From a Norfolk perspective. All the more valid after Saturday's result http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/columni...local_team_it_s_far_more_satisfying_1_1699205
Agree with that article I can't stand the glory hunters.... hence when Norwich do manage to beat them I have my little bit of fun.... the worst are Australian glory hunters! to be fair to some of them, because they know I am Norwich city nuts they do see how we get on now and sort of have a second team.... I will convert them all!
Plenty of Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool "supporters" where I work, all born and bred on the Island. Been to about three games between them!
It's tricky really. I was born in Colchester and moved to Norwich aout 10 years ago now. I always used to look out for Colchesters results and Norwich as my uncle was NCFC mad from his Uni days. The first time I could say that I really started going to Norwich games regulary was at the end of the season when we went down to L1, in fact I can really remember sitting in the Jarold against Reading and us loosing 2 nil and thinking how bad we were then. I then went to the first game of the season in L1, we all know what happened then don't we? I still even had a little soft spot for Col u then. I did things in reverse, I started following Norwich when they were at their lowest point and experienced an awesome rise up the leagues which sucked me in even more! So much better than just "following" a top team, because let's face it. That's the easy option.
**** off back to Yarmouth, **** off back to Yarmouth La la la la. . Out of the 4 Man U "fans" I work with, one is a genuine Manc, he's the only reasonable one out of them all!
the people who annoy me are the ones who proclaim to be united, liverpool, arsenal, chelsea or whoever supporters, will buy the shirt, watch on tv every week and give me **** about how rubbish my own team are throughout a league season, even though they have no connection to those clubs but were born say, in norwich, who when norwich do really well and get in the premier league or even beat one of those teams, suddenly 'become' norwich fans and have been all their lives apparently! these people are ****s. its a bad word but it was invented for them. sadly i know a number of them. when questioned about it they usually drag up the tired notion that 'you wanted us to support our local team and now you say you don't' or 'we should be thankful for more support'. what these people do not get is that people like me have to go through 99% total and utter crap to get that 1% of unbridled ecstasy. stop hogging my joy, stop trying to steal my moment of happiness which i've deserved. ****ers
My uncle's a Luton fan yet we still get crap from him for supporting Norwich (not about location though). He does occasionally give Norwich credit although apparently we were really lucky to beat United on saturday. My cousins also a United supporter despite living nowhere near Manchester. Our grandad was born in Manchester but that's the closest link he has to them and our grandad moved to Norfolk anyway. The only Manchester United games my cousin has been to is two per-season friendlies.
I'm afraid to say that my brother is one of those "bad words"!! He did come to a couple of Cup Finals with me in the 80's when Man U played, but it was only because I got him free tickets! He's Norfolk born and bred the same as me, and I'm ashamed of him! NO I REALLY AM!!!
Although i agree with the article and loathe Glory Hunters, I do wonder where that leaves me? I am Swindon born and raised, but took to supporting the Canaries when I was 6 in 1982. They were not a glory team, but I knew I needed to support them. I don't get to games as often as I would like to, just can't afford it, but was a mascot on my 12th birthday against Coventry. I had always supported Swindon as well, and was a season ticket holder from a young age until earlier teens. I supported both teams but always had a stronger allegiance to Norwich. Am I a plastic? or as Norwich aren't a top six team am I ok? Will I become a plastic, if Norwich become a top 6 team?
You're OK Swindon!! I remember you posting photo's of your children in mini Canaries kit, that's a fan!
Phewwww!! Sons favourite colour is now yellow, and my little girl is starting to want Norwich to win!!
My partner is irish, and supports Norwich because a) I took her to games and b) it reminds of her gaelic football, which is all county based and therefore loves Norwich as the crowd is a mix from all over the county. Also the irish canaries have a great emblem, a wee canary sitting on the top of a pint of guinness. She also got shouted at last season, we were sitting in the stretford end and jumped up when Pilkington was through on goal. Mind you she got shouted at by a cockney, the mancs around us, told him to feck off back to London nand let the couple of Norwich fans enjoy the game. I hope she has enough Norfolk qualifications.
wonky, i wouldn't take any **** from a Luton fan, they aren't exactly rolling in glory nowadays. quite a lot of my family are hatters, we had some good games with them in the 70s/80s when they were up in the top two divisions.
Wholeheartedly agree with the article, however I would say that in days of yore when (in particular the area of Norfolk..... and the rest of the country) people stayed in the area in which they grew up through the sense of belonging they had to their 'community' however in this day and age the level of intra migration is far higher and there is less 'community' attached to football clubs for a number of reasons. For example I grew up in deepest darkest Suffolk, have spent my whole life supporting the Tractor Boys through thick and thin. However I have moved away from the fair region of East Anglia and have resided in Sheffield, London and now Leicester in just 3 years, my love for the Town has only grown stronger but I dare say that others who have spent substantial time away would fade and I'm sure that could be the case for some, even as I watched many other teams to fill the void of not watching my beloved Ipswich (Lose, so I watched Sheff Utd ) I imagine that ties to areas and ideas of 'community' will eventually fade away...
actually, i have found that having spent the last 50 years living all over the world and various parts of england, my allegiance to city is now stronger than ever, but my bank account doesn't allow me to see them as often as i would like. i was in 7th heaven when we were in league one, all those clubs around me that i could get to easily. manchester is about the closest in the PL and that', 90 miles away.
If it makes you feel better I am convinced that the type of people that just support the top teams when they are winning don't get anything like the enjoyment out of football that the average Canary or Saint does. It was only two years ago we lost 2-0 to Rochdale and went into the bottom four of League 1 (our 7-1 to Colchester moment), and in the open hostilities that flowed from the St Mary's stands that day no one could have hoped or expected to be celebrating promotion to the Premier League 600 days later. But if anyone switched off from the club in 2005 (remember that day?) and only returned now that we are back, then they'd have missed out on some bloody good stuff, plus quite a bit of misery as well. Point being, you have to go through all that which we have seen, to make competing with and occasionally beating the big boys really something special. See you next Wednesday evening
Well that's 3 points in the bag then if we turn up on Tuesday, and they turn up on Wednesday. Prediction: 40 - 0 to us!
