On Supporting Football Clubs...
Oct. 7th, 2007 10:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rhythmaningI am writing this as Scotland are playing Argentina in the rugby world cup. Argentina are winning, but Scotland are fighting back. I have a whisky in my hand, and a couple in my stomach.
And I am wondering about being a fan.
I wouldn't say I am a fan of the Scottish rugby team, though I am certainly a supporter. I even support Scotland when they play England at rugby. This is largely down to the attitude of the English commentators and rugby team of a while back, maybe 20 years, when there was an assumption that England would win. Everything.
This annoyed me, and supporting the underdog, I supported Scotland when they played England.
Only at rugby, mind. Probably because I came to appreciate rugby late. I had to play rugby at school, and that nearly beat enjoyment of the game out of me. I still wouldn't pretend to understand the game. I have no interest below international level - I have no idea of local teams, and that suits me fine.
This game, though, this match is exciting.
Football is different. I support a team; a local team where I grew up.
I only ever went to a handful of matches. When I was a kid, you didn't go to football matches. Not if you were middle class. If you did, you got beaten up. Football wasn't the attractive pastime it now appears; standing in the rain in a crowd of thousands wasn't really my idea of fun. I did go a few times, with my brother - my father had no interest in football - but I can't remember what matches I saw. (This is meant to be one of those quintessential events: you are meant to remember the first football match you go to; it determines your future. Clearly, I am no Nick Hornby.)
The thing is, I don't think I am a Scotland rugby fan; I support them, sure, but I am not a fan.
I would call myself a Spurs fan, though. Even if I haven't been to a match for nearly thirty five years. Because supporting Spurs is deep within my psyche; too deep to change. When I was a kid, where I lived, you supported one of two football teams: Spurs or Arsenal. There was never any contest - maybe because Spurs won things back then, maybe because my brother supported Spurs (why? I have no idea). But by the time I was eight, I knew I supported Spurs.
Supporting is different from being a fan. And one step below supporting is following. So I follow several teams - most in different leagues (mostly Ipswich, for family reasons) - although I would also say I now follow Villa, and, for local interest, Hibs. (If I lived in Glasgow, it would be Partick; because they are clear underdogs, because they refuse to pay football players more than they think they are worth. This is good economics, but bad football. They lose. I might also support Gretna, because they really are underdogs.)
I am not sure I am a fan. Fans are obsessive. Supporting Spurs, though it may be etched in rock, doesn't dominate my life. I read about them - but then I read about Arsenal, too (the other north London side; most of the kids supported Arsenal; there may be a religious thing there, too, though I doubt at the age of ten I was even aware of it), too - nowadays, thanks to Arsene Wenger, I even grudgingly acknowledge that Arsenal might actually be interesting to watch (no more "one-nil to the Arsenal"; they are playing the football Chelsea's board crave).
I have known football fans who haven't been to matches longer than I haven't; but for stronger, stranger reasons. A mate of mine - a Celtic fan - can't watch Celtic play. Not even on tv. He sits in a darkened room, listening to soothing music; or he goes to watch his local junior league side - a team so low down that only five men and a dog show up - and that is a good crowd. The reason he can't watch Celtic play is that he finds it too stressful. During big games, he sits in a curtained room, cocooned from the tv and the radio, hoping beyond reason for the right result, but expecting the worst anyway. Because he has been let down so often. (And let's face it, of all the teams less likely to let you down in Scotland, Celtic is probably the least likely. To my mind they seem to win. Even when they shouldn't. Perhaps I should support Celtic...)
Whilst I support Scotland in the rugby, I am an English football fan; no matter who they were playing, I would support the England football team. This is a rather foolish prospect; Italy play nicer football, Brazil win more often. But, like Spurs, supporting England at football is deeply engrained. I wouldn't dream of going to see them live - no fucking way - and it is illogical to be a fan, but I am.
Again, timing might have something to do with it. The renaissance of English football started with the 1990 European Cup. I was taking exams, and in the evening, after studying and revising and writing answers to dumb questions, I watched the football. England did well; this was the campaign where Gazza cried. (If you're interested, read Pete Davies' book "All Played Out" - it is an excellent, exciting read.) England (I am guessing) got knocked out by Germany on penalties. I was hooked.
