What Our Opponents' Fans Are Saying About Us 23/24

[Trix]

I think the difference between our fan base and Arsenal's is that we have enough level headed fans to call out stupid comments and those going OTT.

Arsenal fans seem to thrive off each other when one stupid comment is made.

Yeah right. Take the blinkers off before you're pulled all the way in and become one of them.

 

[Trix]

For the most part yes, but there are some (specifically Liverpool) who have a tendency to become more cult-like than the average fanbases.

They have a lot more fans, and as such a lot more vocal idiots. That's all it is imo.

 

[Marty]

They have a lot more fans, and as such a lot more vocal idiots. That's all it is imo.

I have a lot of experience with Scandinavian Liverpool fans who take their fandom to such extremes that they speak English with scouse accents and ride around in cars with JFT96 numberplates despite having maybe visited Liverpool once or twice in their lives.

No other fanbase has that, not even United fans who are in similar numbers over here. It's definitely more a cult than any other fanbase can claim to be.

 

[The Scarecrow]

I have a lot of experience with Scandinavian Liverpool fans who take their fandom to such extremes that they speak English with scouse accents and ride around in cars with JFT96 numberplates despite having maybe visited Liverpool once or twice in their lives.

No other fanbase has that, not even United fans who are in similar numbers over here. It's definitely more a cult than any other fanbase can claim to be.

And name their kids Ynwa.

 

[PerScoutDenmark]

I have a lot of experience with Scandinavian Liverpool fans who take their fandom to such extremes that they speak English with scouse accents and ride around in cars with JFT96 numberplates despite having maybe visited Liverpool once or twice in their lives.

No other fanbase has that, not even United fans who are in similar numbers over here. It's definitely more a cult than any other fanbase can claim to be.

Absolutely agree.

The most common tattoo in Denmark is probably, I kid you not, "YNWA" tattooed across the knuckles.

 

[Thenewcat]

I have a lot of experience with Scandinavian Liverpool fans who take their fandom to such extremes that they speak English with scouse accents and ride around in cars with JFT96 numberplates despite having maybe visited Liverpool once or twice in their lives.

No other fanbase has that, not even United fans who are in similar numbers over here. It's definitely more a cult than any other fanbase can claim to be.

Jan Molby has a lot to answer for

 

[Trix]

I have a lot of experience with Scandinavian Liverpool fans who take their fandom to such extremes that they speak English with scouse accents and ride around in cars with JFT96 numberplates despite having maybe visited Liverpool once or twice in their lives.

No other fanbase has that, not even United fans who are in similar numbers over here. It's definitely more a cult than any other fanbase can claim to be.

From my experiences I'd say that's a Scandinavian thing then mate. They are in general no different to any other big fan base over here.

 

[Joe Bjorn Hotspur]

From my experiences I'd say that's a Scandinavian thing then mate. They are in general no different to any other big fan base over here.

Most definitely agree with that: the larger the fanbase, the more of this you get.

Also most definitely more noticeable over the past decade with the growth of YouTubers and we start to notice it more within our own fan base too as that has increased significantly over the years.

I went to AFC Wimbledon’s ground last year and even at a smaller level you get those fans when I was a kid the pushy parents on Hackney Marshes too.

Basically the larger the club the more cult like or unhinged you can see.

 

[Joe Bjorn Hotspur]

Thought this is quite apt.

David Squires on … 4.54 billion years of evolution leading to this

Our cartoonist takes a delve deep into history, right up to the present day

www.theguardian.com

 

[Rosco1984]

I really need an Arsenal humbling soon. Awful lot of mouth for a team that bottled the league last year.

and a 12 point lead for champions league over us the year before.

 

[Flashp]

I have a lot of experience with Scandinavian Liverpool fans who take their fandom to such extremes that they speak English with scouse accents and ride around in cars with JFT96 numberplates despite having maybe visited Liverpool once or twice in their lives.

No other fanbase has that, not even United fans who are in similar numbers over here. It's definitely more a cult than any other fanbase can claim to be.

I can only concur.

The cult has extended to Denmark as well.

There are plenty of both good, level headed and intelligent fans as well as full-on idiot fans of all the PL top teams here, but none can match the Liverpool fans for self righteousness and victim mentality. It really is something else. Very cult like.

 

[Cinemattis]

I can only concur.

