After viewing a spat on the Chelsea board with a small handful of Blues and surprisingly enough a couple of DQPR fans seemingly desperate to win over some bragging rights of some kind......how important is it for fans to know the history of the team the support? and I am referring to the history before they became fans of that team, which in many cases means before they were born. I started following City in late '75 at the age of 13, and do not really know a great deal about the club prior to that time, other than the late 50's/early 60's where Norwich managed to get out of the 3rd division and had THE '59 cup run and beat Rochdale over 2 legs in the original League Cup. I could not tell you any of the players or managers that performed those feats, nor could I tell you the team (maybe could guess a handful of players) in the team that got us in to the old 1st division in the early 70's, and I am not ashamed of that. Does it make me any less of a supporter? In the years I have been following/attending games home and away, I have probably forgotten more games than I can remember, and the same can be said of a lot of players from the mid 1990's through to about 4 years ago. So, in your eyes, does not knowing the definitive history of a team make you less of a supporter? Is it even remotely important to know about of have any interest in the history of the club? Does it make any difference, not living in the shadow of a wealthy and very successful rival?
Yeah - it's got the potential Knowing that Guru JWM and Welly search the term 'history' when looking for threads, this one should be a doddle to find
I have always had a fascination with City's history and have many books and much memorbilla. I like Thai have been supporting City since the early 70's (1971 to be exact), but my knowledge goes right back to the founding of the club. My Dad has been following City since the early 40's so he has always had a wealth of knowledge. Although he is remarkably fit at the age of 85 (86 next week!), as with all old un's he has a few ailments and gets to Carrow Road on the odd occasion. I'm not saying that it's important to research your club's history but I enjoy it. P.S. The pride and joy in my collection is a set of personally signed individual photographs of the '59 team. These were sent to my Dad by the club whilst he was serving overseas. I'm sure someone would offer quite a bit for these but I'd never part with them.
I was never given a choice with football, my father told me it was Norwich or the canary's! I think knowing the history is not that important. Coming from a Norwich supporting family has given me knowledge of our history as when i was a kid hearing stories from my granddad about the 50's and 60's and my dad also from 70's and 80's. The cup runs and finals, the players etc etc What i think is though is supporting the team through the rough and the smooth. I don't like the what i call fair weather supporters who only are interested in when we are doing well and, when where not doing well not being bothered and/or wanting us to loose to get the manager sacked like last year. And just because you go to every game home and away doesnt make you more of a fan. Being proud to be a norwich fan is all that counts! I was born in 86 and my first game was a draw with Liverpool in the 90s and in all that time i have never ever wanted us to loose a game. The important thing is just being a fan and NOT your ability to use Wikipedia.
My own love affair with the Canaries began at the age of 9 in 1967 and my first true memory was our 1-2 win at Old Trafford in the FA Cup, this was a real shock against one of the best teams in the World at that time. I am well aware of earlier history but whether that is really important to a true fan is questionable. All of the City years in the top flight (whatever it has been called) has been in my lifetime and so I feel fortunate in that sense. That said, I just missed the big cup run of '59 and was cheated in the semi many years later as the events of Hillsborough pailed our own gma einto insignificance (sadly!)
Certainly one is no more of a fan, if one can happen to relate the club´s history in detail from 1902 onwards, than any who can´t. I agree with THURNBY, that having a knowledge of earlier times is interesting but not necessarily a prerequisite for being a fan. I began following them just after the ´59 Cup run, which I do vaguely remember, but that´s about all, like KIO, my Dad who is 90 now, can still recall names and faces and incidents from games 20 years earlier than that. I´m just happy that I was able to see players like Kennon and Keegan, Butler, Ashman, Mullett and Thurlow, Hill, Punton, Bryceland, Allcock and many more great characters from those times. I´m not saying that they were better than players a decade or two later, but I feel privileged to have been a part of that time in our history as well as these later years.
It's only important to anyone on an individual level. If you have a naturally inquiring mind and an interest in history, then you will seek out more detail. I often find history a little dull and reading about the past even of subjects of interest leaves me a little cold. That said each to their own. Sometimes it is necessary and can give perspective, and I know some of the older heads on here frequently point to this and how we don't have a devine right to be a top flight side, that we don't have a "Norwich way" other than a relatively recent past. I am self confessedly more about the here and now and how the future can be improved. We can learn from the past but it's a very different game now so the lessons almost would seem like a different subject. OTBC Bah!
Yes I'm very proud of my club's history as we have achieved some wonderful things and I have witnessed quite a few of them since 1972/73 when I first started really supporting them. We are only one of eight clubs that have stayed in the top 2 Divisions for over 50 years! What is more important however is that with a great manager and coaching staff that we have now under McCarthy, our future is going to get even better.
I guess you are talking about my comments on the Chelsea board. The whole thing started when we played them at 'Silent Bridge', at half time an old Chelsea player Ian Britton came on the pitch. He played for them from 1972-1982 (10 yrs) and none of the Chelsea fans knew who he was. More QPR fans knew him than them. I told them it was embarrassing not knowing an old player (and also for him) and that they were full of 'Jonny come Roman' fans who never knew Chelsea before the Russian money. Agree not all fans were around then but there were enough to know, plus I think it's important to know about your clubs history. I then told them it wouldn't happen at Loftus Rd, which it wouldn't. Then the thread all went a bit silly and I never got to finish my points but then again they are plastic Chelsea fans so what does one expect. So to answer the OP for me you should live for today but know the history of your club.
A very well thought out reply Dave but that's to be expected as you have nothing of any real value to contribute on this thread.
Hi Ellers, yeah it was off the back of that thread. It just go me thinking exactly how important the history was. Seems reasonably divided on hear, as we have quite a range of ages on-board. I think GM's post sums it up for my way of thinking, it's horses for courses. Having some kind of interest is a help if you want to go down that route, and if one just has no interest or never retains lots of knowledge/history, then that's also fine I did think it a little petty trying to 'score cheap points' with a group of fans that are barely old enough to remember 'The Bridge' when it had terracing, let alone what happened in the 70's & 80's, but if that is what it takes to get you going, then carry on (on the Chelsea board - not here ). Indeed it was reminiscent of some of the ridiculous 'history'/who the biggest club arguments on here with the resident Binners
Hi Thai Good response about the history thing and agree some people are not interested in what happened in the 80/90's. I guess when they are older they will reminisce on the games they are seeing now. The Chelsea thing will never change i'm afraid, too many years of bad blood. Good luck to Norwich over Christmas.
As an older member I feel proud of the history I have witnessed - it helps give perspective on what is happening today even though the game has changed in dynamic somewhat. I still get as big a thrill when I see Hooper score as I did when I saw goals from Curran, MacDougall, Fashanu, Fleck, Sutton and Roberts - same when Ruddy pulls off a wonder save, I can relate to cheering Keelan, Woods, Gunn, Green when they did the same. In years to come the younger fans of today will reminisce on what and who they see in the see in the mighty yellow and green in much the same way as I do when I look through some of my memorobilia and remember games from my youth. Once a Canary always a Canary !
