What is it like supporting "smaller" clubs?

[Amarsdd]

I recently stumbled upton this Aston Villa podcast around the restart and have listened to their recent episodes.


Obviously all fans have some amount of dillusions about their club, but for me they sounded a lot more sensible than fans of big clubs. I don't know whether its the mindset of supporting a small club or just they have been beaten down by disappointments and failures over a long period of time. It made me think how would it be like to support a "smaller" club. What is it like to rest your hopes on players like Samatta and Wesley? What is it like to see a brilliant player coming through the club knowing full well he is going to be poached by a bigger club? How is it like having an always changing roster of players? How is it like going into most games having no hope of winning?

I know we have some members here and members who have family and friends that support these types of clubs. It would be great to know how is it actually like to support these clubs.

P.S. By "small" I don't mean short history, small stadium, small fanbase etc. I just mean clubs that are lower-midtable PL or yo-yo clubs that bounce between PL and Championship or even lower.

 

[balaks]

I recently stumbled upton this Aston Villa podcast around the restart and have listened to their recent episodes.


Obviously all fans have some amount of dillusions about their club, but for me they sounded a lot more sensible than fans of big clubs. I don't know whether its the mindset of supporting a small club or just they have been beaten down by disappointments and failures over a long period of time. It made me think how would it be like to support a "smaller" club. What is it like to rest your hopes on players like Samatta and Wesley? What is it like to see a brilliant player coming through the club knowing full well he is going to be poached by a bigger club? How is it like having an always changing roster of players? How is it like going into most games having no hope of winning?

I know we have some members here and members who have family and friends that support these types of clubs. It would be great to know how is it actually like to support these clubs.

P.S. By "small" I don't mean short history, small stadium, small fanbase etc. I just mean clubs that are lower-midtable PL or yo-yo clubs that bounce between PL and Championship or even lower.

99% of clubs are 'small clubs' in the sense that they are not in that elite bracket of your Bayerns, Madrid, Barca, Utd. This is like wondering why a billionaire can't relate to a family on average wage. In my experience there is a sense of entitlement that you get from some supporters of the 'big clubs' that you simply do not get at other clubs. Every supporter lives for those moments of glory - for Utd it would be a league win, for Carrick Rangers (as an example) it would be promotion or a win over rivals. We all have our goals for the club we love and they are within the reality of the situation of the club and our expectations are shaped by that. Big club supporters 'expect' success, other clubs 'hope' for success. This is why some supporters of 'big' clubs can't handle it at all when their club doesn't win stuff.

 

[Pexbo]

99% of clubs are 'small clubs' in the sense that they are not in that elite bracket of your Bayerns, Madrid, Barca, Utd. This is like wondering why a billionaire can't relate to a family on average wage. In my experience there is a sense of entitlement that you get from some supporters of the 'big clubs' that you simply do not get at other clubs. Every supporter lives for those moments of glory - for Utd it would be a league win, for Carrick Rangers (as an example) it would be promotion or a win over rivals. We all have our goals for the club we love and they are within the reality of the situation of the club and our expectations are shaped by that. Big club supporters 'expect' success, other clubs 'hope' for success. This is why some supporters of 'big' clubs can't handle it at all when their club doesn't win stuff.

Yeah, relative dopamine hits basically

 

[Solius]

I always try to follow different accounts on Twitter so I can see perspective from other clubs in the league. It's refreshing compared to the constant bullshit between the top 6 clubs all posting 3 second clips from games to shame a player.

I follow a Palace fan, West Ham, Watford, Brighton, Newcastle, Spurs and a few others.

 

[harms]

Sunderland 'Till I Die is a good watch that sheds some light on the matter. You don't quit your job in disappointment after you've read that Apple had reached $2 trillion market cap.

 

[Dirty Schwein]

I support Luton Town as well. It's far more nerve inducing when you see your team fighting for their lives

 

[hmchan]

It's difficult to support smaller British clubs in Hong Kong as some of their games may not be broadcasted, and the situation gets worse when they relegate.

 

[FootballHQ]

We are not a small club ffs. Regular 40k crowds and many honours and top 6 finishes in the game. Oh well.

When I saw the thread I assumed it would be about clubs in leagues 1 and 2. I do that aswell by going to 5-6 Walsall games a season (or when I was allowed to).

