It struck me the other day that Sky's TV coverage over the last two decades may be a major reason for the perceived fickleness of many who give their opinions on football teams in various places online. I've lost count of the times I've heard an ex-player state something like - "Yes, it's all about trophies". Equally, I've lost count of the number of times I've seen people turn away from this team or that to support a more recently successful club. I think some supporters (and indeed the media, although I really don't think media management understands) forget that these people are pundits who are/were professional players and managers, and their opinions will naturally reflect that. The people I think of as fans are not players or managers, and for them the following of a team is done for a variety of reasons - I was told by my uncle to support Arsenal at age 7, and it's an order I've never regretted, even in the 'bad old days', very pre-Wenger. I think some people who think of themselves as fans are simply following or accepting what they hear on the TV without thought. They aren't managers or ex-players, but because they hear these people - perhaps people they idolised in years past - expound their views on the importance of trophies they ally their own opinions with that perspective. Personally I think it's their loss - I wouldn't want to feel differently about my team if it fails to win everything/anything, nor could I bear to 'switch' and suddenly support a different team. Is TV punditry, along with the herd instinct, responsible for influencing people into following a club for all the wrong reasons? All thoughts welcome.
a sort of tribal loyalty? A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. Winston Churchill
