chim chim cha boo
1:10 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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One of my oldest friends, Dee Dee turned up with a sweaty who purported to support Chelsea.
She doesn't really like or understand football (she's Canadian) so I said to her that you can tell a lot about a person by the team they support.
She said that it was bollocks so I said to her no-mark new boyfriend 'okay, is anything I am about to say bollocks?'
'You might support Chelsea in England because you live here but you are rabidly anti-Catholic and REALLY support Rangers'?
She then said that they'd been walking down the road in South Kensington and he'd refused to have a nose around a Catholic church.
There's a hidden undercurrent in football supporters and always has been.
I think one of the things I love most about West Ham is that we're not part of that religious bollocks although some try and make out that we're a team that leans towards Catholicism because of Ann Bolyn and St Johns Catholic school being on the site of Upton Park.
I think that supporting TWO teams that lose so often would finish me off so fuck that.
Some of my pals kids (middle class) say 'my English team is Man City and I also support Barcelona' or something similar. I count to ten in my head when they say that and swerve the little cunts from then on. You can tell that they are going to be wankers in charge of companies in Surrey that nobody likes in the future.
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gph
12:36 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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Of the people I know who play 6-a-side, the handful who support more than one side are regarded as odder than those who don't watch football at all.
There's only a handful of either type, though.
Years back I was confused by an African lad who turned up one week in our kit, and the next week in Liverpool's. He said he didn't really support either, but liked the kits.
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Beat Freak
11:56 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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I am a life long WHU fan. My boy isn't though. Started as a Hammer then moved to Man City, during a period where we were practically rubbish, got thrashed by Man C, then twonked by Forest in the FA Cup on Live TV, then trashed again by City in the League cup. He's 16 now and I often remind him had he been born 5 years earlier there's no way he'd be a City fan as they were a Div 1/2 team.
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Lily Hammer
11:46 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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I’m a lifer with no chance of parole.
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Fifth Column
11:46 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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Of my generation (born 1975) I know one person who changed teams. He supported Liverpool until his 30s despite being a Londoner and having no connection. Once his son was born he thought he wanted that bond that he saw dads had with kids who went to matches regularly so he switched to supporting West Ham.
Of my kids' generation, when they were at school in south London, I'd say around 40% of the kids who claimed to support a team had no real allegiance. Switching was very common. Those were predominantly kids whose parents were first generation African immigrants and so their parents had no real allegiance. That being the case why would you have an allegiance if your parents don't really support anyone, you don't live near the team concerned and you're never likely to go to a match. It becomes like being a 'fan' of a singer/band - you like whoever is good at the time.
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oioi
11:39 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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I recently realised that West Ham have been part of my life for more years than anything or anyone else. Parents, wife, kids, friends, homes etc have all been around for fewer years than West Ham.
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Jim C
8:37 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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I too am a lifer. As most have said, West Ham aren't a club that someone of the other categories are likely to support.
I do know people who simply watch or take an interest purely to bet and because they love the Fantasy Football side of it. I also work with people who don't have a team as such but just enjoy watching the game.
Those that are influenced by social media and individual players, in my opinon, are very likely to be youngsters. Certainly not anyone who remembers dial up Internet and when a teacher at school used a board and a pen only or chalk.
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Nagel
7:50 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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Some people are reading this wrong, although the article doesn't help. It's not saying that 2/3 of people change the clubs they support. It's putting fans into 5 distinct categories even if there's a lot of crossover. If someone is into betting and/or Fantasy Football his category will be Statto even if he is also a Lifer.
The only people I've personally known who've changed clubs are those who grew up and began supporting their local team instead of Liverpool or whatever the top team at the time was when they were kids, and those who relocated and began supporting their local team (usually people who like going to games).
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angryprumphs
2:46 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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The poll was probably taken from England fans in pubs during the Euros, if so I wouldnt be surprised.
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arsene york-hunt
2:27 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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I've never heard of an ex West Ham fan supporting another team. I've known 2 who lost interest in football and don't go anymore because of the money the players get, but they still identify as West Ham fans. Switching clubs is fucking ridiculous, although I have a nephew who stopped going to Chelsea and started going to Brentford because of all the wankers the rent boys were attracting after the Russian crook took over, which I suppose is a valid reason.
But anybody saying the used to be a West Ham supporter must be deluded or they weren't really a West Ham supporter in the first place.
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Capitol Man
2:01 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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That sky number can’t be right. We all know people who have switched teams and the rightful ridicule pointed in their direction - there can’t be that many of them.
Some time in the 70s, can’t remember when, but it was firmly in place by the 1980 cup run. There are times when I wished it were possible to change teams
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Irish Hammer
1:48 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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Mex Martillo 11:47 Wed Aug 11
Yep, granted it was on TV, I didn't go until to a game until i was old enough in about 1991
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factory seconds
1:45 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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And on the point of the article, I absolutely can't wait for proper club football to start with supporters in. Two massive groups tribally motivated to hope the other side go home utterly miserable and not afraid to let them know it.
Sick to the back teeth of the media's attempts to reinterpret footie as this gentile celebration of human expression and endeavour. I want bile. I want to be able to call opposition players soppy no mark cunts regardless of how massively BRAVE their twitter account is.
I don't give a toss about your fairytale story or that you've "made history" or that your transexual diabetic centre forward survived getting both his legs blown off by a landmine in Liberia and went on to be the prem's top scorer. You're either West Ham or you're a cunt.
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ironsofcanada
1:38 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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I have a handful of memories of my East End nan before she died of lung cancer.
One is getting a scarf from her that her family send over. All downhill from there.
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factory seconds
1:23 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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coming from cornwall where there were absolutely fuck all teams to support, I didn't really have a club till I moved to east london in my teens and started going to matches since the boleyn was just down the road.
my mum being a quiet WHU supporter was made up about it and took the opportunity to become a rabid one.
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Chip Shop Charlie
12:58 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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50 plus years of pain and occasionally joy.
I wouldn't change it for the world.
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longford
12:20 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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what a strange question
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yngwies Cat
12:16 Thu Aug 12
Re: Are you a lifer?
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I think we all are on here
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Sydney_Iron
11:54 Wed Aug 11
Re: Are you a lifer?
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The club you support is part of you, I can’t in anyway understand how anyone can change that, even if West Ham disappeared I would still be a supporter, maybe have teams I liked more than others, but could never replace or have the same passion for them as West Ham.
Sums up modern day fans if they do this though, fucking alien to me though.
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Mex Martillo
11:47 Wed Aug 11
Re: Are you a lifer?
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Irish the way I read that, for a moment I thought your Dad was Trevor Brooking.
Your first game was the FA cup final? Nice.
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Mike the Hammer
11:44 Wed Aug 11
Re: Are you a lifer?
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Lifer.
Was taken to Upton Park when I was around 5 years old by my grandad in 1974/5.
Went to occassional matches in the following year and was at most home games from 81/2 season.
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