Who do you have a "soft spot" for?

kronsington

apart from the one team you support (aside from the national team), most people tend to have a softspot for other sides, often less succesful than the team the primarily support. for me, i always look out for the results of sheff wed even though im an arsenal fan and have done for years.. i dont really know why, i used to love chris waddle when he was at marseille and maybe it started when he joined wednseday. i hesititate to mention the next side i have a mild liking for .... rangers. now before i get torn to shreds let me explain.. i have always had a very strong hatred towards all things leeds united and back in 1992/93, leeds came up against rangers in a european cup qualifier and subsequently beat them, i was so delighted that i supported them through their european campaign that year and later years too.. a couple of years after that, rangers signed one of my favourite players of all time, brian laudrup, from fiorentina which i just couldnt believe.. this sealed the deal.. im not passionate about scottish football or dislike celtic (infact, i was gutted when milan knocked them out), but ive always inexplicably liked rangers more. i was only interested, and still am, in football matters when it comes to these teams, and i suppose, chose to ignore the other baggage that comes with these teams. i would be lying if i said i didnt take the odd beating growing up for my liking of rangers.. there was this **** down the road from me who used to bully me about it so after a while, i would bring it up just to show i was not putting up with his bull**** and it wasnt going to sway me... thats it.. i might set up a thread about why people hate certain clubs and players but in all liklihood this will lead to nasty arguments and the mods wont be too happy.

anyway, my name is kronsington, and i have a softspot for sheffield wednesday and (gulp) rangers...

Nalz

Sunderland
Oldham
Peterbourgh
Hibernian

Rollo Tamasi

Everton and Morten Gamst Pedersen

Seaneh

I only "really" support ATFC and Milan.

I have lot of love for Swansea City.

Have a serious soft spot for

Sheffield Wednesday
Carlisle
Triestina

kensutz

Norwich City FC and only NCFC.

Reganio 2

Strasbourg in France - absoloutly no reason why I just always liked them.
West Ham
Sunderland - and yes before Roy Keane was their manager.
and of course Stephen Ireland but everybody likes him cause he is a legend.

pickarooney

Swansea and Hamilton Academicals. Can't really remember why, but I think it stems from a Subbuteo tournament about twenty years ago.

ciaran76

Torquay !!! I think it was from watching Fawlty Towers when I was young !

The_B_Man

Sunderland (since about 96) and Holland, just coz...

oh and spurs for some reason, maybe coz they've always had a few paddys.

Attractive Nun

Preston NE - relatives in England support them and I went to a match of theirs when I was younger.

PHB

Brighton, terribly sad to see them relegated, but hopefully the stadium expansion will bring them back up to the championship eventually

Also have a soft spot for Spurs because they play nice football

Oh yeh, Real Madrid cause of Ruud and Beckham, although it's just Ruud now, and the team has changed alot, so not so sure anymore.

kinaldo

Real Madrid because Raul has probably been my favourite player since he scored the winner in the CL QF 1st Leg against Juventus back in 96.

QPR because they gave us (Newcastle) Les Ferdinand, went down and never came back up.

_blank_

Carmarthen Town, because I've been to matches when a friend was in college in Carmarthen. Sorry Longford fans

Cardiff City, same reason.

St. Pauli in Germany because my gf bought me a pin badge when she was in Hamburg. Such a cool club. I haven't been to see them yet, but I plan to next season.

Barcelona.

Milan because of van Basten. He's my favourite ever player.

Most of the teams that have played Shels in Euro competition over the years get a glance. What's the opposite of 'soft spot'? Well I have one for Hajduk Split because of the disrespect they showed us before we knocked them out.

Similarly to the OP I have to take a gulp now. I can't believe this, but also ManYoo :eek: . Hughes, Robson. That goal Hughes scored against Oldham in the FA Cup.

Argentina because it's the very first game I ever remember. The WC one when Maradona scored the Hand of God goal.

