Why do you support your European club of choice?
Columnist By Mike Tuckerman, 10 Aug 2012 Mike Tuckerman is a Roar Expert
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- Belgium, Bundesliga, football, Serie A, UEFA
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Manchester City's Belgian captain Vincent Kompany lifts the Premier league trophy after their 3-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers in the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers at The Etihad stadium in Manchester, north-west England on May 13, 2012. Manchester City won the game 3-2 to secure their first title since 1968. AFP PHOTO/PAUL ELLIS
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I have just spent the past hour watching videos on Youtube from the Belgian Pro League, which kicked off two weeks ago with Brussels heavyweight Anderlecht as defending champion.
Aside from the obvious point of not having anything better to do, Belgian club football is something I’ve followed for years and for Australian fans of a certain vintage that makes perfect sense.
It may be viewed as somewhat of a European backwater now, but back when the likes of Frank Farina, Aurelio Vidmar and Paul Okon were making names for themselves, the Belgian league was a regular Saturday afternoon staple on SBS.
I fell in love then with the exotic team names and compact stadia on the screen but it wasn’t until I met a friend in Belgium in 2006 that I began to follow the fortunes of one particular club.
That club was Racing Club Genk – famously captained to their second Belgian title in 2002 by none other than Socceroos midfielder Josip Skoko – and I began following them simply because they were the closest top-flight club to where my friend Gert and his family live.
Sadly I’ve never actually been to a club game in Belgium, with the closest I’ve come the time Gert and I took a trip out to Genk’s stadium during the off-season.
But year in, year out I’ve followed Genk’s fortunes from afar and it got me wondering about why we all follow the clubs we do.
Like most Australians who grew up on a diet of European football, I follow the fortunes of multiple European clubs.
The most obvious example is Borussia Dortmund, a side I have watched in the flesh on several occasions.
More than anyone else it was my high-school German teacher who encouraged my love of German football, with her simple yet revelatory instruction that if I studied hard, I might one day be able to study in Germany.
Sadly for her I mostly studied the contents of German football magazines, but when I was 14 a fortuitous class trip abroad resulted in my first Bundesliga game – and naturally I was hooked.
I went back to Germany to ‘study’ in my late teens, at a time when the legendary Ned Zelic and Paul Agostino plied their trade for 1860 München.
In fact, the first time I stood on the Südtribüne it was to watch Dortmund against 1860 in a match the ever-excitable Zelic still remembers like it was yesterday, and I was there again the next season when Agostino scored twice in a 3-2 win for the visitors.
Like the rest of us, I’ve always had a soft spot for Australians playing in Europe, but it was an Italian who started my life-long love affair with one of Europe’s more notorious clubs.
He may not have been a native Roman, but former Lazio star Giuseppe Signori was like no footballer I’d ever seen.
Small, lightning fast and entirely left-footed, Signori was an excitement machine who went on to become one of Serie A’s all-time top scorers.
Sadly, he’s now embroiled in one of Italian football’s deplorable betting scandals, but for a time he was without doubt one of the superstars of the European game.
There were rumours Sydney FC had the chance to sign him in 2005 and for those unaware of what they missed out on, sit back and enjoy.
Signori left Lazio in 1997 and played almost as many games for Bologna, but I’ve never stopped following the Biancocelesti and it’s a life-long dream of mine to one day get over to Rome and see them play.
With that in mind, I’m interested to know why we all follow the European clubs we support. What attracted you to them in the first place and have you ever had the chance to see them play?
There are so many unique stories out there, so drop a line and let us know why you follow your European club of choice.
Mike Tuckerman is a Sydney-born journalist and lifelong football fan. After lengthy stints watching the beautiful game in Germany and Japan, he has settled in Brisbane and has been a Roar columnist since December 2008. Follow Mike on twitter @Mike_Tuckerman
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- Belgium, Bundesliga, football, Serie A, UEFA
August 10th 2012 @ 7:05am
Bondy. said | August 10th 2012 @ 7:05am | Report comment
It can work in reverse also Mike the names you churn off there most certainly ring a bell Zelic and Agostino at Dortmund and Skoko at Genk I remember their carrers but would’ve only seen feature games of theres,most people would be more akin to the EPL or Serie A than leagues in Belguim and Holland.
