Is it possible to like teams who are traditional rivals (not Rangers or Celtic read thread)

AndythephotoDr

Well-Known Member
My mate thinks I’m a bit strange as I say I have a soft spot for both Liverpool and Manchester United. Liverpool were my team as a kid I think due to the number of Scots there were and I like Man Utd mainly because of an admiration Alex Ferguson.

Neither team is Rangers and the match the love I have for our club but I do have an admiration for both clubs I mention without being properly into them. I can watch both teams play and will them to win without the consuming passion I have for Rangers.

As I said my pal thinks it’s strange liking it rivals.

Are any of the rest of you drawn to teams who shouldn’t go together? Like both Barcelona and Real Madrid or Inter and AC Milan for example or do you feel you have to get into that rivalry thing?
 
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I don’t have a second team as such, but I like both Arsenal and Spurs.
I can’t say I’m overly fussed with any other team in any other country.
My allegiance usually has a Rangers connection somewhere, an ex player or manager for example.
Or, maybe they’ve just said something nice about our club.
(Then, it stands to reason that the opposite is true!)
It can also be one particular player I like!
This can lead to my preference being changing from one major rival to another very quickly.
For example Birmingham were favoured when McLeish became manager and that changed to Villa some time later.
I can relate to your Spurs/Arsenal one though.
I always wanted Arsenal to do well given their historical links with Rangers but I also wanted Tottenham to do well when Stevie Archibald (Rangers man, by the way) who I came across years earlier, joined them.
Fickle?
 
Must say I always liked Arsenal myself but recently enjoyed some Spurs results Ajax semi in 2019 I shouted yes as they won it.Then a few weeks back when they pumped man utd I smiled at that result as well.In all honestly feel a bit dirty about it now.
 
I'm definitely no fan of any other team than Rangers but there are some rivalries where I can't really pick a favourite - or at least I might want one to win but then completely reverse that the next time I see them play... and usually for no real reason.

Examples might be: Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea - I don't really have a preference. I've wanted them all to win at certain times.

Liverpool/Everton. I would assume I'm not alone in wanting Everton to do well when characters like Smith, Gascoigne, Ferguson, Gough etc. were involved but I also understand it's a bit more complex than that. As for Liverpool, I bought into the Celtic-love-in that was sold to us in the 90s, but I've since realised that it's not as deep rooted as I once thought (same with Man Utd, TBH)... then along came Stevie G and completely turned my opinion. I really wanted them to win the league the last couple of years. Thing is, I actually wouldn't mind seeing Everton challenging the whole season this year either!
 
I like to see arsenal and Chelsea do well , Chelsea for obvious reason and my uncle is arsenal fan so I grew up hoping they would win
 
Always liked Leeds in the late 90s early 20s. Still enjoy watching them in the EPL play very attractive football. But nothing nearly close to my support and love for Rangers that always goes unrivalled
 
There are teams in the world that I enjoy watching because of the quality or style of football they display... But in terms of caring if they win or lose it is just:

1. Rangers
2. Scotland

In that order. As much as I enjoy watching both Barcelona and Real Madrid, I'd never call myself a fan being I will not give two hoots as to whether they actually win or not. I'd just be looking for a good game.

There is of course the "Anyone against them" mentality that I thought was universal. Certainly domestically I'd be delighted to see celtic humped weekly, but my newfound appreciation of the coefficient has muddied the waters somewhat. I'll be quite annoyed if celtic fail to get any point in their group for example.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want them in the champions league without us. I dont want them going further than us. But I do like the idea of them (and the other clubs representing Scotland) pulling their own weight. Celtics complete mediocrity in europe during their 'glorious 9 in a row' is chronically under-reported by the media. In what should have been a near decade of virtually guaranteed champions league participation, they have been anonymous and allowed the countries coefficient to embarrassing levels.

Thank Dave King for Gerrard and rangers return. Our coefficient has almost recovered... But if we all perform in Europe, the money might just drag the league out of this cesspit... So long story short, I'm a fan of Scottish teams in Europe... Although if I'm honest with celtic I can only manage 'neutral' at best...
 
My mate thinks I’m a bit strange as I say I have a soft spot for both Liverpool and Manchester United. Liverpool were my team as a kid I think due to the number of Scots there were and I like Man Utd mainly because of an admiration Alex Ferguson.

Neither team is Rangers and the match the love I have for our club but I do have an admiration for both clubs I mention without being properly into them. I can watch both teams play and will them to win without the consuming passion I have for Rangers.

As I said my pal thinks it’s strange liking it rivals.

