Not sure on what team to follow (EPL)

[mojito]

I like watching soccer and am not unfamiliar to the sport, but I am very unfamiliar with the league and what every team is like.

I usually have a particular reason for following a football team (dad goes for Melbourne for example)

Could you guys help me out or maybe even persuade me to support a particular team? Maybe a comparison between certain EPL teams and AFL teams, something like that.

Cheers guys

Best advice? Take in as many games as possible. Look at clips on youtube. Sooner or later one team will stand out above the rest

 

[Hawthorn United]

It could be one player that makes you follow a team. As others said, watch as many games as you can, and get your hands on a soccer game. FIFA or Football Manager and you'll figure out which team is for you as you become familiar with the players.

 

[Milang_Panthers]

It could be one player that makes you follow a team. As others said, watch as many games as you can, and get your hands on a soccer game. FIFA or Football Manager and you'll figure out which team is for you as you become familiar with the players.

Yeah this is exactly right, play some video games and you might find a team you like. This is how I found my fav American sporting teams.

 

[Rustin Cohle]

OP, watch as many games as you can in the first third of the upcoming season before making a decision. See if you find yourself gravitating to a particular team or player and take it from there.

 

[BotsMaster]

Come join the Everton bandwagon we are taking the EPL by storm next season.

 

[charcoalchicken]

If I didn't go for Arsenal I would back Everton strong team that work hard with what they have beat United quite often which is always good and always press the big clubs every time they play them, They've lost Moyes but have replaced him with Martinez who is a top coach so they should be good again

 

[biggiemediums]

When I first started watching EPL I wanted to follow Newcastle due to the Pies colours. The first game I watched was Newcastle vs Chelsea. Funnily enough by the end of the game I hated Newcastle and loved the Chelsea players. Ever since then I've been In love. So just watch some games. You'll take a preference soon.

 

[Zidane98]

We earnt our riches through sweat and tears, not inherited from our parents.

Whatever you do, stay away from Real Madrid.

Also Stratton_Gun, I'd say Liverpool = Essendon more so than Richmond. Expectations are unrealistically high, defending in blind faith (Hird/Suarez).

Let's just hope that Suarez's outstanding performances weren't down to the use of peptides!!!

 

[Zidane98]

He makes outrageous statements that 99% of the time embarrass himself and all Spur fans around here.

Probably the worst thing about those predictions is it usually ends up jinxing his own team

 

[FAITH]

If i wasnt lfc supporter leeds-westham and arse would be considered.
Soft spot for all 3

 

[Indie_]

Don't follow Liverpool. It's really not worth it, especially considering you support Melbourne.

Other than that, I wouldn't follow Manchester United because a lot of their fans are absolute morons. Same goes for Liverpool though.

If you want a successful team (and really who's kidding themselves supporting Fulham or Everton) then the Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal are all clubs who you'll truly enjoy supporting. The former two perhaps a little more than the other latter, but nonetheless three very respectable and appealing clubs for supporters.

But my advice means jackshit, you should just watch some games and you'll gravitate to a team sooner rather than later. Just would be better to gravitate to the three aforementioned.

 

[DardySingh360]

Choose Arsenal! A proper football club, not mega rich, play an attractive style, great history, loyal fans. Can't be called a bandwagoner cause we haven't won anything for a long time. It's always a roller coaster ride when you follow Arsenal.

 

[Cooldude]

Choose Arsenal! A proper football club, not mega rich, play an attractive style, great history, loyal fans. Can't be called a bandwagoner cause we haven't won anything for a long time. It's always a roller coaster ride when you follow Arsenal.

Yeah Arsenal's a pretty good choice tbh

 

[Dirty Bird]

One other thing.
Foxtel generally shows the match of the round in tier 2. Maybe you might want to check that out to
Great to have lower tier fans

 

[Unfinished]

Everton. at least that's who i support in England. Things just draw you to clubs. And Everton is one of the best clubs in England.

 

[mcuzzy]

Blackburn....Good luck.

 

[Silent Alarm]

Yeah, nah, this will end a bit contrived because you're making it contrived.

Watching season highlights? Dissecting histories? Comparing clubs for some middle-ground of success and nobleness? It's not going to happen. Soccer's become this massive trend of supporting someone, and supposedly 'lesser' clubs (like Spurs) are somehow picking up all these supporters – last time I checked, there are rungs below the Premier League and 15 clubs usually below Tottenham.

Soccer, in Australia, has really gone the way of the NBA – kids following teams but not really that seriously or passionately.

Support a club you just find yourself liking. I think I'd have become a Plymouth Argyle supporter if I hadn't supported Arsenal since as early as I have. Probably Watford, Leeds, and Palace, too.

Or you can do what my old man did: somehow, end up liking a new team each season. If you're picking and choosing a club based on some intangible checklist, then surely changing every season won't be too bad. If you connect to a club, you'll stay with that club.

But why don't you go to some A-League games? People will harp on about it being a lesser quality, and it obviously is, but I actually question the footballing interest those people have – there's nothing lame about it just because it's inferior. Where do those 'lol A-League' w***ers think the Socceroos they like so much start ou? Plus the ladder changes every season, the lists always evolve, and there's plenty of Heart-Victory shit-slinging that even Spurs-Arsenal or City-United doesn't have in Australia.

