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Local team / glory hunting, etc. and so on


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The Aberdeen central belt glory hunters are a strange bunch.

Started supporting them in the 1980s because they were not the Old Firm (but the next most successful team coincidentally). They still think they have some kind of superiority because they couldn't backtrack and had to keep them as their team when they became pish in 90s.

Edited by Szamo's_Ammo
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5 minutes ago, Szamo's_Ammo said:

The Aberdeen central belt glory hunters are a strange bunch.

Started supporting them in the 1980s because they were not the Old Firm (but the next most successful team coincidentally). They still think they have some kind of superiority because they kept them as their team when they became pish.

i knew one of them, a mate  from my housing estate , i believe he reverted back to Celtic in his 20's,

Edited by Gus Setsniffer
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Hats off to OP, the glory hunting **** are absolutely rattled!

My dad grew up in Charleston and supports Dunfermline, I grew up in Inverkeithing (Swifts didn't exist as a senior team till 4 years after I moved continents) so if I wanted to see a real football game in the flesh I had to go with my dad to East End Park and I loved it. It's hard to get my head around people taking a supporters bus to a home game, in the Central Belt you probably live no further than half an hour from a senior football ground, how many grounds do they pass on the way to Glasgow? And that's the ones that actually go to games, even harder to get my head around sitting at home watching Sportscene instead of going to a local team. My dad parks a few streets away from East End Park and I remembering seeing some sad case sitting in his living room in front of the TV every other week with his Celtic top on, call me Danny Dyer cause I can't get my nut around it!

 

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Born in Livingston to a Rangers supporting father and he had a scarf on me for pictures the week I got back from hospital.

Being a “new town” that was expanded to ease overcrowding in Glasgow, that’s where my Dad’s family came from and they supported Rangers. I think this is often something that’s overlooked when people hear of large amounts of Rangers and Celtic fans in new towns.

Still, some Uber-fans don’t really buy the whole “I support who my dad supported” argument for some reason, but Livingston never had a team at the time I was born and Meadowbank Thistle only moved to Livingston long after I had developed an affinity to Rangers.

I think often the people who don’t accept the “I support who my dad/parent supported” argument either a) never had a parent that was particularly interested in football or b) underestimate how compelling it is for a child to want to be like their dad/parent and support the same team.

Likewise, I don’t think children should really be held accountable for the choice of team if they end up supporting someone other than their ‘local’ club. I’ve said this before but when I first took an interest in football I had no idea how close Glasgow was to my home compared to Hibs/Hearts/Falkirk etc.

I appreciate why many clubs out with Celtic & Rangers have frustrations when they see neighbours supporting them but I think it’s far too simplistic to automatically brand it glory hunting and they feel as though it makes them a superior fan somehow.

Edited by AJF
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I think supporting the same team as your dad is fair enough. I’m probably strange in that my dad, a Celtic fan, went out of his way to ensure that I didn’t support the same team as him. Both Celtic Park and Ibrox are closer to where I grew up, as is Hampden actually, but he took me to Firhill, so that’s who I support.

It’s undoubtable that there is a section of the OF support who support them entirely because they win everything, and then boast about them winning everything. And it’s undoubtable that all of that section are complete dicks.

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I've posted my bit on this before so I'll keep it brief - come from somewhere that doesn't have an Scottish League team for 100+ miles, have a local Highland League team that we went to every other Saturday (Wick Academy), but my dad was a Rangers fan so I became one also. Pretty much everyone was a Rangers or Celtic fan, with one or two Aberdeen fans. I still have a lot of time for Academy, if I ever see home again and a games on we'd go to it, but it just doesn't inspire the same feelings in me that professional football does. I don't quite know why - it kind of felt like watching your mates play football, because I knew a lot of the players socially. It's the kind of relationship everyone in Wick has with Academy.