So while I support Scotland in most football matches (though until recently that seemed like an incredibly bad idea; but like I've said, you can't really choose these things), if England play Scotland, I would support England all the way.
Like a lot of football fans, I don't trust people who come along and are suddenly fans. Mostly, this affects my feelings about billionaires and the clubs they finance. I don't like the way they think they can buy success. (Obviously, if any billionaire decided to support Spurs, I am sure I could be convinced.) It shouldn't be about money. Of course, it is all about money these days (yet another reason to hate Rupert) - and lets face it, with the prices charged to see a live football match now, even if I wanted to, I doubt I would think it a good idea. (See, not a real fan; the money wouldn't matter to a real fan.) And I really hope Arsenal don't succumb to the Russian-Georgian wallets. And I laugh at Abramovich's interference at Chelsea.
And I am frustrated that Spurs, playing great football, are still bottom of the league.
And I am wondering about being a fan.
I wouldn't say I am a fan of the Scottish rugby team, though I am certainly a supporter. I even support Scotland when they play England at rugby. This is largely down to the attitude of the English commentators and rugby team of a while back, maybe 20 years, when there was an assumption that England would win. Everything.
This annoyed me, and supporting the underdog, I supported Scotland when they played England.
Only at rugby, mind. Probably because I came to appreciate rugby late. I had to play rugby at school, and that nearly beat enjoyment of the game out of me. I still wouldn't pretend to understand the game. I have no interest below international level - I have no idea of local teams, and that suits me fine.
This game, though, this match is exciting.
Football is different. I support a team; a local team where I grew up.
I only ever went to a handful of matches. When I was a kid, you didn't go to football matches. Not if you were middle class. If you did, you got beaten up. Football wasn't the attractive pastime it now appears; standing in the rain in a crowd of thousands wasn't really my idea of fun. I did go a few times, with my brother - my father had no interest in football - but I can't remember what matches I saw. (This is meant to be one of those quintessential events: you are meant to remember the first football match you go to; it determines your future. Clearly, I am no Nick Hornby.)
The thing is, I don't think I am a Scotland rugby fan; I support them, sure, but I am not a fan.
I would call myself a Spurs fan, though. Even if I haven't been to a match for nearly thirty five years. Because supporting Spurs is deep within my psyche; too deep to change. When I was a kid, where I lived, you supported one of two football teams: Spurs or Arsenal. There was never any contest - maybe because Spurs won things back then, maybe because my brother supported Spurs (why? I have no idea). But by the time I was eight, I knew I supported Spurs.
Supporting is different from being a fan. And one step below supporting is following. So I follow several teams - most in different leagues (mostly Ipswich, for family reasons) - although I would also say I now follow Villa, and, for local interest, Hibs. (If I lived in Glasgow, it would be Partick; because they are clear underdogs, because they refuse to pay football players more than they think they are worth. This is good economics, but bad football. They lose. I might also support Gretna, because they really are underdogs.)
I am not sure I am a fan. Fans are obsessive. Supporting Spurs, though it may be etched in rock, doesn't dominate my life. I read about them - but then I read about Arsenal, too (the other north London side; most of the kids supported Arsenal; there may be a religious thing there, too, though I doubt at the age of ten I was even aware of it), too - nowadays, thanks to Arsene Wenger, I even grudgingly acknowledge that Arsenal might actually be interesting to watch (no more "one-nil to the Arsenal"; they are playing the football Chelsea's board crave).
I have known football fans who haven't been to matches longer than I haven't; but for stronger, stranger reasons. A mate of mine - a Celtic fan - can't watch Celtic play. Not even on tv. He sits in a darkened room, listening to soothing music; or he goes to watch his local junior league side - a team so low down that only five men and a dog show up - and that is a good crowd. The reason he can't watch Celtic play is that he finds it too stressful. During big games, he sits in a curtained room, cocooned from the tv and the radio, hoping beyond reason for the right result, but expecting the worst anyway. Because he has been let down so often. (And let's face it, of all the teams less likely to let you down in Scotland, Celtic is probably the least likely. To my mind they seem to win. Even when they shouldn't. Perhaps I should support Celtic...)
