Saturday, January 20, 2007
To those among us who watch the football
Do you support your team or enjoy your sport? Or both.
Which is more important to you?
I'm sure we all know the example of AFC Wimbledon. Did the fans decide that the sport was more important than their club or the other way around? Some could argue that the club moved to milton keynes and the true fans accepted that and moved on but those who believe in football as a grass roots sport continued to support the team at the end of their road whoever they were which was now AFC.
But the more likely arguement was that club is more important than sport here because the supporters would rather support their club as they see it than watch another team play in the higher leagues.
This situation is happening this year in F1 as Minardi is going to reappear in one of the sports lower ranks. But nobody really seems to care.
My question is this: could you, as a football fan ever enjoy a match where your team lost. And could you ever objectively put it above other games where your team had won. Can you imagine at the end of your time when you turn in your greatest games of all time having the number one game on the list be a game where your team lost?
I don't think the AFC situation could ever happen in motorsport or cricket really where, like F1, you are more often than not supporting the sport rather than the team or individual.
So Adrian, and any other football people, I would love to hear your answers.
And Stew it is my opinion that you, unlike your less bearded colleagues in this establishment, do tend towards more supporting one driver, one team or along national lines. And i wonder if that's true. And do you have a problem with people being more generalist supporters? I know you don't mind criticising Button. I wonder if that's just because he's rubbish or because you feel he should be doing better considering he's been the leading Brit.
And finally Nick. Why don't you have a beard any more? Is it because you feel that Stew has cornered the beard market with his online name?
And to Alex. Is it wise to write posts when this drunk?
[note I was drunk when I wrote this not now when I'm posting it]
Which is more important to you?
I'm sure we all know the example of AFC Wimbledon. Did the fans decide that the sport was more important than their club or the other way around? Some could argue that the club moved to milton keynes and the true fans accepted that and moved on but those who believe in football as a grass roots sport continued to support the team at the end of their road whoever they were which was now AFC.
But the more likely arguement was that club is more important than sport here because the supporters would rather support their club as they see it than watch another team play in the higher leagues.
This situation is happening this year in F1 as Minardi is going to reappear in one of the sports lower ranks. But nobody really seems to care.
My question is this: could you, as a football fan ever enjoy a match where your team lost. And could you ever objectively put it above other games where your team had won. Can you imagine at the end of your time when you turn in your greatest games of all time having the number one game on the list be a game where your team lost?
I don't think the AFC situation could ever happen in motorsport or cricket really where, like F1, you are more often than not supporting the sport rather than the team or individual.
So Adrian, and any other football people, I would love to hear your answers.
And Stew it is my opinion that you, unlike your less bearded colleagues in this establishment, do tend towards more supporting one driver, one team or along national lines. And i wonder if that's true. And do you have a problem with people being more generalist supporters? I know you don't mind criticising Button. I wonder if that's just because he's rubbish or because you feel he should be doing better considering he's been the leading Brit.
And finally Nick. Why don't you have a beard any more? Is it because you feel that Stew has cornered the beard market with his online name?
And to Alex. Is it wise to write posts when this drunk?
[note I was drunk when I wrote this not now when I'm posting it]
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That's a good post, drunk or not :)
I think the question of expectation comes into it - even if you lost, did you expect to win?
Say you are a supporter of Macclesfield Town and in 2006/7 you battle your way to the 3rd Round of the FA Cup. The draw is held and you have a fantastic home draw against Chelsea. This means (a) TV money (great for a small club), (b) a replay if you can hold them to a draw (yet more TV and gate money) or (c) a chance of one of the greatest cup upsets of all time if you win.
However, not even the most ardent Macc fan expects them to win against Chelsea but it just might be one of the best matches you ever get to see; the likes of Lampard, Drogba and Essien showing their skills on your cut-up old turf pitch next to the flyover, sponsored by the local butcher. You go on lose 6-1 but I bet you buy the commemorative T-shirt and try to get an autograph or two for the kids.
