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Now is probably as good a time as any to mention it – just in case someone out there is taking notes – but I no longer watch English football.
I haven’t watched it in a serious way since 2005, when Malcom Glazer and his family took control of Manchester United in one of the grubbiest chapters in the history of the English game.
Before then, like so many Australians, I was a devoted follower of English football – to the extent I was a member of one of the international chapters of the Manchester United supporters’ club.
And like so many Australians, my decision to support one particular team over all the others was completely arbitrary.
When I was about nine, my Mum bought me a copy of ‘Match’ magazine which came with a full-colour poster of Lee Sharpe.
I had never heard of Sharpe before, let alone the city of Manchester, but I liked United’s red jersey and that was enough for me to become a fan.
I didn’t know United hadn’t won the title in years – the first season of English football I actively followed was the last of the old ‘Division One’ – and I probably didn’t realise the magazines I started reading were freighted to Australia months out of date.
But I followed United faithfully for years, watching their fortunes on the ABC’s old highlights show, then on SBS, until English football eventually pitched up on Fox Sports.
It was around then the A-League kicked off and coinciding with the Glazer takeover at Old Trafford, I realised I had lost my passion for the English game.
I became a member of my local A-League club and later joined a club in Japan and although I was a casual observer of the Premier League on Japanese satellite TV, I found my football interests laid far away from Old Blighty.
The trouble is, every time I mention to someone I watch football, they invariably ask who I support in the Premier League.
It’s a fair question and I certainly don’t begrudge anyone who follows the league, but by the same token I really don’t know what to say.
I’m starting to wonder if I should start actively following a team again just so I can take part in conversations.
But who should I support? Should I go the Fozzie route and declare myself an unrelenting fan of Brendan Rodgers and his tiki-taka football at Swansea?
Or maybe I should be like one of those fans who claim they support a ‘minnow’ like Fulham or Wigan Athletic – even though they’re bankrolled by millionaires.
I suppose supporting Scunthorpe United in whatever division they’re in impresses nobody, but it seems like every fan and his or her dog supports one of Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool or – bizarrely – Chelsea these days, with a couple of Tottenham and Aston Villa fans thrown in.
(No one likes City, sorry Simon).
I used to be no different. And now I’m eager to get back into the game and once again reassert my total football credentials by supporting an appropriate Premier League team.
I’m throwing the floor open to suggestions, so leave a comment and just like in school, don’t forget to be specific and support your answers.
It’s also my 30th birthday today, so free free to leave your warmest birthday regards as well – especially all you Melbourne Victory fans!
And with your help, maybe by the end of the season I can re-live the football of my youth and get back into the Premier League groove.
Even if I end up just the same as almost everybody else and start supporting Manchester United (again).