bhends wrote:

Devil-Is-Red wrote:Just touching on that last point you made, it will be interesting to see how City fans embrace this new wave of new fans their marketing team are clearly trying to attract, since they have always given us grief of having so many glory hunters!

I often wonder how local fans feel about longer distance fans...Are Manchester residing United fans bitter towards foreign fans? Barca is often viewed as more than a football club, as a symbol of Catalan pride etc, does that mean Catalunyan (or Catalan?) feel resentment towards people from other parts of Spain cheering on Barca? (Let alone the rest of the world etc) the story goes on and on the same way for all big clubs...I've just never bothered to dig deeply enough for an answer

It shouldn't matter to be honest. Considering most top teams are not entirely based on a single nationality or ethnicity, it would be stupid for local fans to look down upon foreigners.

picking ur first team because there winning isnt glory hunting, thats just the way it goes really when you pick ur first team to support.

glory hunting is me right now being an arsenal and juve supporter but now switching to lets say man city and inter as both my teams have dropped off for the last 6 years or so and moving on to teams who have been winning currently or will be soon enough.

michael1 wrote:picking ur first team because there winning isnt glory hunting, thats just the way it goes really when you pick ur first team to support.

glory hunting is me right now being an arsenal and juve supporter but now switching to lets say man city and inter as both my teams have dropped off for the last 6 years or so and moving on to teams who have been winning currently or will be soon enough.

What it comes down to is a bunch of elitist pricks trying to tell newer supporters that their reasons for supporting a club are terrible when in reality they don't differ in any way.

When it comes to picking the first team you ever support though, it doesn't necessarily come down to winning. Some people start supporting a team because of a player they like, which eventually develops into a love for the club.

poolsupporter wrote:

michael1 wrote:picking ur first team because there winning isnt glory hunting, thats just the way it goes really when you pick ur first team to support.

glory hunting is me right now being an arsenal and juve supporter but now switching to lets say man city and inter as both my teams have dropped off for the last 6 years or so and moving on to teams who have been winning currently or will be soon enough.

What it comes down to is a bunch of elitist pricks trying to tell newer supporters that their reasons for supporting a club are terrible when in reality they don't differ in any way.

When it comes to picking the first team you ever support though, it doesn't necessarily come down to winning. Some people start supporting a team because of a player they like, which eventually develops into a love for the club.

agree on people likeing a certain player and supporting that team because of it.

regarding the glory hunting im not refering to new people on the block who are lets 13-14years old and have picked city as there club to support as long as its there first club thats fine.

i just dont agree with switching clubs.

my 2 teams might be shit right now but im attached to them, when they win im in a good mood, when they lose im the opposite.

if i just kept switching teams to whoever is the best for now theres no emotion in it which for me is the reason i watch soccer, the moments when ur heart is in ur mouth when u see the apposing teams striker breaking through ur defence and bearing down on ur goalkeeper or when u lose to a last minute goal thats costs u something for istance arsenal vs birmingham in carling cup

glory hunters can go watch another sport as far as im concerned

michael1 wrote:

poolsupporter wrote:

michael1 wrote:picking ur first team because there winning isnt glory hunting, thats just the way it goes really when you pick ur first team to support.

glory hunting is me right now being an arsenal and juve supporter but now switching to lets say man city and inter as both my teams have dropped off for the last 6 years or so and moving on to teams who have been winning currently or will be soon enough.

What it comes down to is a bunch of elitist pricks trying to tell newer supporters that their reasons for supporting a club are terrible when in reality they don't differ in any way.

When it comes to picking the first team you ever support though, it doesn't necessarily come down to winning. Some people start supporting a team because of a player they like, which eventually develops into a love for the club.

agree on people likeing a certain player and supporting that team because of it.

regarding the glory hunting im not refering to new people on the block who are lets 13-14years old and have picked city as there club to support as long as its there first club thats fine.

i just dont agree with switching clubs.

my 2 teams might be shit right now but im attached to them, when they win im in a good mood, when they lose im the opposite.

if i just kept switching teams to whoever is the best for now theres no emotion in it which for me is the reason i watch soccer, the moments when ur heart is in ur mouth when u see the apposing teams striker breaking through ur defence and bearing down on ur goalkeeper or when u lose to a last minute goal thats costs u something for istance arsenal vs birmingham in carling cup

glory hunters can go watch another sport as far as im concerned

Nah, I think that is a little close minded. Not everyone is as attached to football as you and I may be. As such, a lot of the 'glory hunters' that I've come across are just people who enjoy watching football every now and then, but root for different teams all the time. (Note: root as opposed to support) The distinction is a little blurry, but I hope I've gotten the point I was trying to make across.

i do know what u mean but then can we really consider them fans.

as im the same regarding nrl i dont watch it nor like it very much but i root for the doggies, in which case i wouldnt classify fans like that in soccer as actual fans.

there just people who dont mind watching it from time to time like i do with nrl

im refering to people who love soccer but switch teams for instace a freind of mine been supporting arsenal longer than than me but he supports city now cause he sick of arsenal and wenger.

