As the title suggests. I get sick and tired of all the trolls who always use the "you're not even from Manchester" line....."why dont you support your own team". Yea i'm not from Manchester, heck i'm not even English. I'm actually Zambian... Now i know what you're already thinking...yea glory hunter, only supports them because they're successful blah blah blah. Hear me out, yes I only heard about them growing up in Zambia because they are successful, how else could they're brand have reached that corner of the world. It doesn't end there; it was their story that captured my attention. In 1993, like United in 1958, Zambia was reeling from the horror of losing our whole national side, bar Kalusha Bwalya (our best player, who was only spared cos he was meeting them in Senegal, although his teammates never turned up). We took off from Libreville in Gabon to face Senegal, a few minutes into the flight the plane exploded. Conspiracy theorists say it was shot down by the Gabonese military for fear of a coup (why they were in an army plane is a mystery to me, but oh well). We faced the long and hard task of building a brand new team. Unlike Europe, back then youth teams were non-existent in poor African countires. Then on came this documentary about the history of the then (and now) English Champions. I was hooked. So here i am...18 years on, at the age of 25. I've lived in Northern Ireland now for the last 8 years and go to as many games as possible, about 5 - 10 a year. I'll never be from Manchester, but i'm a United fan and that's it. I would still have ended up supporting them, once i discovered them, but i suppose their success accelerated the process, because it meant I heard about them sooner. So spare me the usual tripe used to describe Man United fans, we all have our reasons, it's a free world and we all have choices. On a side note, if you're not African and are a United fan and are following the ACN this month, then make the team you follow Zambia . We beat Senegal last night 2-1, 100miles from where the explosion that destroyed all our hope occurred. It was a Zambian team built on the side that had thrashed Italy 4-0 at the 1988 Olympics, where Kalusha Bwalya who i mentioned above got a hattrick (he had the best left footed freekick on a human being). Now hope is re-newed, and let's hope they give me and many of you a thrill.
Lol at crakerman jack. don't worry, i picked up on that. Funny thing is i was expecting a couple trolls on here saying that. kinda surprised haha. we're playing pretty average today i might add. it hurts me to say, the spurs city game was far more exciting. oh looks it's picking up now.
If your from Zambia your welcome to support United, however if you are from anywhere else in the UK unless you have family ties you are part responsible for the creation of a top tier in the English game as masses of fans support united making them even more unreachable for lower down teams and your also responsible for the decline of many smaller teams who would normally hope for your support. Anyone who supports a so called lower team will agree they lose a little respect for the football fans opinions when they say they support united and are not from there. I do not understand why anyone would support Manchester when there not from there. By doing this you are promoting the area of Manchester bringing more attention to area and taking it away from your own. P.s Good story my rant is directed to someone I.e from Blackburn who support them
I understand sunderland, but i suppose the idea of a democracy is u can support who ever or make whatever choice; right or wrong.
I always thought it was a bit of a medievalist approach to football saying you should support your local team.Yokelism as it were.Keep britain british and all that.If the yokels want "The Good Life" then dont venture out of your village and make your own bloody Tvs,socks etc.
Support should be a personal thing. If you identify with the team, that's a good enough reason to support them.
This kind of thing still happens far too often in Africa. Too many trigger-happy people in power, and too little organization.
I knew a lad from Zambia who's a Liverpool fan. He's an absolute cock-end. True story. I can understand why people support a bigger team, I just worry about their pride for their local area sometimes. Not a dig against them, just a personal thing I feel. When I'm stood singing 'we are Leeds', I can truly say that for myself, having been born and raised in Leeds. I'd feel odd going to, say, Stoke and singing 'we are Stoke' and 'Staffordshire is wonderful' and all the other local pride stuff that they'd sing. I can appreciate that some people have a smaller local team who they support as well as that bigger team, and I respect that. And also that some people might genuinely identify with another city and feel a part of it and be able to sing 'we are X' (and mean 'I am X too'). I just don't understand it myself. OP, do you support a local team from Zambia or NI or just Man U?
This As long as it's not a case of supporting a team just cos they win, or cos they have a nice coloured shirt or some **** like that, I think it should just be a case of choose a team to support and stick with them. Lots of people move around a lot nowadays anyway, so the concept of a home town club is a bit nebulous for them.
Unfortunately though, in lots of cases this is exactly the reason why people 'identify' with United. Because we're good and for no other reason whatsoever. I won't lie, plastic glory hunting United fans piss me off just as much as they piss off opposition supporters and we're better off without them as they give **** all back to the club. There's nothing worse than than being in the presence of some monkey who's never been within 100 miles of Old Trafford cosying up like he's just the same as I am. They aren't. Where I live they are everywhere and the funny thing is they now how two premier league teams to 'support', how very convenient that is. It's not just United this applies to of course.
But why do they need to give something back to the club? If they supported someone else, they still wouldn't give anything to Man Utd. Anyway they probably buy shirts, or Sky subscriptions etc. I think people just like to get on their high horse to prove how they're all 'better fans' than others. Personally I am a Cardiff City fan, but I'm also a football fan and what bothers me more is when people hate certain teams who aren't rivals like the many people I know who go on about hating Man Utd. The way I see it, if Man Utd/Arsenal/Chelsea etc play well I can applaud them for doing so and just sit back and be entertained. Unless it's Swansea, of course!
You're a Cardiff fan, i.e. your local team, and yet you don't understand why people get on their high horse about 'supporters' who clearly only latch onto a team so they can bask in some reflected glory of success? The clue is in the name supporters, that means people who actually by definition support the club. I know times have changed but United are my local team so as such I do not and can not identify with some bloke from Kent (for example) who has never been north but supports United because we're good. Nothing will ever change my opinion on that. There are so many valid reasons to support a football club but latching on because of the easy supply line of success isn't one of them as far as I'm concerned.
That is one of the things that comes with success. Liverpool fans were the most hated when they were dominant in the 1970s and 1980s. Now United are the most hated as they been winning major trophies for a continuous period of time.
Sorry dude I'll beg to differ as United were the most hated team in the 70's and the fans were (some) labelled "plastics" & glory hunters then too.
