Why do you support who you do?

Galvasean

Okay, a lot of threads are getting derailed and going down this road so I taught a specific thread for this subject might be handy.
I'll get the ball rolling.

I support Arsenal. Why? basically when I was a kid my grandfather (an Everton fan oddly enough) gave me an Arsenal jersey. Arsenal were 12th in the league at that point but pretty much everybody I knew supported Man United so I decided to support this middle-of-the-road team as my personal FU to the world. :cool:

Anyone else got any heart warming stories?

stick-dan

I was raised in a liverpool frenzied family and followed suit. My family supported liverpool for decades and am proud to be part of a family that could never be accused as being band-wagon supporters. My aunts and uncles all go to anfield about 6 times a year and my obsession started also when i was given a jersey with ince on the back. The memories!i may dig up that jersey.

Bounty Hunter

.... Paul McGrath

Melion

My uncle supported Liverpool and ive followed them for longer than i can remember, there are pictures of me as a baby in the old yellow away strip. First shirt i can remember getting was the yellow crown paints shirt.

Xavi6

Manchester City 5-1 Manchester United, 1989.

I was four when I saw the highlights on Match of the Day. Being young and impressionable, I thought "Hmmm this team must be good". Oh how wrong I was.

My whole family is United or Leeds, massive rivalries and all that, then I come along in my sky blue jersey with 'Quinn 9' on the back to completely break the trend. Best thing I ever did though cause I wouldn't want to support a fashionable team really, despite all the hassle I used to get in school.

luckylucky

I supported Man U as a kid just because most of my family were into them and all of the other kids were into Liverpool - back when liverpool were top dog. I actually lost interest in United when they became successful. Now I really don't get why most Irish soccer fans support an English Team at all. I don't know where that whole thing started from in the first place. I enjoy watching any decent soccer match, but about the only team I support is Ireland and I'd really like an Irish club side (any of them) do well in Europe.

Xavi6

luckylucky wrote: »

I supported Man U as a kid just because most of my family were into them and all of the other kids were into Liverpool - back when liverpool were top dog. I actually lost interest in United when they became successful. Now I really don't get why most Irish soccer fans support an English Team at all. I don't know where that whole thing started from in the first place. I enjoy watching any decent soccer match, but about the only team I support is Ireland and I'd really like an Irish club side (any of them) do well in Europe.

It's all about exposure at a young age. City were the first club side I really saw so that's why I got into them. I also got into Shelbourne around the same time as my Dad took me to Tolka to see Leeds play them in a preseason friendly. Naturally I wanted his team to lose so I supported Shels! Have done since. Best of both worlds.

OPENROAD

Largely I have David Rocastle to thank for supporting Arsenal, remember the first time I was him play was for England,it was against Denmark in 1989,he was absolutely superb,thought to myself, wonder what club he plays for,I started to get into Arsenal around this time, yes it was the season we won the league at Anfield, and I got a lot of slagging from my mates that I was jumping on the bandwagon. What sealed it for me was going to my first ever soccer match, happened to be on a trip to London with my parents in September 1989 and I asked my dad to take me to Highbury, it was very like that scene from Fever Pitch, I walked up the steps of the West Stand to our seats,and was just taken in by the stadium, pitch, supporters,I can even remember as we walked down to our seats what song was playing, Richard Marx, Right Here Waiting, and when I hear that song now, it brings me back to that moment that would change my life.:)

menoscemo

My older brother was always a Liverpool fan so I became a Man United fan to spite him. This was early 80's and it was always the highlight of my year when United always beat Liverpool despite them winning the league every year.

Always remember them big matches on ITV back when they only showed 3 or 4 live league games a year.
Russel Beardsmore was a legend!!

Nunu

My older brother is a Utd fan so that helped, but Utds Cup run in '85 coincided with my first experiences of football and is my earliest football memory.
They had McGrath, Stapleton, Moran in their team then and the fateful day when I knew I was a Utd supporter was when I watched the semi-final v's Liverpool in my older cousins house(who are also Man Utd nuts!)...first time I got really worked up about a match and was praying for a Utd win. Also, I idolised Robson, despite being only 5 years old!...I had an eye for a great footballer even then:D

Edit: I can't believe there is footage of the game on youtube! Just look at Robsons(my first fooball hero) opening goal:eek:
Watching that brought back great memories. I'm feeling all nostalgic now! Thanks OP for opening the thread:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULycuKfc0HI

shoutman

Paul McGrath, Andy Townsend etc.. all the lads.

Guy:Incognito

My cousin was over from Germany when I was about 6 and gave me his Liverpool Jersey ( Crown paints one, ahh the mid 80's , what a time ) . Here I am, nearly 21 years later and it's been Liverpool for me ever since.