A lot of Australian Football supporters dont necesesarily concentrate on european football as much since the inception of the H.A.L. local club football in Australia now takes priority in our house and the english premiere league La Liga are not a great priority as such,I much more prefer to keep tabs of football in Australia now than europe I still watch but its not as important as our domestic comp.You dont need european football as much when you have your own league.
Blatter’s just awarding the medals at the Womens Football and major major booing has broken out.
August 10th 2012 @ 7:59am
Kasey said | August 10th 2012 @ 7:59am | Report comment
I do not support a European club. I only support Adelaide United. I will watch European football if it’s on at a convenient time, but it’s like going to the Ballet for me. Sure it’s nice to look at and I appreciate the skill, but as I have no connection to any particular team, it ultimately means nothing to me. Adelaide is my home city. I have grown up here, I have been raised to distrust all things Victorian
so beating MVC is a huge deal and it is this emotional ‘buy-in’ as well as the friends I have made with similar minded Adelaideans that has wedded me to this club for life. I see the inherent bias of having 90% of our countries media based in Sydney and the have reconciled myself to the fact that when my unfancied team does well it will be poo-poohed as ‘lucky’ or dismissed based on not being from Sydney or Melbourne. When AdUnited win, I am deliriously happy, when United lose it can cast a dark cloud over my whole weekend. I would get up at 3 am for a United game, but I have no reason to get up at 3 am for some random European team.
August 10th 2012 @ 9:45am
Ian said | August 10th 2012 @ 9:45am | Report comment
Kasey, did you get up early to watch Euro 2012?
i agree with ‘when my unfancied team does well it will be poo-poohed as ‘lucky’ or dismissed based on not being from Sydney or Melbourne.’ a different slant is cast upon team based on where they are from. as a brisbane roar supporter we got many accolades for the success that was achieved but imagine if MV had done that in the last two years. (or progressed as far in the ACL as AU)
while i have some knowledge of football my wife was involved with brisbane football since her dad took her to games from the mid 80s onwards. she speaks often of the bias based on ‘as long as its from sydney or melbourne its ok’….nowhere else apparently really likes football or follows it (sarcasm).
August 10th 2012 @ 9:53am
Kasey said | August 10th 2012 @ 9:53am | Report comment
Ian,
I watched a few games of Euro 2012, I got up early for a couple of Quarter/Semi Finals and the Final . My father is Dutch-Australian and I watched the Dutch pull their spectacular (trademarked) major tournament self destruct against the Danes in the group stages = “Legoland beats Egoland”
but I am 100% Australian and although it was the Dutch in 1988 that helped me fall in love with football, the Netherlands is not MY country. I don’t speak the lingo, I’ve never been there and only Australia’s Green and Gold gets my blood really pumping in international fixtures!
August 20th 2012 @ 1:05pm
Faith den Elzen said | August 20th 2012 @ 1:05pm | Report comment
Hey Kasey
My stepdad is Dutch too,but like you I`m a Socceroos fan first and my European teams are Man United and Celtic
August 20th 2012 @ 1:15pm
Kasey said | August 20th 2012 @ 1:15pm | Report comment
I occasionally (when I remember) look for the results of Willem II Tilburg ( the club closest to my Dad’s hometown. They have a really cool looking kit, alternating red, white and blue stripes and are named after a dutch King, but have mostly been a yo-yo club in my adulthood. I would love to visit the Netherlands and meet some of the extended Family, maybe take in a game:)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem_II_(football_club)
August 20th 2012 @ 1:43pm
Gwils said | August 20th 2012 @ 1:43pm | Report comment
Marc Overmars and Jaap Stam both played with Tilburg very early in their career, and of course Sami Hyypia was recruited by Livepool from Tilburg.
Don’t ever forget:
Het leven is goed in ‘t brabantse land.
August 20th 2012 @ 1:50pm
Kasey said | August 20th 2012 @ 1:50pm | Report comment
Normally I would agree with a nice statement like that Faith; but I’ve seen pictures of my father standing next to his similarly aged Dutch cousins, and perhaps it’s the better lifestyle here , maybe we have fewer pollutantsin the atmosphere, but he looks a score younger than all of them!
August 10th 2012 @ 10:46am
nordster said | August 10th 2012 @ 10:46am | Report comment
Im tending toward the same. I no longer follow a european team, though i do follow euro football and leagues. Its great on a ‘football’ level but in terms of emotional engagement it comes a very far third to a-league and even my fifa career mode team on ps3!