The cult has extended to Denmark as well.

There are plenty of both good, level headed and intelligent fans as well as full-on idiot fans of all the PL top teams here, but none can match the Liverpool fans for self righteousness and victim mentality. It really is something else. Very cult like.

You know Denmark is considered to be one of the three Scandinavian countries, right?

 

[therealGlenn]

There's a lot of idiots who follow football simple as that. Every club has fans like it. What I do find funny is when one fan of another club latches onto a rival fans comment and acts like they're the spokesperson for the club. Spurs fans think.... like you couldn't identify any other club in the world and pick a stupid set of fans to make out that's their whole fan base. People just have to make up reasons to hate other clubs. It's like the whole ref giving decisions one way when you can say that for every team if you see things one way all the time. That's all it is, just a set of fans of other clubs who see every thing only in one way. Spurs are lucky (ignoring your own luck), Spurs player should have been sent off (ignoring any case your player could see red themselves), media love Spurs and want them to finish 4th (ignoring all the compliments they've had themselves). Etc etc.

fixed it for you

 

[easley91]

I do find it amusing how many fans of clubs who are perennially midtable Prem or lower laugh at us for consistently being in and around 4th. It makes zero sense to me? It just screams jealousy and bitterness that it isn't them who closed the gap.

 

[Cinemattis]

As a Norwegian/Scandinavian you are acutely aware that ManUtd & Liverpool will always vastly outnumber any other club’s fanbase in your country/region. And when you have large numbers of people gathered, the actual number of idiots and halfwits will also increase (it’s a percentage thing).

English football (esp. top division and cup competitions) have been a very important part of Scandinavian culture since the 1960s with televised games every Saturday at 16:00 combined with one of the very few legal gambling options that existed in these countries at the time (no casinos and extremely strict laws on gambling and betting). This was during a time of broadcast monopoly. There was no alternative to the national broadcaster. Everyone watched the same shows and programmes, and it was what you discussed at work and in school Monday morning and during lunch. And international sports were a rare thing on television. So this became huge.

Thousands of fans today have inherited their team from their fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers. The cult thing isn’t that crazy when you deep dive into the background and analyze it.

I think the Liverpool cult likeness in Scandinavia might derive from them going from a long period where they were the best team in the UK, and one of the very best in Europe - to a long period of them not winning the PL.

I would make the claim that ManUtd-fans over here are going in the same direction. And fast. One example is one of my mates who have legally changed his middle name to United. And it’s not because of Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds or any of the other many Uniteds around … MU tattoos are quite common, especially in Norway. Remember: MU had a lot of Norwegian players in their prime, like treble winners Solskjaer, Henning Berg and Ronny Johnsen. And now they have the Danish striker (+Eriksen).

Liverpool had Jan Mølby and (an ageing) Glenn Hysén, as well as several Norwegians. Scandinavian players in the big clubs get a _lot_ of attention here. And imagine when Solskjaer was manager of MU … it was bigger and more important than anything else in the world. World War III could’ve started, and the angle in the news would’ve been “how does the war impact on Solskjaer’s United?”.

Point is: Both groups are stuck in a state of constant entitlement; they became fans because it was the biggest and best club, and now they’re not. This was the story of Liverpool, and is the current state of MU. And this seems “unfair” to these fans on some level.

 

[Joe Bjorn Hotspur]

I do find it amusing how many fans of clubs who are perennially midtable Prem or lower laugh at us for consistently being in and around 4th. It makes zero sense to me? It just screams jealousy and bitterness that it isn't them who closed the gap.

Most definitely a huge element of that as most non spurs fans I know admitted they liked us under Poch but in between Poch to Ange eras had a strong dislike of Spurs almost like a Leeds or Millwall thing with the style of play and our fans infighting on and off during this time.

I think a lot of it is ‘look at Spurs in that position for years and they don’t win trophies’ etc and like a lot of football fans, they love seeing the opposing fans moments away from historic ecstasy (PL title runs and CL run to the final) and then seeing dreams shattered not succeeding.

I’ll hold my hands up if Arsenal don’t win the league again this season I will get so much joy out of that even more so after consecutive years of being the ‘best chance in 20 years’ etc also just the general banter between friends / colleagues and not hearing them sing and gloat about winning it. It is what it is but it’s all a part being a football fan.

