Why I am a Blue And why are you?

[BigCountryBlue]

All I can see is thick thighs. I would have said Big Nick except you are talking mid 70s. Who is behind the pixels?

Ah well by this stage it was early eighties, this guy debuted alongside Kenny Hunter vs Richmond, round 1, 1981. Played only 53 games from memory. Mark and Goal of the year in 1981. Yeah, the legendary Peter Bosustow! The avatar worked better on the old BigFooty forum format...
Yeah, the mid seventies reference was a bit misleading, that was when I first started going to games, aged six or seven. The early eighties was when I was getting old enough to really appreciate the game. Lucky enough to have seen the 79, 81, 82 and 87 flags in person. Tears of joy in every one but cried way more in 86 when they chaired Bruce Doull off after losing to Hawthorn. Revenge for that was only 12 months away though.

 

[AlecDuncan]

I grew up in it. A great-uncle played for the club, mum's family were born and raised in Drummond Street, and her brother was a life member of the cricket club. Dad never had a chance. I was still a toddler when we went to Princes Park on summer weekends to watch unc' bowl. The George Harris stand was just earthworks back then. I loved the place and always will.

 

[Sweet16]

My father was an umpire and I got dragged everywhere watching him with my Collingwood supporting mother. My dad barracked for the bulldogs and used to drag me to games and loose me all the time. Vinny Catoggio came to my school in Grade 3 and asked all the kids who barracked for Carlton to put their hands up; without a thought I put my hand up and have never looked back - thanks Vinny!!!

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

My father was an umpire and I got dragged everywhere watching him with my Collingwood supporting mother. My dad barracked for the bulldogs and used to drag me to games and loose me all the time. Vinny Catoggio came to my school in Grade 3 and asked all the kids who barracked for Carlton to put their hands up; without a thought I put my hand up and have never looked back - thanks Vinny!!!

Cool. Vinnie was guest coach for a day, of my junior team - U12 Edithvale Rovers circa 1980. I thought it was ultra cool but I was already a Blues fan and had hung out with Harmesy and Buckley while they played tennis where I was living. Still, all these things just cemented my support.

 

[Bluesince62]

10 pound pom like others, arrived in Melbourne in 62 and lived in Moonee Ponds for the year. Went to Essendon High who had Barry Davis' younger brother Ken as school captain and the entire school was Essendon fanatics. On the eve of the grand final I was sick of it and so bet most of Form 1 (year 7) that Carlton would win. Old man beat the crap out of me when I told him I needed money to pay my bets. Hated Essendon ever since and still love the Blues

 

[bojangler]

Great thread. Also good to hear peoples stories.

I remember having to choose between the dominant forces of the early 80's - it would be Essendon, Carlton or the Tigers. I could see positives in all three but the things that won me over to the Blues were:

1. That wonderful guernsey;
2. A tough, hard team;
3. The song;
4. Bruce Doull.

Years later when I needed my birth certificate to get my drivers licence I found out I was born in Carlton. I then moved back there from the country to study and work and always drop by when in the big smoke.

I love Carlton, always will.

 

[The Toad]

I've been told this is a true story, but my first word was "Blues". My dad would just sit there and repeat it to me over and over.
I remember after the 79 premiership, my dad worked at the pub where the players went after the game, It's called the Richmond Tavern now, but it was a different name back then. I remember sitting on Wayne Johnstons shoulders singing the club theme song.
Awesome as.

 

[40yearBLUE]

I've been told this is a true story, but my first word was "Blues". My dad would just sit there and repeat it to me over and over.
I remember after the 87 premiership, my dad worked at the pub where the players went after the game, It's called the Richmond Tavern now, but it was a different name back then. I remember sitting on Wayne Johnstons shoulders singing the club theme song.
Awesome as.

Rumour thread?

 

[mike ockerts]

Great thread. Also good to hear peoples stories.

I remember having to choose between the dominant forces of the early 80's - it would be Essendon, Carlton or the Tigers. I could see positives in all three but the things that won me over to the Blues were:

1. That wonderful guernsey;
2. A tough, hard team;
3. The song;
4. Bruce Doull.

Years later when I needed my birth certificate to get my drivers licence I found out I was born in Carlton. I then moved back there from the country to study and work and always drop by when in the big smoke.

I love Carlton, always will.

My birth certificate says the same, I'm assuming it says that because I was born in the old royal woman's hospital.

 

[Tazwegian]

Because Tassie don't have a team, so I like supporting teams with some of my favourite Tasmanian players in them. The Blues have Mitch . Throw in Chris Judd, Simpson, Walker, Gibbs, Murphy, and a bunch of other players who are great to watch, and it makes for a good team to follow.