August 10th 2012 @ 3:32pm
Kasey said | August 10th 2012 @ 3:32pm | Report comment
When I first saw a mention of Genk, I thought Max Rushden (of SoccerAM fame) had written this piece, I completely forgot that in the 80s and 90s, Belgium was where it was at for our O/S Soceroos.
We all love Genk!
August 10th 2012 @ 5:13pm
Gwils said | August 10th 2012 @ 5:13pm | Report comment
Don’t forget to pronounce it correctly.
The G is pronounced like the ch in Scottish “loch” or the ch in German “nacht”.
The e is short and mid way between English “met” and “mat”.
Don’t leave out the “n”, because in Flemish, “gek” means crazy.
August 11th 2012 @ 8:58am
Kasey said | August 11th 2012 @ 8:58am | Report comment
Thanks for the reminder: so in reality the club name is closer to Rassing Henk(say with a Gold member accent) Being part Dutch, I can do the throat developed G sound, but obviously if in the case of Soccer AM you just pronounce it as Genk it sounds kind of funny, hence their interest in it, Probably off to Deportivo Wanka(Peru) next:).
August 10th 2012 @ 7:09am
Smedley said | August 10th 2012 @ 7:09am | Report comment
Latino as Gascoine went there, hearts as I loved in Edinburgh for a time and most importantly Spurs. I was allowed to stay up in 81 and watch the FA Cup final and then it went to a mid week replay and stayed up for that too. I suppose if Man City won I would have gone for them. Spurs also had the wonderful Argies in the side as well.
August 10th 2012 @ 7:56am
Titus said | August 10th 2012 @ 7:56am | Report comment
I saw some of the Belgian Cup match between Lokeren and Anderlecht on the Les Murray Football feature the other day, which is the only Belgian Football I have seen. If I was picking Belgian teams to follow it would probably be Beerschot or Rupel Boom based on the same formula that I pick dogs in the Greyhounds.
For my European team I was influenced by my grandfather, he basically had three influences, Liverpool, Tranmere Rovers and Manchester United. He lived in Liverpool, stood in the Kop, dragged my mum to Trannie games but grew up around Manchester. He would send Liverpool and Man U shirts out to me and my brother and I ended up with the Liverpool ones with my brother claiming the Man U ones.
It was a time when Liverpool was far and away the big team and every Aussie went for them so I found it hard to built an attachment, had a brief flirtation with Aston Villa, but now that Liverpool has become unfashionable my attachment is growing and feels more genuine to myself.
August 10th 2012 @ 8:22am
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party said | August 10th 2012 @ 8:22am | Report comment
My team is Liverpool,my dads side are Londoners(Grandads Millwall and Nans West Ham unbelievably)and every year there would be a massive party for FA Cup night which i’d be allowed to stay up and watch.In 86 Liverpool played Everton in the Final and that was the game Craig Johnstone scored and i’ve supported them ever since much to my family’s dismay.I still love the club and watch or record most games every weekend.Perth Glory is MY team though and i probably didn’t realise how much the clubs means to me till after the GF last year,the most heartbroken i’ve been after a game since Italy 06.
August 10th 2012 @ 8:37am
Roger Rational said | August 10th 2012 @ 8:37am | Report comment
FC Sion of Switzerland because the Belgian league is just too popular and commercialised for my highly refined tastes.
P.S. Skinny lattes are soooooo 2006.
August 10th 2012 @ 8:45am
Kasey said | August 10th 2012 @ 8:45am | Report comment
Yes I guess there is a hipster element of that in ‘football supporters’. The I’m more of a football fan than you because I follow some obscure club in the Romanian 2nd division, but to be honest I don’t see it or read about it as much as I do on BigSoccer, where Soccer has become the hipster sport of choice it seems in America. And Lord knows MLS is just too mainstream to bother supporting : ( I wonder how big the “I only follow the EPL because the A-League is sh*t” crowd actually is? My gut feel is that it’s a significant amount of people that are already partial to football and it would behove the FFA to expend more effort in ‘chasing’ some of this mob rather than the doomsday scenario painted by the egg-ballers of “the Soccer lot are coming for us next.” Run!
