League of Hate

[shoddycollins]

I find it strange that Telford aren’t more well supported. Obviously AFC Telford are a phoenix of the original but even still, the town of Telford is the largest in Shropshire and there is no large competition near Telford, the nearest big clubs are Wolves or the Birmingham ones but even they’re 15 and 30 miles away... it’s not like they have a large rugby heritage either like Warrington or Wigan etc.

Off-topic but you’d think the conditions were ripe for a town capable of supporting a FL club but obviously something is stopping the town supporting their local club.

Similar to Milton Keynes though, and that's an even bigger town, and only has a football club because Wanky Winky stole an established league club. For almost forty years after the town was created, nobody had been able to get a decent following for a local club (I believe Winkleman owned Milton Keynes City (sic) Football Club before buying Wimbledon so the only difference was in suddenly having a league club in the town.

My guess is that because these are new towns, even fifty years after being founded, a large percentage of the population still feel the pull of family roots that lie outside of the area, so there's not as much contributing to the appeal of supporting a local team. Almost nobody over the age of 5 will have Grandparents who were born in Milton Keynes or Telford and the majority of people over the age of 40 will have been born elsewhere and may already have had a team to support before moving to the new town, to that takes away a lot of potential supporters despite them being big towns.

 

[Floreat Salopia]

I find it strange that Telford aren’t more well supported. Obviously AFC Telford are a phoenix of the original but even still, the town of Telford is the largest in Shropshire and there is no large competition near Telford, the nearest big clubs are Wolves or the Birmingham ones but even they’re 15 and 30 miles away... it’s not like they have a large rugby heritage either like Warrington or Wigan etc.

Off-topic but you’d think the conditions were ripe for a town capable of supporting a FL club but obviously something is stopping the town supporting their local club.

It's a strange one! Whenever I venture out to Telford with work or I'll watch the odd game of theirs if I've got nothing else on, you can guarantee you'll see kids in mainly Wolves, Villa or Birmingham shirts. It's basically just an over spill of yams.

Definitely is the shit stain on Shropshire!

 

[northstandexile]

Still waiting for that fixture to happen, the bastards!

In the same vein, Newcastle United vs Newcastle Town

The Bury game could be a FAVase Cup game next season.

 

[Son of Cod]

The Bury game could be a FAVase Cup game next season.

No, they won't be eligible for that until the season after.

 

[The Alex]

As a Crewe fan from Stoke, only clubs I truly dislike are Stoke and Vale. Vale more so as we’re at the same level, but seeing Stoke be absolutely shit, with their fans in hysterics every week, whilst spending a load of money and regularly changing their manager for a “new fresh start”, well it makes me deliriously happy.

 

[Crewelad87]

I find it strange that Telford aren’t more well supported. Obviously AFC Telford are a phoenix of the original but even still, the town of Telford is the largest in Shropshire and there is no large competition near Telford, the nearest big clubs are Wolves or the Birmingham ones but even they’re 15 and 30 miles away... it’s not like they have a large rugby heritage either like Warrington or Wigan etc.

Off-topic but you’d think the conditions were ripe for a town capable of supporting a FL club but obviously something is stopping the town supporting their local club.

I work in Telford and of the 50 or 60 people I know from the area only one is an active supporter. Lots of Wolves fans, a couple Shrewsbury and then just your generic premier League fan with a sky sports season ticket. As you say it's odd though as it's a large town.

 

[Razzmachaz]

Colchester is a traditional thing for Southend. Remember that until Colchester came along in the 1950s Southend literally had no rival. The closest teams like Clapton/Leyton Orient, West Ham, Millwall and London clubs etc... tended not to cross our paths to much. The other closet, Gillingham was seen as some kind of jolly boys outing as most people used to travel to the game by boat.

Then along come Colchester, no rival of their own, in the same county and the early games were feisty, the 60s/70s games started to have a lot of trouble and the rivalry was born. Our games with them are far 'spicier' than Orient. It remains the only place I've been offered a fight every time I've been there, had punches thrown at me and been on a coach that had bricks thrown through the windows.
I've only seen proper trouble at one Orient-Southend game. Most Southend fans don't really mind Orient, I always see Orient as 'divisional rival'. When we are apart the teams don't seem overly fussed with each other. Whereas we were still singing anti-Col U songs in the 2nd tier when they were non-league.

You must like playing us though, we have an abysmal record against Orient - I've been to 10 Southend-Orient games - my record is W 0 D 1 L 9. Tes Bramble's overhead kick own goal still gives me nightmares to this day.

That's a decent explanation thanks for the response. That's a pretty poor record but I do remember a couple of drubbings at your place. Yes there was a time when we seemed to win by default of a Southend own goal. Your late equaliser for 2-2 to go through 3-2 in the area final of the tinpot trophy hurt a tad though as we missed out and you were a division lower at the time. Always enjoyed the games though, don't know if it's getting a train to the coast or something in the air but always seem like good occasions and a proper drink up.

