One of the great traditions of following any sporting competition is supporting a so-called second team, one often diametrically opposed to the bitter rivals of the team you actually support.
Queens Park Rangers can hardly be called minnows – what with billionaire owners and an expensively assembled squad – but there was an immense sense of satisfaction in watching them beat London rivals Chelsea in the Premier League on Thursday morning.
Maybe it’s just because Chelsea is such a dislikeable club (in my opinion), but I bet there were plenty of neutrals willing QPR on to victory despite their support for another Premier League team.
And though it’s one thing to pick a side and cheer for it during any given encounter, there are plenty of fans who go one step further and actively support a second outfit.
I’ve done it myself when I lived in Germany and began to find the four-hour round trip to Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion more draining than enjoyable.
When I moved to Cologne, I increasingly began to watch one of German football’s most historic teams go around – not 1.FC Köln but their largely unloved city rivals Fortuna.
I watched enough games in the 2.Bundesliga to consider myself more than aggrieved when Fortuna were relegated but found myself somewhat surprised when I continued showing up at their dilapidated Südstadion the following season.
Trudging the frozen streets of Zollstock to witness another insipid performance became something of a ritual and even today – years after I saw my last ever Fortuna game in the derby against their namesakes from Düsseldorf – I still check their results online with monotonous regularity.
The other day I even pulled their old jersey out of the cupboard and its red and white design reminded me of the A-League club I would be most willing to call my second side.
If Melbourne Victory are the club I love to hate, then Melbourne Heart are the club I find least threatening to the team I actually support.
I’ve even flown down from Brisbane to AAMI Park to watch them play and it’s predominantly because the Heart tick several boxes in terms of what I think a second side should be.
For one thing, they’ve got an interesting stadium and though it’s rarely anywhere near full, it’s still worth checking out.
In their brief history they’ve also featured an eclectic cast of players, moulded first by the charismatic John van’ t Schip and more recently by one of Australian football’s genuine heroes, John Aloisi.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, their presence annoys Melbourne Victory fans and they’ve got a good record in the derby – notwithstanding the last result.
On a more serious note, I like watching the Heart play because I think the A-League needs a point of difference from its original founding clubs.
Not every team can be a financially well-to-do outfit backed by city-wide support, a la FC Köln – there has to be room for the Fortunas and the Hearts of the world.
And the prevalence of big two-team towns around the world – think Liverpool, think Barcelona, even Munich – shows there’s plenty of room for cities which boast one major football powerhouse and a more modest local side.
I suspect plenty of A-League fans have made the Central Coast Mariners their second side and while I can understand why that might be the case, the Gosford outfit could never be the second team for me.
The team I find myself most frequently tuning into, aside from my own, is Melbourne Heart and for the sake of the A-League’s competitiveness, I’d like to see a few more fans pledge their support.
If not the Heart, then which second team do you support and why?
I’m sure Scott Munn and his staff are awaiting your answers with bated breath.
David Heidelberg
Guest
GCU did better than WSW in their first season, and look how that ended.
Sean
Guest
Heart's stadium deal is BAD, though. As is Victory's, except that Victory play five games a year at Etihad, and those five games pay off the losses for all the games at AAMI. Heart play all their games at AAMI.
Sean
Guest
It's worse than that for Heart, though, because at least Port has the rusted on support of their SANFL followers.
Kasey
Guest
There is no doubting the effect a powerful incumbent has on introducing new teams to the market. In my Own city of Adelaide, the Adelaide Crows kicked off in the very first AFL season (1991) up until 1990 it was the VFL and Port Power didn't get into the AFL until 2005, that was 15 seasons of the Crows owning every AFL footy conversation in the city. Port have struggled, the Crows have made a profit every year since their debut bar one(2011) Melbourne Victory are like the Crows, Heart are like Port. Incumbency is powerful, it allows you to build stress free hoovering up the fans who are almost left with no choice, unless you count the choice not to support the game at HAL level at all. Heart just need a bit more time including some support from FFAHQ and winning games wouldn't hurt.
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party
Guest
With all this talk of dislike i think its important to point out that there is a unity amongst fans here in Oz as far as wanting to see all clubs do well off the pitch.