August 10th 2012 @ 9:56am
Ian said | August 10th 2012 @ 9:56am | Report comment
i’ll sound like a broken record but i agree with the crowd you mention do exist of ‘i follow an EPL team because a-league is crap’. i think its because they will be diehard afl or league fans and because afl is only in australia – (so its the best league?!), league is the best in australia (played in a handful of countries) and soccer, played everywhere but australia is not the best league by any means, then their attitude is i’ll follow EPL because i’m only interested in the best leagues……not that they would venture to the spanish, italian or german leagues as that would be getting too adventurous.
and my one current litte 5 yr old, proudly wears her roar jersey, yells out for berisha and thomas, and i have the photo of her standing with berisha with his arm around her at the roar end of season presentation night on my desktop.
.
August 10th 2012 @ 10:39am
Nathan of Perth said | August 10th 2012 @ 10:39am | Report comment
Always thought that in the US the MLS has the advantage of not having to detail with the Australian cultural cringe. No one needs to tell them that their team is as worthwhile as any overseas team is – of course its worthwhile, they reason, its American, right?
Whatever else you want to call it, its helpful for them. Whereas over here….
Saw the start of Seattle v LA and those Seattle kids are pretty serious! Pretty good way to welcome the players onto the ground.
August 10th 2012 @ 11:37am
Ian said | August 10th 2012 @ 11:37am | Report comment
i’ve wondered if there was that cringe you mentioned in the USA. they have NFL, but we have league, afl and union as other football sports. their other sports are baseball and basketball, i guess icehockey is too. if that is correct they only have one major ‘footy’ code other than soccer. i don’t know if they carry on with rants of diving or nfl is ‘tougher’…etc…in NFL they do wear a lot of padding.
i was just readng an article about an american sprinter who apparently just ran with a broken bone – and a couple of comments people have put in……’if he was a soccer player he would have dived’ ….from nowhere – nothing to do with the article in any sense. that’s the part i don’t get. everyone can like what they wish to but soccer must be on their minds to make ridiculous comments…..or jealousy as its the world game as i like to think as league and afl never will be.
August 10th 2012 @ 11:44am
Kasey said | August 10th 2012 @ 11:44am | Report comment
Ian,
In the USA, the chief criticism against Soccer is that it is European and therefore a ‘socialist’ sport(oh the irony eh?). The other term often used is un-American. If anything is un-American, it is to be forever shunned the shrill talking heads will tell you.
In Australia it seems the biggest slur you can sling against somebody in public life is to label them a racist.
In the USA it seems to be “you sir are a socialist.” There’s nothing guaranteed to raise the hackles of a yank more than the prospect of being labelled a Europhile-like socialist. America has a proud history of being an isolationist country, they prefer to look inwards rather than outwards as an island nation such as our must do by necessity. One thing you can’t escape from as a football fan is that it truly is a global game, that just goes against an isolationists gut feel, hence some serious push back against Soccer in the USA. Just my $0.02.
August 10th 2012 @ 11:52am
Kasey said | August 10th 2012 @ 11:52am | Report comment
The sentence above referring to differences between us and the Yanks should read that island nations such as ours look outwards by necessity.
August 10th 2012 @ 12:08pm
Nathan of Perth said | August 10th 2012 @ 12:08pm | Report comment
“In the USA it seems to be “you sir are a socialist.””
Well, ever since McCarthy…
August 10th 2012 @ 12:13pm
Kasey said | August 10th 2012 @ 12:13pm | Report comment
The financial crisis currently engulfing Europe has only helped turn ears towards those who view that region with suspicion. Frankly I am super impressed that in the view of some massive cultural issues to deal with that the Americans have developed MLS to the stage they have at all.
August 10th 2012 @ 1:14pm
Nathan of Perth said | August 10th 2012 @ 1:14pm | Report comment
Like I said, when its an American team, its an American team and it doesn’t have to contend with questions of validity.
Also, don’t underestimate the Hispanic influence in some of the localities. I also wonder how much the expense of NFL and the waiting list and the Personal Seat Licence fiascos of that sport and its other equivalents helps give it a free pass in some areas, as well as helps collect that group of people that want cheap entertainment, particularly during the summer.