Zaph

Been a Leeds fan since the early 70s. They were the first team I remember seeing win on tv, and that coupled with a couple of older kids who lived across the road from me being Leeds fans swayed me in that direction. It's been a hell of a rollercoaster for the last 30 odd years.

Mossy Monk

I have no idea why I support Arsenal. I have done since I was very small.

leninbenjamin

when i was younger i started supporting ManU, no idea why, but i know it was reinforced by my mother telling me my grandfather used be mad about the busby babes back in the day (i used love history as well so i knew all about the history of the club even as a wee chap). anywho, long of the short i stopped supporting them, mainly because Cantona left and the brand had become bigger than the football (i always hated how they dropped the FC from the crest, it just seemed that they were completely abandoning their traditions and roots which were what had me hooked in the first place). Now i just follow whoever i think plays good football... Arsenal for the past few seasons largely...

DSB

Shels were the first team I ever saw in the flesh. Well Slugo Jugomagnat too but I don't think they count.

Dave!

All of my immediate family support Man Utd, so I didn't really have a choice. I was indoctrinated from a young age. Stopped following football for a few years and then came back to it relatively recently and remembered why it's so great

Can't change teams now.

PHB

I know the answer I give to this question, but I can't actually remember that far back anymore, so can't really remember if its true or something I thought as a kid

Kold

Come from North London almost equidistant from White Hart Lane and the then Highbury. Gary Lineker and Paul Gascoigne.

mayordenis

Re*ac*tor

Arsenal supporter since I was a nipper. Me Da is too, so I just followed him along. Still have a couple of JVC shirts lying around somewhere, with the much nicer older crest!

Peyton Manning

Man Utd.

First match I ever saw was United vs Liverpool when I was about 4 or 5. My 2 brothers and my Dad were backing for Liverpool, and seeing as I always fought with them and disagreed with them for kicks, I backed for United. Never turned back since - best decision I ever made.

iregk

Was brought up in a house being shown videos of the old Milan sides of the 50's & 60's by a father who always said english football was unclutured. Grew to love the Gre-No-Li with a passion. Followed Milan since them.

The Chelsea love started pretty much in school when nobody knew what I was talking about. This strange world of Calcio was lost on them and to stay in the conversations I had to follow an English team. Our school yard lunch time football game was United -v- Liverpool fans with the sprinkling of arsenal, villa and spurs being mixed in. If you weren't the big two you had to pick who you played for. My sisters bf was a Chelsea fan so I revolked and followed them. Ever since 7 I wore a blue jersey and played for the United side of our school yard. Thats well over 20 years ago now!!!

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DSB wrote: »

Shels were the first team I ever saw in the flesh. Well Slugo Jugomagnat too but I don't think they count.

+1

Except for me I don't think Karpaty Lviv count.

I stood behind the Drumcondra End goal, and my picture was in the Star the next day

event

Leeds

my Dad was a leeds fan so i started cos of that, back in 89 or 90

Obni

Grew up a Liverpool fan.
1992 BSkyB took over premiership TV rights.
No more live free-to-air top flight football.
Thought f*** Pool and the rest of the money-grubbing f***ers.
Stuck a UHF aerial on the roof, tuned into the Big Match on HTV and decided to follow the team from the only town in England in which I had relatives... Bolton.
Best thing I ever did. I've learned more about football following a team like Bolton, than I ever did following a big-money club.

Third_Echelon

Everton....

My family had emigrated to Australia around 1986/'87. My mother's cousin's husband (through marriage) was an Everton fan and they were the only relations we had there (he was more like an uncle really). I was about 6 or 7 at the time '86/'87 era, so they were pretty successful and I liked blue, so I thought I might as well...

Stayed faithful to this day. The 90's were tough though, but we had at least 1 trophy in that period

MIN2511

My whole family(mum included have supported Man Utd). As kids, my siblings and i never asked my dad for anything during the match. And when the match was over and Man Utd won, we asked for heaven and earth!!
I haven't been to Old trafford yet but i do wear my jersey on match days

Iago

Started playing football when I was 6, I was a goalkeeper at that stage and had blond hair. The lads on the team used to call me Gary Bailey after the United Keeper, I've supported them ever since.

get over anywhere between 6 and 12 times a season now (wife permitting!) and everytime is like the first time when the teams come out on the pitch and the roar goes up.

genericgoon

My Brother. Oh and the FA Cup final 1996 and Cantona.

keano_afc

1987 Littlewoods Cup final. I was 7 years old and was a big Charlie Nicholas fan if I remember rightly. We beat Liverpool 2-1 and I was a Gooner form then on. Lived next door to a Liverpool supporting family and the follwing year when we won the league at Anfield is still a fantastic memory.

gosplan

Michael Thomas

(Arsenal, not Liverpool har har har)

ditpoker

tottenham, my dad was a die hard fan (for some reason) and my uncles and dads friends etc bought me arsenal stuff to wind up my dad... but my fav jumper was an erik thortsvedt goalkeeping jersey, and then spurs beat arsenal in the fa-cup semi and then won the fa cup final against forest.... it was always gonna be spurs!

