Do You Support Your Local Team?

[andrewh]

3 hours ago, Al B said:

Never lived in or near Motherwell, and have no family there.

Im assuming by the thread that some people are interested in the stories behind these things, so here's mine:

***tl;dr - im one of those c*nts that don't support their local team***

My Dad loved football, but more playing as opposed to watching, and he was a chef to trade so was never able to go to (or take me to) games as he'd be working on Saturdays. As a result he never really had a "team" so to speak and would probably have just classed himself as a Scotland fan.

From that I was never really influenced to have a team as a kid, I'd just jump at the chance to go to a football match wherever I could. Spent my childhood going to games with various friends and their dads, according to who they supported; Brockville with Falkirk supporting pals and their dads, Ibrox/Parkhead with Rangers/Celtic supporting pals and their dads. My Uncle is Jimmy Bone so went to St Mirren a few times whilst he was there, used to go on a Hearts bus leaving from Stirling sometimes whilst he was assistant there...basically any match I could tag along to, I'd go.

Also when me and my pals were kids and you wanted a football top, no-one's family really had any money so your mum would take you to the football stall at Falkirk market and you'd get whatever top was the cheapest, or if you wanted football bedding etc, the same would apply...regardless of what club they were.

There's actually a photo of me from when I was 8 or 9, sitting on my bed which had an Aberdeen duvet cover on it, I'm wearing a St. Johnstone top, and over that I'm wearing a tracksuit top that's in Dundee United colours, but bizarrely just says "Dundee" on the front. That's Falkirk Market and mums who don't know the first thing about football for you.

I absolutely loved tagging along to all those different grounds, seeing different teams and the different atmospheres at each one, but beyond that I never really felt any sort of feeling or emotional connection with any of them. I didn't know that existed, I just loved going to watch the football.

Until one day my best mate said they were going to Fir Park to watch his Uncle John (Philliben) play, and asked if I wanted to go. Jumped at the chance as always, but for some reason it just felt different. As soon as we parked and started the walk to the ground...arriving at the stadium...going through the turnstiles...it just felt really really different, and there was something about it that wasn't like the other clubs/grounds/matches that I'd been to that my primary school brain couldn't explain. Not sure my adult brain could even now! But it was the first time I actually felt connected with a club in any way, and although I had no way of going to more games, theirs were the results I started to look for every week.

Fast forward a year or so to '91, Motherwell won the Scottish Cup and for the first time at school I heard people talking about them rather than Rangers, Celtic, Falkirk, Aberdeen...and I just remember feeling this sense of pride that everyone was talking about them.

Fast forward another few years and sadly my mum and dad split up, my dad moving abroad to work, and my mum trying to find ways to fill the role of both parents to 17 year old me and my sister. She'd never had the slightest interest in football at all...hated it, and generally just thought it was ridiculous, but when my birthday rolled around and I said that all I wanted was to be able to go to a Motherwell game, she agreed to take me, mostly as a way of trying to find ways to connect and fill a dad-shaped gap.

We went, I absolutely loved it, and I don't know if it was just exposure to all the things you get about matchday that you don't realise from TV, but she said it "wasnt as bad as she'd expected", which was great!

Over the next year or so I pestered her to take me back and every so often she agreed...and those times started to get closer and closer together.

Until the present day where this boy who had no team and his football-hating mum, are now in their 28th season of going week in-week out travelling all over the place together following our club, and have a mum who could sit and debate the ins-and-outs of a False 9 or a flexible back 5 with the best of them. Even if I can't go for whatever reason she'll head off around the country by herself and text me her commentary from the stands. We've seen everything from scraping an undeserved draw away at Dumbarton when they were bottom of the bottom division, to hearing the Champions League music play over the Fir Park tannoy as the teams ran out.

I genuinely hate to think how different my life and specifially the relationship with my mum would be had it not been for Motherwell. Genuinely responsible for making it what it is.

John Philliben lives in the estate as me in Stirling. Met him often walking our dogs.

Edited October 13, 2021 by andrewh

[Jacksgranda]

6 minutes ago, andrewh said:

John Philliben lives in the estate as me in Stirling. Met him often walking our dogs.

Why does John Philliben walk your dogs?

[andrewh]

3 minutes ago, Jacksgranda said:

Why does John Philliben walk your dogs?

haha he walks his dog and I walk my two. All three dogs are on a lead but they’re separate leads

[ropy]

8 hours ago, Al B said:

Never lived in or near Motherwell, and have no family there.

