When I first saw this question/thread, my reaction was to ask "after how long?" Generally, a youngster (9 years to 14 years +/-) may switch favourite clubs during the first two or three seasons - that's ok! After that, the issue is more or less settled.

I don't think it is a matter of "I will support this club or that" - too mechanical to be real. It's normally more of "wow, this club's cool, I like them" .. then gradually it becomes "hey, this club's really great, I really really like them" ... and finally it becomes "this is my club, it is the best!"

Serious football fans never change clubs lah, because it's a matter of the heart!

On the other hand, there are alot of football fans who just love the excitement, the atmosphere, the noise and, perhaps, the skills and teamwork. These ones would say "Did you see Liverpool play the other day ah? wah, fantastic man!" one week and the next week would say "Wooh, Arsenal plays like a machine and their passing is like computerised lah, really great man!"

That's ok. World Cups need people like that to boost ticket sales lah! They just don't feel the need to love one particular club to bits.

Not like us ... fanatics..

YNWA

We are indeed but I sometimes question the reason. Is it because we feel deeply for the club or that we just don't like to lose arguments? Fans here are sometimes so sensitive to the extent that a visitor from Liverpool was left puzzled. He couldn't understand why fans here reacted to badly to every single jibe. Banter is something of an alien concept to a lot of posters. Yes, some do go overboard by making really insulting comments and they are met by strong resistance, and rightly so. Many a time though a simple observation like, "Ronaldo isn't a team player" will be met with retorts like, "who says? you Liverpool fans sure lah you say that". Would it be any different if I were a Man Utd supporter and said that? I just think there is a lot of overeaction in LYN.

I have a soft spot for West Ham and Leeds Utd, and to a lesser extent, QPR.

I'm not sure if this is true but I think that over the years, older fans like myself have learnt not to take the piss whenever we win because we know how much it hurts to be on the receiving end. I started supporting Liverpool towards the end of our glory days in the late 80's. Since then, I've experience the bitter taste of defeat to Man Utd on so many occasions and it hurt each time. My friends didn't care though and there were only two of us, so it's not like we had a lot of people to console us! I have brought up the fact that I don't think many other fans have experienced such a low. As everdying quite rightly posted, we finished out of the top 4 on numerous occasions and ended up as low as 8th. This went on for a whole decade so yeah, I know what it feels like to be mocked... a lot. Maybe you dad keeps silent for the same reason, because he has been through the same spell and knows what it feels like to be at a low?

I hope my rivals get to experience the same thing soon

i only like west ham cos iron maiden does too.
also wba, cos thats where bryan robson started, but heck if i did follow robson to mu...or dalglish to blackburn.

My reasons for sorta following other clubs are a little different. I've always been a fan of goalkeepers and even though I never got to see them play too often (no ASTRO mah back then), I would read about them on Match or Shoot. They used to provide a report of the game and player ratings as well. A few notable teams I read up on back then:

1) Bobby Mimms - Blackburn
2) Alec Chamberlain - Luton Town
3) Chris Woods - Sheff Wed
4) Peter Shilton - Derby and even Plymouth!
5) Jim Leighton - Man Utd
6) Nigel Spink - Aston Villa
7) Craig Forest - Nottingham Forrest (what a coincidence eh?)
8) Ludek Miklosko - West Ham
9) Steve Ogrizovic (spelling???) - Coventry

Support 2 clubs or change clubs....2 words....feck no!!!

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Added on April 10, 2009, 12:14 pmAhhh...Miklosko....the only who ever gueesed the right way during a Le Roi Eric Cantona penalty.

This post has been edited by air_mood: Apr 10 2009, 12:14 PM

I like Arjen Robben when he was a player at Chelsea cos he has the pace, skills and loved his penetrating runs. Now that he's gone to RM, I still adore him for what he's capable of but never as much as his time at Chelsea. And I also dont find myself supporting RM in anyway. I think loyal club fans will stick to just one club, but football fans will have plenty of clubs, players and reasons to throw in their support. Eg, As a football fan, I love to watch Barcelona and Messi for their attacking and entertaining display but if Chelsea were to play Barca, I'll get behind my club.

Loyalty is about sticking with your club through thick and thin regardless if they're winning trophies or fighting relegation.

This post has been edited by kink_ass: Apr 10 2009, 12:44 PM

when the time I start supporting Reds in year 1995, MU is the team who dominate in that era. So "glory hunter" this title can never use on me.

Agreed. As much as we love our respective clubs, ultimately we are fans of the sport itself. So I find it baffling that rival fans actually wish ill to opposition players esp prior to a big match. When Ronaldo crashed his car, posts like "Aiya, wish he injured himself la" existed. Shame. I actually kinda enjoy watching the Arsene brand of Arsenal (seen a fair bit with my dad whos a gooner, but failed in breeding me as one). Nifty one twos, quality ways of finding and creating space etc. Exactly the way football should be played imo, but who am I to commend, since football is a result-based sport nowadays rather than just pure entertainment.

