Not sure on what team to follow (EPL)

[Gibbsy]

There is still a disproportionate amount of City fans on here considering the perennial run-of-the-mill history of yer club.

There's barely any City supporters on here to be honest. Actual consistently-posting members of the board, I reckon I could count on one hand.

I have a seen a few token names under profiles around BF that have never actually posted, but even then, not as many as I'd expect

 

[NUFC Tiger]

For Sunderland fans.

Sadly true...though they have Di Canio as manager who is good value for laughs.

Probably shows how poorly all the NE teams have been in the last few years I guess.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Haha! I believe it was 98' Newcastle shalacked Chelsea 3-1. I just wasn't happy and from then on it was always Chelsea for me. Very strange how the mind chooses its preferences.

haha fair enough. In some ways, you probably ended up choosing a better side. Newcastle's peak was the mid-late 90s and early 00's. Our fall from the top group has almost coincided with Chelsea's rise lol

Oh well, I don't mind Chelsea - certainly prefer your mob to some of the other 'big teams'. As long as Newcastle is your second team, that is still respect worthy

 

[LeoMessi]

I would definitely recommend Fc Barcelona. It's the most successful team in EPL

 

[Dirty Bird]

I would definitely recommend Fc Barcelona. It's the most successful team in EPL

Saying Barcenlona is in the EPL is like saying Manchester United is in the EPL.

Been about a decade now since they won the league in Gibraltar.

 

[FAITH]

I would definitely recommend Fc Barcelona. It's the most successful team in EPL

definitely the best feeder club

 

[LeoMessi]

definitely the best feeder club

I wouldn't say quite feeder though...

 

[Jimmy1992]

Swansea would be a decent choice IMO.

I agree with this statement.

 

[FAITH]

I wouldn't say quite feeder though...

Barca is an academy for every top club in the world

 

[LeoMessi]

Barca is an academy for every top club in the world

They do usually fight for our scraps tho

 

[FAITH]

They do usually fight for our scraps tho

your scraps are still world class

 

[Jiggystoon]

cross#4 speaks the truth - get on board the Aussie Mags

If I can do a shameless plug for my own team - supporting newcastle takes a special kind of fan. There will be lots of frustration, anger, bewilderment and disappointment but there are also some incredible highs that make the journey worth it. Chances of seeing us win a cup or the league are next to nothing but we have fanatical supporters who love attacking football. I still maintain that a St James' Park (our home stadium) when rocking and vibrating from 52,000 fans going off is something truly awe inspiring and magical. The most contagious thing in the world next to the Richmond theme song

Our club colours are black and white (unfortunately like Collingwood who coincidentally were formed in the same year as Newcastle...) but despite that, nothing is ever black and white at Newcastle. If you like drama, there is no other club to follow but us!

If not us, I'd tip either West Ham (amazing supporters too plus they get to sing 'bubbles' which is probably the best song in football IMO) or Crystal Palace (both have red and blue - demon colours - technically claret though).

Top post mate, you need a lot of patience to follow the toon, we are always one step forward two backwards but something keeps us all coming back, we are owned by a big fat gambler, managed by a puppet and as of a couple of weeks ago, directed by a big fat senile w***er with a dodgey ticker, yep that's the toon for ya, one day we might get the backing that can help the club reach its full potential, sadly though I don't think Mike Ashley is going anywhere soon

 

[Jiggystoon]

The worst thing about City is their supporters absolutely never admit they're gloryhunters. It's all false stories about loving Aguero and the colours or some coy story. The United supporters I know actually admit to supporting them because, well, they saturate the news in Australia more than any other soccer club.

(FWIW, calling it 'soccer' doesn't make you less of a fan either – I was firmly on the 'football' bandwagon for a while but it just reminded me of stubby poms at Cockburn City on rainy Thursday nights. Australia's best ever players grew up calling it 'soccer.' Just a clarification.)

Fair point, it's staggering how many "lifelong" City fans I have met in the last 5 or so years

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Top post mate, you need a lot of patience to follow the toon, we are always one step forward two backwards but something keeps us all coming back, we are owned by a big fat gambler, managed by a puppet and as of a couple of weeks ago, directed by a big fat senile Moo with a dodgey ticker, yep that's the toon for ya, one day we might get the backing that can help the club reach its full potential, sadly though I don't think Mike Ashley is going anywhere soon

That's it mate - maybe deep down we love the pain we constantly suffer but for whatever reason, we keep coming back and expecting things to change. I guess you have to be an optimist to follow the toon!

I don't so much have a problem with Cashley's wanting to make the club a more financial viable/stable organisation but some of his decisions just astound me - especially since this is a guy who is a self made billionaire. Appointing Kinnear (who's still on holiday after being in the job for 1 week - when other clubs are beating us to signings...). The team we have is already quite good, just a bit of investment and there's no reason we can't push towards top 6 again.

As the saying goes, hope springs eternal - especially at newcastle

 

[Silent Alarm]

your scraps are still world class

Barely.

Singlehandedly killed Hleb, Song, and Henry's careers. Stagnated Cesc.

Meh.

 

[palmomagpie]

quote="sabre_ac, post: 29084047, member: 298"]Supporting a club that is constantly expected to succeed doesn't appeal to me, I enjoy a good fight and struggle. If you stumble upon city at the moment its going to be an easy ride.

Being a Sheffield Wednesday/Barnet supporter, I know exactly what you mean. Supporting a team that you have no real idea where they will finish, every 3 points is worth a pot of gold, is much more entertaining than watching a club like Man U/City play every week and expecting a win. Can't even begin to explain how good it felt when Wednesday were battling to stay in the Championship in the last game of the season, keeping my eyes on that game plus all the other ones that involved teams in a similar position

I think you genuinely need a reason to support a team and the fact they win all the time or can afford to buy the best players isn't sufficient.

