And you's always wonder...

DSB · 19-01-2008 01:58AM

Tusky wrote: »

I agree with this. I watch all Liverpools games. I will gladly watch other teams play but it would have to be a good game. I couldn't be arsed watching Derby v Middlesbrough for example. I would happily watch Man City v Blackburn, or Arsenal v Spurs.

Yeah but thats on TV. It's pretty easy to watch because its just a matter of changing a channel or whatever. Its cool enough like. Not a patch on the live experience though.

Mr Alan · 19-01-2008 02:01AM

Dont think anyone is doubting that its better to be at the match.

I think the number of irish premier league club fans who dont go to games but still claim to be "real" fans is the problem and bring other PL match-going fans names down tbh.

dont mean to offend anyone

Xavi6 · 19-01-2008 02:04AM

Mr Alan wrote: »

Dont think anyone is doubting that its better to be at the match.

I think the number of irish premier league club fans who dont go to games but still claim to be "real" fans is the problem and bring other PL match-going fans names down tbh.

dont mean to offend anyone

So if I (as a student) could only afford to go to one City game in three years I'm not a 'real' fan? B*llox. That's a snobby comment if ever I heard one.

Unearthly · 19-01-2008 02:04AM

DSB wrote: »

Yeah but thats on TV. It's pretty easy to watch because its just a matter of changing a channel or whatever. Its cool enough like. Not a patch on the live experience though.

Going to a match is infinitly better than watching on tv. When I go to Old Trafford, I think every game is amazing, and when I'm told by people when I come home that it was quite a dull game, It shocks me.

I would love to go to every Man Utd game live, but sadly I'm a student and not made of money

Tusky · 19-01-2008 02:05AM

DSB wrote: »

Yeah but thats on TV. It's pretty easy to watch because its just a matter of changing a channel or whatever. Its cool enough like. Not a patch on the live experience though.

I said in an earlier post that I have been to Eircom league games before.

DSB · 19-01-2008 02:06AM

Definitely true. But even still, I can't see why its such a problem to support both, not as a form of charity or out of obligation like, but I'm making a wild presumption that most people here enjoy live football. It costs alot of money to go to Liverpool, Manchester, London or wherever, definitely isn't possible to go to every home game, never mind every game of the season, or even close to it. Defo makes sense to make a quick bus journey every week and watch some football and have some fun.

Edit: This was in response to Alan's post. I need to start quoting more haha.

DSB · 19-01-2008 02:07AM

Tusky wrote: »

I said in an earlier post that I have been to Eircom league games before.

Where did I say you hadn't? Lots of people have been but haven't given it a fighting chance at all.

DSB · 19-01-2008 02:08AM

Xavi6 wrote: »

So if I (as a student) could only afford to go to one City game in three years I'm not a 'real' fan? B*llox. That's a snobby comment if ever I heard one.

To be honest I'd definitely agree with him. Not in a condescending way or anything. But I wouldn't consider myself a real fan of theatre if I watched a few plays on tv.

Mr Alan · 19-01-2008 02:09AM

Xavi6 wrote: »

So if I (as a student) could only afford to go to one City game in three years I'm not a 'real' fan? B*llox. That's a snobby comment if ever I heard one.

sorry i realise that reads as a snobby comment, and i didnt want it to.

i'm not into the whole fan/real fan debate, but would have thought it fairly obvious that fans go to games?

if you as a student could only afford to go to 1 game in three years? i would actually think you werent trying very hard to go, the amount of money you'd spend in 2 nights on the piss would get you over to a game.

sorry if that offends.

Unearthly · 19-01-2008 02:11AM

Mr Alan wrote: »

if you as a student could only afford to go to 1 game in three years? i would actually think you werent trying very hard to go, the amount of money you'd spend in 2 nights on the piss would get you over to a game.

sorry if that offends.

Depands

Some places offer drink for like 2 and 3 euro

Mr Alan · 19-01-2008 02:11AM

DSB wrote: »

Definitely true. But even still, I can't see why its such a problem to support both

as i said earlier in this thread, i dont get the whole idea of supporting more than one team. think its kind of a contradiction, be like cheating on my mrs!

Mr Alan · 19-01-2008 02:13AM

Unearthly wrote: »

Depands

Some places offer drink for like 2 and 3 euro

and some airlines and ferries offer fares for 1p!

have to be wiley when organising trips!