This is a complex issue because it deals with identity, which is a complicated thing in 2020. Here's what I think I think:

1) Supporting your local team is a noble concept and I understand it, but supporting a football team is an emotional thing and emotions are complicated. You might absolutely fucking hate the place you grew up in, for example, and this colours the way you see your hometown team. You may never have lived anywhere long enough to have a hometown team. Not to mention that towns are being decimated across the Western world in favour of cities - the link between your home town and you is much weaker for most people than it used to be. Fundamentally, there's no right or wrong way to pick your team.

2) There is absolutely a section of Rangers and Celtic fans that look down on provincial clubs and sneer at their supporters for being diddies and never winning anything. There is absolutely a section of OF fans who just support them casually, for the glory, and it wouldn't really affect them if either club never played another game.

There is also a section of smaller team fans who think that they are quite simply better people than Old Firm fans because "they're all knuckledragging sectarian moron scum who can't string two sentences together, and we're no like that". There are also a section of diddy fans who don't quite understand that Scotland is bigger than just the Central Belt, and that many places simply don't have a "local" team to follow.

I said earlier there's no right or wrong way to pick your team, and that's true. But there is a right way to respect your club, other clubs and other fans. For me holding any of the above opinions is a pretty poor reflection on your fandom and the way you treat others.

3) As mentioned earlier, there are plenty of glory hunters that attach themselves to the Old Firm. But this effect is not unique to them - there are plenty of Scottish bairns now that support EPL teams on this basis and simply don't care about Scottish football at all. There's also no doubt that this effect works on a smaller scale - I gave the example (somewhat glibly) in the other thread about Edinburgers following Hibs and Hearts when Edinburgh City were right there on their doorstep. But there's an element of truth to it - there will be plenty of Falkirk fans in Stenhousemuir for example. Bigger clubs have a bigger catchment area than smaller clubs, and this is just a fact of life.

In short - football is emotional, that's what makes it good. Emotions are complicated, and therefore so is football fandom. Pick whatever team you want for whatever reasons you want, just make sure you support them in the right way. And poaching supporters from smaller clubs is not a phenomenon unique to the Old Firm.

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48 minutes ago, AJF said:

 

I think often the people who don’t accept the “I support who my dad/parent supported” argument either a) never had a parent that was particularly interested in football or b) underestimate how compelling it is for a child to want to be like their dad/parent and support the same team.

Likewise, I don’t think children should really be held accountable for the choice of team if they end up supporting someone other than their ‘local’ club. I’ve said this before but when I first took an interest in football I had no idea how close Glasgow was to my home compared to Hibs/Hearts/Falkirk etc.

I appreciate why many clubs out with Celtic & Rangers have frustrations when they see neighbours supporting them but I think it’s far too simplistic to automatically brand it glory hunting and they feel as though it makes them a superior fan somehow.

The dads shouldn't encourage their kids to support a side not local to them in my view.  The first ever match I attended was between Queens and my dad's team - Dundee.  I was supporting Queens as a six year old because they were my local team. 

By the time I was having kids, I was back in Dumfries, so the one into football is a Queens fan.  If I lived elsewhere though, I'd encourage him to support the side local to him.

I think what your argument also ignores is that this success and coverage lark, is seductive enough to survive any Glasgow diaspora.  The fact that so many dads wish to pass on that support has an awful lot to do with "glory" too.

Edited by Monkey Tennis
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Glory hunters come across as morons who can't think for themselves so they just flock with the majority or more successful teams.

The other proportion of OF fans from all over are just angry bigots who use football as a vent for their irrational anger.

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Nobody has really addressed he elephant in the room that is catholics and protestants.

Scotland’s history decided if you were one of them or one of us and so the two cheeks prospered based on this religious bigotry fanned quite well by segregating schools (great idea that one).

In my school there were lots of **** that supported who their dad supported even though the religious aspects had been diluted i.e no many of them went to church but they still hated the other side - the bigotry was now ingrained.

One or two of my pals recognised this aspect of supporting the cheeks was not right saw the light and started going to  Love Street - those guys are the ones I really admire.