August 10th 2012 @ 1:37pm
Ian said | August 10th 2012 @ 1:37pm | Report comment
Kasey
i got my 2 cents value out of your comments.
i imagine the inward looking view is reflected in that old adage about the low number of americans who have a passport and travel anywhere. even across the border to canada.
the un-comment is reflective also of being un-australian. check the cheap ‘current affairs’ programs for the daily ‘unaustralian’ story.
though if they deem football is european are they really aware of central and south america where football is a religion
August 10th 2012 @ 2:27pm
Nathan of Perth said | August 10th 2012 @ 2:27pm | Report comment
The corollary to the passport thing that people tend to ignore, Ian, is that Americans have access to an area and population for travel roughly the size of Europe – to access that sort of variety of climates and environments a European person needs a passport whereas his American counterpart doesn’t.
The insular nature is there, of course, but this is a nuance to the situation that should be remembered.
August 10th 2012 @ 2:39pm
Ian said | August 10th 2012 @ 2:39pm | Report comment
Nathan – valid point – i agree there is a large amount of diveristy already there.
if i took out the having the passport issue, i think europeans would be travelling more also.
australia is about the same size as mainland USA and we have diversity of climate, but with a fraction of the population and hence cities. and australians generally travel more than americans. australia is less insulated considering where we are located – down the bottom end of the world so to speak. not that i think the way some people comment about particular issues shows that but that’s another topic.
August 10th 2012 @ 3:01pm
Kasey said | August 10th 2012 @ 3:01pm | Report comment
I think a lot of Aussies make the comment that Americans are stupid because they don’t know as much about the world as say your average Aussie. I find this to be not only lazy but insultingly stupid on our behalf. I think our education system isn’t that much better than theirs,
culturally: If you think of a basic venn diagram. Europe is circle A, the USA is circle B, where A Union B exists is the culture of Australia. We watch both European TV/movies and American TV/movies so we pick up something from both cultures, add to that our explorer tendencies and we tend to look outwards more than we look inwards, we are always measuring ourselves and our progress against other cultures and countries. This is the basis for our cultural cringe. We tend to seek external validation – every 2-bit celeb that touches down within seconds is asked”and what do you think about Australia?” If the head of UEFA or the FA came out here and patted us on the head and told us what a good little league we have many would be suitably impressed. Some of us who love the game and our league are already suitably impressed with the progress made in such a short time period.
August 10th 2012 @ 3:23pm
Kasey said | August 10th 2012 @ 3:23pm | Report comment
I’ve just re-read my comment and it could be read that I imply Ian is calling Americans stupid. I do say ‘some’ Aussies do but I do not mention any poster by name because that is not what I intended with my comment.
August 11th 2012 @ 6:06am
The Truth said | August 11th 2012 @ 6:06am | Report comment
This would be a great analysis if you were talking about half of the USA. The other 155million people don’t fit your generalization at all.
August 11th 2012 @ 6:39am
Seriously, Who says Oi? said | August 11th 2012 @ 6:39am | Report comment
“In the USA, the chief criticism against Soccer is that it is European and therefore a ‘socialist’ sport(oh the irony eh?)”
In my experience, this isn’t even slightly accurate. Could you provide evidence of this being the case?
August 11th 2012 @ 9:04am
Kasey said | August 11th 2012 @ 9:04am | Report comment
Oi:
its just been my experience in my travels to the USA and interactions with their fans especially on BigSoccer.com
http://www.city-data.com/forum/soccer/970525-jim-rome-shows-you-why-soccer-1.html
Jim Rome makes Rebecca Wilson look intelligent. Unfortunately being on ESPN he has even greater reach than RL’s Bec via the News (very) Limited papers.
“There is also a political debate when it comes to soccer. Many conservatives in America believe that soccer is a socialist sport from Europe, and they won’t dare watch it!” – but one post on that thread that drew replies of agreement. Of course the standard argument is a familiar one to Aussies. The “we only want to watch the best” argument.
Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/soccer/970525-jim-rome-shows-you-why-soccer.html#ixzz23BgSM7p6
August 13th 2012 @ 8:03am
Kasey said | August 13th 2012 @ 8:03am | Report comment
Nathan
I’m curious to ask an American Soccer fan how then how Chivas USA fits into that ” if its American it has no question of validity”. It appears to be a third rail issue on BigSoccer and the opinion of LA Galaxy fans is just a little biased as you would expect.
To Explain:
CD Guardalajara are the biggest (best supported) team in Mexico and their nickname is ‘Chivas’ (the goats) MLS has a team in Los Angeles called Chivas USA, with almost exactly the same crest as their Mexican big brothers. One rich Mexican bloke owns both entities.
