The Soccer Thread (IV)

Did anyone else catch the Milan-L.A. friendly tonight?

 

Neither. I wanted a team who wasn't good or bad, one from which no one expected anything from but which wouldn't be the worst team in the league. Sadly, I was stupid enough to pick a West Coast team, so I got stuck doing late recaps for half the season.

 

My team ...



... currently sits in the third tier of English football. And I didn't pick them up as my fave in their late 90s salad days either, I became a fan before their '92 championship when they were still in what was then Division 2.

Because I follow Leeds, my hatred for the "big" English clubs is probably even more refined. I hate Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea ... even Tottenham, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest. And to your point, I hate their dipshit bandwagon fans 'round here even more.

Following oddball teams does happen, though, Piotr. When it came time for me to pick a hockey team, with no Wisconsin team for me to pick, I dithered between the Hartford Whalers and Quebec Nordiques for crissakes.

Sometimes, it's something as superficial as a uniform. Or a player you irrationally like. In the case of soccer, it can even be religious affiliation (Celtic/Rangers most notably).

I chose Leeds because back in the day when all you got (if you were lucky) was weekly highlights, I thought their fans were totally loud and totally nuts at Elland Road, which of course, they are. I thought it was cool, so I decided to support them through some thick and a helluva a lot of thin, especially for the last decade or so.

I don't disagree with your point that many fans chose winners, but not all.

 

One of these things is no longer like the others....

 

Yes I know, but when I became a fan, Forest was a top-level team. I still don't like them.

Of course now, I'm relegated to getting my hate on against the likes of Yeovil.

 

Newcastle will be joining the party in no time Bubbler.

 

Sorry, Piotr. I have an MLS team, too.
Does the fact they won the title last year mean I'm a bandwagon jumper there? Or do I get a pass because I watched nearly every freaking game for two straight years when they didn't make the playoffs?
I picked Liverpool because I fell for Michael Owen when he scored the goal vs. ARG in the 98 World Cup. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a "big four" when Liverpool became my team. And when Owen abandoned them to go to Spain, I had to make a decision -- am I still on board? And the answer was very much yes.

 

Much like how my respect for the way Ryan Giggs plays the game mancrush caused me to follow United.

As I've said before, I've gotten to where I follow players more than teams these days. Sure, I got on board with Fulham (bandwagon Americanism). But I still hope for QPR's rightful ascendency into the EPL and root for Chelsea's relegation. And anytime there's an EPL vs. lower tier game in the FA Cup, I'm hoping for the upset.

 

Piotr, you're one of my favorite posters in the sandbox and you know a hell of a lot more about soccer than this arriviste. But I think you're taking in a bit more black-and-white on this topic than is probably warranted.

When I got heavy into following soccer four years ago, I immediately ruled out rooting for Man Yoo or Chelsea for obvious reasons; it's like a Brit coming over here and deciding to root for the Yankees. I narrowed it down to Arsenal and Tottenham, because I wanted a London-based team (my grandmother was born there). On top of that, I'll root for North Korea before I join Chelsea's right-wing, xenophobic fans.

I fell in love with Arsenal for two reasons; Jens Lehmann (who plays keeper with the same fanatical abandon as my son does) and Arsene Wenger, who coaches the game the way it's supposed to be played. I loved watching the free-flowing movement combined with Lehmann's aggressiveness in goal.

Do I feel like a bandwagon jumper? Not hardly, since the Gunners have won a big bag of dick since I climbed aboard. Yet I don't regret the pick at all; Arsenal is a fun -- albeit frustrating -- team to watch. And like Inks, I rooted for Fulham to avoid relegation two seasons ago because of the eight Americans the Cottagers had at the time.

My point? I guess it's a roundabout way to point out that not every Yank has an ulterior motive when picking a team. There are legitimate methods to our seeming madness.

 

Well damn Bird, you had to choose between Arsenal and Spurs? How come you chose the dark side? ;D

 

I began rooting for Man United because I remember watching them on the games on PBS (along with Nottingham Forest and Wimbeldon). When I got back into soccer in the late 90s, they were on a lot and I loved certain players (Giggs, Stam, Scholes, Becks and Keano). Sure it is a little Yankees-like, but I still enjoy the team. Plus, as a Mets, Knicks and Jets fan, I have plenty of losing teams in my US sports. Following Boro just because they are likely to lose makes no sense to me.

 

I'll be Piotr's whipping girl. I decided to adopt a team after reading my friend Chuck Culpepper's book. He'd already claimed Portsmouth, so I asked friends of mine who watch soccer to help me figure out which team would fit me. My friend who's a tried-and-true Aston Villa fan suggested Newcastle. I'm a superficial fan, at best, anyway, so I liked the Toon Army thing. Here I am.

Then again, I guess I'd have to care in the least or name a player to really fit in here.