"United" fan trying to defend all the glory supporters they get

[smoggeordie 0]

As a child, the summer holidays brought about a family trip to a campsite in Europe. We’d get in the car to travel down to Dover and I would always be wearing my United shirt. After hours and hours of driving, we’d pull in at our designated tin can and the holiday had begun.

 

It wouldn’t be long before I started mixing with other kids, mainly English, who I’d bump in to at the pool or the kids club. These times were my first insights to what a hugely popular and unpopular club Manchester United were.

 

I’d meet kids from down south who were there in the latest United strip (shorts, socks and all) talking in their funny accents, calling barm cakes ‘bread rolls’ and didn’t know what I was on about when I said I was off for tea. Still, we could talk about how brilliant Eric Cantona was and imitate the Ince/Giggs goal celebration when we were having a kick about.

 

But then there was the other type of kid, who had the latest strip of some other club, again, with a southern accent, and again, having several communication problems. This kid hated me though, and only in hindsight I realise this was spawned from the angry die-hard Chelsea/Arsenal/Liverpool/Blackburn/Everton etc. father at home.

 

It was on one of these holidays that I got called a ‘glory fan’ for the first time. As a little lad, I didn’t really understand this. I knew the song “glory glory Man United” because we sang it on the last day of the season when the players walked the trophy around the pitch (in my boyhood mind, every season, not that I’m a million miles off) but I didn’t understand the concept of a ‘glory fan’.

 

I am a United fan living and brought up within a 10-15 minute drive from Old Trafford. Manchester United is literally my local team, with Altrincham FC the team falling in closest proximity to my house after United. This is something I have had to explain time and again whenever I’m outside of Manchester.

 

Within Manchester, you’re either a red or a blue, and the reason behind you supporting the team you do is never assumed to be anything other than your family ties. No self-respecting Manc from a City supporting household would follow United, it’s just not the done thing, and would be frowned upon.

 

(Fortunately) I’m from the red side of town with all the football fans in my family supporting United. Now, it’s only as I’ve got older I’ve realised I don’t need to justify myself in this way, but it’s something I’ve spent a lot of time doing in the past.

 

Glory Hunter?Glory fans irked me for years, these fans from the south who chose to support United, for no reason other than the football played and the trophies won. It was because of these fans that whenever I was outside of Manchester I got a hard time. Like any passionate football fan, United go straight to the bones with me, and having to convince people I loved my team as much as they loved theirs was infuriating.

 

Whilst the trophies and glory certainly sweetened the deal for plenty of young lads like me growing up in Manchester, our allegiance to our club wasn’t a choice, just as it isn’t for most young lads up and down the country. But because the people who should have been supporting Tranmere or Leicester or Colchester chose to support my local team, my support and passion were questioned.

 

Now, it’s not just United fans from Manchester who are left wound up by glory fans, but fans of all teams up and down the country. It’s as if the people who are put through the mill supporting their local team, having their heart broken time and again, deprived of silverware and entertaining football, resent those who freed themselves from this cycle. It must be infuriating for die-hard Cheltenham Town FC fans to see their mates at the pub pulling on a United shirt at the weekend. Why should they be forced to suffer the pain of infuriating football and limited success whilst their mates get to bask in the glory of European Cup and top flight titles?

 

However, as time has gone by, I’ve become a lot more understanding of these people we refer to as ‘glory supporters’. Whilst of course supporting your local team is preferable, I don’t think I am in a position to cast judgment on people who don’t.

 

You’re in a rather favourable position when your local team happens to be one of the most successful sides in the world, and as much as I’d like to think I’d support United through thick and thin (as my father and grandfather did, through the Munich Air Disaster, relegation and that dreadful period in the 70s and 80s when we were shite and our hateful neighbours in Merseyside were winning everything), without being given the opportunity to prove my support, there’s not a lot I can say to the lad from Surrey with a United air freshener hanging from the mirror in his car (other than, don’t be such a sad bastard, use the traffic light air freshener like everyone else!).