Im assuming by the thread that some people are interested in the stories behind these things, so here's mine:

***tl;dr - im one of those c*nts that don't support their local team***

My Dad loved football, but more playing as opposed to watching, and he was a chef to trade so was never able to go to (or take me to) games as he'd be working on Saturdays. As a result he never really had a "team" so to speak and would probably have just classed himself as a Scotland fan.

From that I was never really influenced to have a team as a kid, I'd just jump at the chance to go to a football match wherever I could. Spent my childhood going to games with various friends and their dads, according to who they supported; Brockville with Falkirk supporting pals and their dads, Ibrox/Parkhead with Rangers/Celtic supporting pals and their dads. My Uncle is Jimmy Bone so went to St Mirren a few times whilst he was there, used to go on a Hearts bus leaving from Stirling sometimes whilst he was assistant there...basically any match I could tag along to, I'd go.

Also when me and my pals were kids and you wanted a football top, no-one's family really had any money so your mum would take you to the football stall at Falkirk market and you'd get whatever top was the cheapest, or if you wanted football bedding etc, the same would apply...regardless of what club they were.

There's actually a photo of me from when I was 8 or 9, sitting on my bed which had an Aberdeen duvet cover on it, I'm wearing a St. Johnstone top, and over that I'm wearing a tracksuit top that's in Dundee United colours, but bizarrely just says "Dundee" on the front. That's Falkirk Market and mums who don't know the first thing about football for you.

I absolutely loved tagging along to all those different grounds, seeing different teams and the different atmospheres at each one, but beyond that I never really felt any sort of feeling or emotional connection with any of them. I didn't know that existed, I just loved going to watch the football.

Until one day my best mate said they were going to Fir Park to watch his Uncle John (Philliben) play, and asked if I wanted to go. Jumped at the chance as always, but for some reason it just felt different. As soon as we parked and started the walk to the ground...arriving at the stadium...going through the turnstiles...it just felt really really different, and there was something about it that wasn't like the other clubs/grounds/matches that I'd been to that my primary school brain couldn't explain. Not sure my adult brain could even now! But it was the first time I actually felt connected with a club in any way, and although I had no way of going to more games, theirs were the results I started to look for every week.

Fast forward a year or so to '91, Motherwell won the Scottish Cup and for the first time at school I heard people talking about them rather than Rangers, Celtic, Falkirk, Aberdeen...and I just remember feeling this sense of pride that everyone was talking about them.

Fast forward another few years and sadly my mum and dad split up, my dad moving abroad to work, and my mum trying to find ways to fill the role of both parents to 17 year old me and my sister. She'd never had the slightest interest in football at all...hated it, and generally just thought it was ridiculous, but when my birthday rolled around and I said that all I wanted was to be able to go to a Motherwell game, she agreed to take me, mostly as a way of trying to find ways to connect and fill a dad-shaped gap.

We went, I absolutely loved it, and I don't know if it was just exposure to all the things you get about matchday that you don't realise from TV, but she said it "wasnt as bad as she'd expected", which was great!

Over the next year or so I pestered her to take me back and every so often she agreed...and those times started to get closer and closer together.

Until the present day where this boy who had no team and his football-hating mum, are now in their 28th season of going week in-week out travelling all over the place together following our club, and have a mum who could sit and debate the ins-and-outs of a False 9 or a flexible back 5 with the best of them. Even if I can't go for whatever reason she'll head off around the country by herself and text me her commentary from the stands. We've seen everything from scraping an undeserved draw away at Dumbarton when they were bottom of the bottom division, to hearing the Champions League music play over the Fir Park tannoy as the teams ran out.

I genuinely hate to think how different my life and specifially the relationship with my mum would be had it not been for Motherwell. Genuinely responsible for making it what it is.

Fir Park is a mile from my mams house, not as good a story 

[WestHibee]

On 12/10/2021 at 15:44, Leith Green said:

There are plenty of people in Fife, Livi, East Lothian, Borders etc that support Hibs and Hearts - much of it because so many people cant afford a family home here and move out. A bit like there are a lot of Spurs fans in places like Essex?

I cant see people having any animosity over that - its not even in the same galaxy as people choosing to support one of the gruesome twosome.

