Only one team?

[Alty_Ram]

11 minutes ago, NottmRAM said:

I think If you are taken to a match (usually by your dad) when you are young, there's no turning back. If young football fans don't have that paternal influence (and it can be father, mother, uncle, cousin etc) then they may well choose a high profile team hence so many Man Utd fans around the country.

Agree with this and also if you come from an area with no obvious team, at least not one in the top few divisions.

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, i-Ram said:

Eddie, I suspect if you stopped drinking for a day or two your lithp would go.  

#Pithpasasptholes

Sounds reasonable.

I'll go for February 17, 2057 and October 3, 2061 please.

[alexxxxx]

When I was a very young child I thought I liked Manchester United because that was who you could watch on itv without cable or sky. 

Dad promptly took me to Derby..

I've always regularly gone to see other clubs, even had season tickets... but I'm checking my phone for the Derby score throughout.... 

[ilkleyram]

Only one club. Lived in Derby until my early 20's and since then haven't lived closer than 70 miles away but always had a ST.  I have watched Northwich Victoria, Matlock, St Albans and Guiseley when I've lived close by and there's been no Rams option but that's as far as its gone

Young Ilkley was brought up the right way - he's gone since he was 4 and despite being surrounded by North London sides and friends supporting them he's never wavered.  He'll be up on Sunday from Brentwood. 

[kash_a_ram_a_ding_dong]

Only ever supported Derby as my proper team although I do support my home town team of Ilkeston too.

I personally don't know anyone that's changed their allegiance from the team they supported as a nipper and to be honest,if they had,they wouldn't be the sort of person I'd like to have anything to do with...it shows weakness in character and Morales.

[NottmRAM]

4 minutes ago, kash_a_ram_a_ding_dong said:

Only ever supported Derby as my proper team although I do support my home town team of Ilkeston too.

I personally don't know anyone that's changed their allegiance from the team they supported as a nipper and to be honest,if they had,they wouldn't be the sort of person I'd like to have anything to do with...it shows weakness in character and Morales.

What's spiderman got to do with it? J/K.

[Maxwell Baxter]

Cards on the table, I'm not from Derby or Derbyshire and I've never lived there. However my family did visit Derbyshire regularly for weekends away and as a kid I loved the trips to Derbyshire. Around 1971 at the age of about 4, I became aware of a football club called Derby County and it just so happened they were top of the league. So that was the team for me, a true glory hunter.

We did have a family friend who was a Rams fan and he took me to a few games in the 70's. Then in 1977 my family moved to Birmingham and with school friends I started watching WBA, local to me and they had possible one of the most entertaining teams ever (amazing to think that side never actually won anything) so for a while I flirted with becoming a Baggie.

Then in 1982-3 after the Forest FA cup game I knew Derby was the team for me?

I was now old enough to travel a little further on my own and had some earnings other than pocket money. By 1985 I was a season ticket holder at the BBG and went to many away games.

Spin forward to 2006-2007 I was 39 and for me live was changing you could say live really did start at 40. So after the Wembley win ironically against WBA I didn't renew my season ticket.

I kept going to PP and a few away games but over the years that became less and less, then crashgate happened and I said at the time I would never give Derby a penny again until the players involved had left the club and I stand by that today (other than fan lead fund raising i'm happy to contrubute to that)

Yes I wish Derby all the best and I could never support any other English team and the fact that I'm here on this forum shows I still love Derby.

However I have to go back to crashgate, from that moment I became a member of Foundation of Hearts. a Heart of Midlothian fan group. I followed Hearts from about the same time I became aware of Derby as a young kid I guess I just liked the name Hearts FC.

From the 80's onwards I would get to 2 or 3 Hearts games a season and now as a member of the Foundation of Hearts who recently took ownership of Heart of Midlothian FC, I see myself more of a Hearts fan then a Derby fan.

I love Derby(shire) and have so many great memories of the BBG and PP along with all the away games. And wish them so much love for the future and hope soon Derby will have it's club and its soul back.

However on Saturday at 12:30 Hearts FC were live on TV and I watched that game. I did record the Derby game with the intention to watch it later.