It's a fair bit of fun. Lots of random grounds and interesting away trips to be had and you also see "big" clubs who've fallen on hard times, seen Leeds, Sheffield United and Sunderland all play league games at the Bescot. The football bar that one excellent season every 5/10 years is generally awful but one thing I really like is seeing up and coming players. Since 2008 I've seen Scott Dann, Troy Deeney, Neil Etheridge, Rico Henry and Romaine Sawyers all play for Walsally when they were about 20. All played in premier league bar Rico who probably will sometime in next 12 months.

I imagine @Sandikan will have similar opinion of Wycombe as they've had lots of young players who've gone on to reach top level aswell.

Edit: I've just seen your last sentence. Yeah it's frustrating but eventually we'll get back up there, it was only a decade ago under O'Neill we were getting 60 + point seasons and nearly making top 4. Spurs were rubbish in the 90s and been one of most consistant clubs over last decade. You mention yo yo or mid table prem teams, worth noting over last 5 years the likes of Palace, Bournemouth, Brighton, Watford and Burnley have had some of the best times in their recent history, consistant top level football and some have played in cup finals or europe. Eventually football gravity starts pulling you back down.

It's worth noting btw that in last 12 years Man. United have won 0 Champions leagues, 1 fa cup in 16 years and no league titles since 2013 so by your history and the standards you judge it's been a pretty lean period with some poor managers and an always changing roster of players. Enjoying it?

 

[duffer]

@Mogget get in here and tell us what it's like.

 

[Amarsdd]

It's difficult to support smaller British clubs in Hong Kong as some of their games may not be broadcasted, and the situation gets worse when they relegate.

It was the same for me. Most of my circle being supporters of big clubs, only outlier being Everton who were tbf getting european places around that time.

 

[Amarsdd]

We are not a small club ffs. Regular 40k crowds and many honours and top 6 finishes in the game. Oh well.

When I saw the thread I assumed it would be about clubs in leagues 1 and 2. I do that aswell by going to 5-6 Walsall games a season (or when I was allowed to).

It's a fair bit of fun. Lots of random grounds and interesting away trips to be had and you also see "big" clubs who've fallen on hard times, seen Leeds, Sheffield United and Sunderland all play league games at the Bescot. The football bar that one excellent season every 5/10 years is generally awful but one thing I really like is seeing up and coming players. Since 2008 I've seen Scott Dann, Troy Deeney, Neil Etheridge, Rico Henry and Romaine Sawyers all play for Walsally when they were about 20. All played in premier league bar Rico who probably will sometime in next 12 months.

I imagine @Sandikan will have similar opinion of Wycombe as they've had lots of young players who've gone on to reach top level aswell.

I get that. In my defense, I described what I meant by "small" clubs in the post script of OP.

 

[FootballHQ]

I get that. In my defense, I described what I meant by "small" clubs in the post script of OP.

Yeah sorry about that, noticed it and put it in my edit. Tell me what you think about that part of my post.

 

[xonyo]

Even though I am an Arsenal fan, Portsmouth is my second team and I live in the city. In a lot of ways Portsmouth lived the highest highs and lowest lows of every other 'small' club in the last 20 years. I think the appreciation of games that bigger clubs take for granted is one of the things that sets fans apart. For example:

Portsmouth actually managed to win a trophy in 2008, the FA Cup. This would obviously be celebrated by big clubs alike, but the trophy parade said a lot. Portsmouth population = 200,000. Parade turn out = 200,000.

From this, Portsmouth qualified for Europe. AC Milan visited Fratton Park with a team that included Ronaldhino, Kaka, Pirlo, Shevchenko and Seedorf among others. A 2-2 draw in a group stage is regarded as one of the most magical nights at the club. For one of the top 6, this game would be regarded as a failure, a game to be forgotten and moved on from.

Another thing is the relationship between fans to players. I work at a school which has had current Portsmouth players and will have future Portsmouth players. As a child myself, Linvoy Primus would come round each school every year to give talks.

 

[FootballHQ]

I knew a Pompey fan at Uni between 2007-10 so actually had their glory season and then crashing down relegated and administration in 2010 rolled that period.

