Glory Hunters

[Dublin12]

I used to drink in a pub near Grafton St a few years ago and got to know one of the lads behind the bar,an Aussie lad,we were always having good football banter ,and he, at the time, was well into Leeds,even said he'd been to Elland rd a few times,he used to wear a Leeds T-shirt,and had a scarf behind the bar aswell and me being a lifelong Leeds fan since 1970 thought this was sound.Anyway moved out to the suburbs of Dublin a couple of years ago and don't drink in that pub anymore.
So,there I was in Sinnotts last week for the Liverpool/Chelsea game,and guess who I saw,jumping up and down,biting his nails,shouting at the big screen..yes the same lad,only this time he was wearing a Liverpool shirt ,apparently he now likes Liverpool because Harry Kewell plays for them ,pathetic.There was no point in even having a discussion about it, whats the point I thought,there are certain unwritten rules for supporters and he certainly got a red card for that.

[OwlsFan]

That's life. Most Man U supporters are either glory hunters or bow to the peer pressure as kids in the class to follow them. My godchild followed Wednesday and I brought him to Hillsboro a few times but then his mother drew me aside and told me he was now following Man U because he was getting too much slagging following Wednesday at school .

I never regretted following Wednesday. You stand apart from the Man U and Liverpool supporters (and the Leeds ones in their mid to late 30s). People always remember who I support while Man U supporters are just one of the herd of millions of wildebeast who trample across the plains. They win a lot more (which wouldn't be hard) but dare to be different - that's my motto.

The Irish team that I followed of the early 1970s was also taken from me by the media following Italia 90 but sometimes it's nice to be successful

[drinkfeckarse]

I used to drink in a pub near Grafton St a few years ago and got to know one of the lads behind the bar,an Aussie lad,we were always having good football banter ,and he, at the time, was well into Leeds,even said he'd been to Elland rd a few times,he used to wear a Leeds T-shirt,and had a scarf behind the bar aswell and me being a lifelong Leeds fan since 1970 thought this was sound.Anyway moved out to the suburbs of Dublin a couple of years ago and don't drink in that pub anymore.
So,there I was in Sinnotts last week for the Liverpool/Chelsea game,and guess who I saw,jumping up and down,biting his nails,shouting at the big screen..yes the same lad,only this time he was wearing a Liverpool shirt ,apparently he now likes Liverpool because Harry Kewell plays for them ,pathetic.There was no point in even having a discussion about it, whats the point I thought,there are certain unwritten rules for supporters and he certainly got a red card for that.

That is fcuking pathetic...what a gobsh!te

[carrickharp]

That is fcuking pathetic...what a gobsh!te

WHAT an Aussie gobsh1te

[Hibs4Ever]

The 2 main clubs with Glory Hunters IMO is Man Utd & Celtic, like last night, this is proven by the half empty stadiums 20 minutes before the end of a match they know they've lost. Now the Liverpool fans seem to be coming out of their closets again, and it won't be long til you'll be seeing Chelsea fans EVERYWHERE. I remember reading that last christmas Real Madrid was the biggest selling jersey in Ireland. WHY


And Owlsfan, you think you had it bad, try growing up as a HIBS fan in Dublin

[pete]

Almost any Chelsea supporter these days is going to be a glory hunter. Chelsea have no history of irish support through the decades & lot of them were probably outright anti-irish.

[Macy]

You just couldn't move for trophies throughout the 70's and 80's when United were still the most supported club. All glory hunters obviously.....

Leaving early is bad, but sure you see it in eL grounds every week too. Nowt to do with being glory hunters.

[Heinze]

That's life. Most Man U supporters are either glory hunters or bow to the peer pressure as kids in the class to follow them.

I think you'll find that is a load of ******, Owlsfan if you'll excuse my french! Fans of "unfasionable" clubs are always coming out with this ****e as if its fact, that and the old "most of the crowd at OT aren't from Manchester you know" Its reckoned that 75-80% of those at OT are from the Greater Manchester area and in Ireland their are long family traditions of United support due to immigration to Manchester, same can be said for 'Pool, Leeds and Arsenal. Celtic is a different kettle of fish.
Some of us grew up in the 70's and 80's you know and if supporting United then was Glory hunting well they you are right, but I think you'll find Glory was thin on the ground in those days.
so I suggest you keep these sweeping generalisations to yourself. Obviously you are upset that your Godson not appreciating having the Owls shoved on him made his own decision to support United as is his right!

