two of the lads who worked there were Donny fans, prior to this I was an armchair Spurs fan, mainly down to Glen Hoddle and the third kit a purple number that was bought for me by relatives on birthdays. Within a week of working in the shop, the lads asked if i was going to join them at a Tuesday night game at home to Walsall (I am not sure if Eso had tipped them to go up/down or mid table this year but it was a minimum of a combination of all three!!). I think they had started the season well and we had won our first 4 games, they had a chap up front called Stuart Rimmer (maybe the right name, may have forgotten it) who had scored 5 in 4 and it was going to be a belter. The 'Pop Side' was buzzing and nothing beats the taste of a night game under lights, we won 2 nil and I was hooked. On the Saturday we travelled to York on the train, now this was a whole new world, travelling to new places with friends, I was now in deep. So deep that in the following 25 years there have been more tears than good times, apart from the clubs who have gone into liquidation I would see our journey as the most turbulent. Playing Barnet at home on a Weds afternoon in front of 600 because we could not afford to pay for the floodlights, the chairman trying to burn the ground down, losing 9 nil away at Exeter after fielding a 15 year old keeper who's headteacher had to give him permission to play, dropping out of the football league with the lowest ever points total..... however, living the bad times, made the good times taste so sweet.

[celtic]

Born in glasgow, lived there til nearly 11. Was taken to celtic from about 3 years old. I knew nothing other than supporting celtic. There were no other choices 😀

[DungBeetle]

Other early memories:

1) Waking up an hour early before school to watch Midweek Sport Special which had (hopefully) been taped on the betamax.
2) Pre internet trying to find out scores when on family holidays abroad, which normally involved trying to decipher jumbled messages from elderly grandparents.
3) Liquid mud pitches with no grass on them.

  

[baldock92]

Born in Stoke, so I chose Stoke over Port Vale. I never really understood why someone would support a team from a city they don't have any affiliation to.

[TightEnd]

Other early memories:

1) Waking up an hour early before school to watch Midweek Sport Special which had (hopefully) been taped on the betamax.
2) Pre internet trying to find out scores when on family holidays abroad, which normally involved trying to decipher jumbled messages from elderly grandparents.
3) Liquid mud pitches with no grass on them.

 

Ceefax

Midweek matches

Pages 304,305,306,307

usually three pages per division, and you had to wait for your team to come up on 304 1,2,3 etc

Page 312, football news...checking it every day to see if your team had a mention....

[DungBeetle]

Haha - yes Tighty!  I remember if you were on page 2 and there weren't any goals but Nottingham Forest had moved to page 3 that meant there had been a goal on page1 as space was used to detail the scorer.  Cue a nervous wait for the pages to trundle round if you were playing Villa away.