 

[Bottega Don]

Ours are exactly what I would agree with. Grimsby are our main rivals, they are the one team I can't stand and actively hope they don't do well. The rivalry has probably diminished in recent years as we haven't played them much until this season. Hull are second but there isn't any huge animosity until we play really. Don't care how they do and theirs loads of Hull fans where I live. Donny has formed in recent years as we've played them absolutely loads. Don't care about Lincoln particularly but they're local and we might have more of a rivalry if we played more. 5th place is a toss up between loads of Yorkshire clubs, Rotherham got it cause they beat us in the play offs semis most likely. Might have been Boston if they were still a FL club.

 

[Kauto Star]

1. Leeds
2. Man Utd
3. Millwall

I am staggered that Oldham appear on our hate list. I have genuinely never heard any Bradford City express an hatred of them. I havent a clue why they are on there

I am also surprised to see that we feature in Morecambe's list. Dont know why? Any Morecambe fans on here care to share

 

[F!RTHY]

1. Leeds
2. Man Utd
3. Millwall

I am staggered that Oldham appear on our hate list. I have genuinely never heard any Bradford City express an hatred of them. I havent a clue why they are on there

I am also surprised to see that we feature in Morecambe's list. Dont know why? Any Morecambe fans on here care to share

Morecambe is full of Bradford, that’s why. No, genuinely.

A lot of folk from Bradford retired there. The caravan park opposite the ground is also owned/run by a City lad. I imagine we appear on there because they’re constantly reminded on a day-to-day basis that they resort is over run with ex-Bradfordians.

That, and we usually fill their ground for them when we play there.

 

[GTFCfish]

As a Crewe fan from Stoke, only clubs I truly dislike are Stoke and Vale. Vale more so as we’re at the same level, but seeing Stoke be absolutely shit, with their fans in hysterics every week, whilst spending a load of money and regularly changing their manager for a “new fresh start”, well it makes me deliriously happy.

I don’t get that, why do you hate your home town team?

 

[F!RTHY]

Fucking hell. Imagining living your entire life in Bradford and Morecambe. Chris Eubank is shuddering.



Quelle surprise.

Cheshire’s lovely, too.

 

[E10rifle]

West ‘Am
Sarfend
Brentford

Anyone else is entirely inconsequential.

 

[The Alex]

I don’t get that, why do you hate your home town team?

What? Because I’m not a Stoke City fan, think of all the city’s with more than one team mate.. you’re not making sense.

And I’m proud to be from Stoke-on-Trent.

 

[saddler78]

Vale and shrewsbury for me not obsessed with Wolves like some of our fanbase which is cringeworthy being honest and does my head in.

 

[Jabba the gut]

My list would be.

1) Rerenmart
2) Jabba The Gut
3) The Boss
4) Pablosammy
5) Luke Imp

Flattered, I'm sure. I guess the truth hurts.

 

[Jabba the gut]

Only Plymouth for me really, and pretty much all other City fans I know think the same. Naming Lincoln is surely a short term thing based on one season and possibly even only 2 games, so completely discount that. It also bemuses me that MK Dons get a mention just because our ex manager went there and took a few of our older players with him. Who cares?.

Whoever cited MIlton Keynes as an answer to a survey question about ECFC rivals should be banned from SJP for making us look even more embarrassingly tinpot than they managed with their cringeworthy nonsense at Stevenage in TIsdale's last season. I would hope it's mainly the easily-triggered millennials who got hopelessly carried away with themselves during the ridiculous anti-Tisdale vendetta. Yes, he blotted his copybook by losing the plot at the end, but he had to cope with a huge amount of undeserved b*ll**ks while doing some remarkable work at City on and off the pitch for years before that.

A football manager decamping to a bigger and/or wealthier club, filching his former employer's players in the process, is so commonplace as to hardly be worthy of note. The only sense in which any ECFC fan could consider MK a "rival" is because they are now absolutely desperate for them to fail and/or for us to beat them, in order that after 14 years during which Tisdale consistently outperformed his budget, setting records and beating the highest and average league position and win-loss record of more or less every other City manager in the process, they can finally claim the vindication they crave for their insistence that "'im don' know wot 'im dooin' bauy" and that he was "bleddy raaabbish". God help us.

My first CIty game at Plymouth was early 80's and have been to the bulk of them since, and nothing really touches that. Thankfully I did not attend the game mentioned by the Plymouth supporter above a few years back in the tinpot cup, as by all accounts that was pretty bad afterwards

Because as you know it's a genuine and at times too virulent rivalry with a long history, based on more than just football. It has roots in a cultural/economic West/East Devon conflict that is almost a kind of mini North/South divide. That's rather different to Anytown Fans claiming they have a fierce enmity with Clone City FC just because the latter's right-back dived to win the penalty that denied them automatic promotion in 2005.