[drinkfeckarse]

The 2 main clubs with Glory Hunters IMO is Man Utd & Celtic,

It's one thing being a glory hunter, it's another thing completely to change teams like that...especially as an adult

[OwlsFan]

Some of us grew up in the 70's and 80's you know and if supporting United then was Glory hunting well they you are right, but I think you'll find Glory was thin on the ground in those days.so I suggest you keep these sweeping generalisations to yourself. Obviously you are upset that your Godson not appreciating having the Owls shoved on him made his own decision to support United as is his right!

European Cup a few years before, George Best, Bobbie Charlton - in every newspaper, TV etc at the time. No, it was still huge to follow Man U in those days as well. No one expected them to drop out of the 1st Division - that comes with following a team - so having run with the hounds, there were a few years they had to flee with the foxes. Your analogy of emigration to Manchester doesn't stand up - so why so few City fans then ?

You can't shove the Owls on anyone - believe you me. However, your passion for something can rub off. But the point of that story is peer pressure to follow successful teams.

Saint - well done on following Hibs. Why did u choose them over any other Scottish team ? By right, the two Edinburgh teams should be as strong as their Glasgow neighbours but for historical and other less savoury reasons they've lost out.

I know a Chelsea supporter of long standing. One of the most nationalistic people you could meet and their NF connections among some of their supporters never seemed to bother him. I think he goes back to the days of John Dempsey and Paddy Mulligan.

A football club, like a pet, is for life

[4tothefloor]

My younger brother started off supporting Liverpool, then when the glory dried up he supported Leeds, Rangers , Man U, Celtic, before settling on Man U. I'll grant it he was young at the time, but I always remind him of with whenever he attempts to gloat. I've been a Liverpool\Limerick fan through thick and thin all my life, since I can remember watching football.

[Bolnoy Bratchny]

The 2 main clubs with Glory Hunters IMO is Man Utd & Celtic

As a Celtic fan would agree that, as with any club that gets a bit of success, a number of muppets who have never been near Celtic park have jumped on the band wagon. It sickens me to see the way Celtic jerseys have become the jesrsey of choice for every Chav, 45 degree baseball cap , white runners&tracky bottoms and gold chain hangin outside the jersey wearing d***head.

But the vast majority of these people are not real Celtic fans and know nothing about the club.

People paint all Celtic fans with the same brush but most of the people i meet attending games in Glasgow and Europe (inc. 52k season book holders) are genuine and lifelong Celtic fans.

Lads, next time ye see the fool in Celtic jersey talking crap about the RA (even though he left school at 11 and cant even spell history) from a barstool dont assume he is representative of all tic fans.

[tetsujin1979]

I've a mate at home who used to be an Arsenal fan, wore the jersey, bought one for his son, everything. Then he fell out of love with football and watched rugby more and more. Which is all fair enough until this season, for a laugh he joined one of the fantasy football leagues in, and picked Frank Lampard as his captain. Since Chelsea, and Frank in particular, have done so well this season, and earned him tons of points in the fantasy football, he's now a Chelsea fan!

[Gerrit]

I usually dislike top teams. Shels and Rosenborg are rare exceptions, in most countries I support small teams. And even so... In Ireland there are no really big clubs, and though Rosenborg is big in its own country they aren't in Europe + I follow them for 11 years so from the very beginning of what has become an incredible domestic success story.

When everyone around me supports one team/sporter I usually chose the other side because I don't like the "we are the biggest and best and greatest" thing, I always feel more sympathy for the underdog. In some countries I even support non topdivision teams (eg Ceuta - Spain, Vanspor - Turkey, Venezia - Italy)

I can understand someone changes a club for a certain reason if for example the atmosphere has changed so negatively that he doesn't recognise the feeling of friendship that once made him start to support the club. But those are exceptional cases, very exceptional. In general: stick with whatever team you chose.