bhends wrote:
I often wonder how local fans feel about longer distance fans...Are Manchester residing United fans bitter towards foreign fans? Barca is often viewed as more than a football club, as a symbol of Catalan pride etc, does that mean Catalunyan (or Catalan?) feel resentment towards people from other parts of Spain cheering on Barca? (Let alone the rest of the world etc) the story goes on and on the same way for all big clubs...I've just never bothered to dig deeply enough for an answer

Not sure about other clubs, but at Sunderland we tend to make a big deal out of them, but in a good way, embrace them I suppose.Once you see how far they travel for games you have to respect them. On the Sunderland board forum we have a couple of american supporters who come across for a couple of games a season. One bloke comes from texas, he has to set off on a Wed, gets here sometime on the Fri for a match and the Saturday then leaves straight after getting home on monday or tuesday.

Once they are here if they make them self s known its unlikely they will ever have to buy a drink in the pub. People often help with accommodation and lifts to the game.

I remember a couple of years ago a couple of lads came across for a match from some eastern european country, I dont think they were even in the country legally they pretty much hitch-hiked the whole way. They didn't have much money and I dont even think they had tickets for game. But a operation started on the SMB to get them to the match. Someone put them up for a night down south, then someone else drove them up north. One guy used his works company card to pay for a room they could stay in at a hotel. Someone else donated tickets.

We also have Estonian & Finnish supporters branches who come across regular for games. Normally a couple of hundred of them.

There is normally a thread before match days asking how far people are travelling, some of the replies are mental.

0645 on the train
0925 flight to london
1150 flight to dublin
1510 flight to newcastle

Driving from Kazakhstan to Orenburg Russia tonight, fly to Dusseldorf in the morning, Dusseldorf to Manchester tomorrow afternoon, get home near Blackpool late Friday.

We also have a friendship with feyenoord fans, allot of their fans come across regular for our games and some of ours go across to see them. You can pretty much always see a feyenoord mackems banner at our games & theirs.

I suppose though the thing with us is we are not particularly a glory club, we haven't won anything so its not as if they are joining a bandwagon. So our fans will be friendly and not look down our nose at them and feel superior.





A few from our estonian & Finnish branch near their banner in the SOL

bhends wrote:
Barca is often viewed as more than a football club, as a symbol of Catalan pride etc, does that mean Catalunyan (or Catalan?) feel resentment towards people from other parts of Spain cheering on Barca? (Let alone the rest of the world etc)

My 2 cents as a local Barça fan.
I am open to everyone that wants to join Barça and become a fan. I don't care where he is from, if he is a gloryhunter (althoug I would expect him to stick with Barça) or his past either. I only demand they attach themselves to Barça/catalan values to the extent they can or at least respect them.

All international fans tend to at least respect that Barça is more than a Club because we are the team of Catalonia, but some spanish Barça fans don't respect that and those, I don't like them to be fans of Barça and would kick them out if I could.

GyansDancingBoots wrote:
We also have Estonian & Finnish supporters branches who come across regular for games. Normally a couple of hundred of them.

similar story like this in slovakia, the yellow suckers have a fanclub in a town called michalovce because it's a sister town (or whatever it's called) with vila-real

I actually became a Real fan by chance. Was watching a football match on ESPN many moons ago (probably 94 or 95) and just happen to see a side in white that was playing good and decided I'm gonna follow this side because I just couldn't deal with my Liverpool loving family anymore. Go figure they were the most winning side in Spain so yeah, that's how this band wagoner end up on that silly boat ride to Madridista land.

Good looks GDB/Freecat for the insight

bhends wrote:

Devil-Is-Red wrote:Just touching on that last point you made, it will be interesting to see how City fans embrace this new wave of new fans their marketing team are clearly trying to attract, since they have always given us grief of having so many glory hunters!

I often wonder how local fans feel about longer distance fans...Are Manchester residing United fans bitter towards foreign fans? Barca is often viewed as more than a football club, as a symbol of Catalan pride etc, does that mean Catalunyan (or Catalan?) feel resentment towards people from other parts of Spain cheering on Barca? (Let alone the rest of the world etc) the story goes on and on the same way for all big clubs...I've just never bothered to dig deeply enough for an answer

I don't see the reason why they would be. I'm a foreign United fan, but I love the club just as much as a United fan who lives around the corner from the stadium. Just like Free_cat touched upon too, if someone has that kind've attitude and respect for the club and what it stands for...actually know about the club and support them no matter what, then it won't make a difference whatsoever where they're form!

I say at a young age you pick a club that you enjoy to watch/your family support. Many people watch them from such a young age (such as myself) that you have no real idea how they are doing in the league you just enjoy them.

Glory hunting doesn't come into it until you are fully aware of how football works within leagues, cups etc. If you are wise enough to know about football and then travel from team to team based on their current standing then you're a glory hunter.

E.G if somebody becomes a man united fan at about 7 years old you can't really accuse them of being a glory hunter, they just grew up liking the club.

On the other hand, when you see a 30 year old man suddenly buy the manchester united kits and stop going to leyton orient games then you can safely assume, he's a glory hunter.