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gosplan wrote: »

Michael Thomas

(Arsenal, not Liverpool har har har)

One of my favourite football memories. My dad bawling his eyes out that Friday night.

Eirebear

I support Rangers because i am a proud British, Loyalist, Protestant Orangeman..........;)

redspider

I support Liverpool .....

.... for my troubles.
.... because I'm a masochist!

(Its a long story as to why I opted to support Liverpool but its not very unlike Archimedes' reasons above).

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Eirebear wrote: »

I support Rangers because i am a proud British, Loyalist, Protestant Orangeman..........;)

Good for you!

Eirebear

DesF wrote: »

Good for you!

lol, i forgot to mention bigot, but im sure your all able to make that assumption for yourself

Bubs101

I was a Vialli fan first and foremost so when he moved from Juve, so did I. Having said that, Watford was a step too far

ziggy

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sionnach

When my younger brother and I were about 5 and 6 we supported the teams of our older sister and brother, tottenham and liverpool. They decided we couldn't support the same teams as them so we drew from a pack of top trumps of the first division. I drew Arsenal and I never looked back, he drew Villa, poor sod

PauloMN

Eirebear wrote: »

I support Rangers because i am a proud British, Loyalist, Protestant Orangeman..........;)

LOL

Well ya couldnae support them for the futbaw...

(Like my Scottish accent typing EB?)

Eirebear

ziggy wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Ugly?!?! im offended!

ziggy

This post has been deleted.

Eirebear

PauloMN wrote: »

LOL

Well ya couldnae support them for the futbaw...

(Like my Scottish accent typing EB?)

lol your probably right at the moment...were boring as hell!

As for the scottish typing...your not bad but i would probably be better with Fitba'

monkey9

My granny gave me a red football kit on my seventh birthday. They were the fashion around the late eighties. No particular team, just white stripes going down the sleeves and a football where the crest should be. The came in red, blue, green etc. Anyway, mine was red. I asked my dad what team played in red and he said Liverpool so i went out into the garden and pretended to be playing for Liverpool. I've supported them ever since. So it's not just glory hunting or jumping on bandwagons. It's just circumstance.

Mossin

Started supporting Man Utd in the 89/90 season. Bryan robson was an inspiration and with Sparky up front they were a joy to watch. The F.A. Cup final vs Crystal Palace will always be a lasting memory of mine. I still have my jersey from that season in my wardrobe, although I doubt it still fits somehow.

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Mossin wrote: »

Started supporting Man Utd in the 89/90 season. Bryan robson was an inspiration and with Sparky up front they were a joy to watch. The F.A. Cup final vs Crystal Palace will always be a lasting memory of mine. I still have my jersey from that season in my wardrobe, although I doubt it still fits somehow.

I well remember them kits alright.

justfortherecor

Lived in Scotland when I was younger and supported Rangers up until I was about 7 (I'm Irish catholic btw) Unfortunately, due to a nasty incident(s) at school from older students I never want anything to do with Scottish football again.

Instead I followed in my Dad's footsteps and began supporting Man Utd. Got the 92/93 jersey for xmas in 1992 (the one with the laces across the neck) and have been devoted to them ever since.

Eirebear

Ahem, just incase my humour was misplaced i would like to state that i am Scots born and lived in Ireland for most of my life, my religion has no effect on what football team i support and i definetly dont class myself as loyalist of orange.

I also suffered at the hands of bullies due to the football team i supported and to a certain extent still do (whence my comments earlier) but would never change the football team i support for anyone.

GuanYin

Uncle took me to see Forest Vs County exhibition match off the back of Forests European Cup win. Don't remember much about it but Forest won and I still have the jersey somewhere (although it doesn't fit me anymore ).

Faded in and out of interest in watching football for years after that, would watch agame if they were on TV, but didn't watch or know much about other teams.

In my very early teens I took a job waiting tables in a pub. I almost ALWAYS worked the weekend shifts and with other sport on durin the 3pm games, the regulars would always ask me to go and check the teletext for the scores.

Eventually I got to know just about every player in the top 2 leagues listening to the punters argue over teams (much like here, only they were much more civil). Forest were on the 1st Div then, but when they got promoted and did well for a bit, I really got caught up in the storm. I have the jersey from that era and it still fits!!!!