When did you begin supporting?

we have three centuries of history (not just football matches) between us and the mackems, and even tho for me its not about hatred but a bit of banter with some N.E rivals i can still see why there would be an obsession over the games. as for manchester derby's theres not really any of that passion as only one side of the CITEH is from manchester so the other half *cough Your side cough* doesnt really get it. always nice for u lot to keep our puplic transport going tho, must be nice to travel hundreds of miles to see a home game (Y)

 

I knew a bloke who was a newcastle fan from birth.

He was born in Ipswich.

 

Fair point, i live near 30 miles from Newcastle, but they are still my 'Local Team'. I feel as much passion as if i had been brought up in the shadow of St James'.

I always think if you have a connection with the team you support you will be a more... Fierce fan. Something more than 'They play nice footy, I'll follow them!' otherwise we would all be Arsenal fans. And Local Pride is just something that really bonds you with your team! Up here when the Toon win its amazing, everywhere is buzzing because everyone is buzzing for the win, whether a full time football follower, or couldn't really give a **** about football. The dynamics of the place changes. Same goes when we loose everyones on a downer (except this time the people that couldn't give a **** just don't get an 'upper', i call that glory supporting haha) but next week, everyone is back behind the lads, dispite what the Sun prints!

Aslong as you have a genuine connection (relatives lived there, you were brought up supporting them because your family did ect. Or even something as feeble as your favourite band are from there (if you're really stuck choosing!)) i think you will care more.

 

A mate from where I live is crazy about Argentina without any relation to them at all, I dont even think he's been on holiday there! There's a local sunday league team where I live also, I'm not gonna support them coz theyre ****. Doesn't make it wrong for me to support Newcastle.

 

Born in Manchester but brought up in a football deprived area of Wales. Swansea were heading towards their peak and Liverpool were the popular choice but I didn't have any feelings for either.

I fell in love with Big Ron's Utd in the early 80's.
We had some great players and regularly competed at the top of the table but ultimately couldn't ever keep up the pace.
The 1983 FA Cup Final and replay sealed the deal for me - hence the name.

Moved back to Manchester in my early teens in time to enjoy the early struggles and ultimate rise of SAF.

 

I was having this conversation with a City fan the other day going on about how he hates United fans who are not from Manchester so I asked him if, when Fifa fair play comes in there are a load of new non-Mancunian fans who are willing to help balance their books will they be turning hem away?

He didn't answer.

Point being anyone who would turn fans away from their own club can't really be as loyal a supporter as they claim. What kind of fan wouldn't want their club to thrive?

 

Spot on. The distinction I make between international and club football in general though is that to represent your country, you have to meet eligibility requirements and as such are truely representing the people of that country on the pitch. In club football, this isn't the case and so the locality thing becomes a lot less relevant. I'm assuming you aren't a Geordie, going on your post but I'm equally sure you're just as passionate about your team as many local fans are

At the end of the day, if you have a passion for the sport of football and continue to support your club through thick and thin (as obviously true Newcastle fans have had to do in recent seasons) then there's no shame in coming form outside of Newcastle. And clubs can only really become successful in terms of competing at the top end of the table through having a big support base or through getting a sugar daddy.

 

merrysuperstevie

My footnote being? Yes, many of our fans have footnotes relating to the 5:1 win, in the same way many of yours have footnotes relating to your winning the treble (where Liverpool have not). A rivalry is based solely in comparison, i.e. we are better/scored more than you.

Newcastle's squad is made up of a large number of Geordies, Steve Harper, Steven Taylor, Andy Carroll, Shola Ameobi. It's hardly 'pre-historic' to celebrate one of your own making it for the club you love - Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes being the perfect examples for your own club.

I think you'll find the whole 'secular' image is mostly media fabricated, Rob Lee, Malcolm MacDonald, Kevin Keegan, Chris Hughton, Les Ferdinand - all southerners, all legends!

Not one single fan has ever said we don't want success for the club, nor that we don't like 'out of towners' some of the most popular posters on the Newcastle boards are lads from all over the UK and Europe. What many fans would worry about would be foreign ownership taking the soul out of our club. Part of the togetherness you feel as a fanbase comes in the face of diversity - it's all good and well selling out and singing loud when you're doing well, but how many clubs can say they sold over 1,000,000 tickets in the championship?

bebe - as for the ipswich comment, that's fine, my kids will be brought up Newcastle fans regardless of where they are born or brought up!