He loved winning the FA cup and some of the players they had playing but knew it was unsustainable given the size of the club and their wage bill. Think by the end he was just happy to go into the lower leagues and win some games although that took a few years to happen aswell given they were in league 2 by 2013 but now rising again.

 

[Mogget]

@Mogget get in here and tell us what it's like.

cnut

There's definitely been a shift in expectations, although it feels like a lot of our online fans don't seem to think so

 

[Hound Dog]

What is it like to see a brilliant player coming through the club knowing full well he is going to be poached by a bigger club?

In that sense, it was definitely frustrating having Ronaldo at United.

 

[hmchan]

It was the same for me. Most of my circle being supporters of big clubs, only outlier being Everton who were tbf getting european places around that time.

I went to watch the PL Asia Trophy with my friend who supported West Brom. The stadium was full of Liverpool fans singing Y N W A.

 

[SilentWitness]

I loved watching and following a 3rd Division side in the Netherlands when i was out there. They only had a couple thousand fans but their games are on tv sometimes. The community aspect is a huge part of it and is replicable in bigger clubs with fan clubs etc but it's not the same as when it's the whole fanbase on gameday. They had a pub beside the ground where you could walk in and grab a beer and then take it to the stand (which was beside the pitch so you'd be close and more personal with the players). It's just far more personable really. Wherever I move to next I'm going to get a season ticket for the non-league or lower league club in the area I think as I would rather watch a non league game in person than watch Everton on TV nowadays - it's too difficult to get to Goodison consistently.

 

[FootballHQ]

I always try to follow different accounts on Twitter so I can see perspective from other clubs in the league. It's refreshing compared to the constant bullshit between the top 6 clubs all posting 3 second clips from games to shame a player.

I follow a Palace fan, West Ham, Watford, Brighton, Newcastle, Spurs and a few others.

You ever go and watch Rovers or City? Bristol City have been up and coming for quite a while now, lots of good young players who end up in premier league and Ashton Ground is an excellent ground nowadays. Dodgy managerial appointments though stop play off pushes. Also have highs like the 2017-18 run to league cup semi finals.

Bristol Rovers play in an awful ground and were in non league in 2014 although back in mid table league one but a more frustrating experience for Gasheads.

 

[JPRouve]

We are not a small club ffs. Regular 40k crowds and many honours and top 6 finishes in the game. Oh well.

When I saw the thread I assumed it would be about clubs in leagues 1 and 2. I do that aswell by going to 5-6 Walsall games a season (or when I was allowed to).

It's a fair bit of fun. Lots of random grounds and interesting away trips to be had and you also see "big" clubs who've fallen on hard times, seen Leeds, Sheffield United and Sunderland all play league games at the Bescot. The football bar that one excellent season every 5/10 years is generally awful but one thing I really like is seeing up and coming players. Since 2008 I've seen Scott Dann, Troy Deeney, Neil Etheridge, Rico Henry and Romaine Sawyers all play for Walsally when they were about 20. All played in premier league bar Rico who probably will sometime in next 12 months.

I imagine @Sandikan will have similar opinion of Wycombe as they've had lots of young players who've gone on to reach top level aswell.

Edit: I've just seen your last sentence. Yeah it's frustrating but eventually we'll get back up there, it was only a decade ago under O'Neill we were getting 60 + point seasons and nearly making top 4. Spurs were rubbish in the 90s and been one of most consistant clubs over last decade. You mention yo yo or mid table prem teams, worth noting over last 5 years the likes of Palace, Bournemouth, Brighton, Watford and Burnley have had some of the best times in their recent history, consistant top level football and some have played in cup finals or europe. Eventually football gravity starts pulling you back down.

It's worth noting btw that in last 12 years Man. United have won 0 Champions leagues, 1 fa cup in 16 years and no league titles since 2013 so by your history and the standards you judge it's been a pretty lean period with some poor managers and an always changing roster of players. Enjoying it?

As a Rugby fan, I support smaller teams(The MHR isn't exactly small today but it's not successful and exactly big either) and I think that one of the biggest difference is that there is actually more emotions more joy from reaching a final once in a blue moon or having a great game against a bigger team and more disappointments from losing against a nemesis but the bad feelings rarely last long. For me the titles are not as important as the journey or the community, for example when I was a kid you could sneak into the MHR clubhouse and spy on the players and staff members.