SectionF

Leeds (telly when I was 10, not being ManU)
Barca (member club, like Bohs)
Villa (history and free of the shameless Paddywhackery of most 'Irish' EPL clubs)
Portsmouth (pig iron)
St Pat's: eek: Good 'proper club' vibe at Richmond Pk

sofireland

Bradford City - Used to go to school in Bradford when i was younger, even though i supported Man U, i always had a soft spot for them.

mikemac

Cambridge United in the Conference.
Simply because when I picked up Championship Manager on the PC, I started playing with them and now always check their results and and their website.
As good a reason as any I suppose

Gretna
Have been my number 1 banker nearly every week on my betting slip in Paddy Powers

Sampdoria.
The won Seria A when I first got interested in football and RTE showed Italian soccer back then

5starpool

Oxford Utd from the time Aldridge and Houghton were there. And the yellow kit.
Watford from the time John Barnes and Luther Blissett were there. And the yellow kit.

Benedict XVI

5starpool wrote:

Oxford Utd from the time Aldridge and Houghton were there. And the yellow kit..

Snap...

Also the club formerly known as Scarborough, who went bust this week.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/6221674.stm

They were the first team directly promoted to the football league in 1987.
In their first game in Division 4 v Wolves, two fans were badly injured when they fell through the roof of the stand, on which they were dancing, it was all caught on TV.
Here is the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW6pPxLZKIw

Paul Tergat

sofireland wrote:

Bradford City - Used to go to school in Bradford when i was younger, even though i supported Man U, i always had a soft spot for them.

same as that, apart from im actually a true bradfordian!

Celtic are another one for me and i look out for/rarely sometimes go to Halifax Town games

Mossy Monk

I like to keep an eye on Huddersfield Town.

Pepe LeFrits

Milan, classy club, classy players

Cool_CM

1. FC Koln!

Mushy

Wigan...damn that old Championship Manager game.

Huddersfield...damn my young impressionabl ways back all those years ago(the stadium looked fancy at the time).

Limerick Dude

Arsenal - Beautiful football.

LegacyUser

Man United because it's the team I loved since I was a kid and then Barcelona because of the way the club is run and La Porta is a bit of a genius. Not to mention the team players like Ronaldinho, Eto, Messi and now Henry...holy **** that's some line up.

And now Sunderland because Roy is there and well, he's a bit of a legend.

evil_seed

Weston Super Mare - what a name lol
The might mighty gretna, kenny duscher what a legend!!!

V9

Milan without a shadow of a doubt, great club.

Blowfish

Sunderland (and yes because of RK)
Ajax - because of how legendary they were in the early 90's
UCD - From going there.

And who could forget AFC Wimbledon - because that's what football is all about

missingtime

micmclo wrote:

Sampdoria.
The won Seria A when I first got interested in football and RTE showed Italian soccer back then

Ditto.

Danny Murphy cos he always used to score against Utd and I thought he should have been given a season under benitez - although I think there was something else behind his selling

Ronaldo, during the world cup when they beat Germany and he scored 2 goals. Simply class.

445279.ie

Sampdoria, due to Channel 4 coverage years ago on a Sunday afternoon

Rochdale - cos Ian Dempsey show on 2FM years ago chose them as the team to follow for a season

Zurich FC - cos my sister lives there and I've been to a few of their games

PDN

Glasgow Rangers. This is probably because I like a good argument and being the only Rangers fan in Drogheda keeps me busy!

ROCKMAN

Always look for Scunthorpe results ,ever since they landed a nice accumulator bet for me a few years back.

wanabe

crewe because my favourite player for liverpool when i started supporting them "Rob Jones" started his career there!

gosplan

Napoli - Maradonna & hometown of cannvaro

West Ham - Always entertaining

Basel - legends for doing so well in the champions league a few years back despite being from Switzerland

Reading.

i suppose i took notice cos they have a guy from nearby gortnahoe, shane long in the ranks and another nearby lad from rathgormack, stephen hunt ,who went to school in nearby carrick on suir. Both hoenst professionals and both have the heart of a lion.

I have grown to really love and respect the club. they are such a good spirited honest footballing side. no hail mary'ing balls up the park.

i like the manager who has had tremendous success with teams on a shoestring.

And theres Kevin Doyle who in my opinion will be a true great and a world class player. He's both brave and honest in the shearer mould which is rare for a player nowadays.

Id nearly encourage arsenal to sign him but it would be such a pity to break up the nucleus of a great little side to watch

Royale with Cheese

1. FC Köln, although I wouldn't really say I have a soft spot for them, would class myself as a supporter. It's quite hard to support a second division German team from Ireland though.

Maybe I have a soft spot for West Ham, desperately didn't want them to go down.