Are any of the rest of you drawn to teams who shouldn’t go together? Like both Barcelona and Real Madrid or Inter and AC Milan for example or do you feel you have to get into that rivalry thing?
You’ve answered your own questions mate.
Is it possible... well apparently it is as you’re the example!
 
Friend of mine supports Man City (and always has). His father and his son both support Man U.

He doesn’t buy into the hatred/rivalry.
 
I used to like Man Utd and Arsenal because that was the big battle in England when I was starting to get into football in the early 2000s.You could tell they proper hated each other and every time they played there was at least one belter of a goal/shocking tackle/controversial decision

Now though I dislike pretty much every elite european team because of this euro super league thing
 
My mate thinks I’m a bit strange as I say I have a soft spot for both Liverpool and Manchester United. Liverpool were my team as a kid I think due to the number of Scots there were and I like Man Utd mainly because of an admiration Alex Ferguson.

Neither team is Rangers and the match the love I have for our club but I do have an admiration for both clubs I mention without being properly into them. I can watch both teams play and will them to win without the consuming passion I have for Rangers.

As I said my pal thinks it’s strange liking it rivals.

Are any of the rest of you drawn to teams who shouldn’t go together? Like both Barcelona and Real Madrid or Inter and AC Milan for example or do you feel you have to get into that rivalry thing?
I'll go one better, I like Liverpool, have a real soft spot for Leeds and through the 90's especially didn't mind Man U... need to get a 1/3,1/3 and 1/3 scarf I think

If they're playing I'll always want Liverpool to win though. Don't care for Man U any longer and will always have that soft spot for Leeds
 
My mate thinks I’m a bit strange as I say I have a soft spot for both Liverpool and Manchester United. Liverpool were my team as a kid I think due to the number of Scots there were and I like Man Utd mainly because of an admiration Alex Ferguson.

Neither team is Rangers and the match the love I have for our club but I do have an admiration for both clubs I mention without being properly into them. I can watch both teams play and will them to win without the consuming passion I have for Rangers.

As I said my pal thinks it’s strange liking it rivals.

Are any of the rest of you drawn to teams who shouldn’t go together? Like both Barcelona and Real Madrid or Inter and AC Milan for example or do you feel you have to get into that rivalry thing?
I’m quite similar to yourself, I was a big Liverpool fan right up until Rodgers took over. I now enjoy seeing them get beat!! I also like seeing Man U do well under Ferguson.
tbh I only really support Rangers, I go to forest and Notts county games but they’re not really rivals.
I’ve been to few East Midlands Derby’s (forest v derby) I don’t actually mind Derby, and the atmosphere is shit compared to a an old firm or even exciting spl game.
 
I like both Milan clubs and both Genoa clubs, and dislike Real Madrid and Barcelona equally (nothing to do with the clubs themselves but the embarrassing fanboy clowns who latched on to them and argue over them as if it's their own team).
 
I once worked with an Italian guy from Rome. Was a Lazio fan, but he wanted Roma to do well in Europe as it represented Italy and was under the impression that most fans in Italy would be similar. Couldn’t understand why I wanted them to get beat regardless of who they were playing!
I think this is the case for most countries bar a few exceptions such as teams like Juventus and Bayern who seem to be hated across the board in their own countries.
 
I’ll always be Everton but dare I say it I have a soft spot for Liverpool too due to the fact I hung about with a load of scousers in the mid to late eighties in the south of England and would go and watch both teams away in London when they played and when they played each other it was a friendly rivalry then not so much now I may add.I had some great away days with Everton and Liverpool some real hairy moments too always seemed to be at Arsenal for some reason.
 
I have always liked Arsenal due to our history and Spurs just because, also Inter & Milan
 
I have a soft spot for both Arsenal and Spurs.

I have a good mate who's a Spurs fan, absolutely despises Arsenal, only refers to them as the scum etc. And I go along with that. :oops:

But I work with a couple Arsenal fans and always talk to them about wanting Arsenal to do well. :oops:

I am like that guy from the fast show who just changes his opinion depending on the last guy to speak. :))
 
Man Utd and Leeds for me.

Picked Man Utd as my "english club" aged 7 or something when they were going toe to toe with Arsenal because most of the boys we played football with were Arsenal and Celtic so it matched up well to hate both their teams.

My best mate and his Dad are Leeds fans so I've always liked them and went with them a couple of times when they've went down. There's a lot of parallels between what happened to them and us which has made me like them more.
 
I think it is easier to do for your 'second team' as you invariably do not share the intense passion.
 