 

[Solius]

You ever go and watch Rovers or City? Bristol City have been up and coming for quite a while now, lots of good young players who end up in premier league and Ashton Ground is an excellent ground nowadays. Dodgy managerial appointments though stop play off pushes. Also have highs like the 2017-18 run to league cup semi finals.

Bristol Rovers play in an awful ground and were in non league in 2014 although back in mid table league one but a more frustrating experience for Gasheads.

We only moved here in Feb so haven't had the chance yet. Plan to in the future though.

 

[Amarsdd]

Yeah sorry about that, noticed it and put it in my edit. Tell me what you think about that part of my post.

Yeah, my definition was probably a bit too broad. Regarding your comment on United, yeah its a lean period. So its about managing expectations for me till we get back to the top. I'm not really entitled from that pov. Anyway, United doesn't belong in this thread, its more for clubs like Villa

 

[UpWithRivers]

Most of them still think they are better than Barca - go talk to some Geordies.

 

[Ecstatic]

It's like you are proud when you see your team losing only 1-0 only at home against Bayern Munich

 

[Acrobat7]

It's like you are proud when you see your team losing only 1-0 only at home against Bayern Munich

Says the PSG supporter.

 

[Crashoutcassius]

Generally they are more realistic than the average united fan I think. Madrid fans top all in terms of delusional but united must be the worst in the UK. I do feel like many years of misery softened up the pool fans... Many Chelsea fans strike me as being quite new to football so they are sometimes bad too

 

[KiD MoYeS]

I'm a season ticket holder for my local League of Ireland team, Bohemians. It is a really well run, completely fan owned club in north Dublin. The league has recently restarted and Bohs are second in the league behind south Dublin team Shamrock Rovers. There is a much better sense of belonging following Bohs to when I visit Old Trafford. Buying a kit, for example, you know your money is going into the club directly. With Manchester United you're a consumer, with Bohs you're part of something that bit better I think. Glazer ownership and Woodward's indifference to the club has pushed me closer to Bohs in recent years to be honest. Also, €55 for a year streaming pass for League of Ireland with all games and no VAR. What's not to love?

 

[Ecstatic]

Says the PSG supporter.

Yeah, so you can imagine the joy of people supporting small clubs when they beat a giant at home

Champions League - PSG 2-0 Bayern in 1994


Champions League - PSG 1-0 Bayern in 2001

 

[Acrobat7]

Yeah, so you can imagine the joy of people supporting small clubs when they beat a giant at home

Champions League - PSG 2-0 Bayern in 1994


Champions League - PSG 1-0 Bayern in 2001

You didn't get my post. And 25-year-old games don't change that. It's about a PSG fan referring to Bayern when looking for an example of a club dominating domestic competition.

 

[Lay]

Being a fan of Wycombe, I feel there's more of a sense of reality. I've met past players, even played with a couple and you feel like you are apart of the club when you go to the games. I tend to find lower league fans are a bit more down to earth and don't have meltdowns as much as the top 6 fans do.

I find myself being less harsh on Wycombe players too.

 

[Ecstatic]

You didn't get my post. And 25-year-old games don't change that. It's about a PSG fan referring to Bayern when looking for an example of a club dominating domestic competition.

No misunderstanding at all

 

[Sandikan]

It's difficult to support smaller British clubs in Hong Kong as some of their games may not be broadcasted, and the situation gets worse when they relegate.

Is a platform called i follow not around in HK?
You can watch any game from even a league two team for a tenner or less a game.

 

[SambaBoy]

I sometimes think it must be quite boring following a mid table team. By Jan/Feb, your playing for nothing. Your not getting relegated unless you lose every game and your not getting Europe unless you win every game. Chasing Europe or trying to avoid relegation at least makes every game important and worth watching.

Newcastle for the last few years have just been plodding along, never in any serious danger of going down, never making a run at Europe and just playing bland football. What has been more exciting for their fanbase over the last 5-6 years, there time in the Championship or in the PL. I think Stoke fans said the same, they were somewhat excited to get back in the Championship however they will probably look at that differently now considering how bad they have been.

