July 30, 2007
Did you choose your club or did it choose you?
The Asia Cup is over and the start of the English Premier League season is only a matter of days away. Here is your chance to exchange experiences and let us all know…
Did you choose your club or did it choose you?
First up tell us which EPL club you follow and why?
Secondly, what is your most memorable experience involving this club. It might be a match they played, a visit to the club itself, a meeting with one of it’s players. Anything really as long as it is applicable to your experience with the club.
Happy to hear stories from clubs other than those from the EPL too. Where does your passion come from?
Everton because my Father supported the Club and rumour has it that my Grandfather was alsoa long term supporter.
Of the Welsh teams Wrexham as my Father was for a while a Director.
In the Welsh League Rhyl . Used to watch them as a child up to 1951 when we “moved ” house.
Comment by Brian Roberts — July 31, 2007 @ 8:59 am
Liverpool - i used to live in Bristol, but as my dad was a passionate AFL supporter, he took no interest in the local round ball game - if he had, i probably would support one of the two Bristol teams. However, our next door neighbours in Bristol, who had kids my age, were born in Liverpool and were avid supporters of the club. The family gave me LFC merchandise every year for Christmas and birthdays, and when we moved back to Australia I continued to follow the club and they continued to send merchandise to me. Some of my best memories of the Club have come from watching early morning matches here in Australia, such as the 2001 FA Cup, UEFA Cup and League Cup Finals, the Champions League Final in 2005, which are some of Liverpool’s great recent successe. The main thing that draws me to the club is the supporters who are, in my opinion and many others, the best in the world. My single best memory would be the match which i watched live at Anfield between Liverpool and Manchester United in 2005. Although Liverpool lost to a goal by who else but the scum of Wayne Rooney, i still smiled throughout and at the end of the game. It was probably the best experience of my life….the crowd was amazing…the sound deafening…the passion exhilarating. To me the result did not matter, it would have been great to see Liverpool score, or win, but it was such an amazing and positive experience i cant complain! Ive been supporting Liverpool for around 12 years now, which is over half of my life. Unfortunately i was not born in the glory years of the 1970s and 80s, so i have yet to experience Liverpool winning the League - this is my greatest desire for the club, and i hope that this year we will make a strong and decent challenge for the title.
Comment by scouser_8 — July 31, 2007 @ 11:08 am
Liverpool - I don’t recall exact details of how it all started but my pop used to tape any game for me so I could watch it. We were watching Liverpool vs QPR one afternoon, it was time to choose a team and it started from there. It’s been going for over 20 years now.
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Best memory has to be my trip around Anfield in 2002 but fingers crossed that will be eclipsed as I am hoping to score tix to Liverpool vs Chelsea on the 18th!
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Incidently I went to the Emirates Tournament on Sunday, pics to follow. Amazing stadium but gee Arsenal supporters can be dull!
Comment by Tommy — July 31, 2007 @ 6:26 pm
Liverpool is my team & I go way back to the 1960’s. I used to watch my favourite player Emlyn ‘Crazy Horse’ Hughes on the ABCs Match of the Day (match was from the previous week’s matches in England), but I wasn’t allowed to stay up to watch so I had to sneak a look through my bedroom door. Years later I found out my Dad new I was there but didn’t say anything to admonish me.
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I have lived and admired through the Shankly, Paisley, Fagan, Dalglish eras and after that you just couldn’t go anywhere else even though my father was a Man U supporter and tried hard to convert me to the dark side (I did attend a dinner held for Man U for their visit to Newcastle in 1967-68 and was quite impressed by Law, Stepney, & Stiles who sat at our table but they weren’t impressed that I was a LFC supporter though. hahaha)
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The best memory is any one of the amazing victories from 1976 - 1981 purely because of the amazing success of Bob Paisley and his team. Pick any of the European Cups and you have an unforgettable memory. 2005 Champions League was also special purely because it was so unexpected at half time.
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My only Liverpool claim to fame is that I played my junior football with Craig Johnson at the Lake Macquarie club in Newcastle, NSW. We were also great rivals at schoolboy level when we played for different schools. Even though I have toured Britain I have yet to see a match at Anfield but I did go there during the off season in 1988.
Comment by Skylarking — July 31, 2007 @ 10:52 pm
Brian you moved to Rhyl? Goodness me, I didn’t think they had a permanent population. Although it is possibly Europes premier summer playground!!
Everton supporter too. As a young child I loosely supported other clubs but ultimately it chose me. My family has supported the Toffee’s for sometime. I have heard some funny stories of a great uncle giving Dixie Dean lifts to work after he’d retired from football.
A popular quote I have seen about especially on the Merseyside
Evertonians are Born Not Manufactured,
We Do not choose, We are Chosen.
Those who understand need no explanations.
Those who don’t… don’t matter
Comment by 1878 — August 1, 2007 @ 12:17 am
im surprised there is so much calm in these forums! considering there are three Liverpool fans and two Everton fans!
Comment by scouser_8 — August 1, 2007 @ 1:56 pm
1878—- I lived from 1943 to 1951 at RHUALLT a small village some 10/15 miles inland from Rhyl . It was the closest decent football team for us to watch . Afterwards fish and chips in newspaper frm the the local chippie or as a special treat tea at a cafe.
During the Summer months we used to watch the Welsh Summer league played in fields in the hills . My Father was a scout for Rhyl.
Last match I saw b4 leaving UK was Blackpool v Birmingham in the semi final of the FA Cup at Goodison.
Playing for Blackpool were Matthews and Mortensen . They didn’t win the final but did so the following year.
Comment by Brian Roberts — August 1, 2007 @ 2:33 pm
L.I.V.E.R.P.O.O.L WE love you Liverpool we do,we love you Liverpool, we do.OOOOOOO Liverpool we love you. My older brother went for M, feckin U , as brothers tend to do , you go for the opposite team, we are talking late 1970’s.
All I’ll say to any person, regardless of race , colour ,or RELIGION, IF YOU GO FOR A TEAM WHEN THEY ARE WINNING, YOU MUST GO FOR THEM WHEN THEY ARE LOSING. One of the best things I’ve seen is some one wearing a strip of their team, the day after they lost!
Comment by neil biggar — August 1, 2007 @ 9:20 pm
Man U.
Wasnt really into any soccer/football other than what I played saturday mornings for school, one year for some reason had a little interest in FA Cup Final. For the sake of it picked Man U (knew stuff all about them or anyone) Was the year they played Crystal Palace, havent done too badly since then
Comment by A Zed — August 2, 2007 @ 12:07 pm
I doubt anyone born in the UK picked a club to support. Parental guidance was always recommended - to the parent’s club. Was for me and I saw my first game aged about 8.
Memorable experiences (apart from being part of a 30,000 crowd at first game)? Playing in Europe even before Manure ventured (a couple of great home games), watching some great footballing characters and constant disappointments. But they are what following a club means.
Brian R - Rhyl!! Had a great holiday there when I was 6. Got the Mumps and the consequent smelly poltice for a week. Great place!
Comment by tasblue — August 2, 2007 @ 3:10 pm
I’ve been going for Chelsea since I saw Roberto Di Matteo do some crazy stuff back in 1999. That’s pretty much the first time I acknowledged soccer ever, and i’ve been following them ever since.
Comment by Chalky — August 2, 2007 @ 4:48 pm