This got me thinking as to who I support and why. Scared me when I saw the number of teams
1: The lads, as in the local club at home, it's where I was born and bred, it's who I played for (badly mostly, but I still togged out), it's the first thing I look for in Monday's Cork Examiner and I still love going back for a championship game. My abiding memory is of my 79 year old dad running across the pitch with his walking stick in the air after we'd won the junior chapionship for the the first time in 35 years.
2: Cork, born and bred again. Been there for the good days( '84 Munster final stands out) and the bad ones, (09, Nowlan park, ouch !!!!)
3: Munster, abiding memories, 92 v Australia, 99 v Saracens in Watford and of course 06 in Cardiff, I'm trying to forget the pat on the head my Carlovian wife gave me at Croker a few weeks back after BOD sprinted down the field for the 3rd try.
4: Arsenal, since the 70s when they had an Irish team(Jennings, Rice, Nelson, O'Leary, Brady, Stapleton, Devine) and an Irish manager (Terry Neill). Spent many a happy day at Highbury in the 90s when I lived in London, seen them win the cup at Wembly, my abiding memory, Spurs in '93
Have to say in recent years, I've lost a bit of interest, partially the hassle of getting tickets, partially the wimpish nature of Premiership football, partially the behaviour of the players.
5: Leyton Orient, lived 2 stops up the line from them for 10 years in the 90s, if I wasn't at Highbury, I was at Brisbane Road. There was a time when they were so bad it was entertaining. I still fly over at least once a year. Memories? Wembly for the playoffs and Fulham away 2 years ago in the cup, + the day the full back got taken off at half time as he was high as a kite (no one in the crowd knew that at the time but he was so bad you had to laugh).
5: Washington Capitals. Ice hockey in case you wonder. Love the physicality of it, fell for the Caps after working the autumn of 2000 in DC. Ovechkin rocks as far as I am concerned
So what ties these together, They all wear red (bar the club at home), and at some stage in my life I've lived near them or at worst there was an Irish connection in some way. I've never lived close enough to a LOI club to really classify myself as a supporter, more a casual fan
Then there is a whole host of clubs who I either follow( in other words, if they were in town I might go and watch them) or keep an eye out for their results and keep up to date with them. They include Cork City, Cobh Ramblers, Leinster rugby, London Irish and the Boston Red Sox and Carlow GAA. I've no doubt in time the local GAA and rugby club where I now live will also make their way up the list
Of course then there is the national sides on top of all of that!!!!!!!!