 

[easley91]

Most definitely a huge element of that as most non spurs fans I know admitted they liked us under Poch but in between Poch to Ange eras had a strong dislike of Spurs almost like a Leeds or Millwall thing with the style of play and our fans infighting on and off during this time.

I think a lot of it is ‘look at Spurs in that position for years and they don’t win trophies’ etc and like a lot of football fans, they love seeing the opposing fans moments away from historic ecstasy (PL title runs and CL run to the final) and then seeing dreams shattered not succeeding.

I’ll hold my hands up if Arsenal don’t win the league again this season I will get so much joy out of that even more so after consecutive years of being the ‘best chance in 20 years’ etc also just the general banter between friends / colleagues and not hearing them sing and gloat about winning it. It is what it is but it’s all a part being a football fan.

The thing with Arsenal is although it is funny when they fail from this point, they have a recent history of trophies (including an FA Cup under Arteta) so I understand it coming from them as they have won things. It's the likes of Newcastle, Forest, Villa etc. that baffle me.

 

[Joe Bjorn Hotspur]

The thing with Arsenal is although it is funny when they fail from this point, they have a recent history of trophies (including an FA Cup under Arteta) so I understand it coming from them as they have won things. It's the likes of Newcastle, Forest, Villa etc. that baffle me.

I suppose it’s a case of us being a part of the top 6 for the best part of two decades that irks a lot of the mid table prem fans.

Also, now being one of the richest clubs / sporting clubs in the world and perhaps irritated that we are not giving way to them and with a fear that one day Spurs will start turning near misses (PL title runs & CL finalists) into winning them one day.

Additionally, this annoys them: not going back to where we were in the 1990s early 2000s (this was so painful as a kid being surrounded by Gooners & United fans).

I think that’s why I’ve got the approach of woah a Champions League run and an FA Cup run (even win that lovely cup), get a league cup along the way would do nicely: play with style, because of being continuously bantered and bruised by 2000s era Gooners.

Basically that’s where they (mid table Prem fans, with a hate for Spurs) want to be at a minimum and it frustrates them that we always seem to get into the top 4. I’m sure they are not all like that but they most certainly stand out: in the early 2000s darn I didn’t hate Bobby Robson’s Newcastle for daring to go on those CL runs and Leeds reaching the CL semis.

Sorry for the long winded response Easley 91: in other words I totally agree it’s weird.

 

[Flashp]

You know Denmark is considered to be one of the three Scandinavian countries, right?

Yes, that's the exact gist of my post?

 

[easley91]

I suppose it’s a case of us being a part of the top 6 for the best part of two decades that irks a lot of the mid table prem fans.

Also, now being one of the richest clubs / sporting clubs in the world and perhaps irritated that we are not giving way to them and with a fear that one day Spurs will start turning near misses (PL title runs & CL finalists) into winning them one day.

Additionally, this annoys them: not going back to where we were in the 1990s early 2000s (this was so painful as a kid being surrounded by Gooners & United fans).

I think that’s why I’ve got the approach of woah a Champions League run and an FA Cup run (even win the that lovely cup), get a league cup along the way would do nicely: play with style, because of being continuously bantered and bruised by 2000s era Gooners.

Basically that’s where they (mid table Prem fans, with a hate for Spurs) want to be at a minimum and it frustrates them that we always seem to get into the top 4. I’m sure they are not all like that but they most certainly stand out: in the early 2000s darn I didn’t hate Bobby Robson’s Newcastle for daring to go on those CL runs and Leeds reaching the CL semis.

Sorry for the long winded response Easley 91: in other words I totally agree it’s weird.

Now that I have thought about it, I get it from Villa and Everton as I think we were competing with them to be the one to break in to the top 5. Everton if I remember finished 4th once and never did it again. We broke in and have been there or thereabouts ever since. We have also done it the right way. No oil states, no American billionaires. We grew naturally over that period both on and off the pitch, all while Villa and Newcastle got relegated, and Everton have been on the brink for several years. Everton are in financial trouble, Newcastle got oil state owners and can't spend it. It really does just boil down to jealousy.

I guess what I am trying to say is I can accept the comments from Arsenal, Chelsea, United, City and Liverpool because they have won things, been there and done it during our growth. We have probably been the best of the rest for many years now and that lot just can't take it.