First game I ever went to was Kilmarnock vs Rangers. My grandpa took me, a massive killie fan.
Moved to England after that supported scunthorpe then moved to Glasgow at 8yro rest is history.
 
Liked Dortmund for as long as I can remember (Klos being the original reason) but being young and German football being less renowned then, I didn't know that Schalke were their big rivals rather than the more obvious Bayern.
I've had Dortmund tops over the years, and considered getting a Schalke one as well, but think it's probably disrespectful to both clubs.
If I knew a German who wore our top one day then a scum one the next, I'd find that strange and assume the guy wasn't playing with a full deck...
That's not to say their hatred is on our level or there's an equivalence between the derbies, just that if you know the clubs and the significance, you can't go from one to the other.

I don't have a favourite between River and Boca, so maybe those outside Britain can look at us and the scum both favourably as famous clubs deserving of respect? Bizarre to us, but while we're entrenched in the rivalry, (and know the truth and extent of their evil) we won't see it like that.
 
I’ve followed the fortunes of Chelsea, Leeds Utd, Manchester United and Arsenal to varying degrees over then years and on balance probably still look for each of their results. That definately throws up some transitional rivalries, and some competitive rivalries over time and people who support each of themselves clubs are amazed/disgusted at the mix.

Have to say that none of them winning or losing a match makes a blind bit of difference to my day any longer.
 
Wonder if there's any English guys that like both us and them?!

Sounds horrific and impossible to us, but any Spurs would be saying the same about someone liking Arsenal.

I live in Essex and 90% I've met say they prefer us.

But they of course could be humouring me. :))
 
I’ve never supported any other club than Rangers. But, I tend to like to see clubs doing well at times where there is a good ‘story’: Leicester winning PL, Leeds rising back to PL etc. Anything that adds a bit of romance to a fairly boring landscape. That affection probably fades as the story fades.

Our own return to the top will be the best story of all, and one where the affection definitely hasn’t, or wont, fade!
 
My mate thinks I’m a bit strange as I say I have a soft spot for both Liverpool and Manchester United. Liverpool were my team as a kid I think due to the number of Scots there were and I like Man Utd mainly because of an admiration Alex Ferguson.

Neither team is Rangers and the match the love I have for our club but I do have an admiration for both clubs I mention without being properly into them. I can watch both teams play and will them to win without the consuming passion I have for Rangers.

As I said my pal thinks it’s strange liking it rivals.

Are any of the rest of you drawn to teams who shouldn’t go together? Like both Barcelona and Real Madrid or Inter and AC Milan for example or do you feel you have to get into that rivalry thing?
I kind of see what you mean - I really admired Arsenal for a period in the early 00s because of Henry and Pires, but won a competition to play at Stamford Bridge and since then Chelsea have been my team. I feel Arsenal became a bit annoying after 2006 ("oh we play youngsters, we play good football" with nothing to back it up in terms of success). I would never have considered myself an Arsenal fan before 'choosing' Chelsea. Now Mourinho is at Spurs I'd like to see him do well, I've always liked him as a manager, but wouldn't say I support Spurs. Also used to take an interest in Man City because I've got family that support them, but since 2012 they've been really up themselves and now I'd rather see them lose.
 
Is it possible? Yes, you’re free to do what you want.

Don’t support any other team but like to see Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea doing well.
 
I gew up watching Serie A and like most Italian clubs, both Milan rivals included.

Doesn't really mean anything to me.
 
I like most English teams tbh and especially all the London clubs, who obviously are each others rivals.
I think Norwich are the only english team I can't stand.
I only support one team.
 
In terms of liking rivals, you can like teams from other leagues that you don't have the emotional baggage of following your own club. I have a liking for Sampdoria, I have been to a few games over the years and will look out for their results. However due to my liking and respect for Italian football and the fan culture I like seeing Ac Milan and Inter Milan do well. Again when I have been over for a Sampdoria match or in Italy for trips if I can fit in one of the 2 Milan clubs I would. My last trip I was lucky I had Sampa v Ac Milan on the Saturday and Inter v Lazio on the Sunday.


What I have noticed the past few trips at the san siro for Inter matches is their non ultra fans have been more welcoming and happy that someone is travelling from outside Italy to watch them.
 
Not really a follower of any other teams. Use to enjoy watching man united. Until var took over them. I do like watching lower league games though on sky!
 
Also, I wouldn't go as far to say I support either team but in England the 2 teams I like to see doing well are Chelsea and Millwall.

Not really sure how big the rivalry really is other than what the football factory portrayed though.
 
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