Is it ever okay to stop supporting your football club

[Paxi]

and potentially to switch allegiances?
I realise that this is an Irish forum, and there are lot of people on here whom have a certain club close to their hearts.

How close are you to just switching to any club, if ever? Is it something frowned upon (well it is - by muppets in my opinion) and how have you handled this if you ever changed your colours.

Anywhoo, this thread doesn’t have to be about your experience but it’s also about how your experience would be.

I’m just going to go out and say it. I’m away to support Celtic.

 

[duffer]

No.

 

[Skills]

It's okay if you're about less than 6 years old.

 

[M Bison]

No, never...

That said, i think its ok to follow a club further down the football pyramid and i have found myself putting a lot more emphasis on that myself, plus my sons grassroots team for that matter!

 

[V.O.]

The redcafe goes into meltdown thread on every oppo forum must be about 7,000 pages long by now.

 

[Paxi]

No.

That’s going to be difficult - supporting 3 different teams in 20 years.

 

[AltiUn]

If football genuinely isn’t bringing you any joy then you don’t need to force yourself to follow it. Switching to another club is pathetic though, 0 chance of that. If I stopped following United then I’d lose an interest in football.

 

[horsechoker]

Yes, particularly top level clubs.

Now if you're going to stop supporting one big club to support another big club then that's wrong.

 

[Cloud7]

Depends on why you support them I guess. For some people football is just about entertaining and winning, which is fine. For others its about a deeper emotional connection and everything that comes along with it, which is also fine. And for some others football is about just following a particular player. A guy I work with used to be a Barcelona fan then when they became crap he became a City fan. Another guy I know follows Ronaldo to every club he goes to and becomes a fan of said club while he's there. Everyone's experience and what they get out of football is different. We don't need to gatekeep based on our own opinions.

In terms of just stopping supporting, I can see that happening as well. Football is a hobby like many other things, and you may find yourself losing interest at some point in time. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Arruda]

Of course it's ok. It's quite unusual, but why wouldn't it be ok?

 

[horsechoker]

If football genuinely isn’t bringing you any joy then you don’t need to force yourself to follow it. Switching to another club is pathetic though, 0 chance of that. If I stopped following United then I’d lose an interest in football.

This or support a lower league club.

 

[Rojow]

There is a name for that: Glory Hunters.

 

[fergiewherearethou]

I feel closer to not caring about football anymore than supporting another football club.

 

[Paxi]

If football genuinely isn’t bringing you any joy then you don’t need to force yourself to follow it. Switching to another club is pathetic though, 0 chance of that. If I stopped following United then I’d lose an interest in football.

Is it that simple though.
Football is bringing me joy but certain things in football are killing my love for the gam and thus, is it appropriate to turn your back on that particular part, even if it happens to be your club?

Or must we be in an abusive relationship?

 

[AltiUn]

Is it that simple though.
Football is bringing me joy but certain things in football are killing my love for the gam and thus, is it appropriate to turn your back on that particular part, even if it happens to be your club?

Or must we be in an abusive relationship?

Honest answer mate, I’m not sure. My comment was personal view and how I’d react in that situation. For me, supporting any club apart from United is just inconceivable, and I say that as someone who follows Preston too. You invest a lot of time, energy and passion into following a club as a fan. You build a connection with your club that you just can’t replicate if you force yourself to support another, at least in my view.

 

[FeedTheGoat]

You have probably never seen your team finish lower than 7th in your lifetime

Edit: I might have misunderstood the initial post but to be fair, even though this is a fantastic forum (probably the best football forum on the internet), there is a huge amount of ridiculous posts in the vein of this by United fans on this forum when you are in your bad spells. Stuff like "this is rock bottom", "I can't take this anymore", "Fallen out of love with the game" etc etc. The lack of perspective is absolutely ridiculous

You absolutely dominated for 20 years. I get that for a lot of people that kind of make the whole adjustment process of seeing other teams be better than you for a sustained amount of time much harder, but that is the name of the game and thankfully so. On the flipside most of these posters also want football to go back to what it were before, when money and suggar daddies were less significant and a larger amount of different clubs had opportunities to win. Really? You are at rock bottom and falling out of love with your club because you have gone a couple of years without silverware and you sometimes finish 6th or 7th, how low would you be if football were even more ruthless?

Not having a go at you OP because after reading it twice I think you were asking a rhetorical question, but I have seen loads of posts like these the last couple of years on here.

To answer what you actually asked; People can do whatever they want. But if anyone ever changes the team they chose early in life they don't understand football culture and should never be taken seriously again

 

[Paxi]

Depends on why you support them I guess. For some people football is just about entertaining and winning, which is fine. For others its about a deeper emotional connection and everything that comes along with it, which is also fine. And for some others football is about just following a particular player. A guy I work with used to be a Barcelona fan then when they became crap he became a City fan. Another guy I know follows Ronaldo to every club he goes to and becomes a fan of said club while he's there. Everyone's experience and what they get out of football is different. We don't need to gatekeep based on our own opinions.

In terms of just stopping supporting, I can see that happening as well. Football is a hobby like many other things, and you may find yourself losing interest at some point in time. Nothing wrong with that.

This is another type of fan that’s more common these days — it’s not good or bad - it’s just a new type of way of supporting. So I think my question is way less taboo than it was before.

 

[calodo2003]

Nope.

