Who would you follow?

[SCOOP115]

If you had to move to another part of the country and still wanted your live Football fix, who would you follow? I had a think and decided I couldn’t follow another Championship or Premiership outfit, it would have to be the lower leagues.
Some names I came up with (regardless of current situation or past glories)
North West – Tranmere, North East - Gateshead, East Anglia- Chelmsford, London- Dulwich Hamlet, South West – Torquay, Kent – Crawley Town, Stoke – Port Vale.
Some random names and some with personal memories.

[baggieal]

If you had to move to another part of the country and still wanted your live Football fix, who would you follow? I had a think and decided I couldn’t follow another Championship or Premiership outfit, it would have to be the lower leagues.
Some names I came up with (regardless of current situation or past glories)
North West – Tranmere, North East - Gateshead, East Anglia- Chelmsford, London- Dulwich Hamlet, South West – Torquay, Kent – Crawley Town, Stoke – Port Vale.
Some random names and some with personal memories.


Good post but a good number of us including myself live 2.5 hours away but travel to the games still week in week out.

Lower league is best as fans are more valued and you feel part of the community and players give blood on normal wages ie no greed.

I have seen Harrogate Town three times this season and they are decent! They have a better striker than Hugill or Zohore but that’s not difficult!

[mickd1961]

I follow my home town of Harrogate and my long time home town of Stourbridge as most on here now.

Dad’s mum came from near Sunderland so I’ve always had a soft spot for them.

As a nipper I followed Liverpool because I first got interested in the game due to Kevin Keegan who was my first footballing hero.

If I didn’t follow Albion I’d be a Bluenose.

I keep an eye on Forest Green as they fascinate me as a club and an ethos.

Plymouth in the south west due to Stourbridge beating them in the FA Cup when they were at their lowest ebb a decade ago.

In Scotland I look out for Dundee due to a mate being a big fan and for the “Blue Brazil” Cowdenbeath the perennial strugglers.

Blues are the club I feel we have the closest natural fit with in so many ways.

[BaggieBlood]

I wouldn't follow anybody. I am on the verge of telling the short arsed little c??? In China to foo k himself and his devious clawback methods.

I retire soon and never have I been so disillusioned with the s hit show that purports to be the club I love, that I would agree to the better half's wishes of spending the Winters' away from my first love.

Albion 4ever.

[BaggieSingh]

I wouldn't follow anybody. I am on the verge of telling the short arsed little c??? In China to foo k himself and his devious clawback methods.

I retire soon and never have I been so disillusioned with the s hit show that purports to be the club I love, that I would agree to the better half's wishes of spending the Winters' away from my first love.

Albion 4ever.

Retirement at your age :O

[baggieal]

I wouldn't follow anybody. I am on the verge of telling the short arsed little c??? In China to foo k himself and his devious clawback methods.

I retire soon and never have I been so disillusioned with the s hit show that purports to be the club I love, that I would agree to the better half's wishes of spending the Winters' away from my first love.

Albion 4ever.


I agree Blood! I wish Lai would choke on his crispy duck!

My Mrs said I was mental and deluded for going to Huddersfield next week. You can’t argue with that comment!

[mickd1961]

Retirement at your age :O

What.....73!

Why not?

[DaveP67 is back!]

Go watch the local no league team, you would be surprised at how good a watch it can be, that said id never truly support anyone but the Baggies even with the 4/5 hour round trip.

[TipperaryBaggie]

If you had to move to another part of the country and still wanted your live Football fix, who would you follow? I had a think and decided I couldn’t follow another Championship or Premiership outfit, it would have to be the lower leagues.
Some names I came up with (regardless of current situation or past glories)
North West – Tranmere, North East - Gateshead, East Anglia- Chelmsford, London- Dulwich Hamlet, South West – Torquay, Kent – Crawley Town, Stoke – Port Vale.
Some random names and some with personal memories.

Firstly Scoop, I assume that you never got your geography O Level after suggesting that people from Kent would watch Crawley Town. Just to put you right, Crawley is in Sus*** and the only professional club in Kent is Gillingham or possibly Charlton if you are flexible where you put the London and Kent Borders.