CallmeeAl
Guest
Heart might be an ideal '2nd side' for people outside of Victoria - however the challenge is still to make them a 'first side' for people within Victoria. In the 1980s, the Sydney Swans were the 2nd team of many VFL fans for the simple reason that when the only live footy seen was every second week of the Swans playing a home game at the SCG - many of us knew the Swans players better than our own (esp us living in the bush who relied mostly on the limited TV coverage inc 'The Winners' and 'The Big League'.
bryan
Guest
Gee,you're noble! :)
nordster
Guest
Better would be allowing clubs the flexibility to set their own path more so...to achieve closer to a break even point...some centralised regulations are getting in the way of this
NUFCMVFC
Guest
There was a much stronger case for the Southern Cross team or SMFC hybrid team or whatever it was then heart when the bids were up, because this related to an actual part of the Melburnian community, but obviously for political reasons we are never gong to see it while Franks in charge etc Despite all the pin talk, there aren't much segments that MVC didn't tap into making Hearts job being a "first" side for many Melburnians and even a team you'd want to actually turn up to watch. Les Murray was right about identity, it is simply hard for them to engage, it isn't a matter of "one bad crowd figure", even when they have had good publicity and derby wins in front of big crowds, they have simply struggled to follow that up in the stands, they went form 26k vs MVFC a few weeks ago to 5.6k against the jets. They had 11k earlier in the season but that is a bit complicated by the fact it was a lead-in to the VPL Grand Final We can talk abotu the new TV money being used to subsidise teams, but in the AFL the tens of millions spent on GWS and GC Suns is arguably not worth the return in terms of public interest, perhaps it is worth it in terms of the extra games and their impact on TV revenue though, all depends on how that contract was negotiated, but in Heart's case you have to wonder if there comes a point where it is a case of flogging a dead horse or throwing good money after bad? The derbies have been a good spectacle, but there needs to be more differentiation, perhaps they should move Heart to Geelong or something - can't get much lower than 5k there surely? Have to say I'm not surprised a Sydney fan etc would find Heart a good second side to go for and would intensely dislike the Victory given Victory is more strongly identifiable as a Victorian entity (colours, the V and a lot fo Victorian players etc) while the Heart had a lot of prominent ex SFC players like Bolton and Aloisi etc
Cameron
Roar Guru
I have only ever supported one team in any competition but I do have preference as to which teams I would rather see win or lose. Funnily enough I don't dislike any A-league team. If my team is not worthy enough to win then i'm happy for another club to to be rewarded with their efforts.
bryan
Guest
In the :A" league,I follow Perth Glory,& hate everybody else,but not equally. I hate Brissie Roar the most! :) I'm a much nicer chap with the AFL--I only hate the Eagles when they are playing the Dockers,& otherwise,only really hate Victorian teams!
Jupiter53
Guest
Sydney FC is my team. However I live in [far] western Sydney, and WSW supporters are appearing all around me. Indeed, I would be one if I hadn't been a SFC member since season 1. Popovic was one of my favourite players, and for the good of the A League I think it's vital for Sydney to have 2 strong teams. So I have a soft spot for the Wanderers, and generally I want to see them do well. There is one proviso, of course; I want Sydney to do better. Looks like it's going to be a tough season for me and my fellow local SFC diehards. My second A League team is of course anyone playing Victory.
Realfootball
Guest
Nah, not unthinkable. For me its Wanderers. By a country k. Every round I follow Brisbane first, then Wanderers. I like their football, their players, their coach, and their fans. They are a credit to the code.
Realfootball
Guest
They are stilling pulling bigger crowds than South Melbourne (Hellas) would week in week out. Do we have to have this discussion again? The last thing the League needs is an ethnically based team and it just will not happen, ever. Give it up, Hellas fellas.
Stevo
Guest
There's nothing like going to the Melbourne derby and seeing a group of MV supporters with scarfs emblazoned with the words "F.CK OFF HEART" and I don't jest either. They are soooo comfortable in their own grand view of themselves that they feel threatened by us - go figure? So yeah, MV doing poorly does resonate with me too:)
c
Guest
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos (Panathinaikos Athletic Club) Nickname(s) To Trifylli (The Shamrock) Oi Prasinoi (The Greens)
agga78
Guest
Melbourne Victory and Celtic football club, 1st and 1st, no second team, why support anyone else when I support the club with the best support in Australia and support the club with the best support in the world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sf711rNtc4
fadida
Guest
I doubt any clubs are profitable. It comes down to the loss owners are prepared to take.Player sales would have raised a bit last season and Behich will get them 500k.
Roger
Guest
Now look what you've done Kasey. You derailed my whitty remark and got people to talk about kits.
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
Are you suggesting that the Heart are currently profitable? I don't know, but I'd be surprised if they were. I'd measure (long term) viability by looking at what would happen to the club if the owners bail out. If the club is losing money, then their chances rest solely on their ability to find a new owner prepared to sink money in. IMO, that's not viable.