Eirebear

evil_seed wrote:

Weston Super Mare - what a name lol
The might mighty gretna, kenny duscher what a legend!!!

Deuchar not at gretna anymore mate, he fell out with them last season over cash.
Playing somehwere in the english lower leagues now.

Mines would be everton, (long before the days of smith and gazza etc before anyone says so).
Not sure why, my mate supported them when i was about 6, so i watched them with him and his brother

ullu

Reading from watching late night Coca Cola cup highlights one year in the mid nineties when Jimmy Quinn played for them and because they were hard done by when they finished second in the first division but didn't get automatic promotion due to the downsizing of the Premiership.

I don't follow Scottish football but recently developed a soft spot for Hibernian after watching them beat Aberdeen 4-1 at home in some cup replay in January. It was one of the most enjoyable games I've watched in ages with some cracking goals and one of the best through balls I've ever seen to set up a goal.

ziggy

This post has been deleted.

Hoops1888

seansouth wrote:

St. Pauli in Germany

Second that.

And for all you Milano boys ye were very lucky against Celtic In Milan

V9

Hoops1888 wrote:

And for all you Milano boys ye were very lucky against Celtic In Milan

I was actually rooting for Celtic in both legs, I'll get behind Celtic all the way when they're in Europe, its where they're really tested as a top club, if ya ask me.

Fratton Fred

Apart from Portsmouth, I also follow Pompey reserves, Pompey Youth team and Pompey ladies:D

Seriously though, I also like to se Wycombe Wanderers do well as I used to live ten minute walk from their ground and have seen thm in the conference, the second and third division (or whatever they ae called this season) and also Reading, as a lot of my mates support them and Ihave had many a good night after a game at Elm Park. They have lost a lot of the appeal to me now they have their new ground, they are a premiership team and suddenly 24,000 people turn up every week. When I used to go, they were in the old old third division and were lucky to get 6,000!

smashey

Berwick Rangers. Just something stupid from years ago that has carried on to this day.

Fratton Fred

smashey wrote:

Berwick Rangers. Just something stupid from years ago that has carried on to this day.

wasn't there a load of Newcassle supporters who used to follow them when the toon weren't at home?

jackdaw

Hi
Im a Chelsea fan .. have been since 1998 when I started following football
would you believe i have a soft spot for Arsenal & Totenham !!!!

I feel particularly badly for Arsenal fans right now .. since Henry has left...

smashey

Fratton Fred wrote:

wasn't there a load of Newcassle supporters who used to follow them when the toon weren't at home?

True.

With us, it stems from when Derry City started in the League of Ireland and we were travelling to every game. We saw a similarity with Berwick in that they also play in another jurisdiction.

A few of us were in Newcastle a couple of years ago for a stag party and the plan was to get the train to Berwick on the Saturday morning for a match. It didn't happen due to copious amounts of alcohol on Friday night.

Someday.

Eirebear

smashey wrote:

True.

With us, it stems from when Derry City started in the League of Ireland and we were travelling to every game. We saw a similarity with Berwick in that they also play in another jurisdiction.

A few of us were in Newcastle a couple of years ago for a stag party and the plan was to get the train to Berwick on the Saturday morning for a match. It didn't happen due to copious amounts of alcohol on Friday night.

Someday.

Wow!, the power of football eh?
I never thought id hear anyone dreaming of going to berwick "someday"
makes me smile!

smashey

Eirebear wrote:

Wow!, the power of football eh?
I never thought id hear anyone dreaming of going to berwick "someday"
makes me smile!

I think you meant to say "the madness of football".

Eirebear

smashey wrote:

I think you meant to say "the madness of football".

yeah, theres no point trying to romanticise Berwick really is there!

gustavo

Sampdoria
Manchester United

Cool_CM

Royale with Cheese wrote:

1. FC Köln, although I wouldn't really say I have a soft spot for them, would class myself as a supporter. It's quite hard to support a second division German team from Ireland though.

www.bundesliga.de
Its fairly good for keeping track of things, you can listen to the matches live(if you speak German) and there's the live match ticker in English if you don't, as well the German articles are a lot better than the English ones(they don't translate all of the news). Always up to date.
Setanta showed one of their German cup games during the year too, just a pity they weren't promoted otherwise we'd be able to watch the odd league match too