With sections of fans at several clubs seeming to firmly believe in the Great Lie - "I would rather my team lose playing good football than win playing the long-ball" - I am not sure that Newcastle are the worst.
Liverpool fans are nowhere near as deluded as many other sets of fans. We might not have won the league for 24 years but we have still won numerous trophies in the interim.
Other clubs who have won nothing in my lifetime and yet still their fans are overly demanding.
I remember the past decade of 'this year will be our year' to win the league mantra before every season. It isn't about championship history but more of the present day squad for title expectations. And honestly they were never the top 2 squads for most of all those years.
I just find it ironic that the season where these fans lowered their expectations they actually mounted a credible title challenge.
I think their lack of involvement in cup competitions is a big factor too given that their squad isn't huge so there hasn't been a large demand for rotation.
I thought their match with City would be the 4 o'clock game today so instead I opted to watch the Dons lose another Scottish Cup semi.
There are definitely blinkered fans of Liverpool but is it really more deluded to back your team, which has a legacy (albeit dated) of winning the title, has challenged and won trophies relatively recently, to go for the league than for the fans of a mid/lower table side with limited resources to demand a standard of football that is largely beyond them (and would jeopardise their position in the league) or boo their team when they 'only' finish clear of relegation or don't quite reach a European spot?
There are definitely blinkered fans of Liverpool but is it really more deluded to back your team, which has a legacy (albeit dated) of winning the title, has challenged and won trophies relatively recently, to go for the league than for the fans of a mid/lower table side with limited resources to demand a standard of football that is largely beyond them (and would jeopardise their position in the league) or boo their team when they 'only' finish clear of relegation or don't quite reach a European spot?
Let's face facts. Rangers don't have a third division team. They have, at worst, a lower level SPL team. McCoist can say what he wants, but no Division One, Two or Three team has the quality of players they have. None.
The fact that John Daly, who was our captain as late as last season, left us to go play for Rangers because they were going to pay him more money points this out quite clearly.
Rangers will be back in the SPL within no time. But until then, they're paying their penance, as they should. And any time we get the chance to beat the Old Firm boys, on their own ground, (why this tie wasn't played in the nation's capital rather than in Glasgow is a matter for much debate) I'll enjoy.
I remember the past decade of 'this year will be our year' to win the league mantra before every season. It isn't about championship history but more of the present day squad for title expectations. And honestly they were never the top 2 squads for most of all those years.
I just find it ironic that the season where these fans lowered their expectations they actually mounted a credible title challenge.
There was no lowered expectations on my part. 8th and 7th were our last two finishes but I thought we had a shot of fourth spot. I didnt think we had a chance of winning the league until we won at Old Trafford. That was after thrashings of Chelsea, Spurs and Everton. Beating United was always going to be a hump that a victory allowed the fans to get over.
I'm daring to dream right now, but I wont believe it even possible until the result of the Chelsea match is sorted.
There are definitely blinkered fans of Liverpool but is it really more deluded to back your team, which has a legacy (albeit dated) of winning the title, has challenged and won trophies relatively recently, to go for the league than for the fans of a mid/lower table side with limited resources to demand a standard of football that is largely beyond them (and would jeopardise their position in the league) or boo their team when they 'only' finish clear of relegation or don't quite reach a European spot?
That legacy of winning the title is older than many of their fans. What should determine the expectations is the current strength of the squad versus the other contenders.
Hey I'm not against optimism for supporting your teams, especially after a hot start to the season. But the delusion in years past before ANY games were played was hilarious. When Chelsea and Man U had a better first 11 unit and could still fill their benches with better individual players and you still think your team can win the league against them before the season starts, I'll say that is delusional.
There was no lowered expectations on my part. 8th and 7th were our last two finishes but I thought we had a shot of fourth spot. I didnt think we had a chance of winning the league until we won at Old Trafford. That was after thrashings of Chelsea, Spurs and Everton. Beating United was always going to be a hump that a victory allowed the fans to get over.
I'm daring to dream right now, but I wont believe it even possible until the result of the Chelsea match is sorted.
Top 4 is reasonable to dream of, considering the expected drop off of Arsenal before the season started. That opened up a spot for Everton, Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs to fight for that 4th spot after Chelsea,Man U , Cith. Wasn't that most of the predictions before the season started? Top 3, next 4, and then the rest in a fight against relegation?
I am talking about a large section of the fanbase that predicted winning the title every season for the past 2 decades.