CUSA share their home venue ‘Home Depot Center’ with the Galaxy, but tarp off the upper tier these days as they only draw approx 14k to Galaxy’s 22k averages.
August 11th 2012 @ 11:12am
neos osmos said | August 11th 2012 @ 11:12am | Report comment
’if he was a soccer player he would have dived’
Unless he was Bert Trautmann who carried on playing an FA Cup Final with a broken neck
August 13th 2012 @ 7:56pm
Axelv said | August 13th 2012 @ 7:56pm | Report comment
Shane Smeltz with a broken nose in the A-League Final.
August 10th 2012 @ 4:24pm
Ridley said | August 10th 2012 @ 4:24pm | Report comment
Nice, saw FC Sion play Liverpool at Anfield back in the Cup Winners Cup days, 6-3 win to the Reds, entertaining evening.
August 10th 2012 @ 8:55am
MelbCro said | August 10th 2012 @ 8:55am | Report comment
Hajduk Split. I was born a Hajduk supporter.
August 10th 2012 @ 9:37am
Kasey said | August 10th 2012 @ 9:37am | Report comment
And my little’uns should I be blessed with them will be Adelaide United fans…tis the circle of football life:)
August 10th 2012 @ 4:13pm
Kasey said | August 10th 2012 @ 4:13pm | Report comment
MC have you ever seen them live? That would be an amazing experience IMO.
August 10th 2012 @ 9:06am
George said | August 10th 2012 @ 9:06am | Report comment
I was a bg Ned Zelic fan and that made me support QPR back in the day, then i fell in love with the team even though he has unfortunately gone down as one of the worst signing in the clubs history through no fault of his own.
The class of a dreadlocked Trevor Sinclair, the graft of Nigel Quashie, Sir Les! A young lanky Peter Crouch crying when we got relegated, Kevin Gallen who still to this day holds the record for most goals scored in the England Youth set up! (he could of been anything and everything if it wasnt for some many injuries) the balding overweight Ray Wilkins donning the football jersey as a player manager to try and salvage our Premier League status.
Friends would laugh at me all the time, but I was lucky enough to watch QPR play twice when i was in London back in 2002. They were a club in freefall financially and were playing in Division 2 (League 1) One game against Blackpool and the other was a cup match against Bristol City both at Loftus Rd!
So happy now that we have financial backing and a board that want to grow the club.
Long live QPR! Come on You R’SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
August 10th 2012 @ 9:46am
Kasey said | August 10th 2012 @ 9:46am | Report comment
I used to be a Ned Zelic fan until I noticed with stunning regularity how often he moved clubs due to a ‘clash of personality’ with the incumbent manager – I have always been anoyed by ‘difficult’ players. On the plus side I still remember ‘that’ stunning goal(as part of a brace if my memory hasn’t failed me) for the Olyroos though, beating the Dutch ‘keeper at the near post. I think of it every time I put my spew shirt on to go to a Socceroos game. Now adays I am a fan of Ned for what he brings to the studio in analyzing a game. I’ve hoped for a while now he would get a gig on Fox covering the HAL the local league coverage benefited from the unique way Miron viwed games and could do with more Ned I feel.
August 10th 2012 @ 9:56am
George said | August 10th 2012 @ 9:56am | Report comment
Ego’s run ego’s. He was talented and knew it too!
His biggest mistake was leaving Germany in the first place, You dont leave Dortmund for minnows QPR although it was the beggining of the Premier League in England and it was (as it still is today) all about the £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £.
He certainly knows his stuff but could do with some hardcore media training as he at times struggles to relay the thoughts he is trying to convey to the fans.
August 10th 2012 @ 9:57am
Minister for Information for the Democratic People's Republic of Football said | August 10th 2012 @ 9:57am | Report comment
Jeez George that must have been a snap decision to follow QPR? Ned Zelic was at the club for what…5 minutes? Did he actually turn out for them in the first team?
August 10th 2012 @ 10:10am
George said | August 10th 2012 @ 10:10am | Report comment
Yeah it was a snap decision to support them but i was a Ned Zelic fan and followed him there. I’ve stuck with them from the moment i said “right, thats my team” through relegation upon relegation, administration through administration back to were we are today.
My background is Greek so from my father i supported Olympiakos and got the results from the Greek newspaper, but you have to remember that back in the late 80′s early 90′s there was no Internet and the only football i got was from SBS on a Monday night with the Prem Highlights show (and Sunday’s 10am Serie A show) so it was even harder supporting my team when they were getting constantly relegated.