Personally, I follow my home town team, Folkestone Invicta who are one of the leading clubs in the Isthmian Premier league. As a few of the posters have said, although the standard of football is lower, you can get a lot of enjoyment watching these games. It is refreshing to witness players not going down theatrically when they are touched and not hugging each other at set pieces. Plus only £8 for old geezers like me!

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

If you had to move to another part of the country and still wanted your live Football fix, who would you follow? I had a think and decided I couldn’t follow another Championship or Premiership outfit, it would have to be the lower leagues.
Some names I came up with (regardless of current situation or past glories)
North West – Tranmere, North East - Gateshead, East Anglia- Chelmsford, London- Dulwich Hamlet, South West – Torquay, Kent – Crawley Town, Stoke – Port Vale.
Some random names and some with personal memories.

I have moved to various other parts of the country

In 79 North London. Nearest club Chelsea hated them most of all the London clubs which says a lot. Just about put up with Fulham and Brentford.

81 South of the water. Nearest supermarket was Sainsburys at Selhurst. Best part of it. Hated Palace the so called 'team of the 80's.' Only live match I went to see Wimbledon v Swindon at Plough Lane in the League Cup. Finished 0-0.

85 Moved to Suss ex. Really don't like Brighton.

Did get to see a few England games at Wembley best by along way v Netherlands Euro 96. That truly was a great night.

Not interested in live football unless it's The Albion or the Suss ex County team both my lads and son in law have played for and I am match secretary for.

Most seasons get to see the Albion between 10 and 20 times. Once a Baggie ...........

[Albionic68]

I wouldn't follow anybody...... I am Albion 4ever.

Same here, it's in the 'Blood. Occasional non league fixture aside there's no way I could or would actively 'follow' any team other than the Albion. It just wouldn't happen.

[mickd1961]

I think this thread is more down the line of who you’d feel the biggest pull towards if Albion didn’t exist or had never existed.

Agreed, none of us could ever contemplate changing teams.

I think that a change in personal geography can lead to a situation where attending games featuring your club can become hard and that you can enjoy watching football more locally albeit without real passion.

I enjoyed going to watch my home town Harrogate Town the other week but if they’d lost it wouldn’t spoil my day.

Living where I have since 1967 I just feel I’d have gravitated towards Blues more than any other Midlands club if Albion had not existed.

[Albionic68]

The Hawthorns was the closest professional football ground to where I grew up as a kid. Although I loved playing the game there's no way I'd have bothered travelling to either Small Heath or Witton from where we lived. I most certainly wouldn't have gone to Wolverhampton or Walsall either.

Despite our family being Albion I honestly doubt I'd have had any particular interest in the professional game if we hadn't lived within a couple of miles of the ground. At all. If Albion had never been a consideration my dad loved boxing as much as football and I'd have ended taking that up more seriously than I did.

Albion have got a lot to answer for in financial terms, personal relationships, the attentions of the police. The list goes on and on. A one way love affair with some good times and friendships thrown into the mix along with heartbreaks.

No way on earth I would have that relationship with any other team in any other part of the country were I to move away from the Midlands.

[boingy]

Arsenal have always been my second team. Would only support them if West Brom folded as a club.

[Leicesterbaggie]

If Albion folded the only club I would to think to follow would be Hereford FC. Follow, yes, but it wouldn't be with the same passion as I have had for the Baggies over so many years.

[mickd1961]

If the Albion hadn’t existed you wouldn’t know any the better!

This isn’t a difficult question.

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

First winter I retired we went to live in our favourite Spanish resort Javea. Followed the local team playing in the Valencian Regional League (equivalent of conference football I guess.) Had a large expat following and I did go home and away to most matches for 6 months. It was great fun and a great way to integrate with the locals, see bits of Spain I probably wouldn't have and made friends I'm still in touch with 15 years later.

Even have their own English website https://www.javeamigos.com/about-us/

As someone else as touched on the huge difference with supporting the Baggies was didn't really matter if we won or lost.