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Support Local vs Non Local


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Hi all

I just wanted to address an issue I've found with some football fans, a majority tend to have the following issue:

You should support your local team

Now I'm a lad from Leeds but I support Chelsea, have done since the mid 90s and I'm not going to change. But I get stick from Leeds fans because I don't support Leeds. For me it's what's in your heart, been a football is about making been able to make choices and mine was to choose Chelsea. I actually only today asked Pat Nevin via e-mail about this and he responded straight away this was his response.

"As for supporting your local club, I am from Glasgow and Scotland and I support an Edinburgh team, Hibs and an English team Chelsea. So it is the club you feel at one with!" - Pat Nevin.

How do you feel about this?

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Well I'm from Motherwell and support Rangers.

I lived in London from 8 till my 20's before I moved back 'home' and fell in love with Chelsea due to my father.

I have been called a glory hunter, not a real Rangers/Chels supporter and the rest but to me people can think what they like. You know the club/s you have a bond with and that's all that matters.

Edited by Chelsbear
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Another thing I get is I'm supposedly an armchair fan as I've never been to the Bridge. I've simply never been able to afford it, with having a mortgage and planning on starting a family it doesn't seem likely anytime soon either. I've been lucky to have seen Chelsea play away a few times so at least I've gotten to see them live but in all honesty I've always preferred to watch football on TV anyway as I think you get a better look at the game and I really hate travelling. I also hate the attitude of people who go see the game think they are more of a fan simply because they go to the Games and don't consider a persons personal commitments etc

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Another thing I get is I'm supposedly an armchair fan as I've never been to the Bridge. I've simply never been able to afford it, with having a mortgage and planning on starting a family it doesn't seem likely anytime soon either. I've been lucky to have seen Chelsea play away a few times so at least I've gotten to see them live but in all honesty I've always preferred to watch football on TV anyway as I think you get a better look at the game and I really hate travelling. I also hate the attitude of people who go see the game think they are more of a fan simply because they go to the Games and don't consider a persons personal commitments etc

Only been three times this season myself, I’m lucky because my sister still stays in London so when I go down I have a room for the night and only need worry about train fair down and back.

Sadly she’s moving to Thailand in August so It’s going to cost me big time next season. Most of the friends I have down there have families now too so I’d hate putting them out so don’t really ask.

I get it all the time "Chelsea fan? Your never there!"

Wait and I'll forget I have a house, 2 cars and countless other things to pay for before I can actually spend money on anything for myself.

If money wasn't an issue I'd be there every other week.

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Only been three times this season myself, I’m lucky because my sister still stays in London so when I go down I have a room for the night and only need worry about train fair down and back.

Sadly she’s moving to Thailand in August so It’s going to cost me big time next season. Most of the friends I have down there have families now too so I’d hate putting them out so don’t really ask.

I get it all the time "Chelsea fan? Your never there!"

Wait and I'll forget I have a house, 2 cars and countless other things to pay for before I can actually spend money on anything for myself.

If money wasn't an issue I'd be there every other week.

::clap2::

If money wasn't an issue I'd have a season ticket believe me and would probably live down the road or something from the Bridge lol

I am hoping to get myself on a stadium tour at some point soon, I think that would be a better option for me than going to a game right now.

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Yeah the tour is great.

Done it twice, last time was the summer we won the CL for that reason. Got a few pics with next to the trophies.

Outside the stadium was funny as they had a team photo blown up with a seat next to Torres and got a pic with that. Some random had to take it though then countless other folk asked me to take theirs!

It's strange seeing it not on matchday though, such an iconic stadium.

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Yeah the tour is great.

Done it twice, last time was the summer we won the CL for that reason. Got a few pics with next to the trophies.

Outside the stadium was funny as they had a team photo blown up with a seat next to Torres and got a pic with that. Some random had to take it though then countless other folk asked me to take theirs!

It's strange seeing it not on matchday though, such an iconic stadium.

