Why do you support your club? (football)

Get asked about this a fair bit in the UK, fairly easy for me to explain the short version, but made me wonder what it was that made you lot decide to follow the teams you do? Try and be honest to, none of this BS about ethos and historical significance because chances are you didn't know any of that when you started supporting them.

There are two reasons I support Barcelona, first of all I have a small amount of Catalan ancestry (very small), which is usually what I tell people in the UK to avoid having to move onto the second reason...

That being at the during the 1994 World Cup I started following football religiously, my favourite player by a long way was Romario. As he played for Barcelona I instantly started following them, it helped that they also had a bunch of other players I loved watching at the WC too, Stoichkov, Hagi, Ronald Koeman, Jose Maria Bakero (who you ask?), and Andoni Zubizaretta. Then I made the connection that Barcelona = Catalan, which meant that by the time Romario left the club I was a Cule through and through.

Those were the days watching European Soccer Show on Sky once a week to see what the Spanish League table looked like, only problem was it was about a month behind so everything could have changed by the time I got to see see it. Plus they never had Spanish games as their featured match because they already had a Spanish highlights show in the UK. Bear in mind no one had the internet around this time so it wasn't like I could easily find things out.

Also have a soft spot for Crystal Palace in England on account of my father supporting them because he lived in the area when he was in London. Remember being wokem up for the 1990 FA Cup final and being told to support Palace, probably why I hate Man United now, fucking Danny Wallace.

Partizan: Because killing Germans is fucking badass.

Well, I liked dutch football and I though Bergkamp was awesome, so I started supporting Arsenal.

I supported them for a while until all the players I liked left (e.g. Henry, Bergkamp, Vieira, Cole, Campbell, Overmars, Seaman etc etc), so then I stopped supporting them.


Now I support Blackburn because Benni McCarthy plays for them

And Lazio?

Arsenal, because upon Rastus leaving someone needed to support them. I also enjoyed playing with them on fifa 07.

Local:
Three kings United - my childhood team, and the only club i could ever play for in NZ, after playing for them for 16 years (the first 4 being for Mt Roskil before the merge with Mt Eden)

NZFC:
Waitakere United
i would never support Auckland City or any team that has such a strong tie to those cunts at Central United, even if one of my biggest fooball playing memories is playing at Kiwitia St when i was 16 and scoring a blinder from the edge of the box infront of the the NZ team who were training on the feild after our match.
Darren McClennan was also my fav all white when i was a young lad.

A-League:
Pheonix
the nix are just the kingz in disguise.
KINGZ FOR LIFE.

Prem League:
Man Utd.
Family ties, my grandparents were from manchester and i know my grandfather was a massive supporter, i didnt know him that well, or have many memories of him, and this is prob why i have always supported the devils from a young age.

Local: North Shore United, as I have lived in Devonport all my life, used to go to all the home games at Allen Hill Stadium, when the likes of ex-all whites keeper Jason Batty played, also the young days of Ivan Vicelvich, etc... also my school PE teacher was their reserve keeper, his name is Simon Eddy.

A-League: Wellington Phoenix, simply don't like Aussie teams and only professional NZ team; probably better than Kingz and Knights. Last season with exciting Brazilian imports Daniel and Felipe in the squad, also finally saw them play 2 games, while I was down in Wellington watching the Galaxy play, was a good experience.

Premier League: Manchester United, many people asked me why? cos I'm not English or have no English family. Well when I was a very young kid, I have a strong bond with one of my cousins, we hang out like best friends, and I often stay overnight at his place for a bit of Super Nintendo marathon mayhem, and he had cable TV, he follows Man Utd, I loved football when I was very young, and to have someone showing me some matches on TV was very cool when I was a kid, that's when I started falling in love with Man Utd; I think now I am a more die hard fan than my cousin, my happy tears at Fox's Ale House at the CL final this year shows that I love the club to bits.

Local - Glenfield rovers

A-league - Pheonix just cause they kiwi and i hate aussies in sport.

Serie A - Juve fan since i can remember always supported them got almost every shirt since the 1996 season. mainly cause of my family side to it i guess. also cause of my favourite players play(ed) there - baggio, del piero, peruzzi, conte, luliano

Well the Phoenix should really go without saying for any Kiwi football fan. Had a season ticket in the yellow fever zone last season and it was fantastic atmosphere, lots of fun gave me a nice taste of what to expect over here.

