[Football] Your second team and why ?

[BLOCK F]

Stockport County.
Home town of my first wife.
They have had some serious ups and downs over the years, but have a good owner and are now back in the football league and going great guns.
Having an interest in a lower league team keeps one’s feet on the ground when it is too easy to get carried away with all the shenanigans and overblown fantasy of premier league football.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Cambridge United. I was born and grew up there, regularly watching them at The Abbey.

Lewes.

 

[Van Cleef]

Real Madrid. My old man is a Barcelona fan, so it felt right to stoke a bit of excitement into those games

My old man said be a Barca fan...

 

[Tfitz12]

He seems like a decent bloke and is slowly dragging the Bulls out of the mire, although its very difficult to compete as a semi-pro club. Its been a few years since I've been able to get to a game but I always loved going to Odsal, you should certainly take up the offer of going to a game if you've got an interest in Rugby League.

Yeh he made it very clear he's trying his best, and wants nothing more than them to return to their best, but the money is always going to be an issue.

He says the second it seems it's not working, he'll walk away but is going to give it all he's got.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Having two football teams is like having two wives if you ask me.

Momentarily it might seem like there are some upsides to this idea. But then you contemplate doubling the emotional energy expenditure and consider just how ruinously expensive it would be then you remember than having just one, is what nature intended.

The odd glance here and there every time there's something obviously attractive to look at is fine, but stop as soon as there's a hint of emotional connection. Not least, in case of the upheaval should the two ever meet.

 

[The Hermit Kingdom]

Stockport County.
Home town of my first wife.
They have had some serious ups and downs over the years, but have a good owner and are now back in the football league and going great guns.
Having an interest in a lower league team keeps one’s feet on the ground when it is all too easy to get carried away with all the shenanigans and overblown fantasy of premier league football.

That young kid who does the Country vlogs from each match is very good. For some reason one popped up on my YouTube feed a few months back and I now watch each one.

 

[BLOCK F]

Having two football teams is like having two wives if you ask me.

Momentarily it might seem like there are some upsides to this idea. But then you contemplate doubling the emotional energy expenditure and consider just how ruinously expensive it would be then you remember than having just one, is what nature intended.

The odd glance here and there every time there's something obviously attractive to look at is fine, but stop as soon as there's a hint of emotional connection. Not least, in case of the upheaval should the two ever meet.

Oh well, perhaps the two wives could be involved in the Fantasy League or something.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Arsenal. Happy to admit it was completely to try and fit in at school and have a PL team.

It was summer 1995. I'm 9 and conscious of the sudden influx of Man Utd shirts in school, the Man Utd shop in Brighton and football in general. I had been to a few Brighton games but basically MOTD was my exposure to football. I have literally 0 memory of the 94 FA Cup final but vividly remember watching 1995 and seeing Everton beat Utd which I understood to be big. The 94/95 sticker album was purchased and it was time to get involved. Now who to pick.

Sure, I had my brighton shirt and I'd been taken to a few games but there was no one else interested in that. I needed a PL team to get involved. Any family links? Nope. Geography? Nope. What do I base it on?

And then I saw him. Ian Wright. He just looked SO fun. And what is that he's wearing? lovely red and white, crisp shirts in a beautiful stadium. I'm sold, I want his team, who is that? Arsenal? OK, now lets look at the table to see where they finished this season.......12!!!? oh god. Well, I've decided now, Arsenal it is, but I'm stuck to a future of supporting a mid-table club. Oh well, at least that makes me look good for supporting the underdog. 3 years later, Wenger, double etc etc etc.

If it had been a year later on I think I would have ended up supporting Middlesborough, based on their kit and flair imports. Lucky escape. I watched Arsenal against Boro in 96 or 97 at Highbury and it was just so exciting.

I also vividly remember going to an Arsenal away game at Wimbledon(palace) where the matchday programme was comparing Carl Cort of Wimbledon against Arsenal's new signing, a young frenchman called Terry Henry or something like that. It reckoned Cort was the top player when comparing pace, strength etc.

 

[Paris]

Not necessarily clubs that I support, but certainly keep an eye on from afar:

Horsham YMCA - Been to a few of their games in recent years for various reasons.

Bromley FC - Ditto. With my Uncle who lives in nearby Orpington and has a season ticket.

Stade Rennais - Brother in law has taken me to see his beloved team more than once.

Red Star - Took in a handful of their home games in the French third division, pre-pandemic.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

A few but nowhere near my love for the Albion….

Albion U21s
Albion Ladies
Wolves - liked the kit when I was 6!
Aldershot - nearly signed for them
Albion Rovers - they’ve got Albion in their name

 

[Nicks]

Sunderland.
My late Dad was a Mackem who was evacuated down south during the War.
As he stepped off the train at Littlehampton the Germans decided to bomb Ford Airfield !!
It was my first football kit and how he got it I've no idea as this was back in the late 60's.

 

[Chicken Run]

I understand that. That's exactly how I felt with football a few years back. Going to watch non league football regularly has restored a lot of what I enjoy about watching football.

I tried that but in all honesty I found myself being much closer to the game struggling to understand the players attitudes, the coaches and indeed some of the goons that were watching!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Having two football teams is like having two wives if you ask me.

Momentarily it might seem like there are some upsides to this idea. But then you contemplate doubling the emotional energy expenditure and consider just how ruinously expensive it would be then you remember than having just one, is what nature intended.

The odd glance here and there every time there's something obviously attractive to look at is fine, but stop as soon as there's a hint of emotional connection. Not least, in case of the upheaval should the two ever meet.

More like having a degree of admiration, undeclared (and acknowledged only in the privacy of your own trousers), for the décolletage, embonpoint, silhouette and charm of someone who is not your wife.

 

[indy3050]

Worthing probably, as I now live there.

Same

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Crystal Palace….love their style of football and great fans.

come on you eagles

 

[Hamilton]

Lewes FC
Always wanted to live there. For me it is the most Sussex of Sussex towns. Fell for them more over the community, fan ownership and equality values. Now an ‘owner’

Then Hamilton Academicals
My Mum and I always looked out for them and Stenhousmuir (sic) at Final Score. Ended up getting the shirt and woolly hat and going to Hamilton on my way to Scotland.

Then Liverpool
My boyhood team, before my Uncle helped me see the light aged nine. It was 1977.

With a soft spot for St Pauli, Spurs, Ajax and Barcelona.

But Brighton are my second team really. My first team is the Indiana Cobras.

 

[Hamilton]

Cambridge United. I was born and grew up there, regularly watching them at The Abbey.

Lewes.

How did you do against Posh recently?

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Luton, because it was my mother‘s family team. She was born and brought up in Harpenden.
Ross County, because there is a camp site next to their ground we camped in on a match day. We made the mistake of driving out just as/after the match finished - only a pre-season friendly but we were caught up in the crowd. It delayed us by about 2 minutes. But I do look out for their results.

 

[A1X]

Sussex CCC

 

[WATFORD zero]

Over a lot of years, I never had a 'second team' but have always had a soft spot for teams that took football to new levels

Pele's Brazil
Cloughie's Forest
Cruyff's Holland
Paisley's Liverpool
Wenger's Arsenal
del Bosque's Spain
Pep's city

together with the occasional day out at Lewes and Whitehawk.

But who could ever have dreamt that my first and only true love would one day, not only be playing at the top levels of football, in England and Europe, but also doing it by playing the best football ?

Absolutely unbelievable