 

[TheReligion]

I don’t know how anyone could do that but I guess it depends how you formed your attachments in the first place. I’m from Manchester and was brought up to support United. It’s in the blood so to speak and switch allegiances makes me feel sick (however tough things are at the club).

Others though? do what you like or feels right. I think the fact you’re asking though @Paxi suggest you know it’s wrong!

 

[Dec9003]

If you’re willing to change clubs you’re not a true supporter of the original club, and you won’t be for the club you go to, either.

 

[The Cat]

No.

Nothing else needs saying.

 

[Paxi]

Honest answer mate, I’m not sure. My comment was personal view and how I’d react in that situation. For me, supporting any club apart from United is just inconceivable, and I say that as someone who follows Preston too. You invest a lot of time, energy and passion into following a club as a fan. You build a connection with your club that you just can’t replicate if you force yourself to support another, at least in my view.

Absolutely. I’m just asking that question…
I realise for a lot of fans that United is going to be one and only club but for a lot of guys here Celtic would be a club too. There would be Rangers as well for quite a few posters as well. If you’ve grown up with one of those teams being your secondary default teams - why couldn’t you turn your back on United?

 

[FootballHQ]

No.

It is o.k to have less interest in the games though if you know the playing side couldn't care less and there's zero ambition from ownership. Had that feeling many times following Villa in last decade so guess to lesser degree that's feeling around Man. United these days so interest can wane when you're so used to being in mix for trophies as you actually were just last season.

 

[Hugh Jass]

and potentially to switch allegiances?
I realise that this is an Irish forum, and there are lot of people on here whom have a certain club close to their hearts.

How close are you to just switching to any club, if ever? Is it something frowned upon (well it is - by muppets in my opinion) and how have you handled this if you ever changed your colours.

Anywhoo, this thread doesn’t have to be about your experience but it’s also about how your experience would be.

I’m just going to go out and say it. I’m away to support Celtic.

Is this an irish forum?

 

[Cloud7]

This is another type of fan that’s more common these days — it’s not good or bad - it’s just a new type of way of supporting. So I think my question is way less taboo than it was before.

Supporting doesn't need to remain the same as it was twenty years ago. I'm the same as you, it's not good or bad it just is what it is. Things change over time.

 

[KirkDuyt]

Sure, it's just football, but I dont think it's possible to really switch the club you support emotionally once you're invested.

 

[Mr Pigeon]

When Ronaldo Jr and Leo Messi the Third are our top scorers and Robo-Fergie guides my beloved Red Bull Manchester Devils to the quintuple in front of the New Stretford End at the KFC New Old Trafford I'll be able to enjoy the thrill knowing for sure that I wasn't a glory hunting wankstain.

 

[Red_Manc_M15]

and potentially to switch allegiances?
I realise that this is an Irish forum, and there are lot of people on here whom have a certain club close to their hearts.

How close are you to just switching to any club, if ever? Is it something frowned upon (well it is - by muppets in my opinion) and how have you handled this if you ever changed your colours.

Anywhoo, this thread doesn’t have to be about your experience but it’s also about how your experience would be.

I’m just going to go out and say it. I’m away to support Celtic.

This is an irish forum?

Pick a club as kid stick with it no matter what. i know we arent all that right now but can't piss off and support City or Chelsea or anyone for the matter but each to their own I suppose.

 

[Paxi]

I don’t know how anyone could do that but I guess it depends how you formed your attachments in the first place. I’m from Manchester and was brought up to support United. It’s in the blood so to speak and switch allegiances makes me feel sick (however tough things are at the club).

Others though? do what you like or feels right. I think the fact you’re asking though @Paxi suggest you know it’s wrong!

Like I could never support another English team but I’ve been brought up on Celtic. But I’m not getting rid of United cause they’re a bit shit but cause there isn’t anything that makes me want to support them and I don’t see how, we as people, are okay to part ways with almost anything; yet we support our team even if they’re owned by people whom chop up journalists or steal money of poor Russian people or they simply use the club as a cash cow. I don’t understand why fans can’t say — feck that and why their respective fans can’t say — that’s fecking very respectable!

 

[duffer]

Is this an irish forum?

To be sure.

 

[Paxi]

Is this an irish forum?

This is an irish forum?

Straight out of McGregors basement.

 

[Spoony]

Then why have allegiances to any club? just watch the game as a neutral.

 

[Stookie]

Nah it’s not acceptable. Well… City fans find it acceptable but that tells its own story.

 

[Ajr]

If my club got taken over by Saudi Arabia then yeah

 

[Paxi]

You have probably never seen your team finish lower than 7th in your lifetime

Yeah, imagine supporting your team being relegated and stuff. Pretty sure you’re more familiar with that than we are.

 

[Eyepopper]

I pick a new team every season.

 

[Reynoldo]

Am…NO!

 

[RedBanker]

If you’re willing to change clubs you’re not a true supporter of the original club, and you won’t be for the club you go to, either.

So you are saying that if my marriage ends in divorce that means I never truly loved my wife?

 

[Vidyoyo]

You can do it sure but it comes at the cost of being an insufferable pillock

 

[Paxi]

Supporting doesn't need to remain the same as it was twenty years ago. I'm the same as you, it's not good or bad it just is what it is. Things change over time.

I’ve never met Redondo fans like or anything anywhere as weird as fecking people get on like. Anthony Martial fans are fecking rabid. We didn’t have people like that back in the day.