DSB · 19-01-2008 02:14AM

Hahaha I don't think you're too likely to have to worry about Liverpool meeting any of the Dublin clubs in Europe anytime soon. Unless you're planning to compete in the Intertoto next season maybe? Is Rafa that dodgy already?;)

Mr Alan · 19-01-2008 02:15AM

i'll tell ya know the way the yanks are running things at the moment nothing would suprise me!

OhNoYouDidn't · 19-01-2008 02:16AM

Tusky wrote: »

wow. What a post. What a disgusting elitest attitude.

Thank you.

Tusky wrote: »

Ive tried to get into the Eircom league. I watched a good few games but I would always find myself switching over to a different channel as it was so boring. Ive been to a couple of games and left with a feeling of regret at spending money on the tickets. The fact is, I don't enjoy watching it...so why should I ?

Then don't. But that has nothing to do with the LoI and everything to do with you. But the substantive point is there has been dire sporting consequence to the mass supporting of foreign leagues. Why not support Rovers and Man Utd? Pats and Celtic? The Italians all supprt their local side and if thats a lower league team, they tend to pick a Serie A side too. Pisa-Inter, Treviso-Juve, Massesse-Milan.

Tusky wrote: »

Would you intentionally go to **** Irish films in the cinema or buy crappy Irish film dvds purely to support the Irish film industry ? Most likely not.

...but you will go and watch the Hollywood movies, right ?

And to prove my point, support for a football club is reduced, again, to a product to consume. I don't 'support' a film. I don't volunteer at the Cinema. The fact you even made that point is exactly the argument I'm making. Us LoI fans have a far superior fan culture to the barstool brigade.

Xavi6 · 19-01-2008 02:20AM

DSB wrote: »

To be honest I'd definitely agree with him. Not in a condescending way or anything. But I wouldn't consider myself a real fan of theatre if I watched a few plays on tv.

I see so by that definition, living in Australia as I do and being being unable to fork out the $2500 for a round trip to Manchester every second weekend, I am not a 'real' fan despite the fact that I stay up frequently til the early hours of the morning to watch games?

DSB · 19-01-2008 02:20AM

Mr Alan wrote: »

i'll tell ya know the way the yanks are running things at the moment nothing would suprise me!

Haha weren't the yanks the 1 whos who tried to save Liverpool from the amazing Voronin though? They may have Liverpool's best interests at heart after all;)

estebancambias · 19-01-2008 02:21AM

I have gone to 14 Roma matches, my first being in 2000, however I don't think I am a 'real' Roma fan, I just like everything that surrounds the team. The only time I felt really bad after a Roma defeat was Man Utd and Lazio(the hammering a few years back) I felt much better when Cambiasso scored against Serbia, or bad when he missed the penalty against Germany.

I don't think how many times you go to a match defines if you are a true supporter but the actual genuine emotion you have for the team.
Xavi obviously has a real love for City.

I differ from other posters here(from what I have read) in that I just love watching football, I don't really need to care for the team.

DSB · 19-01-2008 02:22AM

Xavi6 wrote: »

I see so by that definition, living in Australia as I do and being being unable to fork out the $2500 for a round trip to Manchester every second weekend, I am not a 'real' fan despite the fact that I stay up frequently til the early hours of the morning to watch games?

Haha you've nothing to justify to me. I'm not trying to judge anyone or take individual cases and decide whether they fit my fan definition. I've no idea whether you're originally from Australia and have lived there your whole life or anything like that. If you are I find it a little bit strange alright.

DSB · 19-01-2008 02:26AM

estebancambias wrote: »

I have gone to 14 Roma matches, my first being in 2000, however I don't think I am a 'real' Roma fan, I just like everything that surrounds the team. The only time I felt really bad after a Roma defeat was Man Utd and Lazio(the hammering a few years back) I felt much better when Cambiasso scored against Serbia, or bad when he missed the penalty against Germany.

I don't think how many times you go to a match defines if you are a true supporter but the actual genuine emotion you have for the team.
Xavi obviously has a real love for City.

It's a bit of both though isnt it? Generally you wouldn't go to see your team every week, if you didn't have a genuine emotion for the team. I mean I'm sure we could assess individual backgrounds all night and come up with lots of different reasons why someone should or shouldn't be able to get to see that team, but in the end I think people can come to a universal agreement that a fan is someone that gos to see their team on a regular basis. There isn't a certain number of games that suddenly gives you the right to say you are one.