Locally I've played for Blockhouse Bay and then Bay Olympic after the amalgamation, which by proxy means I support Waitakere, also as Zenny said Auckland City's connection to Central mean I could never support them.

Played for Brooklyn and Marist in Wellington, who are local rivals but Marist were infinitley better to play for so will always have a soft spot for Marist.

Back in primary school we used to collect Merlins premier league stickers and whenever I was in the playground people would always ask me which team I support and I always dissapointed them when I said no-one so when I was about 7 or 8 I just looked at the results from the last season in my sticker album and picked a team near the top which happened to be Arsenal lol. I didn't want to support Man Utd because unless you were from there everyone at primary school would call you a glory hunter.

So yeah pretty arbitrary really but i've been supporting them for 14/15 years now I was born in London too although I think the closest club to where I was born is Wimbledon. Used to live in Basingstoke but they are shit , playing below Conference level. Closest good clubs to where I used to live would be Reading and Portsmouth so I always like them to do well also

Liverpool.

My grandparents lived there and were Liverpool supporters and my mum and her siblings were all born there, so, as a kid in a predominantly rugby family, Liverpool was pretty much the only football and team I was exposed to as a youngster.

Which reminds me I need to go grab grandad's old memorabilia my grandma has said I can have

I have watched Premier League football since I was about 10 years old, but I've never managed to support a team for very long at all; it always felt a bit contrived to be honest given they were a world away

I liked Spurs in the early 90s.

I liked Blackburn for a season.

I liked Newcastle that season Andy Cole broke the record for goals in a season.

I have always despised the fuck out of Man. U -- that is my constant in English football: hating Man. U.

:>

so who the fuck do you actually support?

let me guess you supported Blackburn when they won the title in 1994/95 season

you supported Newcastle cos Andy Cole got the golden boot

based on the above assumptions from me you just seem like another glory hunter for me

why you hate Man U I never understand...

If I was a glory hunter, wouldn't I be a Man U supporter Minty?

I used to like fuck Tottenham ffs -- glory hunting epitomised . They *might* have won an FA Cup when I was a kid, but that's about it.

A supporter of the most successful English club of teh last 2 decades, with absolutely no links to the club, calling me a glory hunter?

THAT is the reason why I don't support any particular team: if I were to decide to do so, my choice would be -- as is it is in your case -- utterly trivial :>

What's the first question you ask a Scum supporter?

So are you from Malaysia or Norway?

City has more fans in Manchester than Scum... what does that say?

Ahhh MGC.


Me hearts Newcastle because I have a hopeless sympathy for the underdog. They don't come much more hangdog than a Geordie! But that was a long time ago and have followed their progress ever since. Not hugely fanatical about it however. The Warriors sap too much of my emotional strength.

juventus, saw them live when i visted italy as a young boy and loved them :> DEL PIERRRRRRRRRO! plus their late 90's team was ridiculously awesome esp with zizou

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Awesome people like me support Awesome teams like Man U! And I don't need a fucken reason!

Liverpool.

When i first got into the English game, they had John Barnes and Bruce Grobbelar who, quite frankly, are awesome.

John Barnes, yes.

Grobbelaar, not so much (awesome name though)

Don't follow one team, but if I have to have one, would be Leeds, as my Grandad played for them when he was younger, also was a keeper for England U18

Chelsea - because my grandad supports them and used to live there back in the day.

Didn't really start following them (and football in general) until last year.

dont make me bust out that comic strip



Cos back in the day, when I was a football mad wee tyke among an army of rugby heads, there was literally NO football on TV except All Whites games. So as the 82 campaign gathered momentum...TVNZ decided to buy "Big League Soccer" on Sundays covering the English league (package initially made for Americans I assume)

Stoked and fascinated I latched onto the 1st game I saw and announced "That my team! The red one! Who are they!!??"

LIIIIIIIIVVVVVEEEEERRRRRPOOOOOL

They won that day vs Nottingham Forest 2-1

Very weak reason for support....but still better than mintgamecubes. I actually have a smaller love for Ipswich Town too....but I no idea what thats about


Oh and + 1 Kingz for lyfe

+ I played for Glenfield Rovers

Heh, thet reminds me.

I used to like watching Notts Forest games back in the day just to see that psycho Stuart Pearce play left back

you both obviosuly enjoy gay sex...