IMO;

1. Know the history of the club. no need to know all, but at least from the period when you started supporting that club.
2. Be aware of the latest happenings in and around your club, and form your own opinion on such news. don't just regurgitate the facts.
3. Try to watch EACH and EVERY game - live or otherwise.
4. PERSONAL PREFERENCE - try to get the official merchandise of the club. it looks really sad if you said you are supporting a particular club whilst sporting an unofficial (aka 'AAA' or lower grade) kit/shirt/etc.

yup i agree there, we all have to start somewhere. share the highs and lows, be there where-ever the team is, Championship, 1st division, etc.

as for crying, well that's a very subjective matter. i won't cry but i will feel sad and will pick up when the next game comes along!

confession - besides Chelsea, i follow Milan as well, my 2nd team if you may. Since the heydays of our famous Dutch trio. actually i started supporting Milan first then Chelsea, but given the media exposure of the English league then as compared to the Italian league, my support for Chelsea grew at a faster pace than that of Milan's. i do lookout for their results nowadays incl their comings and goings for the past few seasons. was thrilled and sad when Sheva made his move to the Bridge but that sort of paved the way for other big signings to join Milan after that, most notably il fenomeno. good to see that Milan also has a strong following here in KL/Malaysia...

hey Duke Red, how about those with tattoo ah? hardcore?

no hard feelings man just a joke

actually was thinking about it a few years back, procrastinated and didn't do it in the end. yours look cool tho

you're right very subjective. and IMO, most of us don't quite feel the attachment as we're not born and bred there, unlike the locals over there. I too thought that I was a hardcore until I met up with some BLUES fans over here, and I'm way down that list. but whatever it is, I still think of myself as a true supporter, given my personal history with the club over these years.

i guess all that i'm trying to say that we all have our ways of supporting our favourite teams. and we all hate the glory-hunters/band-wagoners/punters!

but one thing i might add, watching your team play at their stadium must the ultimate dream of a supporter, hardcore or not. and trust me, it is worth everything that you will or had sacrificed...

No i dont think so man, when we win our third in a row maybe but not when you win your 6th...btw i changed my avatar maybe that's why u didn't 'recognise' me...

and sure had a lot of replies for this thread my friend, very popular indeed. I must speak up for those who support more than 1 team, as I am one of them who supports 2 teams from 2 different leagues, it's something that stuck with me since my school days, can't explain why and won't even attempt to do so here. but i also cannot tahan those who support more than one team in the same league...blasphemy!

as for some of the other posts here about to each his own, i totally agree with that. some collect jerseys, official merchandise, watch every game, etc. fair enough. but all i'm saying is get a little backup info/history first, i fully subscribe to fact if you know something better, the better you love it.

anyway my 2 cents lah

This post has been edited by aw13: Apr 18 2007, 01:39 AM

Nope not afraid of someone seeing very much like you an exhibitionist! haha no worries man definitely will re-think when we win our third in a row AND the Quad this season!

haha that's cool with me man. say NO to glory hunters!

I second that.

Precisely. Too many of that going round nowadays actually.

Hey! I read that line about owning a hundred jerseys...let's face it, if the guy/gal owns up to 100 jerseys of the same team, then more or less would've been around for quite some time, of which is hopefully well spent on researching about the team, it's history, etc.

Just wanted to put in my 2 cents' worth on the 'gathering' part...

Sometimes it's hard to get in the numbers as well, as there will be some ppl who always has a cause to complain. Drinks expensive la, no atmosphere la, location bad la, etc etc. Damn hard to please everyone wei. But I do hope you guys do get one gathering coming along, as it will be well worth it come end of the day. Of course, make sure the participants are the really diehards and hardcores, and those who can commit over the long run, not the bunch of fence sitters seen in this forum, not naming names though.

ah but then again, I'm not that young, and would prefer the hardcores anytime over the noobs. and the questions they ask....

but we are growing no doubt about that. and it's always nice to watch with ppl who shares the same sentiments.

not very frequent, that happening. it's even worse for me as a Chelsea fan, cos most of the fans now tend to be the younger ones, it's very hard to find someone who knows about Chelsea...let's say, pre-RA?!

bro, i get that feeling too! i mean, where the hell were they when we under CR, almost going bust under Bates? all busy supporting Arsenal/Man U?

@Duke Red - u were being too kind to that guy who defected from Liverpool to Chelsea...I would personally that guy myself, and maybe even strip him of that Chels kit that he obviously attach no value to it.

This post has been edited by aw13: Mar 3 2008, 12:13 AM

Actually Blue Day is quite a good chant/song, esp the earlier parts. Too bad only the chorus part is being repeated to death, making it sounding to be a tedious song with only "Chelsea Chelsea" etc etc.

haha sorry mate, haven't heard of the Calypso. but will def make a point to at least hear it once la!

For me being a fan does not mean having to learn all the songs by heart, but at least 1 or 2 la, and not just the chorus! haha. of course, fans nowadays (esp in Malaysia) are too blinded with other things, and only supporting for the sake of showing support i.e. belonging. that's just sad IMO. not for the game or the club, but for that person.