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20 minutes ago, G51 said:

 

In short - football is emotional, that's what makes it good. Emotions are complicated, and therefore so is football fandom. Pick whatever team you want for whatever reasons you want, just make sure you support them in the right way. And poaching supporters from smaller clubs is not a phenomenon unique to the Old Firm.

Nice post and you make some good points I hadn't thought of.

Theres a big orange and green elephant in the room though, though I understand why - because it's not an issue where you're from.

In Lanarkshire and other parts of the West, many people have other reasons for identifying with either side of the OF. Just the way it is. They're not all bigots by any means, but it's the way it is.

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15 minutes ago, G51 said:

I've posted my bit on this before so I'll keep it brief - come from somewhere that doesn't have an Scottish League team for 100+ miles, have a local Highland League team that we went to every other Saturday (Wick Academy), but my dad was a Rangers fan so I became one also. Pretty much everyone was a Rangers or Celtic fan, with one or two Aberdeen fans. I still have a lot of time for Academy, if I ever see home again and a games on we'd go to it, but it just doesn't inspire the same feelings in me that professional football does. I don't quite know why - it kind of felt like watching your mates play football, because I knew a lot of the players socially. It's the kind of relationship everyone in Wick has with Academy.

This is a complex issue because it deals with identity, which is a complicated thing in 2020. Here's what I think I think:

1) Supporting your local team is a noble concept and I understand it, but supporting a football team is an emotional thing and emotions are complicated. You might absolutely fucking hate the place you grew up in, for example, and this colours the way you see your hometown team. You may never have lived anywhere long enough to have a hometown team. Not to mention that towns are being decimated across the Western world in favour of cities - the link between your home town and you is much weaker for most people than it used to be. Fundamentally, there's no right or wrong way to pick your team.

2) There is absolutely a section of Rangers and Celtic fans that look down on provincial clubs and sneer at their supporters for being diddies and never winning anything. There is absolutely a section of OF fans who just support them casually, for the glory, and it wouldn't really affect them if either club never played another game.

There is also a section of smaller team fans who think that they are quite simply better people than Old Firm fans because "they're all knuckledragging sectarian moron scum who can't string two sentences together, and we're no like that". There are also a section of diddy fans who don't quite understand that Scotland is bigger than just the Central Belt, and that many places simply don't have a "local" team to follow.

I said earlier there's no right or wrong way to pick your team, and that's true. But there is a right way to respect your club, other clubs and other fans. For me holding any of the above opinions is a pretty poor reflection on your fandom and the way you treat others.

3) As mentioned earlier, there are plenty of glory hunters that attach themselves to the Old Firm. But this effect is not unique to them - there are plenty of Scottish bairns now that support EPL teams on this basis and simply don't care about Scottish football at all. There's also no doubt that this effect works on a smaller scale - I gave the example (somewhat glibly) in the other thread about Edinburgers following Hibs and Hearts when Edinburgh City were right there on their doorstep. But there's an element of truth to it - there will be plenty of Falkirk fans in Stenhousemuir for example. Bigger clubs have a bigger catchment area than smaller clubs, and this is just a fact of life.

In short - football is emotional, that's what makes it good. Emotions are complicated, and therefore so is football fandom. Pick whatever team you want for whatever reasons you want, just make sure you support them in the right way. And poaching supporters from smaller clubs is not a phenomenon unique to the Old Firm.

I actually think it's quite a bit less complicated than you suggest.

The vast majority of OF fans from outwith Glasgow, do live relatively close to other league teams.  For those who don't, the fact that so many happen to pick one of the two clubs that have shared the title for the last three and a half decades, does point to 'glory hunting' as a pretty incontestible feature.

If you're into football, it makes a lot of sense to follow the team you'll be able to watch with ease from a young age.  A local one fits that bill.

Part of what annoys diddy fans is that the 'success' enjoyed by OF ones looks unearned and sort of insincere.  That might sound silly, but it's true.  You're not guilty of it, but OF fans often accuse us of jealousy, which is absurd because if we wanted to support an OF side, we would.  It's not difficult.

