Are you a Red Devil?

Wow, Man U 4-2 Arsenal. What a classic. That sort of result makes me real proud to be a supporter of arguably the most successful football club ever. I just gave Elsie, a hardcore Arsenal fan, a big douse of ice cold water. Now she’s vowed not to support the club ever again. I think she mentioned something about switching to basketball instead.


I’ve questioned myself a number of times why I chose to support Manchester United, instead of all the other clubs in the Premier League. Was it because of conformity, fear of disappointment (*koff koff) or was it because the local channels only showed ManU games? I haven’t really found my answer yet, but I am proud of being a ManU fan though there are times when it’s really hard to admit that I’m one.

There’s just such a rich history behind the club that makes it a really great club to support. There are of course the other fans who I feel are just picking the other clubs out of non-conformity. Well, you know what you get for your rebellion? Amongst others, lack of news coverage, a plethora of losses, non-existent local fan clubs, unattainable club merchandise and fear of relegation. So come on. Support Manchester United and you’ll never have to fear for such matters. :P

I have to say that the animosity amongst football fans is really amusing, quite frankly. Some fans will go through rounds and rounds of verbal jousting just to defend the pride of their beloved football club. To them I ask, why the defensiveness? What in the world gives you the right to get in the face of another supporter? It’s not like you contributed to the club’s success being 30,000 miles away in another country. It’s not like your family member is directly involved in the team’s win. I really wonder if the most cantankerous and belligerent fan ever takes that fact into consideration. Of course I would excuse the locals, family members of team members and the shareholders of the respective football clubs.

Maybe it’s because of their investment put into supporting their beloved club. Could it be the time spent catching each second of every match on the television, the small fortune spent on club jerseys or the large supporter stickers audaciously plastered against their car windshield? I guess it does make sense then.

Even for a nominal supporter like me, who doesn’t go out to buy every jersey from every season, a certain amount of investment goes into supporting the club. Take for example, subscribing to Astro to watch the LIVE games. I pay the subscription fees, which Astro uses to pay Star Sports, who pays Sky Sports, who contributes to Manchester United’s pot. So in a very very very indirect way, I am supporting the club financially. Actually my dad is.

Even if you don’t subscribe to cable/satellite TV and follow news from the newspaper, the newspaper pays for the rights to use photos, names and emblems all involved in that news report. So when you buy your newspaper, part of that fee funnels down to the club too. The very same fact applies for getting results of websites like Soccernet or UEFA.com. Every click you make on that site dictates how much sponsorship that site gets, and with that money, they get rights from the clubs to use club related copyright material.

So the next time you get upset about an overzealous supporter, do forgive him, because he does have the right to “rub it in”.

MAN U 4 – 2 ARSENAL!!

Look out Chelsea! Yeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!