Nice one, really hoping to go, my wife keeps saying she's gonna hook it for my birthday lol

She actually did something nice when we hit married, wrote to the club and they sent me signed photos of the team and John Terry plus a letter from the club congratulating us on our marriage.

Just to show how great our club is to she was on a group for brides of 2014 and some had asked their fiances clubs to send stuff, those been Liverpool, Arsenal etc and they wouldn't send anything out.

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Only been three times this season myself, I’m lucky because my sister still stays in London so when I go down I have a room for the night and only need worry about train fair down and back.

Sadly she’s moving to Thailand in August so It’s going to cost me big time next season. Most of the friends I have down there have families now too so I’d hate putting them out so don’t really ask.

I get it all the time "Chelsea fan? Your never there!"

Wait and I'll forget I have a house, 2 cars and countless other things to pay for before I can actually spend money on anything for myself.

If money wasn't an issue I'd be there every other week.

money isn't an issue, you've got two cars. sell one, buy a season ticket, i mean it's not like anyone can drive two cars at once!

Edited by croydonblue
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I think you'll find there's a waiting list! :smile:  And there's a little matter of travelling too - unless he can find a job in London that pays him enough to afford a similar house there as the one he has in Leeds!

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Hi all

I just wanted to address an issue I've found with some football fans, a majority tend to have the following issue:

You should support your local team

Now I'm a lad from Leeds but I support Chelsea, have done since the mid 90s and I'm not going to change. But I get stick from Leeds fans because I don't support Leeds. For me it's what's in your heart, been a football is about making been able to make choices and mine was to choose Chelsea. I actually only today asked Pat Nevin via e-mail about this and he responded straight away this was his response.

"As for supporting your local club, I am from Glasgow and Scotland and I support an Edinburgh team, Hibs and an English team Chelsea. So it is the club you feel at one with!" - Pat Nevin.

How do you feel about this?

 

Yep, born and raised in Middlesbrough, family is from Fulham though I never had any choice in the matter of supporting Chelsea, either way I'm very glad. 

 

The reason why I love this forum is because you get so many hardcore fans and they always educate you on the 90's and earlier, so I've always been privileged with knowing the history of this club. 

 

I've been to very many Chelsea games though but last time I went to Stamford Bridge was the Blackburn game when we had Di Matteo when Miereles scored the winner. The last away one I went to was Newcastle last season.... yep... 

 

One thing I do miss about Middlesbrough not being in the league is that I can't go to a Chelsea game at least once a season, at least not until I have myself a good job first. I was there in the home crowd when we smashed them 5-1. Belletti's goal was one of the most weird things I've eve seen, I couldn't even believe it went in. I could barely contain my excitement but I don't even think I did to be honest, surprised I never got jumped. 

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I was born in Essex, given a Chelsea scarf at 4yrs old which I own to this day. I went through hell at School because everyone was a hammers supporter but I stuck to my guns.

For years I couldn't afford to go to games so I would show up and try and sneak in, used to be able to do that in the late 70's and 80's, 10 pence to the ticket inspectors at Fulham Broadway so no cost there either. Odd to say but those were some of the best times of my life, Chelsea back then were in terminal decline after winning the FA cup, I think the next thing we won was the Full members cup in 84 (I think) but the early 80's when we were almost relegated to the 3rd division and things were awful was the time I had some cash and managed to go to every home and most away games lucky me LOL

 

I moved to the US in 1996 and of course we wont the &^%$# FA cup in 1997. I spend a stupid amount of money on club gear every year, my kids, friends and family are all decked out in Chelsea gear so though I now sit firmly in the armchair fan section I spend a lot more money on the club than I ever did in the past.

 

It's all relative but I've bled blue since the age of 4 and will be buried with my scarf.

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For me, being a "proper supporter" depends more on supporting your team through the lows as well as the highs rather than location. I feel lucky that I've never seen Chelsea relegated and wasn't around for the dark days of the 70s & 80s. Reading the Chelsea autobiography was a great choice for a young fan such as myself. While I can never truly empathise with the fans who saw our club relegated and in the doldrums, it did prevent me taking any success for granted and shows what it takes to support a club through thick and thin. That's why it's more important than location for me.

