Why do you support the team you do?

**eirebhoy** · 09/02/2007, 9:42 AM

Just wondering as every week there seems to be a LOI fan on the Ireland forum slagging off those that don't support an Irish club team.

My situation is I was brought up in Pearse street and I can't say I knew a League of Ireland existed as a kid. None of my mates supported a LOI team and very few people around the area did. Now I'm in my 20's and I follow the league. It's impossible for me to grow an affinity for any club like most of you all do. I support Ireland because that's the way I was brought up. Extremely patriotic and the Ireland football team will come first for me before anything in sport.

I'm just wondering how most of you start supporting a team? What age were you? What area did you live in? Who did you go to your first match with, etc.

**Lim till i die** · 09/02/2007, 9:47 AM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

Just wondering as every week there seems to be a LOI fan on the Ireland forum slagging off those that don't support an Irish club team.

My situation is I was brought up in Pearse street and I can't say I knew a League of Ireland existed as a kid. None of my mates supported a LOI team and very few people around the area did. Now I'm in my 20's and I follow the league. It's impossible for me to grow an affinity for any club like most of you all do. I support Ireland because that's the way I was brought up. Extremely patriotic and the Ireland football team will come first for me before anything in sport.

I'm just wondering how most of you start supporting a team? What age were you? What area did you live in? Who did you go to your first match with, etc.

Was living in Southill about two minutes walk from Rathbane handily enough.

My Dad brought me to my first game when I was seven. He'd followed Limerick for over twenty years but had become fairly dis-illusioned with the whole thing. But in fairness to him before he quit first he made sure I was hooked

Dunno whether to love him or hate him really

**Dodge** · 09/02/2007, 9:57 AM

Not having a go at you eirebhoy but I'd like to ask the same question to those who follow British clubs (including yourself)

**chippie0001** · 09/02/2007, 9:58 AM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

Just wondering as every week there seems to be a LOI fan on the Ireland forum slagging off those that don't support an Irish club team.

My situation is I was brought up in Pearse street and I can't say I knew a League of Ireland existed as a kid. None of my mates supported a LOI team and very few people around the area did. Now I'm in my 20's and I follow the league. It's impossible for me to grow an affinity for any club like most of you all do. I support Ireland because that's the way I was brought up. Extremely patriotic and the Ireland football team will come first for me before anything in sport.

I'm just wondering how most of you start supporting a team? What age were you? What area did you live in? Who did you go to your first match with, etc.

My grandfather followed Bohs, then my father. I was brought to my first ever game to the 1983 cup final between Bohs and Sligo Rovers. And to start off my Bohs life, surprise surprise we lost. I was 9 at that stage and have never recovered from the trauma. My family were originally from that area but by then had moved to the west of Dublin so not many even knew about Bohs. Only started going regularly around 1990 when I was a bit older. Oh the joys.

**BohsPartisan** · 09/02/2007, 10:14 AM

Grew up in Navan. So no EL team there. Used to get taken to Friendlies in Dublin and Drogheda if English teams were playing. My tendency towards Bohs started for a strange reason. The Dalymount Floodlights. When I was a kid, going to Dublin, we'd always pass by Dalyer and the sight of the floodlights always filled me with wonder. The next level was guiding Bohs to the European cup in Sensible world of Soccer. When I started in UCD I used to go home every Friday afternoon so still no EL footie but shortly afterwards when I started staying up the odd weekend I'd sometimes take in an EL game of one or other of the Dublin clubs. Because of my afore mentioned affinity with Bohs I prefered trips to Dalymount and then became a regular along with a college friend of mine who was already a fan and a Scottish friend of mine who has since moved back. The rest is history as they say.

**Mr A** · 09/02/2007, 10:17 AM

I support Finn Harps because it is right and proper.

People not supporting Finn Harps is at best suspicious, and probably evil.

**hoops1** · 09/02/2007, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

Grew up in Navan. So no EL team there. Used to get taken to Friendlies in Dublin and Drogheda if English teams were playing. My tendency towards Bohs started for a strange reason. The Dalymount Floodlights. When I was a kid, going to Dublin, we'd always pass by Dalyer and the sight of the floodlights always filled me with wonder. The next level was guiding Bohs to the European cup in Sensible world of Soccer.

That tells you everythting you need to know about Bohs fans. Supporting a team because of their floodlights and a computer game.

**gustavo** · 09/02/2007, 10:23 AM

Support Sligo Rovers because i am from Sligo and am a football fan.

**passinginterest** · 09/02/2007, 10:25 AM

I'm going to be a supporter of Wexford Youths (how active I'm not sure, fate dealt me a girlfriend with a deep hatred of sport), but growing up there was never anyone in south Wexford following the League of Ireland. I remember becoming fascinated by Liverpool as a four year old, late eighties, Whelan, Houghton, Aldrige, Staunton, Rush, Barnes, etc. That was the only football I knew, Irish football only existed as the national team. As I got older I started to follow the national league, St Pats probably being the first club I took any interest in, around the mid nineties.

I've never really managed to develop a passion for Pat's though, like I had for Liverpool. I attended my only Eircom league games during a spell living in Bray in my first year of college, I saw them play Bohs twice (once in cup I think) and Longford, I was stunned by the lack of support for Bray, but the noise made by the away fans was great. Bohs is probably the team I follow most since then, though I've never been in Dalymount, I know one of the players and follow them as much for that as anythng else.

My support for Liverpool has waned somewhat in recent years, and I've taken much more interest in the game at home, and now, hopefully, I'll have a team I can truly feel an affinity with.

So there ya go, the story of a Liverpool supporting Eircom league convert (of sorts).

**Dodge** · 09/02/2007, 10:25 AM

Oh BTW forgot to add I'm from Inchicore...