I know someone BTW who changed club, but I have to forgive him for it, because he HAD to: his first choice merged with the arch-enemy and the new team went to play in the enemy's stadium. In such cases I can understand you give up the club, because it's simply not your club anymore. That's the sort of exceptions I mean.

If Shels would merge with Pats, I would probably feel like a loved one has been taken away and finally recognise what Rovers fan experience: being homeless

[Gerrit]

My younger brother started off supporting Liverpool, then when the glory dried up he supported Leeds, Rangers , Man U, Celtic, before settling on Man U. I'll grant it he was young at the time, but I always remind him of with whenever he attempts to gloat. I've been a Liverpool\Limerick fan through thick and thin all my life, since I can remember watching football.

He supported both Rangers and Celtic in life ?? Wow, that is the sort of lad Jerry Springer could do a show with: a unicum in a freaky way



I had a classmate back in my school days who supported the same team as me. When they were about to relegate I sticked with the team, while he left for another club. Two weeks later that club lost, and he started to support the club that won that game. When they also started to lose a short while later, he ditched football and became a basketball adept...

I lost track of him, but given the fact that we are 10 years later, he may have ran out of sports to support by now Or maybe he found a never losing team somewhere in waterpolo or handball or so

[4tothefloor]

He supported both Rangers and Celtic in life ?? Wow, that is the sort of lad Jerry Springer could do a show with

Yup, he was only about 7 at the time though and Ally McCoist was his favourite player. It was purely because Rangers were winning everything back then, he was only 7! As he grew older and started learning the history, the posters suddenly disappeared off the wall. Replaced by Scumchester United ones, and gradually Celtic ones. He kind of supports both teams now, but more Utd than Celtic. From the frying pan into the fire

[Bosco]

Chose to support aston villa when I was 5 because my friend told me about them and everyone else supported utd.Went to villa park twice as a young lad and was pretty mutch a fanatic.Gradually began to become more and more of a lapsed supporter as ltfc took over at this stage,I really dont care,looking out for the results every now and again is as far as I go.Like to see them do well but whether they win or lose it rarely has an affect on me.
People who change clubs doesnt really get to me,usually they dont really know alot about football let alone what it is to be a fan.If your going to "PICK" a foreign club to support,pick who you want,its unlikely they will ever have any real affiliation with the club

[CollegeTillIDie]

Well let me see now. I was very fortunate as I have pointed out elsewhere my primary schoolteacher was a Waterford fan. So he was an influence on me eventually becoming an EL fan. But there were few if any in my class at the time. I went to see Shels play in 1972 and Rovers play in 1973 and I think I was one of a very small minority who had been inside a League of Ireland ground at that stage. There 50 kids in the class 35 lads and 15 girls for the record.

I spent a few years in the Giles era watching out for Leeds United results. BUt the first team I ever saw play in person were Shels back in 1972 against Finn Harps. Saw Rovers play (Glasgow not Cork) Celtic in 1973, Bohs play Home Farm in 1975, Rovers play Drogs the following year and in 1977 saw Sligo Rovers play Blackburn in a friendly and Thurles Town in the League. Went to my first UCD game in 1981 when they took on a Vancouver Whitecaps team peopled by ex-1970's Leeds players.
UCD held them to a 1-1 draw. And that was it I was a student and these guys became MY team! So you could say in a manner of speaking my years of delusion watching out for Leeds results( never stepped inside Elland Road) eventually led me to the true faith that is the EL.
I will never be a Premiershi* heretic again

[thecorner]

chose to support palace at the start of the 80's. i remember readin in shoot that with venables in charge they would be the force to reckon with in the 80s

still with them though

[razor]

No greater crime can a person commit than to change football teams.
Buddy of mine followed Leeds when we were younger, then when Leeds got relegated he said he had to have a First Division (as it was then)team as well so he went for Manure, then Leeds came back up and were vying with Utd for the title God he was a mess. Still follows Utd to this day but none of us can really take him seriously.
All the Chelsea fans I know are well into their 40's and have been Chelsea fans for many years, no problem at all with these people.
4tothefloor, do you think your brother finally settling on Utd may have been in direct opposition to you following Pool? Cos thats what happened in our house.