GingerDom

Hiya Pal.

yes great result for the ARSEnal...

We gave the Toons a good thumping too..........pity the Hammers didn't win or draw though...........still we above the Yids........so all good

ROMFT_WO2RN

Oh God no, not a scouser on BE Still, should be St Totteringham day next week

GingerDom

Absolutely.........Scouser born and bred and proud

Yes Spurts do battle with Man City soon.........should be an epic game

Pollyana

I don't reckon Forest'll go up though....be the same as last season, so near yet so far......
Been a good weekend for sport though, as I said to Bernie yesterday listening to the roof lift off a Celtic stronghold when they went 3-1 up........WTF would anyone emigrate



Now to get controversial (slightly)...........I would NEVER claim to be as passionate a football fan as a certain well-known Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeds supporter round here (for example), and I'm willing to agree that some people are far more dedicated than me - you for example Mr Sailor, you've seen your team numerous times, and their ups and downs probably affect you more than Forest's do me, but surely I'm still entitled to call myself a fan?
I've followed them since 1971 when I lived up that way, seen them once (at Withdean in Brighton which doesn't really count) but I never had anyone to go with to a match, the guys I've lived with have either tolerated football or had so little interest that I couldn't even watch it on TV, but I've stuck with them through thick and thin, my parents would never tolerate me having a team shirt or anything like that when I was a kid, I've only done that now I have enough disposable cash, but I've never switched teams cos of relegation, and I've cried when they've gone down, felt the pride when they are going up..........surely this makes me more of a fan than some of those who just pick a team out of thin air cos its doing well at the time and just check at the end of the season to see if they are still surviving?

I had a look through BE yesterday and I've mentioned them on and off over the whole time I've been on here; lost count of the number of Aussies that I have educated as to the whereabouts of Nottingham!

I guess what i'm trying to say is What makes a fan into a fan? If you aren't lucky enough to go to live games - for whatever reason - does that make you less of a fan? If you keep quiet about your loyalty to keep the peace in a marriage does that mean you can't call yourself a fan?

Discuss

ROMFT_WO2RN

Many reasons to pick a team but it's the glory hunters that simply pick a team that's currently winning that do my nut in. Stacks of them in Ireland when I moved there as a kid. All Liverpool fans who promptly changed allegiance to manure then the toon then back to manure

It's your actions once you've picked your team that count i.e. sticking with them through the highs and lows and not being swayed by a shiny new winning team.

You do get minus points for not sticking with them with your blokes but that's mostly for having the bad taste to pick men who don't like football

The time difference is going to be the biggest pain in the arse I've got quite a few memories of watching football both in Oz and the states. It was alright for us as we could generally work routines around the game but not looking forward to a civvy job where that won't be as easy

In short, you're still a fan and those who say you can only be a fan if you go to the ground are talking out of their collective anus

Pollyana

I remember the days when Liverpool were "the" team to support. then suddenly all these Liverpool fans I knew became Man Utd fans......... I just don't get that, no loyalty at all.
Fair enough I would still declare I supported Forest but never had the chance to watch them, and in the beginning I guess i tried to think of it as a new start in life so I had to learn to adjust to different stuff - like no football on Saturdays!!
The time difference is definitely a pain. I've promised myself I'll get a TV and foxtel if we get promoted, as then we'll have more airtime - haven't had a TV that I've had control over since I moved to Aus, and even before that I never had Sky cos I just couldn't afford it.

expatasia

I concur with a lot of what you both say - imagine what it was like for me growing up on Merseyside in the 70s/early 80s when LFC were (luckily) winning everything in sight!

As for the time difference why not record games from sat tv and watch 'as live' over brek? Works here, mind you this is a non-football country, you're hardly going to have to do an Auf Wiedensen Pet to avoid knowing the scores .

Pollyana

Yeah Merseyside can't have been much fun for you then - your lone voice in the wilderness

expatasia

Why do you think I left for darkest Peru? No, 'we' won the Cup in '84 then the league and last match I saw in person was possibly Everton's most historic single victory - 3-1 aggregate sealer vs Bayern Munich at a heaving Goodison in the SF of the old European Cup Winners Cup (before they went on to win the final in Rotterdam) Good memories!

Now my local team is newly relegated FC Tokyo in the J League - utter sh!te!

ROMFT_WO2RN

Quite good at the recording lark already Did it yesterday and managed to avoid the score until we got back from the outlaws

barbie flashed up today but can't drink as need to drive to sweaty land tonight oh well DTS tomorrow sop should make up for it

expatasia

At least you won't get targeted up there by crazed ragheads...Bin Laden was an Arsenal fan, right?

No booze for me either, just gym now to get down a bit from 85 kilos (damage limitation) - three days of public holidays starts tomorrow

scottishcelts

...and wtf is wrong with 'sweatyland'?

ozzieeagle

You can watch erm on this....http://www.myp2p.eu/competition.php?...pline=football

(That link wont last long on these boards so make the most of it) Make sure you bookmark it though

As for being a fan or not.... it's how you feel that counts.

I treat anyone that supports one of the bigger teams with suspicion. Personally I think you have to be brought up in the Area to really call yourself a supporter of a team. Certainly have been to a few games.

I've far more respect for say Rochdale or Stockport supporters than any of the bigger teams personally..... but thats just me.

ROMFT_WO2RN

nowt, which is why I asked for the post Mothers family are all good Hoops supporting, copper wire inventing Jocks


Can honestly say I support what was my local team until dragged to Ireland. Have managed to convert a few mates into watching Arsenal as a "second", team as their local teams are in lower divisions. Am sort of 50:50 with the lad at the mo. Most of his school mates are Forest fans so that's his local team but I've got him to agree that if they ever play Arsenal he's a gooner

GingerDom

Personally I believe a true fan is where they were born and brought up. So for me, as I was born in the Alder Hey hospital and was raised in Wavertree in Liverpool, I was brought up a Liverpooll Supporter.
Yes at school there were a lot of Evertonians and Mancs, and I could have buckled to peer pressure, but didn't.
As far as to say that Liverpudlians cross over to the dark side and become a Manc, well that is unheard of!!! I, and many of the LFC supporters I know and are friends with, hate the Mancs with a passion. Wouldn't say as far to go as to induce violence, but there is no way I would support the Mancs in any way.