Myself, as a born and bred Arsenal fan, I hope (read: expect) that the team beats everybody. When they don't, I am in a foul mood (just ask Solveig or see me at work on a Monday morning!). So it would be much harder for me to accept that a game where we had lost was better than one where we had won, even if it was a nine goal extra-time thriller in the Champions League final against Barcelona.
That said, I will pretty much watch any game of football, on TV or at the park or the gym, just because I enjoy the game in all its forms (except maybe Bolton Wanderers). Just don't even talk to me if we don't beat Man Utd on Sunday. I shall be the one in the North Stand, yelling my head off as Thierry picks up the ball on the half-way line, turns on a sixpence, one-two with Cesc, beats two pl.........sorry, drifted off there :)
Up the Arse! And Red Bull for 2007!
I think the question of expectation comes into it - even if you lost, did you expect to win?
Say you are a supporter of Macclesfield Town and in 2006/7 you battle your way to the 3rd Round of the FA Cup. The draw is held and you have a fantastic home draw against Chelsea. This means (a) TV money (great for a small club), (b) a replay if you can hold them to a draw (yet more TV and gate money) or (c) a chance of one of the greatest cup upsets of all time if you win.
However, not even the most ardent Macc fan expects them to win against Chelsea but it just might be one of the best matches you ever get to see; the likes of Lampard, Drogba and Essien showing their skills on your cut-up old turf pitch next to the flyover, sponsored by the local butcher. You go on lose 6-1 but I bet you buy the commemorative T-shirt and try to get an autograph or two for the kids.
Myself, as a born and bred Arsenal fan, I hope (read: expect) that the team beats everybody. When they don't, I am in a foul mood (just ask Solveig or see me at work on a Monday morning!). So it would be much harder for me to accept that a game where we had lost was better than one where we had won, even if it was a nine goal extra-time thriller in the Champions League final against Barcelona.
That said, I will pretty much watch any game of football, on TV or at the park or the gym, just because I enjoy the game in all its forms (except maybe Bolton Wanderers). Just don't even talk to me if we don't beat Man Utd on Sunday. I shall be the one in the North Stand, yelling my head off as Thierry picks up the ball on the half-way line, turns on a sixpence, one-two with Cesc, beats two pl.........sorry, drifted off there :)
Up the Arse! And Red Bull for 2007!
P.S. I know that Chelsea v Macclesfield tie was at Stamford Bridge, I was just upping the "romance of the cup" factor :)
I was talking to a cabbie who was a a Crystal Palace supporter (who I of course support vigorously despite never having seen them live - is this right -ed).
He was saying that because the game has become so expensive even the glory supporters who are supporting Chelsea can't afford a home season ticket. But they are all there each week in the pub taking the piss about supporting Palace. And then whenever Chelsea play Palace they all go along and sit in the away stands. He was saying that it was a shocking indictment of a sport gone mad. If the supporters of a team 5 miles away can't afford to go every week then it's not football any more.
I as an F1 fan thought, heh nobody I know in the world could afford to go to every F1 event in a year but does that make it any less of a sport?
Football has always seemed to me to be a home spun kind of a thing. And yet in the last few years (maybe 10) it really seems to have come away from that.
He was saying that because the game has become so expensive even the glory supporters who are supporting Chelsea can't afford a home season ticket. But they are all there each week in the pub taking the piss about supporting Palace. And then whenever Chelsea play Palace they all go along and sit in the away stands. He was saying that it was a shocking indictment of a sport gone mad. If the supporters of a team 5 miles away can't afford to go every week then it's not football any more.
I as an F1 fan thought, heh nobody I know in the world could afford to go to every F1 event in a year but does that make it any less of a sport?
Football has always seemed to me to be a home spun kind of a thing. And yet in the last few years (maybe 10) it really seems to have come away from that.
I think someone stole my beard.
I thought it made me look older. Then I thought I don't want to look older.
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I thought it made me look older. Then I thought I don't want to look older.
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