After the Hearts game ended I clicked across to the Derby game just in time to see a certain player score the penalty I watched the few minutes till the end of the game then hit stop recording followed by delete and got on with the rest of my day save in knowledge Hearts were in the next round of the cup.

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by Maxwell Baxter

[TuffLuff]

So I think I know the answer to this and why both train of thoughts are probably correct. 
 

Some years ago I did about football attendances in the late 1800’s early 1900’s as part of my history degree. To cut a long story short, for cities like Derby, Liverpool and Birmingham, going to watch their club comes part of parcel of working class activity and the tended to get bigger attendances per population density. In part this is because of the location of the grounds near factories or housing. 

Other cities, like Nottingham (it’s as good of an example of any, I’m not being daft) sport becomes part of the city’s general culture. So there’s a lot more going on, sport, theatre, whatever and it doesn’t quite hit working class life the same. The grounds are built out of the city as to look pleasant and doesn’t exactly have that community with it’s city inhabitants.
 

There’s more depth to this, and a load of other cities you can use as examples. But what I’m getting at is that from some cities, it wasn’t a ‘one club’ thing as football is an activity rather than a passion. I think you can still see some of the effects of that today and possibly what the OP is getting at.

Edited January 24, 2022 by TuffLuff

[Leeds Ram]

I'm from Derby but none of my family were big into football except my great uncle Bill who lived down in Lincolnshire. I went with my dad as a nipper because I nagged my parents that I wanted to go. I have never looked back since, we'd all go as a family as season ticket holders until 1 by 1 people dropped off. I still went with my dad regularly and now since his passing I often go with my mum and sometimes take my gf with me. It's often said football is like religion in that you get them when they're young and I think that generally holds true. I couldn't imagine supporting another club, I keep an eye out for york city and crewe because of my football manager exploits with them but I'd never actually support them. 

[TigerTedd]

I did actually support Man Utd when I was 7 or 8. Had posters of Steve Bruce, Paul Parker, Lee Sharp and Mark Hughes in my wall. And the red strip came in handy when Mickleover All Stars were a shirt short. 

I actually only chose United cos my brother in law was from Manchester. Months later, after if bedecked my bedroom, I realised he supported city. Whoops. I made him take to a match once.

but my excuse is that my dad wasn’t really into football, and im glad he wasn’t, cos I’d be supporting reading now. So I had to find my own way to Derby. 

[ImARam2]

My grandmother and uncles lived on Douglas Street, Normanton, which is about 800 yards from the BBG, and whenever I stayed with her I'd watch the fans walk to the ground in the 1950's, sitting on the Grange Pub wall with my bottle of pop & packet of crisps, and I could hear the roar of the crowd from that distance and wondered what it was all about.

Well, it's 60 years, this year, (January 1962) since I first stood in the Boys End/corner of the BBG, aged 9 years old and although it was only a reserve game against Bolton Wanderers, I can remember it as if it was yesterday.

My Dad was was an ex-Polish para, who came to live in Derby in 1947, and along with his other Polish mates, and they didn't have much money for entertainment, so the only thing they could afford was the pub or going to the match and although he didn't go to every game he always enjoyed his football. So, it was my Dad who took me and my brother a few months later, in April 1962, to my first team game and I was hooked for life, and, subsequently, wherever I've worked in the world (Middle East; S.E. Asia; America), I've taken The Rams with me, always looking for their results, especially difficult in the USA where all the results they publish are baseball, basketball or American 'football'.

Working in the middle of a Saudi Arabian airfield was fun (!!) and trying to pickup the BBC World Service game and results, through the atmospherics, on a Saturday afternoon, wasn't always clear, especially when you was listening for the Derby result and it went something like,... 'Derby 2, Forest .......and all you then heard over the airwaves for the next few minutes was static and crackle!!!!

I've worked with many nationalities, especially in the middle east, and football is a main topic of conversation amongst many of the Arab men, and whenever I've mentioned that I'm from Derby and a Rams fan, many of them knew of the Clough & Taylor teams and players, as well as the Jim Smith teams, as by then satellite television was beaming the Premier matches overseas.

