Why do you support the team you do?

**lofty9** · 09/02/2007, 11:51 AM

Eirebhoy, jump on a supporters bus and take in an away match for a Dublin team at the Brandywell. Maybe you might get to see a bit of passion. For me going to an away game is a tremendous buzz and creates a strong affinity and bond between yourself and a club. I'm sure you feel like that when you visit Celtic. Try the Pats thing again, give it a chance and make a few trips outside Dublin. You know you want too!!

**fauxhemian** · 09/02/2007, 11:54 AM

My Grandfather followed Boh's, the rest is history. Got brought to my first Bohs match by my folks when I was around 6, the program is still tucked away somewhere. I remember thinking the place seemed so empty. I vaguely remember the old grass hill and people sitting down there watching games, before it was demolished for a training pitch / car park.

Lots of games stand out from that early period for me, for instance Boh's V Derry in a new years day league cup final in Dalymount. It felt like we were outnumbered 10 to 1. We lost. At the end they played "Always look on the bright side of life". Weird the stuff you remember. That was particularly horrible though, a horrible ****y day.

But in spite of that I caught the bug.

**BohsPartisan** · 09/02/2007, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by hoops1

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

Er no. I said that was what initially attracted me to Dalymount. Being a youngster who was captivated by everything to do with football the floodlights were something that fired the imagination. As I said I went to quite a few games when I moved to Dublin and picked Bohs for a variety of reasons. Dalyer was one. Ease of access to bus home from Navan. General hatred of Rovers scum that I'd aquired from attending games.

FFS, Eirebhoy gets singled out for not picking a club and I get singled out FOR picking one. Ye can't win?

**hoops1** · 09/02/2007, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

General hatred of Rovers scum that I'd aquired from attending games.

Was it from attending the games or because they knocked you out of the sensible world of soccer cup

**BrayUnknowns** · 09/02/2007, 12:34 PM

Born and bread in Bray and from a pretty sporting family, which included members of the family playing for Bray back in the 50's and 60's so was pretty much born in to supporting Bray, always knew about them as a kid but only really got into supporting them and going to all the games i was about 10 or so, were as before that i went if anyone was about to bring me when, it's probably been a bit of an obsession since then really.

**michaelguineys** · 09/02/2007, 12:37 PM

Im nearly 25 now and have been supporting Cork City about 13 or 14 years.
I had always been aware of them as there was a player living in our estate and whenever there were games of ball on the green a load of kids used have city jerseys on em, that this fella had obviously "borrowed" from the club and let us use!!
The first game i can remember being at was when i was about 12. We went up with a youth club i was in (think it was actually organised by John Kennedy of Ogra Chorcai who is now involved with the Family Enclosure in Turners Cross) anyway it was a League Cup Final i think v Dundalk, up in Oriel Park, I remember Billy Woods was playing, back in the day when he had long flowing locks!!
Ever since then ive just loved it and stuck with it even though no-one else in my family has much of an interesy.
I remember when there used only be a couple of hundred out the cross on a sunday afternoon or even less when we were playin Derry at 12.
Its great to see how much the club has progressed since then, despite our current problems
Unfortunately i havent been able to convert anyone else in my family.
My dad has a passing interest but would only go to the big games, even though he would watch them on the telly, yet rarely goes to Turners Cross! It baffles me.
My youngest brother used to go when he was younger, but at 17, he prefers to be out with his buddies on a fri nite but would take an interest.
Same with my sister, dragged her along a good few times, but at her ages, again she prefers to be out with her friend.
I'll keep trying though.
Its the attitude of my other brother (21) that really ****es me off though. He used to go to games when he was about 15 or 16 and was at teh cup final in 98 etc but now is one of those Premiersh*t fans who follows Man Ure and bangs on about how if City were playing out the back he would close the curtains.
It really infuriates me to be honest and no matter what i say he wont change his mind.
Thinks the standard of EL is sh*te and not even the tranfers of Long, Doyle, Bennett to Premiershi*t team will change his mind.Im actually gettin angry now even thinking of his attitude but nothing i can do or say will change his mind. He is a lost cause

**BohsPartisan** · 09/02/2007, 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by hoops1

Was it from attending the games or because they knocked you out of the sensible world of soccer cup

No because hatred of rovers forms naturally in the brain.

**Noelys Guitar** · 09/02/2007, 12:51 PM

My old man took me to Rovers games in the early 70's. The funny thing was he hated Rovers! He followed Waterford. But I have been a supporter of the hoops ever since.

**DvB** · 09/02/2007, 1:01 PM

My reason is simple...Family!
My grandfather supported Rovers, he brought my father & my uncle to Rovers from an early age & in turn i was brought to see them from an early age as well, the fact my Father also played for the superhoops was a bonus!!

Koh

**passinginterest** · 09/02/2007, 1:46 PM

There's a real pattern here, the majority of fans of Eircom League teams
a) Live close to where the team plays
b) Have a family connection/history with club

It's no wonder that vast numbers of us never felt any affinity with the national league, as has been stated we never knew it existed. Our views of football were created as children, exposed to Match of the Day, most of our parents were fans of George Best, of Man U, of Liverpool, of Arsenal, how could we ever feel attached to the national league?