 

[AltiUn]

Fans of smaller teams are definitely not any more sensible than fans of bigger clubs, most football fans are cut from the same cloth. Expectations are probably a lot more realistic, due to years of experience. Doesn't mean it's not taxing. They still have a tendancy to overrate some players, underrate others, play favourites and whatnot.

Preston are my second team and have been most of my life. You basically hear the same things at Deepdale as you would at any other stadium around the country: some fans are delusional optimists, some are inconsolable pessimists (which I find make up the majority of smaller club fanbases), some fans demand Hemmings to splash some cash, others say their model is perfect as is, some believe they belong in the PL and some believe they're destined to float between League One and the Championship forever. Football is just a game of opinions, at the end of the day.

It's pretty interesting because I think fans of smaller fans feel closer to their teams than we ever could, for a start getting to games is really easy as tickets are always available and dirt cheap. You see Preston footballers knocking about in Preston all the time, Joe Garner once bought my friend a Jager bomb in Evoque. A lot of young Sunday League players in Preston spend age 5-16 growing up and playing football in Moor Park in the shadow of Deepdale.

 

[McGrathsipan]

I recently stumbled upton this Aston Villa podcast around the restart and have listened to their recent episodes.


Obviously all fans have some amount of dillusions about their club, but for me they sounded a lot more sensible than fans of big clubs. I don't know whether its the mindset of supporting a small club or just they have been beaten down by disappointments and failures over a long period of time. It made me think how would it be like to support a "smaller" club. What is it like to rest your hopes on players like Samatta and Wesley? What is it like to see a brilliant player coming through the club knowing full well he is going to be poached by a bigger club? How is it like having an always changing roster of players? How is it like going into most games having no hope of winning?

I know we have some members here and members who have family and friends that support these types of clubs. It would be great to know how is it actually like to support these clubs.

P.S. By "small" I don't mean short history, small stadium, small fanbase etc. I just mean clubs that are lower-midtable PL or yo-yo clubs that bounce between PL and Championship or even lower.

Supporting United the last 7 years is like following a small club per say.

Inconsistent.
Losing games.
Frustrating as feck at times.
Chopping and Changing managers.
No style
No obvious loo long term plan.
Occasional cup run or even a win.
No where near a prem title.
Poxy owners.


As fans we should only be concerned about results and weve been as bad as any club relatively speaking.
The only thing are lucky to avoid is a relegation battle

 

[Amerifan]

I recently stumbled upton this Aston Villa podcast around the restart and have listened to their recent episodes.


Obviously all fans have some amount of dillusions about their club, but for me they sounded a lot more sensible than fans of big clubs. I don't know whether its the mindset of supporting a small club or just they have been beaten down by disappointments and failures over a long period of time. It made me think how would it be like to support a "smaller" club. What is it like to rest your hopes on players like Samatta and Wesley? What is it like to see a brilliant player coming through the club knowing full well he is going to be poached by a bigger club? How is it like having an always changing roster of players? How is it like going into most games having no hope of winning?

I know we have some members here and members who have family and friends that support these types of clubs. It would be great to know how is it actually like to support these clubs.

P.S. By "small" I don't mean short history, small stadium, small fanbase etc. I just mean clubs that are lower-midtable PL or yo-yo clubs that bounce between PL and Championship or even lower.

Not living in the UK at present has me wondering the same thing. I’d like to pick a championship or lower tier club to support, but not having a local makes choosing one an interesting exercise. Recommendations welcome.

 

[Bullhitter]

I really enjoy it.

 

[Vidyoyo]

Sort of agree that it feels like those supporting lesser clubs are more grounded. I suspect it's what makes Duffer and SilentWitness such good posters.

 

[Ecstatic]

The key thing is that a small team can concede a club at any moment - no room for easy and automatic wins or control of the game.

More uncertainties, more feelings, less boring and predictable, etc.

The value of a win is higher etc

 

[Zehner]

What I find weird is when fans of really big clubs try mocking me with stuff like "you're a seller club", "your trophy count is empty" etc. I mean, it's not like you've won those titles for your club yourself, did you? So that's nothing to brag about. I mean, you don't really choose your club, you just support it. And such stuff almost sounds as if people chose to support Bayern/United/etc. because they're successful, not because they just grew up like that.