Football rivalries though sometimes do goes so overboard that its disgusting. Some fans need some sense knocked into them. I don't care if their Liverpool fans who throw paper airplanes at OT in reference to Munich or United fans who sing about Hillsborough, they need a right rollicking.

so ure saying that whoever support those big clubs arent a true fan?

Tsk, tsk, tsk!

He just made a good point about true supporters and that supporting from the heart can grow from many ways!

I must say that there are probably many more loyal supporters among the smaller, less successful clubs for the simple reason that they still root for these clubs even though they are no longer winning, and some even not in the PL any more!

We received some distasteful comments as well the last time we visited the Den. Millwall fans started singing about the Liverpool native that was beheaded by terrorists during the was against Iraq.

just to add on to this...
i believe there comes a time, maybe around mid-20s onwards, that one would probably be more or less settled to a club as they are no longer interested in trivial things like 'my club is bigger than yours' or whatever and keep changing clubs just to make their penis grow bigger.
if they still are tho, well that probably says alot about their character too.

This post has been edited by Everdying: Apr 10 2009, 07:06 PM

LOL...You made my day...

To add to what you said, I believe there are people changing team because of player they like rather than the glory.

This post has been edited by solstice818: Apr 10 2009, 07:07 PM

When I was in early primary, I used to support Everton just to take the mickey out of my brother who supported......yes u guessed it. Liverpool

However, in 1992 my sis went to study in Salford & introduced me to Manchester United. I started to follow news of the team(during the days when the premier league was broadcasted on free tv) & coincidentally Man Utd won their first title under Sir Alex in that season. I have the scarf proudly displayed in my room as a reminder of when I started to support Man Utd.

When Becks, my fave player,heartbreaking as it is, went to Spain, I found myself still supporting the club. My loyalty is confirmed from then on without a shadow of a doubt

well i was born in 1985, my dad is liv fan..since i was 5,my father exposed me with football stuff,take me to the stadium to watch local match (that time was in pahang,so pahang team), n now in kelantan (since 1992)..but still go to stadium to watch a match..but here the thing,he never missed to follow about liverpool..means since i was a kid my dad exposed me with it,and i grow up with it (but the religions stuff come first la)..and now,i know all the thing about the club,history,current,players,song..collect jersey every season (ori n tipu,home wajib,2nd and 3rd consider dulu la)..i alwys playing football (futsal also) by wearing liverpool jrsy (tipu one,syg the ori one) ..untill now i still a liverpool supporter..if u guys ever watch "green street hooligans",my spirit for liverpool kind of that type,but in the good manner la ..mybe i can call that a loyalty..

This post has been edited by torres7: Apr 11 2009, 06:10 PM

"Green Street Hooligans" has got nothing to do with Liverpool

get your fact right first..

i change clubs all the time. whenever i'm a fair distance from the putting green, i reach for my driver. when i end up in the ditch i switch to a
sand wedge. when i'm near the hole obviously i'll use a putter. looks like i'm not loyal to any club aye?

too many serious posts. a lame joke was inevitable. i don't play golf either btw. heehee

he didnt say anything about the movie involving liverpool la , he just say the spirit in the movie is similar to his spirit toward liverpool. thats all. back off. learn to read properly first.

We've probably taken this discussion as far as we can from the perspective of a fan. Someone commented that players move, so why can't fans? Well here is my take on it from the perspective of a player then.

Unlike fans, football is not just a passion to them, it's a livelihood. From a monetary perspective, they have their futures to consider and therefore sacrifices have to be made. I'm sure most of us would sacrifice things we love for something important like our families? There is an increasing number of football mercenaries I admit which is why it's refreshing when you have players who end their careers in the club they started at. I'd hate to think that just because you move clubs, you cannot still show some loyalty i.e. not moving to a rival club.

Aside from the monetary aspect, players also have to consider the emotional side of it. Can you see someone like Jamie Carragher signing for Everton? Fernando Torres for Real Madrid? Gary Neville for Manchester City? John Terry to Spurs? Well I suppose the answer will never be definitive when you have the likes of Sol Campbell willing to incur the wrath of Spurs fans, or Luis Figo realising he had a craving for goat's head was it? Even if they move to neutral sides, it doesn't mean they fall out of love with the hometown clubs. Players still watch matches involving 'their teams' whenever possible, and have been quoted as saying it's still the first result the look out for when flipping through the sports section. To take things a step further, you get the likes of Robbie Fowler giving Man Utd fans the 5 finger salute although he was playing for Man City.

Bottom line, I feel it's unfair to draw a direct comparison between being a loyal fan, and a loyal player.

me. Leeds Utd -> Liverpool FC

The trigger of the move: Relegation Sales + Harry Kewell