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Chelsea Megastore Away Shirt
Chelsea Megastore Away Shirt

Chelsea Megastore Away Shirt

I'm originally from North London, all my family are Gooners or Spuds.. but for some reason at 5 yrs old i decided to support Chelsea (1965) and i've never even thought about it since, it's just how it is and always will be.

Like a few on here my most 'exciting' days going to the bridge were in the mid 70's when we were in decline, but the feeling of 'f**k 'em all' was very strong at the bridge then.

It's funny when i go now, i go with an expectation of a win, which is sort of 'spoilt brat' mode really.. For example i never thought for one minute on Sunday that the dippers would beat us !!

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I think in the modern age people are too quick to dismiss the concept of supporting your local team (mainly because they're Barcelona 'fans' from Plymouth. Funny how they're never Plymouth fans who hail from Barcelona). For the vast majority of the clubs in the world, local support it still what they rely on. Why else would anyone support Barnsley (for example)? These clubs make up the opposition. It's only the big clubs that attract fans from everywhere. Also, going to the games is the best part of 'supporting' a club and if you choose a club miles away then you're severly limited.

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Born & brought up in Fulham, lived less than 10 minutes walk from the bridge as a kid. Dad was from the worlds end originally.

In late 60s, I was nine or ten, my dad was having trouble covering the mortgage (quite a large house off Fulham rd, near the library) and a family friend, Harry Medhurst (who was the physio at Chelsea at the time) suggested we take in Chelsea apprentices as lodgers, which we did.

End result we had free tickets for any game, as well as rent coming in, and regularly popped into the players bar after games. Watched the greats like Ossie, Charlie Cooke, Tommy Baldwin, Chopper, Eddie Mac (with those coke bottle glasses he wore) playing snooker there, and Harry brought the FA cup round our house so all my school mates could have their picture taken with it after beating Leeds. Can't see that being allowed now.

Used to have season tickets up to mid 80s, and one year I was number 7 membership card in the official supporters club. Family, mortgage and work interrupted things for me, but still watch every game on TV, and manage a few European away games most seasons, by wangling business trips on the right dates, local companies I work with can always source tickets if I ask.

Was also at all home games and many away in early 80s, great trips to places like Maine rd, Old Trafford, Elland Rd, and even bigger ones like Cambridge, Shrewsbury, Watford, Luton, Pompey, baseball ground etc.m when we were sh1t.

Those were the days

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"As for supporting your local club, I am from Glasgow and Scotland and I support an Edinburgh team, Hibs and an English team Chelsea.

How do you feel about this?

I have never understood how most Scots I know have an English team as well as a Scots team. Great if anyone wants to support Chelsea, or any team really, but none of my English mates ' have' a Scottish team.. Just do not get it.

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I have never understood how most Scots I know have an English team as well as a Scots team. Great if anyone wants to support Chelsea, or any team really, but none of my English mates ' have' a Scottish team.. Just do not get it.

Well it's what Pat Nevin said and he did play for us so a little different.

Although you are right about Scots, thinking of all the ones at work they all have an English and a Scottish team

Edited by Bobbywoodhogan
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I have never understood how most Scots I know have an English team as well as a Scots team. Great if anyone wants to support Chelsea, or any team really, but none of my English mates ' have' a Scottish team.. Just do not get it.

I think it's because the English league was shown on the telly, along with the Scottish League being rubbish. Edited by NorthernMonkey
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Nevin played for Chelsea and was player of the year so a bit different to someone choosing a club on a whim.

Think it's more he was born and bred in Scotland following his local team all his life but when he came here he connected with the club and fans so much that the bond was for life.

It's nice to just have the one club to follow and love etc plus a whole load cheaper but Chelsea has that pull!!! I think it was the Bridge in the early 90's that got me hooked.

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