A large section of the Liverpool fanbase hasn't suggested that they'd win the league since Benitez was manager, when they finished second and beat the champions 4-1 away. Hardly delusional. In the seasons under Benitez, the league was talked about a lot because Liverpool had one of the best teams. The fact they won the European cup and the FA Cup in that time as well as finishing second showed that.
The only season under Houllier when Liverpool fans largely thought they might win the league was 2001-02 after they won all the trophies the year before. Again, they came second, and within 15 minutes of a Champions League semi-final. Under Evans, Liverpool were one of the best teams in the country, and spent one season on top of the league until about February.
When you're one of the biggest teams with one of the best squads, you expect you might win the league. Meanwhile, fans of clubs like West Ham boo their team when they win because they don't 'play on the ground'. Meanwhile West Ham's star player is probably the best attacker in the air in the league.
People look at Everton and say 'you can do it the right way', but unless they replace Deulofeu and Lukaku, two loan players, next season, they will not have half the chance they had this year.
There's a reason Holloway was steering Palace to 20th place and Pulis has them pushing for the top half. Allardyce took Bolton into Europe, Owen Coyle took them to the bottom half of the championship. Playing 'the right way' requires the right players, and there simply aren't enough to build 20 teams in that way in the Premier League.
The real deluded fans are the ones that demand something undemandable. I don't know a single Liverpool fan that thought we'd win the league this season, and only after beating City have I allowed myself to consider it.
Top 4 is not a reasonable expectation of most clubs. Everton finished 6th last season and have improved their squad. Liverpool finished 7th but finished strongly. Arsenal spent money and Spurs, 5th place last year, spent a shitload. There was never any chance that anyone would break into that group. The top 6 this year will be made up from the same 7 clubs that it has been since Man City were bought by Abu Dhabi - Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, City, United, Spurs. Newcastle and Aston Villa, who have lost lots of their best players in recent seasons have cracked that top 6 since then, and in both instances they've done it once and both are historically massive clubs.
The only other teams to have cracked the top 6 this century, which is 14 seasons, outside big spending City, the 7 members of the Premier League that have been there every year and Newcastle are Bolton and Blackburn - two physical long ball sides, and Leeds - who had the resources of a big spending club. The one anomaly is Ipswich, who came from nowhere and went right back there the following season.
Predictably #1Peep has red repped me for not being from Liverpool.
The whole support your local team thing's a bit tired anyway, but I'm happy to make a ****** look like a ******.
5 ways that Tastycles has no affiliation to the city of Liverpool:
1) My mother was born in Walton hospital on 24th October 1949. My father was born in Walton hospital on 1st May 1954. My brother was born in Fazakerley hospital on 7th August 1975.
2) You can see Liverpool from the house I grew up in, including the floodlights at Anfield and Goodison.
3) Almost every single one of my 50 or so cousins live in Liverpool.
4) I spent almost every weekend in a house on Alexandria Drive in Bootle for the first 8 years of my life.
5) When I'm angry or drunk, my voice gets progressively more scouse.
5 ways that Tastycles definitely supports Liverpool for the glory.
1) This was the first football match I went to:
I think Bolton were in the third tier at the time.
2) This was my first Liverpool shirt, except mine was short sleeved.
3) I stood on the Kop several times, I reckon I'm amongst the youngest people who did. One time I was on the Kop we drew to mighty Wimbledon.
4) I went to every home game in the 1993-94 season. This included draws with Swindon and losing at home to Sheffield United and Bristol City.
5) I was born during the course of the 1987-88 season. This is how far away my house was from all of the division 1 and 2 grounds by road, in order.
Liverpool 36.1 miles
Everton 36.3 miles
Man City 53 miles
Man United 55 miles
Shrewsbury 58 miles
Oldham 66 miles
Stoke 67 miles
Blackburn 75 miles
Huddersfield 86 miles
Barnsley 89 miles
Sheffield Wednesday 90 miles
Sheffield United 91 miles
Bradford 93 miles
Leeds 95 miles
West Brom 106 miles
Derby 107 miles
Aston Villa 110 miles
Birmingham 112 miles
Nottingham Forest 122 miles
Coventry 130 miles
Leicester 135 miles
Hull 149 miles
Middlesbrough 166 miles
Oxford 184 miles
Swindon 185 miles
Luton 192 miles
Newcastle 198 miles
Watford 209 miles
Reading 221 miles
Arsenal 222 miles
Spurs 224 miles
QPR 228 miles
Millwall 228 miles
Chelsea 231 miles
Crystal Palace 232 miles
West Ham 234 miles
Wimbledon 236 miles
Charlton 239 miles
Southampton 249 miles
Ipswich 256 miles
Portsmouth 267 miles
Norwich 268 miles
Bournemouth 274 miles
Plymouth 306 miles
I too got the same red rep. He also thinks I am Scottish and is slagging off Liverpool fans for being delusional about their team winning things despite him being a Spurs fan who does not live in London anymore...