Grew up in a family of Leith exiles in Fife. Went to school in Dunfermline and it was a mix of Hibs and Hearts. Inverkeithing, Rosyth & Dalgety Bay more so Hibs, Dunfermline itself more Hearts. Oddly from what I remember Dunfermline pull a good deal of support from towns like Cowdenbeath, Glenrothes and the Clackmmanshire area, maybe less so now. I don't remember there being a huge amount of animosity, often took in Dunfermline games with fellow Hibees and Jambos when I was free. Dunfermline's a bit like that, when you have a good team, people regardless of who they follow will go and watch 

[Forever_blueco]

Team closest to me is Celtic 

so no . 

Edited October 14, 2021 by Forever_blueco

[D Angelo Barksdale]

I lived 2 minutes from Easter Road until I was 5, then we moved and for a short time Meadowbank Thistle were the closest league side. (RIP lads, gone but not forgotten)

I've moved back here, so Edinburgh City will be the closest side again soon, playing on Friday nights, so looking forward to getting along to support my local team.

[Dons_1988]

Do folk not take the “support your local team” mantra a bit literally.

It should probably be paraphrased to “don’t be a c**t and choose your team based on how successful it is and support a team that you can actually attend matches regularly.” 

 

[Kyle Reese]

1 minute ago, Dons_1988 said:

Do folk not take the “support your local team” mantra a bit literally.

It should probably be paraphrased to “don’t be a c**t and choose your team based on how successful it is* and support a team that you can actually attend matches regularly.” 

 

*Addendum: nor based on your religious beliefs or political persuassion.

[Dons_1988]

1 minute ago, Kyle Reese said:

*Addendum: nor based on your religious beliefs or political persuassion.

Or adopt a religious or political belief to justify aforementioned selecting team based on success 

[ropy]

I find it strange that there would be an OF following in places like Dundee and Edinburgh, in a broad brush sense there are two ‘big’ sides in each city, a ready made rivalry, pick your side.  

[Empty It]

Do folk not take the “support your local team” mantra a bit literally.
It should probably be paraphrased to “don’t be a c**t and choose your team based on how successful it is and support a team that you can actually attend matches regularly.” 
 

Or just don't support either of the bigot twins.

[YorkshireRover]

On 12/10/2021 at 15:49, Aim Here said:

I did the research. If everybody supported their local team, as per the OP, Hibs and Hearts would be the gruesome twosome.

And since it might be on-topic for this thread, here's the population of Scotland divvied up by who their nearest league teams are, as far as the postcode database and census can be ascertained (this is a couple of years old, so Brechin is there and Kelty isn't, but that probably doesn't make a huge difference. Edinburgh City moving back to Meadowbank might, though).

Would love to see this plotted on a map. Maybe one day I will learn how to do something like that. Even if there are a few errors in methodology I'm very impressed by the effort gone into this.

[Jacksgranda]

2 hours ago, Dons_1988 said:

Do folk not take the “support your local team” mantra a bit literally.

It should probably be paraphrased to “don’t be a c**t and choose your team based on how successful it is and support a team that you can actually attend matches regularly.” 

 

Bit of a mouthful that, just stick with "support your local team" everyone knows what it means.

[Jacksgranda]

On 13/10/2021 at 11:35, Sergeant Wilson said:

@Al Band

Had to get his Hammy to take him.when he was 17.

You were doing 17 wrong. My Mum wouldn't have pished on me if I was in fire at 17.

I noticed that, too (mammy, not hammy), but maybe he has a disability and requires a carer/companion with him?

[Forever_blueco]

6 minutes ago, Jacksgranda said:

I noticed that, too (mammy, not hammy), but maybe he has a disability and requires a carer/companion with him?

Or maybe the guy just went to a game with his mum and they both took an interest in it from that point on and something to bond over . He explained it was for a birthday gift 

doesn’t have to be some deep under lying meaning  

Edited October 14, 2021 by Forever_blueco

[Kyle Reese]

50 minutes ago, ropy said:

I find it strange that there would be an OF following in places like Dundee and Edinburgh, in a broad brush sense there are two ‘big’ sides in each city, a ready made rivalry, pick your side.  

There’s obviously the ones who have moved to these cities from Glasgow, and their progeny too, you just have to accept that, I suppose. The ones who just decide to support either of them, despite having no hitherto connection to them however, I can’t even bring myself to entertain their patter. I reckon for some at least, it’s a desperation to be superior in at least one part of their otherwise miserable lives.