 

[Franc de Borges]

I was born into it. My parents came from Britain and supported Tottenham Hotspur (who wear the same colours). Earliest memories are of attending games with my dad in 1986 and 1987.

I vividly remember crying as a 6 year old when we lost the 1988 Preliminary Final to Melbourne and I've been obsessed ever since (I still cry when we lose).

 

[shaggy_mark]

Mum is a Blues supporter, Dad Collingwood, and Grandpa on Dad's side was heavily involved with Fitzroy. It was a choice of 3, but what sealed it was in the mid 80's Dad used to take us down to the umpire's rooms before games and one day out at Waverley against Hawthorn we saw some of the Carlton players down around the change rooms and I thought Kenny Hunter and Bruce Doull were the epitomy of coolness, never had another thought of any other team since then and I ran around with the No.9 on my back for the next few years 'til Kenny retired. Great times back in those days.

 

[I bleed Blue]

Just a little off topic, but I gave my daughter the right to make her own choice of who to follow.

After hearing dad announce the Blues to never lose, she decided to break ranks and barracked for Brisbane from the age of 6 in early 2001.
Three premierships ensued.
She then moved south of Melbourne in 2005 and decided to barrack for Geelong in 2006.
Another 3 premierships ensued.

Not there's a good strike rate if ever I've seen one.

So when she changes to Carlton in 2013....

 

[Wickzki]

My mother's uncle played for the Blues - not in the seniors - well before I was born and a large majority of her family were Carlton fans prior to that. As such she grew up in a mad Carlton family. Her brother, however, played under 19s for Hawthorn with cousins (one who became an influential board member). My father played under 19s for North Melbourne (his cousin is Tommy Allison, father of Brett) so I had the choice to follow either club growing up. My Dad was 63 when I was born so when I was old enough to ask to go to the football (age 4 or 5) my mother put it to me like this, "I'll take you to the football every week while your father probably will never go." Easy choice. I was also related, through marriage, to a Carlton star growing up so that made the choice even easier. Favorite life memory, thus far, is definitely going to the '95 premiership with Mum.

 

[Wickzki]

So when she changes to Carlton in 2013....

We'll win 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, etc, etc. until we have more consecutive premierships than Port Adelaide have SANFL flags. Not that I'm greedy or anything

 

[I bleed Blue]

We'll win 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, etc, etc. until we have more consecutive premierships than Port Adelaide have SANFL flags. Not that I'm greedy or anything

I like the sound of that.

Make it happen Harks, get her across to the Blues.

 

[Jabba73]

The old man follows North and the old lady is an Essendon supporter. When I was very young they asked us which team we wanted to follow so we could get jumpers. My older sister chose the Pies (she is now a Dees "supporter" like her husband), my younger brother chose the Bombers and I chose the Mighty Blues. Loved the jumper, simple yet strong.

I married a Blues supporter and have 3 kids who all follow them too (the fourth will in a few weeks time). It probably helps they were all rocked to sleep with me humming Da da da da daaaah ........

 

[JustaBattler]

 

[Sweet16]

Cool. Vinnie was guest coach for a day, of my junior team - U12 Edithvale Rovers circa 1980. I thought it was ultra cool but I was already a Blues fan and had hung out with Harmesy and Buckley while they played tennis where I was living. Still, all these things just cemented my support.

I think Vinnie came to my school back in 1979 ODN and the fact that we had a few good years after that certainly helped with my choice.

Lucky for me I also married a Carlton supporter and our daughter was a signed up member at 2 weeks old back in 2005. We'd just beaten the tigers (I remember it well).

 

[TNBT]

I never really had a choice, nor did I ever "decide" who to support. I'm from Bendigo, which used to be part of the recruiting zone for Carlton back in the day, so a lot of people from Bendigo are Carlton fans, especially my family. On my Dad's side of the family, EVERYONE was a Carlton fan. FFrom when I was born, as I grew up and first realized what football was, I had always been a Carlton fan. That's just how it was. In my family, my Dad's generation (including his brothers and sister) were all Carlton fans. Their Dad was a Carlton fan, and his Dad before him, and so on. I once tried to trace back to when our family first became Carlton fans, but as far as I can tell, it dates back to the dawn of time.

My Mum is a Tigers fan though, and my brother grew up as a Cats fan. I think he was just so in awe of Abblett Sr and decided they were his team. On the day of the 1995 GF, I was 11 and my brother was 9. It was my team (and the extended family's team) against my brothers team. Smashing them was one of the best days of my life. I just got myself a copy of the 1995 GF on DVD and have already watched it again. So yeah, in my family, I was Carlton FC property from birth really. The only times I ever barrack for another team is for the Tigers (for Mum's sake) whenever they play anyone except the Blues, and in the GF I pick whichever team I hate the least to support.