 

If I’d grown up in Peterborough and supported my local team through thick and thin, then I’d be in a position to tell the locals to sort it out when they were parading around town in Manchester United shirts.

 

Still, if some 20-year-old lad watched Eric the King on Match of the Day and thought ‘I want to support whichever team he plays for’ is that such a bad thing? People were drawn from all over the country in celebrating the skills of Sir Bobby Charlton and George Best, and it was welcomed then. Supporters of other clubs would watch United play and applaud that talent.

 

Now, football is so much more bitter and cynical. Cristiano Ronaldo, who most could agree is the best player in the world these days (or thereabouts), is hated. He is booed whenever he plays. He rips the opposition to shreds, playing beautiful football, and he is called all the names under the sun.

 

This isn’t just targeting non-United fans. I’ve hated Denis Bergkamp, John Terry, Alan Shearer, Robbie Fowler, Frank Lampard, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Steven Gerrard etc. and I can give you a good reason for hating every single one of them, but essentially, it can’t just be a coincidence that they have all been very important players to teams that have rivaled United, in one way or another. It didn’t used to be like this.

 

In Manchester, people would pay in to watch United or City at the weekends, depending on who was playing at home, just to go and watch football live. 1968 was a brilliant year for the city, with the blues winning the league and the reds winning the European Cup. I’m not educated enough in this to say whether the same can be applied everywhere, but I imagine a similar story can be told in two-team cities all over England. It was different back then.

 

Now you support your local team, otherwise you’re a glory supporter, and that’s the end of it. Being drawn in by exciting football isn’t good enough. There will be 60-year-old men all over the place supporting United simply because of the football George Best played and United were the first English team to win the European Cup. The fact that they’ve been supporting this club for 50 years somehow makes it all right that their initial reasons for supporting United were glory. The same privileges aren’t offered to fans now.

 

In 2005, after our lads had given a Guard of Honour to the visiting Chelsea, chants were sung to the away end, effectively claiming they used to support us before the money and glory came rolling in with Roman Abramovich. I joined in heartily. Finishing third and trophy-less, which was the case for us that year, would be a position the majority of football fans in this country would happily settle for. But for me, it was gutting.

 

I’m happy to admit I am a United brat, spoilt by the success from 1990 onwards. So when I saw this collection of Chelsea fans (who didn’t sell all their tickets, I hasten to add!) celebrating the title, I was livid. I was jealous and bitter and angry and upset. Those glory fans, coming to Old Trafford, rubbing our faces in our demise. “Where were you when you were sh*t?” we chanted. Truth be told, they were probably sitting where they were now, traveling up to Old Trafford fully anticipating a spanking. But because of jealousy, I’d brand them all glory supporters instead, just like I had been when United were at the top.

 

Maybe there were fans amongst them who jumped on the bandwagon when Abramovich came to town, maybe there were some who fell in love with Gianfranco Zola, and maybe there were some who were born a stone’s throw from Stamford Bridge. Does it really matter, as long as they support Chelsea forever?

 

Essentially then, it is now my opinion, after years of battling with the ‘glory fan’ tag for simply being a Manchester United fan, that it’s acceptable not to support your local team. The reasons which sparked your interest in the club, whether it was your old man, the proximity to the ground, a certain player, plenty of trophies, appealing football etc., shouldn’t really matter, as long as you support that club wholeheartedly.

 

If you stick with that team through thick and thin, then you are supporting them. ‘Glory fan’ is a condescending term that should be reserved for a person buying a United shirt one season, an Arsenal shirt the season following, and a Chelsea shirt the season after that. Someone who has no interest in their club other than being able to say “I support the best.”

 

I’ve spoken with people all over the world claiming to support United, particularly since the creation of my United forum, and I cannot say that all these people are ‘glory fans’. Whatever their initial reasons were for supporting United, the way they live and breathe the club, this one I’ve inherited supporting, is enough to convince me.

 

It’d be far easier for some American to support their local basketball/football/baseball team than it would be United. It would be far easier for them to support the most successful basketball/football/baseball team than it would be United. But if they picked United and stick with it, then that should be recognised and shouldn’t be dismissed.