Over the 60 years of supporting my only club, I've seen the very highs and the lowest of lows, particularly now; I've watched some of the very best of English football with amazing players of international standards, and some awful 'duffers' and 'has-beens' who should have never been bought.

Whatever happens this week, and surely to God, Derby County Football Club will survive and eventually go on to better days, I am so proud to have supported my home town/city club who have given me so much pleasure (and despair) over the past 60 years.

'Come On You Rams'

[MickD]

7 hours ago, Turk Thrust said:

What a load of rubbish! 

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by MickD

[MickD]

3 hours ago, TuffLuff said:

So I think I know the answer to this and why both train of thoughts are probably correct. 
 

Some years ago I did about football attendances in the late 1800’s early 1900’s as part of my history degree. To cut a long story short, for cities like Derby, Liverpool and Birmingham, going to watch their club comes part of parcel of working class activity and the tended to get bigger attendances per population density. In part this is because of the location of the grounds near factories or housing. 

Other cities, like Nottingham (it’s as good of an example of any, I’m not being daft) sport becomes part of the city’s general culture. So there’s a lot more going on, sport, theatre, whatever and it doesn’t quite hit working class life the same. The grounds are built out of the city as to look pleasant and doesn’t exactly have that community with it’s city inhabitants.
 

There’s more depth to this, and a load of other cities you can use as examples. But what I’m getting at is that from some cities, it wasn’t a ‘one club’ thing as football is an activity rather than a passion. I think you can still see some of the effects of that today and possibly what the OP is getting at.

Well said,  "football is an activity rather than a passion." For many it is true.  Football is really the only sport I follow diligently, been to 3 Rams games in the last 40 years, not seen a win.  Of course as I have lived in Canada since 1980 it is not likely I can get to many games.  I follow on the Rams website and Rams TV.  75 next month, I wear my Rams shirts when I play twice a week year round and have the Ram logo on my Umbro bench coat. So I have followed the team for 64 years, but, retain passion for the game and have always appreciated the play of other teams and players and still do. 

As an ex referee an assessor I also recognize the difficult job they do rarely influencing the game detrimentally.  After all at this level without them there is no game.

[The Scarlet Pimpernel]

Born in Derbyshire now live on the south coast, both Grandads Derby fans, Dad Derby fan, me, my son and grandson all Derby fans. 5 generations. UTR

[MickD]

7 hours ago, WhiteHorseRam said:

This is defeatist talk.

 

 

Definitely an eatist, how do you know he is de(a)f?

[MickD]

2 minutes ago, The Scarlet Pimpernel said:

Born in Derbyshire now live on the south coast, both Grandads Derby fans, Dad Derby fan, me, my son and grandson all Derby fans. 5 generations. UTR

I bet your ancestors went in my Grandad's chip shop at the corner of Reeves Road.  He was also a lifelong fan.

[The Scarlet Pimpernel]

28 minutes ago, MickD said:

I bet your ancestors went in my Grandad's chip shop at the corner of Reeves Road.  He was also a lifelong fan.

No doubt about it.... So much history around the BBG. I can still to this day feel the thrill of walking up to the boys enclosure and the smell of tobacco., chips etc etc.... Great days. 

[TimRam]

I also support local non-league team and watched a lot of Liverpools European games years ago. Might watch again if in a semi final. Also follow some Brighton games as nephews support them.

Edited January 24, 2022 by TimRam

[IslandExile]

Supporting a club proves there is no free will.

Once you start supporting a team, properly supporting, that's it. You're stuck with them, no matter what. I mean...look...

As for me.... Until I was eight, I'd support whoever won the cup. But then, I decided it was time I stuck with a team. My Dad was a Forest fan, so obviously couldn't go that way. Ok, where was I born? Derby. Ok I'll support them.

Good timing. Autumn 1968. 

[MickD]

1 hour ago, The Scarlet Pimpernel said:

No doubt about it.... So much history around the BBG. I can still to this day feel the thrill of walking up to the boys enclosure and the smell of tobacco., chips etc etc.... Great days. 

The outside urinals. ?