[Aim Here]

49 minutes ago, ropy said:

I find it strange that there would be an OF following in places like Dundee and Edinburgh, in a broad brush sense there are two ‘big’ sides in each city, a ready made rivalry, pick your side.  

The most egregious case is surely not in Scotland, but the phenomenon of Londoners gloryhunting the Ferguson-era Man United en masse, despite hailing from a city replete with great football clubs that played at every conceivable level.

[CountyFan]

On 13/10/2021 at 11:08, Al B said:

Never lived in or near Motherwell, and have no family there.

Im assuming by the thread that some people are interested in the stories behind these things, so here's mine:

***tl;dr - im one of those c*nts that don't support their local team***

My Dad loved football, but more playing as opposed to watching, and he was a chef to trade so was never able to go to (or take me to) games as he'd be working on Saturdays. As a result he never really had a "team" so to speak and would probably have just classed himself as a Scotland fan.

From that I was never really influenced to have a team as a kid, I'd just jump at the chance to go to a football match wherever I could. Spent my childhood going to games with various friends and their dads, according to who they supported; Brockville with Falkirk supporting pals and their dads, Ibrox/Parkhead with Rangers/Celtic supporting pals and their dads. My Uncle is Jimmy Bone so went to St Mirren a few times whilst he was there, used to go on a Hearts bus leaving from Stirling sometimes whilst he was assistant there...basically any match I could tag along to, I'd go.

Also when me and my pals were kids and you wanted a football top, no-one's family really had any money so your mum would take you to the football stall at Falkirk market and you'd get whatever top was the cheapest, or if you wanted football bedding etc, the same would apply...regardless of what club they were.

There's actually a photo of me from when I was 8 or 9, sitting on my bed which had an Aberdeen duvet cover on it, I'm wearing a St. Johnstone top, and over that I'm wearing a tracksuit top that's in Dundee United colours, but bizarrely just says "Dundee" on the front. That's Falkirk Market and mums who don't know the first thing about football for you.

I absolutely loved tagging along to all those different grounds, seeing different teams and the different atmospheres at each one, but beyond that I never really felt any sort of feeling or emotional connection with any of them. I didn't know that existed, I just loved going to watch the football.

Until one day my best mate said they were going to Fir Park to watch his Uncle John (Philliben) play, and asked if I wanted to go. Jumped at the chance as always, but for some reason it just felt different. As soon as we parked and started the walk to the ground...arriving at the stadium...going through the turnstiles...it just felt really really different, and there was something about it that wasn't like the other clubs/grounds/matches that I'd been to that my primary school brain couldn't explain. Not sure my adult brain could even now! But it was the first time I actually felt connected with a club in any way, and although I had no way of going to more games, theirs were the results I started to look for every week.

Fast forward a year or so to '91, Motherwell won the Scottish Cup and for the first time at school I heard people talking about them rather than Rangers, Celtic, Falkirk, Aberdeen...and I just remember feeling this sense of pride that everyone was talking about them.

Fast forward another few years and sadly my mum and dad split up, my dad moving abroad to work, and my mum trying to find ways to fill the role of both parents to 17 year old me and my sister. She'd never had the slightest interest in football at all...hated it, and generally just thought it was ridiculous, but when my birthday rolled around and I said that all I wanted was to be able to go to a Motherwell game, she agreed to take me, mostly as a way of trying to find ways to connect and fill a dad-shaped gap.

We went, I absolutely loved it, and I don't know if it was just exposure to all the things you get about matchday that you don't realise from TV, but she said it "wasnt as bad as she'd expected", which was great!

Over the next year or so I pestered her to take me back and every so often she agreed...and those times started to get closer and closer together.

Until the present day where this boy who had no team and his football-hating mum, are now in their 28th season of going week in-week out travelling all over the place together following our club, and have a mum who could sit and debate the ins-and-outs of a False 9 or a flexible back 5 with the best of them. Even if I can't go for whatever reason she'll head off around the country by herself and text me her commentary from the stands. We've seen everything from scraping an undeserved draw away at Dumbarton when they were bottom of the bottom division, to hearing the Champions League music play over the Fir Park tannoy as the teams ran out.

I genuinely hate to think how different my life and specifially the relationship with my mum would be had it not been for Motherwell. Genuinely responsible for making it what it is.

This genuinely brought a tear to my eye. Thank you for sharing it. 

[Darren]

No - Pollok are my local team these days. I am planning to get along and watch them from time to time, though.