 

So United fans will always be tagged ‘glory supporters’ if they’re found outside of Manchester, and if they speak with a southern accent, there is no saving them. However, what is really important is how someone supports their team, not why. But the chances of that opinion being adopted by the masses is slim to none and whoever follows the team at the top, whatever the reasons behind their support, will be branded a ‘glory supporter’, sadly.

 

Support shouldn’t be dictated by your post code, rather your love and commitment to the club. The sooner people realise this, the better.

 

I wish he'd tell us which "United" he means. West Ham? Sheffield? Manchester? Newcastle? FC .. of Manchester?

 

Stevie will have a field day with this load of shite

 

How dull it must be to win the league 3 times every 4 seasons, or to hit the latter stages of the CL every year. When Newcastle United get into the Champions League we treasure every single game. Beating Juventus 1-0 at SJP, Asprilla hat-trick against Barcelona, the last minute win away at Feyenoord, taking 15,000 fans to see us draw 2-2 in the San Siro. All those night's will live with our fans forever. In 10 years time, last season will mean fuck all to Manchester Red fans.

[Guest alex]

Got bored before the end like. Where's that from?

[smoggeordie 0]

http://soccerlens.com/glory-fans-not-so-bad-afterall/9613/

[Fop 1]

Sounds like someone that has eventually realised Man U need their Glory Hunters.

 

Other than that can't see the point of it - people can choose to support a team because they win if they want.... but they shouldn't expect to get respect for it (even if that's partially what they are trying to achieve by "supporting" them), and no their penises won't swell to twice their original size either.

[Park Life 71]

Sounds like someone that has eventually realised Man U need their Glory Hunters.

 

Other than that can't see the point of it - people can choose to support a team because they win if they want.... but they shouldn't expect to get respect for it (even if that's partially what they are trying to achieve by "supporting" them), and no their penises won't swell to twice their original size either.

 

When's Torres back?

[NJS 4411]

Minor point but Altrinham are a decent level non-league side which he could have supported - I know that could apply to Blyth, Gateshead etc but he can't have it both ways.

[Guest alex]

Not like a Man Utd fan to have a massively over-inflated sense of his own importance either.

[Howay 12496]

What a fucking cock-end he is his reasoning is pathetic, he basically hints at the fact that if Manchester United weren't a success he'd probably support someone else when he yapped on about finishing trophyless and 3rd. As for calling them 'united' it's just a pile of shit the commentator for sky on sunday kept saying "united" this and "united" that when there were two 'United's playing ffs. I'm so glad I have the privilege of being a season ticket owner so I don't have to listen to the sickening love-in wankfests over Man U constantly, Jamie Redknapp stated that he didn't see anyone challenging the 'top four' because they have all looked so much better than everyone else over the opening weekend, what bullshit Arsenal and Liverpool both struggled against poor opponents and Man U also struggled against us Chelsea were the only ones that impressed.

Sorry I went a bit off the topic of the article but tbh we all know he's a nob .

[Meenzer 15716]

*laughs*

[Ketsbaia 0]

What a load of shite

[WubbleUC 0]

Utter toss.

[Guest alex]

*laughs*

[wykikitoon 20713]

I wish he'd tell us which "United" he means. West Ham? Sheffield? Manchester? Newcastle? FC .. of Manchester?

 

Stevie will have a field day with this load of shite

 

How dull it must be to win the league 3 times every 4 seasons, or to hit the latter stages of the CL every year. When Newcastle United get into the Champions League we treasure every single game. Beating Juventus 1-0 at SJP, Asprilla hat-trick against Barcelona, the last minute win away at Feyenoord, taking 15,000 fans to see us draw 2-2 in the San Siro. All those night's will live with our fans forever. In 10 years time, last season will mean fuck all to Manchester Red fans.

 

I think it gives it away when he talks about singing Glory, Glory Man United

 

Its a pain though I know what you mean!

[Asprilla 96]

I agree with him.

 

I don't need Stevie's permission, I don't need to say "mint" and I don't need to have been born within waddling distance of Greggs to consider myself a Newcastle fan.