Granted most Australians are going to be clutching at straws when it comes to choosing a side, I think there still needs to be a reason.


I practically just follow whatever team has an Australian on the pitch when I'm watching EPL. Everton were always my top pick, because of Cahill. Fulham with Schwarzer, West Ham with Lucas Neill etc.
Crystal Palace with Jedinak as captain is an intriguing one for this year

 

[moomba]

Being a Sheffield Wednesday/Barnet supporter, I know exactly what you mean. Supporting a team that you have no real idea where they will finish, every 3 points is worth a pot of gold, is much more entertaining than watching a club like Man U/City play every week and expecting a win. Can't even begin to explain how good it felt when Wednesday were battling to stay in the Championship in the last game of the season, keeping my eyes on that game plus all the other ones that involved teams in a similar position

Having been in both boats I would disagree. Although the games I expect us to win are still few and far between.

Its just different expectation levels but I've never sat back after a win in the last four years and thought it wasnt as exciting or enjoyable as one before.

 

[palmomagpie]

Having been in both boats I would disagree. Although the games I expect us to win are still few and far between.

Its just different expectation levels but I've never sat back after a win in the last four years and thought it wasnt as exciting or enjoyable as one before.

Yeah, you're right there. Just like with AFL, I still get just as much satisfaction/enjoyment out of seeing Hawthorn win now as I did back in 2004/5 when they were a real rarity. End of the day, you're a supporter of a certain club and watch and support them, hoping for the best result possible. You'll always be excited to see a win regardless of expectations

 

[Gibbsy]

Can't put a price on winning no matter how big or small your club is. It is just as satisfying every time. I can relate with you in the AFL palmomagpie when Collingwood were terrible in 2005. Thankfully we have been relatively blessed with success over the past few years but there will certainly be another downfall soon, just as I imagine could happen to City in the next 10-20 years

 

[moomba]

Any blues longing for days gone by can just tune into this seasons QPR.

Nedum, SWP, Barton and now our very own Dunney.

Liked the City section of the link in the previous post. Slightly inaccurate on a few points but how times have changed.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Crafted Hey mate, just saw this thread and thought I'd give my input in case you're still making a decision.
I was in your position not long ago after I stumbled on the FA Cup final while late night channel surfing and found myself enthralled with the energy and passion of the game despite there being no score for ~95% of the match. I decided I needed a team.
I did a fair bit of research into my decision, asking around some mates, finding information on teams, watching videos, watching the last handful of fixtures of the 2012/13 season etc. I put a lot of emphasis on a few aspects especially 1. not jumping on a big 4/5 bandwagon, 2. good to watch, 3. decent history and 4. unlikely to be relegated. I ended up narrowing it down to Newcastle United or Everton. The eventual sealer was nothing more than videos of St James Park at capacity, the energy and passion of the fans was pretty contagious even just watching through a YouTube video. I also watched an ESPN special on EPL cult heroes and the bit about Alan Shearer was pretty special. I reckon I'll still have a soft spot for Everton in the future though, they seem like a very honest, respectable club to me.
There's a good article written by an ESPN writer when he was deciding on a team. It was written in 2006 so it's a bit dated (9 teams he mentions won't be playing Premier league in 2013/14, and the Manchester City section is hilarious in retrospect) but it's still a decent summary of a few teams. The article is here: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060719
So basically just do your research and eventually you'll find a team you really feel a connection to, and feel comfortable with

Great post mate - I'm like you and have a soft spot for Everton (mainly because of Cahill's time there but mainly because of the way they are run and how they compete against the money bag teams on a shoestring budget). Newcastle's passion is the most intoxicating thing for me - watching a game where 52,000 locals are on the edge of their seats and making so much noise is pure awesome. My dream is to stand in the Gallowgate one day and just soak in the atmosphere.

It's probably a good way to go about it though - set some criteria about what you might like in a team and then go from there.

P.S That article was a great read - I may have actually read that back in the day (can remember reading an article where an American was trying to 'choose' a team and made a lot of comparisons to NFL teams.

 

[Father Jack]

From that article:

Bonus reason to pick them: They finished fifth last season and are considered the proverbial "Team on the Rise," but they haven't actually done anything yet and perhaps never will. Now that's tempting

And that was written in 2006

 

[TheOz]

Yup. I knew coming in not to pick Man United.

Being a big NBA fan, I know how bad being a bandwagon supporter is.

1 down...

Pick the EPL version of Sacramento, ie: find a team that has in the past been on the brink of a championship only to be utterly and royally screwed by the refs.

 

[BluesMan]

2. Chelsea: The club is quite soulless but they play good football and the fan base can at least admit that life is easy. They have a couple of players which would potentially be enough to put me off supporting them (Terry, Luiz and Cole). I don't think Chelsea is a bad choice, especially if your other sport teams are battlers. Just be honest with yourself and other supporters.

How can you dislike David Luiz? Awesome player to watch.

 

[LeoMessi]

Barely.

Singlehandedly killed Hleb, Song, and Henry's careers. Stagnated Cesc.

Meh.

What's considered a superstar at Arsenal might not be the case at Barca

Hleb - Never a superstar. In a Barca team, nothing more than a depth player.

Song - Always bought as a backup to ageing Puyol and Pique. Hasn't worked out too well but still on the list and if he hits form, he would be valuable.

Henry - He came to Barca at the twilight of his career and in that short time, he still managed to win the elusive CL trophy which he never did with Arsenal. Move along.

Cesc - Always considered as a long term replacement prospect when Xavi and Iniesta have eventually retired.