And yeah he played a few games, got injured, and left.
August 10th 2012 @ 10:22am
Minister for Information for the Democratic People's Republic of Football said | August 10th 2012 @ 10:22am | Report comment
I remember the late 80′s and early 90′s very well and the dearth of football action on TV. As for your sufferings with QPR…as a Palace fan I share your pain.
August 10th 2012 @ 10:37am
George said | August 10th 2012 @ 10:37am | Report comment
Ahh Palace,
Simon “look at my nice hair and fake tan” Jordan.
We had it worse with Gianni “i need a bullet proof vest” Paladini at the helm.
At least Jordan had money, we had nothing at the time.
You guys just snapped up Pete Ramage from us. Great pro, Very much a Championship type player. He is 100% commited and seems like an overall good bloke from what i see of him.
August 10th 2012 @ 1:41pm
Griffo said | August 10th 2012 @ 1:41pm | Report comment
Didn’t Ned retire a bit too early from the national team because they didn’t make him captain?
Still, I like his perspective on football development and national style. I don’t think he gets enough air or (virtual) print time to get his thoughts across.
August 13th 2012 @ 5:46pm
Mantis said | August 13th 2012 @ 5:46pm | Report comment
Come On You R’SSSSSS! Good season ahead I feel
August 10th 2012 @ 9:22am
Fussball ist unser leben said | August 10th 2012 @ 9:22am | Report comment
For around 30 years of my life, Man United was my team – even though I lived in Australia.
It all started on 1 May 1976, when I first saw that young team – coached by Tommy Docherty – playing in the 1976 FA Cup final (yes, it was live on TV in AUS with kick-off at midnight) against 2nd division Southampton.
I can still reel off many of the names of United players that day: Alex Stepney in goals, Lou Macari, Stuart Pearson, Gordon Hill & Stevie Coppell on the wings, Sammy McIlroy .. and, the skipper, Martin Buchan.
I went into the match as a neutral, but after that match – which United lost to a Bobby Stokes goal 10′ from the end – I felt a bond with the United players, who were utterly gutted to have lost the Final.
For the next 14 years, United brought me little joy. There were a couple more FA Cup wins but, in the main contest – the League title – United were either mid-table or bridesmaids to Liverpool.
Of course, since 1990, Man United has won it all & become the most successful team in England and, until the start of the HAL, I proudly flew the Man United colours.
But, no more. United represents a regional town (that I’ve never visited) in a country on the other side of the planet and I’ve now got a passion far closer to home.
I’ve changed the “U” for a “V” and my team is now MVFC. I still want United to win, but I don’t look for their results with the same anticipation or desperation as I did pre-HAL.
August 10th 2012 @ 9:35am
Arsenalkid700 said | August 10th 2012 @ 9:35am | Report comment
Arsenal because my dad was born in Islington, North London and was an Arsenal fan himself. New York Red Bulls because they are my local club (Not euro but… ya).
August 10th 2012 @ 9:47am
Minister for Information for the Democratic People's Republic of Football said | August 10th 2012 @ 9:47am | Report comment
Due to my origins a fair bit of live streaming of the Austrian Bundesliga goes on. I once had a favourite team called Austria Salzburg until they sold out and became a Red Bull franchise so these days it’s my childhood favourites Rapid Vienna.
In England it’s Crystal Palace (…sad I know) so all in all when you throw Sydney FC into the mix there’s really not much to cheer about for me in general lol!!
Btw. I would like to see more Aussies in the Austrian BL. James Holland is at Austria Vienna at the moment but that’s it. The standard is not too bad. On a par with the Swiss League and better than the scandinavian leagues but probably a touch behind the Belgian league.
August 11th 2012 @ 2:54am
Football United said | August 11th 2012 @ 2:54am | Report comment
Austrian BL is solid standard and the Viennese derby was ridiculous! Surprising that your switch to Rapid, when the reborn SV Austria Salzburg have already made their way to the 3rd division. What happens if they eventually make their way to the top again?!
August 13th 2012 @ 11:31am
Minister for Information for the Democratic People's Republic of Football said | August 13th 2012 @ 11:31am | Report comment
If that happens FU , I’ll be very confused again lol!! Unlikely to happen any time soon but never say never…