 

To me, supporting a club is sometimes about following the club nearest your house (though when you're a kid that's a decision you don't make and therefore can't really take credit for...) but sometimes it's because you have a parent who is a fan (which was the case for me) or you go to your first game and start taking an interest in that team.

 

The cardinal sin for me is changing sides. Once you've decided, tough shit, that's your team.

 

 

 

I used to know a girl in the 6th form who hated it when U2 got massive because she liked them for longerer and loved them more.

 

 

 

[Guest Stevie]

Firstly he supports his local club Man Utd, no issue with that. The rest of his post what a fuckin load of bollocks. He basically goes on about barren periods in 1968 to 1993 that out of town supporters were attracted to the club. This barren period, included...4 FA Cups, 1 League Cup, a European Cup Winners Cup, numerous charity shields, 14 trips to Wembley and 10 top four finishes. Poor cunts eh????

 

At the end of the day people have so little in their lives they feel the need to be attached to a succesful entity. That's what I call a wank fan. I'd rather we won fuck all in my life than support anyone other than the club of my birth, my local team. There's no doubt broadly speaking Manchester United were a broadly speaking were a succesful club in their barren years, they were easy to support, the best supported team, the Munich history, the biggest spending club, the most famous name, so these cunts can't start on about barren years. Barren years is fucking watching successive home defeats to Charlton and Notts County, with a home humbling to Bristol Rovers just round the corner.

 

When we were good 94-98, everywhere you'd go you'd see kids in toon shirts, Scotland, London, Bristol, Wales etc... but one of the good things about being shit, is we got rid of a lot of these, and we're left with loyal out of towners. In not all cases but most they were probably attracted by the image of NUFC at the time, sleak, sexy, attractive, exhilirating, and that's what pisses me off. I've been there with my mates, some of whom have walked away from the corporate game since, in front of 10,004 v Oxford, 13,000 v Charlton 14,000 v Cambridge, with not an out of towner is sight. That's what pisses me off about the internet where the toon is concerned, when geeky non-entities from places like Leeds, Lincoln, Hertfordshire, Southampton and Birmingham, can tell me I'm banned from posting on my home clubs websites. It's something that you wouldn't have been able to make up back in 1991.

 

So glory hunters are cunts, but a lot of our out of towners have seen enough shit lately to command some respect, the bad thing is if we're ever good again, they'll be branded glory hunters too, while other people from their areas jump on our bandwagon again.

 

Oh and fuck Man Utd.

[wykikitoon 20713]

Firstly he supports his local club Man Utd, no issue with that. The rest of his post what a fuckin load of bollocks. He basically goes on about barren periods in 1968 to 1993 that out of town supporters were attracted to the club. This barren period, included...4 FA Cups, 1 League Cup, a European Cup Winners Cup, numerous charity shields, 14 trips to Wembley and 10 top four finishes. Poor cunts eh????

 

At the end of the day people have so little in their lives they feel the need to be attached to a succesful entity. That's what I call a wank fan. I'd rather we won fuck all in my life than support anyone other than the club of my birth, my local team. There's no doubt broadly speaking Manchester United were a broadly speaking were a succesful club in their barren years, they were easy to support, the best supported team, the Munich history, the biggest spending club, the most famous name, so these cunts can't start on about barren years. Barren years is fucking watching successive home defeats to Charlton and Notts County, with a home humbling to Bristol Rovers just round the corner.

 

When we were good 94-98, everywhere you'd go you'd see kids in toon shirts, Scotland, London, Bristol, Wales etc... but one of the good things about being shit, is we got rid of a lot of these, and we're left with loyal out of towners. In not all cases but most they were probably attracted by the image of NUFC at the time, sleak, sexy, attractive, exhilirating, and that's what pisses me off. I've been there with my mates, some of whom have walked away from the corporate game since, in front of 10,004 v Oxford, 13,000 v Charlton 14,000 v Cambridge, with not an out of towner is sight. That's what pisses me off about the internet where the toon is concerned, when geeky non-entities from places like Leeds, Lincoln, Hertfordshire, Southampton and Birmingham, can tell me I'm banned from posting on my home clubs websites. It's something that you wouldn't have been able to make up back in 1991.

