The Road to Russia 2018

[Paddingtonwolf]

as I remember

Man United (loads when I was living in Sandbach - quite a few down in rural Buckinghamshire when my parents moved)
Liverpool (fucking countless in both places)
Spurs (none in Sandbach - loads down Sarrf)
Arsenal (a few down sarrf)
QPR (a couple down sarrf)
Everton (one down sarrf, none in Sandbach)
About one Stokie in Sandbach.
Loads of West Ham down sarrf
Plus Watford, Luton, one Ipswich fan because his parents were fans since Alf, and a couple of dyed in the wool non-leaguers who were massive Aylesbury United fans.

Not a city fan that I remember, and bar a bit of my family from that way, certainly not a Leeds fan. The only Newcastle fans I have ever known are from that part of the woods. Furthest from the ground was born in Hexham if I remember correctly

 

[Trips]

Wolves, Albion and Villa were the main midlands teams at my school, along with a handful of Walsall. Don't remember any Birmingham fans.

Man Utd were very heavily supported, and a few Liverpool. I can recall one Arsenal fan and a couple of Leeds fans and that was pretty much it.

 

[YoungWolf]

I lived in Islington and guess who everybody supported... Arsenal! It was living hell as well. I played for a team in East London and it was... Orient or West Ham. Obviously you get kids who support United (I love it when they try to tell me they have family there, everytime!!) , some Liverpool, but I don't think it's as bad as made out.

Working and living in Southampton almost every kid I coach supports Southampton. I genuinely think most kids support their nearest side, that or who their family supports. It tends to be more often the case a kid who decides they want to be a Man United fan when they are from the New Forest or something tends to be the case that their parents/carers are not football fanatics.

 

[Tony Towner]

Kids have always supported the successful teams, when I was young you supported one of the WM teams, Liverpool or Man Utd. The plastic kids of my sons generation are actually more spread out with City, Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea added to the pretend fan list.

 

[Deleted Cyber]

I still think kids in my day supported a greater range of teams in comparison to today and that was partly because more teams did well. Norwich Oxford Wolves and Luton all won the league cup in the 80s. Swansea are the only team outside the big six to win the league cup in the last 10 years.

 

[Alan]

Apparently there are some groups in the US and Europe trying to set up a sort of also-ran tournament next summer for nations that didn't qualify for the World Cup.

Can't say I hate the idea if it's used as a sort of developmental thing.

Media here making the biggest deal out of the US, Italy, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, and Netherlands taking part.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Swansea are the only team outside the big six to win the league cup in the last 10 years.

Blues as well

 

[Alan]

Blues as well

Remember that match. Loved it. I kind of liked Birmingham back then, though.

 

[Langers]

Remember that match. Loved it. I kind of liked Birmingham back then, though.

How long, dear forum?

A week? A month? Permanent?

 

[Alan]

How long, dear forum?

A week? A month? Permanent?

Benefit (or curse) of not being raised in the tribalism, I s'pose. I can't really get myself up to hate any teams that aren't Liverpool.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Benefit (or curse) of not being raised in the tribalism, I s'pose. I can't really get myself up to hate any teams that aren't Liverpool.

Yeah, but you liked​ an Alex McLeish team?

 

[YoungWolf]

Permanent. Sorry Al.

 

[Alan]

Yeah, but you liked​ an Alex McLeish team?

I don't really remember what it was. Probably that I had an Arsenal fan on my dorm's floor who was an immense tool, and he thought Birmingham couldn't shine his shoes. So, absent of all other information (I wouldn't have been able to name any Birmingham players previous to that match, much less known who McLeish was), they became the plucky underdog and Arsenal the Evil Empire.

Those were more innocent times.

 

[Langers]

Nah, still inexcusable.

It's like admitting you like Little Miss Jocelyn.

 

[Deleted Cyber]

I still think kids in my day supported a greater range of teams in comparison to today and that was partly because more teams did well. Norwich Oxford Wolves and Luton all won the league cup in the 80s. Swansea are the only team outside the big six to win the league cup in the last 10 years.

 

[Alan]

Nah, still inexcusable.

It's like admitting you like Little Miss Jocelyn.

I... I don't know who that is.

 

[Deleted Cyber]

Blues as well

HOW DID I FORGET THAT?

 

[Deleted Cyber]

I... I don't know who that is.

a comedienne who had a series about 8 years ago that was so phenominally bad it was amusing and who has disappeared at the speed of concorde from our screens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Miss_Jocelyn

 

[Tony Towner]

How long, dear forum?

A week? A month? Permanent?

What this shows is that the checks made when signing up aren't rigorous enough

 

[Deleted Cyber]

Just as a comparison to I looked at the starting11 v Scotland in November last year up againt the starting 11 from Italy 1990 our most successful perfromance in a tournament on foreign soil.


What does this show? Of the top 6 or big six clubs Spurs seem to consistently provide England players. 10 of the starting 11 came from the big six. We had Englands best 2 goalscorers in 40 years playing , 1 in each side. So you would think they would be comparable? Yet England 206-17 dont look a bit like world cup semi finalists. In 1990 there was hope and realistic expectation of a quarter final place. I am coming around to the coaching and set up. Seeing how much Nuno has changed players who, quite frankly, I had written off as un-improvable I can only look at the England coaching system and blame it. Sure , our younger talent gets stifled by the big six but I cant argue there is not enough top talent in that team. So my restructure would be to allow a better and more consistent approach to international footballer- central contracts wont happen but something has to change here if we want to win things on the international scale and with the quality coming through now is the time to highlight it.