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The big question is whether or not you should at least give your local team support regardless of where you may have moved to.  For some people it is mind blowing that you can lend your support to two (or more) teams, even when there's a sacrosanct loyalty pecking order involved. 

For example, I would frequently go to Pittodrie when I lived in Aberdeen city centre for ~10 years, at least when there were midweek games that didn't get in the way of other loyalties.  However, some folk would just feel guilty about doing the same as if it's a crime to enter any other ground if their own team isn't playing.  To quote a former neighbour of mine who I once asked why they don't head down to Glebe Park for the occasion: "ach, I'm a Celtic man, I can't do that".   :wacko:

FWIW, I left Brechin when I was just 4, but some poor **** has to support them. 

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5 minutes ago, Academically Deficient said:

Nice post and you make some good points I hadn't thought of.

Theres a big orange and green elephant in the room though, though I understand why - because it's not an issue where you're from.

In Lanarkshire and other parts of the West, many people have other reasons for identifying with either side of the OF. Just the way it is. They're not all bigots by any means, but it's the way it is.

That's fair, it wasn't a consideration in my post. WIthout giving away too much personal information about myself on a football forum, I emigrated years back and actually now live in the Republic. I think everyone in the British Isles tends to underplay that NI literally went through a civil war that only ended a shade over twenty years ago. Calling it "The Troubles" doesn't really do it justice.

Of course, this affects the West of Scotland because of the close relationship it has with the province of Ulster, and indeed Ireland in general. It is a long and complicated history, and identity is the most important thing for a lot of people in this part of the world. And a big part of modern identity, for a lot of people, is through football.

Therefore I can totally understand why a Protestant or a Catholic in the WoS/NI would pick Celtic or Rangers for identity purposes. And I can totally understand why someone who has no dog in the fight would actively avoid both teams for this reason.

I think, over time, this will become less common. Time is a great healer, and eventually Northern Ireland will "normalise" if you like. But it'll take a long, long time. We will probably continue to see people picking (or not picking) Rangers or Celtic for this reason, at least for the rest of our lifetimes.

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I grew up in Dumfries and supported Hibs because of my Dad and spending most weekends in Edinburgh. 

They were then, as they are now, mostly shite.  Is there such a thing as a depression hunter?  One Skol Cup does not for glory make.  

 

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2 minutes ago, Hedgecutter said:

The big question is whether or not you should at least give your local team support regardless of where you may have moved to

That's me in a nutshell. Currently live in Kings Lynn and have been 'following' them for the last two seasons and posting in the random matched thread but its not really that random anymore I guess ;) 

Saints is my team and always will be but I enjoy going to the matches at The Walks and am looking forward to returning once all this covid shite fucks off. 

I've bought a house here, I'm not coming home anytime soon so I may as well get used to it. 

Next thing you know I'll be growing extra toes :o 

 

 

Mon the Linnets.

And Saints, best not forget the Saints :) 

 

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2 minutes ago, Trackdaybob said:

That's me in a nutshell. Currently live in Kings Lynn and have been 'following' them for the last two seasons and posting in the random matched thread but its not really that random anymore I guess ;) 

Saints is my team and always will be but I enjoy going to the matches at The Walks and am looking forward to returning once all this covid shite fucks off. 

I've bought a house here, I'm not coming home anytime soon so I may as well get used to it. 

Next thing you know I'll be growing extra toes :o 

 

 

Mon the Linnets.

And Saints, best not forget the Saints :) 

 

More than the extra ones you already have?

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1 hour ago, AJF said:

Still, some Uber-fans don’t really buy the whole “I support who my dad supported” argument for some reason, but Livingston never had a team at the time I was born and Meadowbank Thistle only moved to Livingston long after I had developed an affinity to Rangers.

Statistics show that 97.4% of Uber-fans write the “I don’t buy” pish on P&B but also support who their Dad supported.

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