There's also something relaxing about a 7pm Melbourne Derby in the middle of January. Good fun and a bit more logical than a league half a day away. If you really want to be against the grain but still invest in your soccer-watching, try the A-League.

 

[Cruyff14]

Yeah, nah, this will end a bit contrived because you're making it contrived.

Watching season highlights? Dissecting histories? Comparing clubs for some middle-ground of success and nobleness? It's not going to happen. Soccer's become this massive trend of supporting someone, and supposedly 'lesser' clubs (like Spurs) are somehow picking up all these supporters – last time I checked, there are rungs below the Premier League and 15 clubs usually below Tottenham.

Soccer, in Australia, has really gone the way of the NBA – kids following teams but not really that seriously or passionately.

Support a club you just find yourself liking. I think I'd have become a Plymouth Argyle supporter if I hadn't supported Arsenal since as early as I have. Probably Watford, Leeds, and Palace, too.

Or you can do what my old man did: somehow, end up liking a new team each season. If you're picking and choosing a club based on some intangible checklist, then surely changing every season won't be too bad. If you connect to a club, you'll stay with that club.

But why don't you go to some A-League games? People will harp on about it being a lesser quality, and it obviously is, but I actually question the footballing interest those people have – there's nothing lame about it just because it's inferior. Where do those 'lol A-League' Moos think the Socceroos they like so much start ou? Plus the ladder changes every season, the lists always evolve, and there's plenty of Heart-Victory shit-slinging that even Spurs-Arsenal or City-United doesn't have in Australia.

There's also something relaxing about a 7pm Melbourne Derby in the middle of January. Good fun and a bit more logical than a league half a day away. If you really want to be against the grain but still invest in your soccer-watching, try the A-League.

I understand what you're saying but I don't think anyone's A-League team is their "first team" so to speak.

 

[Father Jack]

Well, Man U, Chelsea and Man C are pretty much out if you want to avoid the bandwagonner tag, as are probably Arsenal, as they still somehow manage to get Champions League football year after year. Liverpool are in a category of their own as they don't win the league (or pretty much anything) anymore but you are hardly charting unknown territory if you hop on board their slightly-listing ferry.

In the past I've had the likes of Everton, Newcastle, Tottenham and even Villa in the category of the teams outside of the perennials that are most likely to be able to step up into contention (I never really had Man City in there before they managed to do it mainly due to the fact that they struggled to play consecutive seasons in the same division there for a while, until they found the same 'unlimited funds' cheat code that Chelsea stumbled across a few years beforehand).

Unless you are prepared to end up following the Championship I guess you have to find that happy middle ground between the teams that are always up there and the teams that are permanently in danger of the drop. But then you might want to follow a team that actually has a chance of winning of something and bandwagon be damned. Or you could gamble on Spurs not imploding.

 

[Gibbsy]

If you follow a solid Championship team then you could get success every second year. It's a pretty cool thought.

 

[Silent Alarm]

If you follow a solid Championship team then you could get success every second year. It's a pretty cool thought.

But success is not the point of supporterdom.

Supporting a club is rewarding irrelevant of success. Are Man United supporters more content or thrilled or experienced than Burton Albion fans?

There's actually a correlation with boredom and success. Plenty of people feel like they've accomplished something when they see their club win something, and it almost becomes a bit blunt after that. Guess it's different when you coincidentally start following a taken over club.

 

[Gibbsy]

Guess it's different when you coincidentally start following a taken over club.

Haha swipe!

I would have no issues if heaven forbid City were relegated and the end of this season. That's football. Look at the situation Leeds were in just over a decade ago. They were Champions League semi-finalists or something crazy like that. Since then they've been languishing in the third tier and are only just back in the Championship a couple of seasons ago.

 

[moomba]

(I never really had Man City in there before they managed to do it mainly due to the fact that they struggled to play consecutive seasons in the same division there for a while, until they found the same 'unlimited funds' cheat code that Chelsea stumbled across a few years beforehand).

Never realised the takeover happened in 2003.

 

[Father Jack]

Never realised the takeover happened in 2003.

Yes a bit poorly worded and not quite what I meant, the 'until' was more referring to the time when they were able to compete with the top teams. Having said that, City being City I wouldn't have been betting lefty on them not going down again, before 08.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Liverpool=Richmond. Fans go on and on about "next season", then go below expectation, meltdown and the pattern repeats

Watch some games and then just see who you follow. I have a mate who swapped between United and Arsenal for years until this year he found out Southampton are the Saints so he started supporting them (St Kilda supporter)

The equivalent of Melbourne might be QPR?

Haha, I've always considered Newcastle and Richmond to be very similar.

Huge passionate and loyal fans - some say the best in the league.
Years of underachievement and mediocrity.
History of poor management/coaching/ownership
Rollercoaster experience for fans



Liverpool I sometimes liken to Carlton - lot of history/success but not much recently. Some knee jerk reactions to try and bring success to their 'starved' fans. At their peak, an absolute giant of the game but basically a shadow of its glory days currently.