Yeah I know but. This morning I had my central heating serviced. The bloke was from East London/Essex currently living in Swansea. He'd been a squaddie for a few years but got married and settled round here. And (yes I know the title gives it away) he's a West Ham fan. Thing is, he's proper West Ham and we had a right old chat about the old days - not just Chelsea v West Ham, he was telling me how much he hates Scousers, how he got his first kicking up there - same old story, he got split up from his mates, caught on his own and jumped by a mob of Scousers who gave him a good kicking, nicked his wallet, his jacket and his shoes. Throwing a few names around, Arsenal fans, Tottenham and so on - people we both knew or had met or had heard of. We even discussed the West Ham/Frank Lampard thing, but we had to agree to differ on that one! Naturally I got in a little dig about them being our feeder club, and of course I told him to look out for Zola while he's doing his apprenticeship. But it was all just banter.

Maybe it's because I'm so cut off from it all round here, surrounded by plastic Scousers and the like, but this seriously made my day.

we had a right old chat about the old days- not just Chelsea v West Ham, he was telling me how much he hates Scousers, how he got his first kicking up there - same old story, he got split up from his mates, caught on his own and jumped by a mob of Scousers who gave him a good kicking, nicked his wallet, his jacket and his shoes.

i'm sorry but i can't believe that

are you trying to say that a scouser would steal from another man? :D

Edited January 22, 200917 yr by sexelk

I live with a west ham fan unfourtenatly :D

my younger brother decided to go against our family and not support the club that is only 10 mins down the road, but instead choose west ham, when we play west ham the atmosphere between us is tense but the rest of the year I find it a good laugh having the rivalry in our house :lol:

Having a conversation with a pickey made your day Lofty :D ...

Starting to worry about you :lol:

Better a pikey than a plastic scouser anyday! :D

Better a pikey than a plastic scouser anyday! :D

Fair point,

Think I have confessed this before, I have a brother, born and bred in Fulham, claims to support the scousers... we keep him in a cage in the cellar and dont feed him meat, he's called Ruprecht.. he couldn't find Liverpool on a map.

So I am a fine one to talk.

Same here. I have been on a pub crawl with a Spam supporter once (where is that blushing smiley?) :D He had left his Chelsea supporting brother at home, the c*nt.

I know the feeling re: a good chat about football because, here in America, it is very rare that you actually meet someone who knows anything about the subject/what they are talking about. Over here there are a boatload of Arsenal fans. I dont know why. But most of them dont know anything besides a few "sick" Henry goals they saw on you tube. But whenever I am out on the town, and sporting one of my personalized Chelsea tops, someone in the know usually stops for an introduction to talk about football.

I once had a great chat about football for hours with a Spuddie supporter who was a decent, honest guy, and really knew his stuff in a DC bar for St. Patricks day. It was at the time of the whole Ramos/Jol thing and he sounded like he genuinely wanted to keep Jol in the job and thought he was screwed over by management. Of course when it came to poorly run, cowardly management I could sympathize with him well. Didnt like Chelesa obviously, but was very civil and a real gent.

One of my coworkers has a husband who is a Forest supporter hailing from Northants, and I have had a few great talks with him about football as well. He has been all over the globe, and happily shared stories about watching England in Euro 96 while in rural China and having his power go out. Great guy, and the few times I have chatted with him he is always in the know about football and, as a championship supporter, usually has a very even handed view of all the big boys.

Lofty, all this talk of plastic scousers, I have to ask where in England you live?

Edited January 22, 200917 yr by TheWestwayWonder

Lofty, all this talk of plastic scousers, I have to ask where in England you live?

I'm actually in Wales, not that far from Swansea. But plastic scousers are everywhere - all over the UK and beyond. Ask clubhappy about the plastics in Dublin, dkw will tell you about their equivalent in Yorkshire. They're the same everywhere. Wales is particularly riddled with the vermin. Horrible smug, ignorant, mouthy bar stewards the lot of them.

I suppose it's because you from the same sort of footballing background and era, albeit supporting different clubs.

Living where I do a majority of mates are Millwall fans. There's always a bit of banter, and we do tend to 'give it' to West Ham fans together, but I can relate to these blokes more in a football sense than I can to alot of people who attend the bridge nowdays.

I have nothing in common with a bloke in a barbour jacket called Miles who's attending his 1st game, and apparently lived round the corner all his life, nor do I have anything in common with the new age 'football tourist'.

The west stand on a Champions League night resembles a 1980's Benniton advert.

That's exactly right. Like this bloke said, it was nice talking to someone who knows what it was like back in those days. And that means on the terraces, on the underground, waiting for other teams specials to arrive and all the rest of it. Some interesting parallels, like when he came back from Germany and asked who the f**k are the ICF? The answer to which was oh that's so and so's mob from Mile End, compares so well with when I was going to some away game and asked some bloke who were these Headhunters I kept reading about? Oh that's just Ickey's lot, I was told. And behind that little comparison lies an entire history.

I have nothing in common with a bloke in a barbour jacket called Miles who's attending his 1st game, and apparently lived round the corner all his life, nor do I have anything in common with the new age 'football tourist'.

The west stand on a Champions League night resembles a 1980's Benniton advert.

Exactly, as much as I love going to Chelsea, I always jump at the chance to go watch my local club; Welling United. Surrounded by real football fans who just want to go and watch a game on a Saturday afternoon.

Exactly, as much as I love going to Chelsea, I always jump at the chance to go watch my local club; Welling United. Surrounded by real football fans who just want to go and watch a game on a Saturday afternoon.

That is very true! I might bleed Chelsea, But i do love going to see the Mighty Ducks Aylesbury United play.

I'm actually in Wales, not that far from Swansea. But plastic scousers are everywhere - all over the UK and beyond. Ask clubhappy about the plastics in Dublin, dkw will tell you about their equivalent in Yorkshire. They're the same everywhere. Wales is particularly riddled with the vermin. Horrible smug, ignorant, mouthy bar stewards the lot of them.

There is the lofty we know and love ;)

I remember well from my travels in Ireland the number of scouse tops and track suits I saw out and about. My cousin (Manc) insisted they were less popular in the ROI than Man U because of Keane, O'Shea, etc, but based on visual evidence I wouldnt say that.