Later in life it is much more difficult to choose to support a team, to identify with it, especially when there is no example being set amongst your friends or family. I tried to support Pat's, Bray, Bohs, but never got that buzz and banter with friends I associate with supporting Liverpool. Live national league football just wasn't an option for a child or teenager in the far south of Wexford.

Expect to see a passionate new generation of Wexford Youths supporters emerge and start a tradition of League of Ireland support in the county.

**steno** · 09/02/2007, 1:50 PM

Started taking an interest and going to the odd game when Kildare County was set up in 2002. But I really got into the whole thing when I went to college in Cork, and my colllege mates were Cork City mad. Have since moved back to Kildare and go to alot more games than I used too.

**padraicoc** · 09/02/2007, 2:02 PM

Because I'm from Galway...

And I support Arsenal because my cousins in london supported them!

**centre mid** · 09/02/2007, 2:06 PM

when i was a kid i was playing football with my local DDSL club, a few of the senior players signed for bray just after bray became a league club so my Da used to bring me to watch Bray to support those players, been going ever since, when i was in my late teens a few of my mates played for Bray aswell so that kept me going aswell probably.

The Cup final in Lansdowne again St Francis was magical aswell

**Dodge** · 09/02/2007, 2:07 PM

Originally Posted by passinginterest

It's no wonder that vast numbers of us never felt any affinity with the national league

One of those family members had to be a first...

Oh and the "country" lads never told us how far away/close they were to the grounds. In fact I think I'm the only one to use location

**exiled_gufc_fan** · 09/02/2007, 2:15 PM

My first soccer game was probably before the age of 1, being Athlone Town.

My dad used to write a weekly soccer column for the Westmeath Offaly Independent at the time and followed Athlone Town everywhere. He remains a fan of De Town.

We moved to Galway before I started school. But the first Galway United game I attended was by accident rather than by design. My Dad had promised to bring me to see Connacht play rugby at the Sportsground in the Interprovincials. However on arriving there had either a postponement or my Dad had the wrong time.

Rather than disappoint me, he brought me to Terryland to see Galway Rovers v Sligo Rovers. I was hooked. From then on I kept a scrap book of all the match reports in both local and national press (tragically long disappeared).

Eventually I was old enough to go on my own. The 1985 Cup Final v Rovers, when aged 11 was a particular highlight

**NY Hoop** · 09/02/2007, 2:18 PM

Originally Posted by passinginterest

There's a real pattern here, the majority of fans of Eircom League teams
a) Live close to where the team plays
b) Have a family connection/history with club

I tried to support Pat's, Bray, Bohs, but never got that buzz and banter with friends I associate with supporting Liverpool. Live national league football just wasn't an option for a child or teenager in the far south of Wexford.

Expect to see a passionate new generation of Wexford Youths supporters emerge and start a tradition of League of Ireland support in the county.

You're contradicitng yourself there. What buzz and banter do you get "supporting" an english club in a pub?

There's a shels fan that travels from wexford for every game.

BTW I love your line: "I follow bohs but have never been to dalymount"

KOH

**osarusan** · 09/02/2007, 2:19 PM

My dad (a lifelong Cork Celtic supporter - my brother is named after Bobby Tambling) got sick of kis kids cheering English clubs on TV whenever possible. Decided that some fresh air and flowing total Limerick football would do us good.

oh, and by the way......

Originally Posted by hoops1

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

Originally Posted by hoops1

Was it from attending the games or because they knocked you out of the sensible world of soccer cup

Perhaps the two most idiotic posts I've ever seen on foot.ie

**hoops1** · 09/02/2007, 2:21 PM

Go on!

**NY Hoop** · 09/02/2007, 2:27 PM

Perhaps the two most idiotic posts I've ever seen on foot.ie[/QUOTE]

Quite a compliment coming from a limerick fan

KOH

**BohDiddley** · 09/02/2007, 2:28 PM

Total blow-in.
After a lifetime of passing by Dalymount Park (apart from one brilliant Bob Marley gig) I discovered Bohs when, er, 'we' played Bate Borisov in 2003. It was unforgettable, surpassing anything I had seen in internationals (

) or at EPL. My shamelessly band-wagonning parents immediately informed me that both grandfathers, who lived near Dalymount, went to Bohs matches, and who am I to doubt them.
The club's fortunes have gone down ever since (no, I'm not to blame!) and I often envy those who have legendary victories like Rangers, Santry 6-4 etc. to fall back on. Still, despite the misery of recent seasons, I now cannot conceive how anyone cannot go to Irish football.
I also follow Bohs because it's a proper metropolitan football club, with a pluralist tradition, and because it is a members' club.
I am being perfectly honest when I say that I feel genuinely sorry for anyone who, like me in those wilderness years, doesn't follow Bohs.