I live closer to Crystal Palace than I do Charlton. My local team is Bromley FC. Keep that one under your cap.
Edit: Mind you, I was born in Greenwich and spent the first few years of my life in a house in Charlton approximately .3 miles away from The Valley. I was just trying to be supportive.
I too got the same red rep. He also thinks I am Scottish and is slagging off Liverpool fans for being delusional about their team winning things despite him being a Spurs fan who does not live in London anymore...
This is so stupid. I was born in North London, most of my family still lives there and I came to Australia when I was 8. I didn't start supporting them for the glory - they were just my team. What, am I just supposed to switch teams? Should have gone out and bought a Liverpool kit? So I moved away, a choice that wasn't mine, means I'm less of a fan who supports Liverpool for pretty obvious reasons when you're not from there...
Oh, I'm not saying 'Pool fans are delusional either. They deserve to win the league as they are playing, by far, the best football in the league, and I think they will now after beating City. But since their decline, they are some of the most toxic fans I think I've seen if you read what they write online. Attacking other clubs if they snatch up their transfer targets for example or making really awful, negative comments about death and that over a game of football. Sad really.
This is so stupid. I was born in North London, most of my family still lives there and I came to Australia when I was 8. I didn't start supporting them for the glory - they were just my team. What, am I just supposed to switch teams? Should have gone out and bought a Liverpool kit? So I moved away, a choice that wasn't mine, means I'm less of a fan who supports Liverpool for pretty obvious reasons when you're not from there...
Supporting them for 25 years is connection enough for me and it makes me no less a fan than you. Should I have to support my local team even though locality means nothing to me?
I ignored them because it was largely irrelevant to the conversation and that they are the same kind of accusations you could level at any set of fans.
Supporting them for 25 years is connection enough for me and it makes me no less a fan than you. Should I have to support my local team even though locality means nothing to me?
I ignored them because it was largely irrelevant to the conversation and that they are the same kind of accusations you could level at any set of fans.
It isn't even about locality. It's pretty obvious why you support Liverpool. You don't have to be from the area to be a fan, as long as you're supporting them for the right reasons. I don't think you are.
It isn't een about locality. It's pretty obvious why you support Liverpool. You don't have to be from the area to be a fan, as long as you're supporting them for the right reasons. I on't think you are.
So why do you think I support Liverpool? Seriously, I'd like to know as I do not. I was five at the time. None of my friends or family support them and I don't even live in the same country.
Seeing as how it was the 80s, it was probably glory-hunting. Yeah, that's it. I was a glory-hunting five year old. And then a drought-coping teenager and through my twenties, surviving on a few morsels of cup wins from time to time, rather than chasing glory.
Or maybe its because one of my first footballing memories is laughing at my dad for his team being massacred by a team in red? Maybe they were on the tv more because of that aforementioned success and I liked their kit or a player's name? Or given it was the late 80s, maybe the tragedy of Hillsborough encouraged me?
I'd really like to hear your input and how you know me so well by spying me my entire life.
And what are these 'right reasons' of which you speak?
So why do you think I support Liverpool? Seriously, I'd like to know as I do not. I was five at the time. None of my friends or family support them and I don't even live in the same country.
Seeing as how it was the 80s, it was probably glory-hunting. Yeah, that's it. I was a glory-hunting five year old. And then a drought-coping teenager and through my twenties, surviving on a few morsels of cup wins from time to time, rather than chasing glory.
Or maybe its because one of my first footballing memories is laughing at my dad for his team being massacred by a team in red? Maybe they were on the tv more because of that aforementioned success and I liked their kit or a player's name? Or given it was the late 80s, maybe the tragedy of Hillsborough encouraged me?
I'd really like to hear your input and how you know me so well by spying me my entire life.
And what are these 'right reasons' of which you speak?
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