The cup game you refer to was the occasion Peter Reid said he had no idea the hatred could get that fierce in that part of the world. I was there and the problem is that a lot of it is the intellectually challenged types who you almost never see at other away games. To be honest they ruin my enjoyment of the games (and on the train back) with their behaviour even when it doesn't turn into a riot. I often give the away games a miss these days - I very much doubt I'll go to HP this year.

 

[Jabba the gut]

Similar to Milton Keynes though, and that's an even bigger town, and only has a football club because Wanky Winky stole an established league club. For almost forty years after the town was created, nobody had been able to get a decent following for a local club (I believe Winkleman owned Milton Keynes City (sic) Football Club before buying Wimbledon so the only difference was in suddenly having a league club in the town.

My guess is that because these are new towns, even fifty years after being founded, a large percentage of the population still feel the pull of family roots that lie outside of the area, so there's not as much contributing to the appeal of supporting a local team. Almost nobody over the age of 5 will have Grandparents who were born in Milton Keynes or Telford and the majority of people over the age of 40 will have been born elsewhere and may already have had a team to support before moving to the new town, to that takes away a lot of potential supporters despite them being big towns.

I wonder if it doesn't have a little bit to do with the apparent lack of identity or community in a town like MK. I could be guilty of making assumptions based on a handful of football visits but it's always seemed like the strangest, most "unorganic" place.

I'm not that keen on going to the pub before games - I like to take the opportunity to wander and explore for a couple of hours, especially if I've never been to a town. The first time we played MK I found myself in what I assumed was simply the local indoor shopping centre and asked someone where the town centre proper was so I could have a look around. I was surprised to be told "this is it mate".

It felt a little like suddenly finding myself living in the hermetically-sealed spaceship in "Wall-E", or discovering that Shepherd's Bush Westfield was actually the West End. I imagine that sort of environment doesn't lend itself to the sort of identity necessary to maximise a supporter base for something like a football club.

 

[Chris FGR]

Flattered, I'm sure. I guess the truth hurts.

That was easy.

 

[Trapdoor]

...discovering that Shepherd's Bush Westfield was actually the West End.

Typical Exeter fan.

Were you wearing your Hunter wellies and Barbour jacket last time you were in town?

 

[Jabba the gut]

Typical Exeter fan.

Were you wearing your Hunter wellies and Barbour jacket last time you were in town?

Don't believe the cartoonish, one-dimensional hype about inner-city West London. I'm sh*t poor and live in a Local Authority flat on a council estate close to Grenfell Tower - Westfield is virtually next door to the Lancaster West Estate the Tower sits in. If I walked around my estate in that kind of get-up at night I'd probably have to complement it with a stab vest,

 

[ProfessorGreen]

Judging by their numbers in the games at HP since that night, it seems a lot of the Exeter fans have decided to ‘give it a miss’.

 

[Sydney Posse]

I'm sure some d

Judging by their numbers in the games at HP since that night, it seems a lot of the Exeter fans have decided to ‘give it a miss’.

I'm sure some do, but we played at league game at home park fairly soon after that night and about the same highish numbers went. Our form is much more of a pointer, I recall going about 3/4 years ago and our support was well down. Mainly because everybody did not want to see the expected thrashing. The irony is we won that day with Harley scoring an amazing goal.

 

[Son of Cod]

1. Leeds
2. Man Utd
3. Millwall

Not quite as bad as Oldham having them as number one, but getting there.

 

[Indian Dan]

It’s a real fucker being in L2 with the rest of us dross.

 

[Deepcut Cobbler]

A very demographically limited poll:
Our historical and traditional local foes during the 60's/70's were: Peterboro, Coventry, Swindon, Luton and Lincoln; Only one of those appeared in our top five!!
I wouldn't say that Donkeys, Cambridge, Oxford or Leicester generate the same level of intensity of the others.

 

[Kauto Star]

Not quite as bad as Oldham having them as number one, but getting there.

Of course, we are not rivals of Man Utd in any shape or form, however, they are a team I detest stretching back to our Premiership years, when their fans were even worse than Leeds' fans.

They were so arrogant, and one season, a load of middle aged thugs broke through into our family area, and started punching anyone in sight, including kids and children. I had to drag my then 11 year old daughter away from the scum.

Even some our young stewards on duty that day, were scared and powerless to intervene. The Man Utd fans involved were cowards, knowing they could only get to the family area, where dads like myself were too anxiously protecting our kids, to be able to really stand up to them. One woman in front of me, was punched full on in the face. Eventually, some of the other Man Utd fans, persuaded them to stop attacking us.

 

[SELatic]

Of course, we are not rivals of Man Utd in any shape or form, however, they are a team I detest stretching back to our Premiership years, when their fans were even worse than Leeds' fans.

Exactly this. I don’t know how the questions were worded as I didn’t take part it in, however if the question was ‘which team do you hate the most’ then I don’t see why having Man Utd as number one is a surprise.

As above, we’re clearly not rivals and we’ve sunk so low that most of their fans have probably never heard of us but absolutely I hate that club more than any other.