 

Place 'the majority of' into alot of what i put. You will obviously get people who aren't from the area, no connection, but are mad about the club. But these will be the minority.

merrysuperstevie, you are the biggest idiot i have seen on these forums yet. Newcastle have a big foreign following (mainly from our Entertainers' era). We have harper, Carroll and Steven Taylor who, when fit, would start who are from the area. If we had a midfielder you could call that 'the spine of the team' could you not?

Can i just add that i have not once said that i think it's wrong. I am just putting across from my own experience

What i have said (about connection's, specifically local) if from my own experience. Other teams i support:
Rangers: Dad's born and bred Glaswegian
New Jersey Devils: Mate at high school was from there and got me into the sport. Also, good bands from there!
Green Bay Packers: GB initials, that simple (not HUGE on NFL though).
MaclarenF1: All British team (Button and Raikonnen as drivers because their personality's are so cool and calm).

I also 'follow' teams in Spain, Germany and Italy. But wouldn't say i supported them.

 

Maybe you should re-read my posts. I wasn't tarring all your fans with the same brush but took exception to that particular poster's views. You have 3 Geordies in your squad which is quite alot for any Prem club but it's still a minority in relation to the overall make up of your squad. So why must fans be local (in the earlier poster's view) when the majority of the team are far from it?

If you had a midfielder, you could call that the spine of the team but the overall squad would still be cosmopolitan in their make up. Just for the record, your first choice CMs are 2 scousers and Tiote (who I think is French but am not sure). Nothing wrong with this at all though.

 

Fair point No real arguments with that. I think I just misinterpreted your original post and went off on one a wee bit!

 

It's harder to tell with Manchester United, you've been so damn successful since the birth of the Premier League. What's the stat, you've never finished outside of the top 3 in the Premier League?

 

But that's just the point, it's not through thick and thin with United fans, it's thick and thick, what a luxury to have. It's like the Eton boys that currently run our country. Yes they might not be winning the debates and votes that particular week but when all is said and done they are millionaires and who gives a stuff? On a bad day in parliament you're still a loaded old toff, and on a bad day at Old Trafford, you're still up there every bloody season. Thick and thick.

 

Apologies then, must have seen red!

I have no problem at all with fans from other area's, i was just sharing my experience.

Our starting line up is 7 English (4 of which are Geordie), 2 Argie's, 1 Spaniard and 1 Ivorian (Tiote) and i am over the moon with all of them.

 

Jesus Was A Geordie


Poor Jesus. As if being crucified wasn't painful enough. Its a good job he's a fictional character. Santa is a Man United fan. The tooth fairy likes to watch Arsenal. Go figure.

 

Errr they're not more successful, I think you might want to check your history books. However what we do share with the mackems is an intense local rivalry, something your club wouldn't know anything about as none of your fans are from the area. The fact that our two clubs are of a similar stature also adds to the intensity as the wins are normally shared and very rarely does a team batter the other. Again you wouldn't know about this as Citeh have been up and down the divisions since you decided you were a Man U fan when kicking the ball around a Devon school playground in 1994.

 

And so you should be. You've had a very good season, considering the only real aim would have been consolidation this year. If you can get the shenanigans off the pitch sorted (meaning the ownership, not Carroll lol) and be in a position to sign players to take the club forward, I'm sure you can get back up amongst the top teams in time.

I'm definitely not overly confident about our trip to St James's. You've already shown a few times this season how capable you are of turning teams over when the home support are really on song.

 

I live 9-10 mile outside of Newcastle so not exactly on the doorstep but I have mates who goto away games all over. I used to work with a lad from Nottingham, was born there raised there but supported Newcastle and he went to more away games than most - definately more than me! So I couldn't give a shat where people live tbh.

 

We didn't win anything in the 04-05 season

I didn't then go and jump on the mourinho band wagon.

 

I was born in Nottingham, when I was 6 years old and just getting into football, Forest won the FA Cup. My Dad took my elder brother to see the victory parade on his motor cycle while I was left at home feeling like a rejected orphan. I swore I would never support Forest. My Dad and brother HATED Man Utd, so my choice was easy. [ Notts County? Give me a break, they were rubbish then as they still are ] So began a lifelong love affair with United. Though I have lived in Canada for the past 34 years I still have the same passion for the team, never miss a match [ on the telly]
All time favourite players? Sir Bobby, Cantona, Giggsy and these days [since his arrival in Manchester not just since he started scoring ] Dimitar Berbatov, the best ball control of any footballer I have ever seen. An artist and a magician.