 

So glory hunters are cunts, but a lot of our out of towners have seen enough shit lately to command some respect, the bad thing is if we're ever good again, they'll be branded glory hunters too, while other people from their areas jump on our bandwagon again.

 

Oh and fuck Man Utd.

 

[The Fish 10963]

I think there has to be a distinction between glory supporters and (to borrow stevies phrase) out of towners. I don't think anyone has a problem with a lad from Phuket supporting Newcastle for his entire life, it's the nobheads who support whomever is successful at the time and have no problem switching allegiance.

 

If a six yr old supported Blackburn because they won the title, but has stuck with them ever since, fair dos if you ask me... it's when someone supports Arsenal through the invincibles era, only to turn to Chelsea later. Thems the ones to be shot with shit.

[Deano 0]

I think there has to be a distinction between glory supporters and (to borrow stevies phrase) out of towners. I don't think anyone has a problem with a lad from Phuket supporting Newcastle for his entire life, it's the nobheads who support whomever is successful at the time and have no problem switching allegiance.

 

If a six yr old supported Blackburn because they won the title, but has stuck with them ever since, fair dos if you ask me... it's when someone supports Arsenal through the invincibles era, only to turn to Chelsea later. Thems the ones to be shot with shit.

 

What a load of dribbling shite!

 

Reading that just reafirmed how shit the manUre fans are, at old trafford they quiet as fuck...probably couldnt speak english

 

"Fergies right, your fans are shite"

[Happy Face 29]

a lot of our out of towners have seen enough shit lately to command some respect

 

Unless of course they're from the south side of the Tyne, right?

[Guest Stevie]

a lot of our out of towners have seen enough shit lately to command some respect

 

Unless of course they're from the south side of the Tyne, right?

Well that would only leave Jock toon fans other than geordies...

 

You've got to take your hats off to some of our OOT's who despite the long distances involved, they spend a lot of money following the club...the likes of Scottish Mag, Parky etc..

Edited August 19, 2008 by Stevie

[Kid Dynamite 7169]

A lad I went to school with had a season ticket that he got out of the 'lucky dip' policy Man U used to employ in the 90s.

 

He used to get one of the coaches that came from all corners of the country carrying fans to Manchester every match day, from Scotland, Wales, London, Newcastle etc.

 

You couldnt make it up!!!

[Guest Stevie]

A lad I went to school with had a season ticket that he got out of the 'lucky dip' policy Man U used to employ in the 90s.

 

He used to get one of the coaches that came from all corners of the country carrying fans to Manchester every match day, from Scotland, Wales, London, Newcastle etc.

 

You couldnt make it up!!!

Apparently there's a bigger Man Utd supporters club in Alnwick, than toon one.

[Deano 0]

A lad I went to school with had a season ticket that he got out of the 'lucky dip' policy Man U used to employ in the 90s.

 

He used to get one of the coaches that came from all corners of the country carrying fans to Manchester every match day, from Scotland, Wales, London, Newcastle etc.

 

You couldnt make it up!!!

 

You just did haha

 

[Happy Face 29]

a lot of our out of towners have seen enough shit lately to command some respect

 

Unless of course they're from the south side of the Tyne, right?

Well that would only leave Jock toon fans other than geordies...

 

You've got to take your hats off to some of our OOT's who despite the long distances involved, they spend a lot of money following the club...the likes of Scottish Mag, Parky etc..

 

Has Parky ever been to Newcastle?

[Guest Stevie]

a lot of our out of towners have seen enough shit lately to command some respect

 

Unless of course they're from the south side of the Tyne, right?

Well that would only leave Jock toon fans other than geordies...

 

You've got to take your hats off to some of our OOT's who despite the long distances involved, they spend a lot of money following the club...the likes of Scottish Mag, Parky etc..

 

Has Parky ever been to Newcastle?

He's geordie. I always thought he pissed black and white.