Mr Alan · 19-01-2008 02:27AM

Xavi6 wrote: »

I see so by that definition, living in Australia as I do and being being unable to fork out the $2500 for a round trip to Manchester every second weekend, I am not a 'real' fan despite the fact that I stay up frequently til the early hours of the morning to watch games?

well in fairness it slipped my mind that you were in Australia. Thats a different kettle of fish altogether. I mean that if its reasonabley cheap for you to go to games (from Ireland for example) and you dont, then you have a bit of a cheek calling yourself a fan. If you are on the other side of the world, it is somewhat understandable

estebancambias wrote: »

I don't think how many times you go to a match defines if you are a true supporter but the actual genuine emotion you have for the team.

i would think that its a combination of both.

if you dont make an attempt to go and see your team, the love cant be that much in my opinion.

(just to clarify, i'm not claiming to be an authority on this, just giving my opinion)

Xavi6 · 19-01-2008 02:29AM

DSB wrote: »

Haha you've nothing to justify to me. I'm not trying to judge anyone or take individual cases and decide whether they fit my fan definition. I've no idea whether you're originally from Australia and have lived there your whole life or anything like that. If you are I find it a little bit strange alright.

No stranger than living in Ireland and supporting a PL team. Both the A-League and the eL are deemed inferioer leagues so it's pretty much the same situation. The casino over here is jammers every weekend with fans wanting to watch their team same way as pubs in Dublin are. Your location doesn't define your status as a fan nor should it.

estebancambias · 19-01-2008 02:31AM

I would say if you have love for the club, and the performance of the team really means something to you, and you support the club in some way(buying jerseys) then you are a fan.

DSB · 19-01-2008 02:34AM

Xavi6 wrote: »

No stranger than living in Ireland and supporting a PL team. Both the A-League and the eL are deemed inferioer leagues so it's pretty much the same situation. The casino over here is jammers every weekend with fans wanting to watch their team same way as pubs in Dublin are. Your location doesn't define your status as a fan nor should it.

Haha I agree that its no different to Irish people supporting Premier League teams completely. All the points I made would apply equally. I think your location does define your status though as generally it makes getting to games pretty difficult which is kinda what defines being a fan really isn't it? I mean sometimes circumstances change and I wouldn't stop supporting Shels just because I had to move countries, but if I was Belgian I'm sure I wouldn't be a Shels fan.

estebancambias · 19-01-2008 02:36AM

Oh just to add, has anyone ever felt that 'hardcore' supporters are not actual football fans? Like I'm talking about the drunkards who attend nearly every game. They love the affiliation with the club, but I doubt they care too much about how Raul Garcia is doing with Ath. Madrid.

DSB · 19-01-2008 02:36AM

estebancambias wrote: »

I would say if you have love for the club, and the performance of the team really means something to you, and you support the club in some way(buying jerseys) then you are a fan.

I strongly disagree, but fair enough, I could have great love for the theatre, and buy all the crucial Shakespeare merch thats an offer, Hamlet mugs and the like, but if I'm not going to watch plays I'm not much of a fan of the theatre am I?

Unearthly · 19-01-2008 02:39AM

DSB wrote: »

I strongly disagree, but fair enough, I could have great love for the theatre, and buy all the crucial Shakespeare merch thats an offer, Hamlet mugs and the like, but if I'm not going to watch plays I'm not much of a fan of the theatre am I?

Not quite a fair comparison as you can go to any theatre when to be a fan it's only 1 stadium

Xavi6 · 19-01-2008 02:39AM

DSB wrote: »

Haha I agree that its no different to Irish people supporting Premier League teams completely. All the points I made would apply equally. I think your location does define your status though as generally it makes getting to games pretty difficult which is kinda what defines being a fan really isn't it? I mean sometimes circumstances change and I wouldn't stop supporting Shels just because I had to move countries, but if I was Belgian I'm sure I wouldn't be a Shels fan.

No but I wouldn't be surprised if you claimed to be a United or Liverpool fan. It's all about exposure.

DSB · 19-01-2008 02:42AM

Unearthly wrote: »

Not quite a fair comparison as you can go to any theatre when to be a fan it's only 1 stadium

Not really. There are stadiums all over the world. Kinda brings it back to the decision of choosing your clubs doesn't it?

estebancambias · 19-01-2008 02:42AM

And players? Like who cared about Reading before Doyle and Hunt hit the headlines?

I remember watching Sky Sports News this year and they did a feature on Sunderland....they went to a match Sunderland vs Galway and some kid said he had never heard of Sunderland, but was wearing the jersey. This guy was about 15.

And you's always wonder...

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