Whilst I support Scotland in the rugby, I am an English football fan; no matter who they were playing, I would support the England football team. This is a rather foolish prospect; Italy play nicer football, Brazil win more often. But, like Spurs, supporting England at football is deeply engrained. I wouldn't dream of going to see them live - no fucking way - and it is illogical to be a fan, but I am.
Again, timing might have something to do with it. The renaissance of English football started with the 1990 European Cup. I was taking exams, and in the evening, after studying and revising and writing answers to dumb questions, I watched the football. England did well; this was the campaign where Gazza cried. (If you're interested, read Pete Davies' book "All Played Out" - it is an excellent, exciting read.) England (I am guessing) got knocked out by Germany on penalties. I was hooked.
So while I support Scotland in most football matches (though until recently that seemed like an incredibly bad idea; but like I've said, you can't really choose these things), if England play Scotland, I would support England all the way.
Like a lot of football fans, I don't trust people who come along and are suddenly fans. Mostly, this affects my feelings about billionaires and the clubs they finance. I don't like the way they think they can buy success. (Obviously, if any billionaire decided to support Spurs, I am sure I could be convinced.) It shouldn't be about money. Of course, it is all about money these days (yet another reason to hate Rupert) - and lets face it, with the prices charged to see a live football match now, even if I wanted to, I doubt I would think it a good idea. (See, not a real fan; the money wouldn't matter to a real fan.) And I really hope Arsenal don't succumb to the Russian-Georgian wallets. And I laugh at Abramovich's interference at Chelsea.
And I am frustrated that Spurs, playing great football, are still bottom of the league.
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no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 10:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 10:57 pm (UTC)All Played Out is indeed an excellent exciting book (and I watched the game where Gazza cried in The Mill pub in Cambridge the evening after my Clare College sixth form open day) BUT BUT BUT BUT it was the WORLD CUP FINALS not the European Cup.
NB Also just to be pedantic the European Cup is for clubs not countries. Aston Villa won it in 1982 (this is something you should know if you are now a follower!) and since 1992 it has been known as the Champions League.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 11:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 11:55 am (UTC)I was a supporter of Aberdeen from sometime around aged 10 when in school you basically had to pick a team. I didn't really know it at the time but Aberdeen were at their peak - it was a couple of years after they'd won the European Cup Winners' Cup (stupid title, but hey) and they were still a force in Scottish football. It was before the days when Rangers started exploiting the economics of football, putting all their money into talent which brought in more money and more trophies. Seasons were exciting because you really didn't know who was going to win the league: it could be Aberdeen or Hearts or Celtic or Rangers or even Dundee United.
As a teenager, I became a diehard fan for perhaps three or four years. I bought old match programmes and the football weeklies and I had the little football season stats books that would go on sale in August for the year ahead. I read lots of footballing autobiographies (Gordon Banks's was a particular favourite; I had a thing for goalkeepers). I went to quite a lot of matches, especially when Aberdeen were playing Hearts or Hibs; once I travelled to Aberdeen on the local supporters' club bus for Willie Miller's testimonial match. My parents, bless them, let me do all this.
Eventually it burnt out and I got more interested in other things (kayaking, as it happens. Not boys. I was kind of a slow starter). I started to be fed up with the tribalism of it and the relentlessly inane commentary. I still kept up a little with how my team was doing, but largely I drifted off.
And when I lived in Glasgow for several years ... well, that put me off entirely. Because the whole thing was pointlessly, dangerously tribal. It sickened me, the way that the conflicts in Northern Ireland and the Middle East and former Yugoslavia sicken me, because it was all just ingrained prejudice, handed down and rarely questioned. Not that football fandom has to be like that, but I've seen so much that is.
And of course, since I was a fan, everything has changed enormously; football has become much more obviously about money, and I can understand why fans are resistant when some rich guy comes along and wants to change the club that they've grown up with. Aberdeen have fallen on harder times and from what I've glimpsed, nobody is really going to give Rangers and Celtic much of a run for their money anytime soon.
... you've made me ramble, and I hope this is okay :)