**wws** · 09/02/2007, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

Just wondering as every week there seems to be a LOI fan on the Ireland forum slagging off those that don't support an Irish club team.

My situation is I was brought up in Pearse street and I can't say I knew a League of Ireland existed as a kid. None of my mates supported a LOI team and very few people around the area did. Now I'm in my 20's and I follow the league. It's impossible for me to grow an affinity for any club like most of you all do. I support Ireland because that's the way I was brought up. Extremely patriotic and the Ireland football team will come first for me before anything in sport.

I'm just wondering how most of you start supporting a team? What age were you? What area did you live in? Who did you go to your first match with, etc.

did you move my thread to rubbish

??

**eirebhoy** · 09/02/2007, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

Not having a go at you eirebhoy but I'd like to ask the same question to those who follow British clubs (including yourself)

The same way the vast majority of people start supporting the team they do, through a friend or family member when you know no better. I used to follow Man Utd but I think I grew out of that by the time I was about 12. The Celtic one came from my older brother I think but he doesn't support them anymore, he's a Crystal Palace fan. I go to about 4-5 Celtic games a year and tbh I love to club.

I know most people will hate to hear this but the Irish links are bigger than a lot of people would like to think and that's probably the reason by affinity with them just grew. Seeing hundreds of Ireland flags in the likes of Stuttgart, Seville, Barcelona, Milan, etc. I post on a couple of Celtic forums regularly. Basically you could open a thread about the Shels crisis or the GAA and it's a 4 pager within a few hours with Irish and Scots chatting.

Anyway, lets not go slagging me off for supporting a British club. My main point is I don't know anyone who really just decides to support a team when they reach their 20's. It's pointless slagging people off for not supporting an EL team.

**Dodge** · 09/02/2007, 10:56 AM

The point I'm making that saying there was no LOI club near you is not an excuse when you decide to support a British club. (and I'm using you in the general plural sense rather than talking about you specifically)

LOI fans look down on Irish fans of Man U, Liverpool etc the exact same way that fans of Swindon/Wrexham/Northampton (whereever) look down on fans of Man U/Liverpool/Arsenal from those places). Not to mention the disdain that local Man U and Liverpool fans have for out of towners.

**eirebhoy** · 09/02/2007, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

The point I'm making that saying there was no LOI club near you is not an excuse when you decide to support a British club.

I think you took me up wrong. I'm not saying the reason I don't support a LOI club is because I'd have to get the bus all the way to Inchicore. What I'm saying is that there was no club in my area so I didn't even know the LOI existed as a kid. Growing up in Inchicore you're always going to know about Pats and you'll come into contact with Pats fans on a daily basis. I'd have loved nothing more to grow up a fan of a LOI club. It never happened.

Another point is when it comes to the likes of Cork, Sligo, Waterford, etc. they have a team representing the county most of them love. tbh most Dubs don't have the affinity with Dublin as others have with their county. I couldn't care what county someone like Duff is from, the same can't be said about Doyle and Wexford, Roy Keane and Cork, etc.

**pete** · 09/02/2007, 11:11 AM

Errrr... I am from Cork. Saw City on tv take the then mighty Derry City to FAI Cup replay & liked live football when I tried it. Obviously with my local club I can say we which can never do with foreign clubs.

I think kids pick foreign clubs ofetn because they the best team when they grew up or they liked the colour of their jersey or something...

**Dodge** · 09/02/2007, 11:11 AM

Thats why I used you in general terms. Whenever this question pops up, the answer most commonly given is "There's no team near me". Not you, but the majority who answer

**WeAreRovers** · 09/02/2007, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by chippie0001

My grandfather followed Bohs, then my father. I was brought to my first ever game to the 1983 cup final between Bohs and Sligo Rovers. And to start off my Bohs life, surprise surprise we lost. I was 9 at that stage and have never recovered from the trauma.

I was on the reserved terrace with my dad that day. Had a deep hatred of Bohs even at that stage - I was 12. Awful day, cracking result.

Also got to see Bohs legging it for the first time too - Sligo poured over the fence from the Shed to get onto the reserved terrace and then into the stand to get out of the rain. Bohs disappeared quick smart.

Eirebhoy - You're from Pearse St, there's only one team for you (and it's not Shels)

KOH

**Dodge** · 09/02/2007, 11:18 AM

Just noticed he got rid of his Pats avatar...

**eirebhoy** · 09/02/2007, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

Just noticed he got rid of his Pats avatar...

Who me?

That's gone since the site was updated about a year ago.

At the time I went to a few Pats games. Basically proved the point that you can't just pick a team to support at this stage in your life. I'll still follow the league.

Originally Posted by WeAreRovers

Eirebhoy - You're from Pearse St, there's only one team for you (and it's not Shels)

That'd be more Ringsend.

I know plenty of the Rovers fans in the Ringsend supporters club well. Ed Saul and the rest.

**Neish** · 09/02/2007, 11:36 AM

Well my father is from Galway and a big hurling man so I was never really into football untill the 1990 World Cup. I was 10 at the time and all the hype of following my nation in a world wide tounament mad me fall in love with the game. I started watching a few games on the telly then but the next one I really remember was the Cup Winers cup final of 90/91 Man U vs Barcelona, when United one I decicded to start folowing them and have been since.

About a year later my cousin took me to watch a Celtic Vs Rangers game in a celtic supporters bar I think Rangers won but being young and impressionable I was impressed with all the gren and white and the tri-colours and I've een following Celtic since.

However in 1993 I went to my 1st Finn Harps game a friendly against Bradford(I think) the following season I attended quite a few Harps games and quickly realised that despite the fact I still loved watching Man U and Celtic there was nothing quite like following you home town team.

I've been a Harps supporter ever since that nearly 14 years now