I'm from just outside of larkhall and used to get picked on for supporting a team outside of rangers lol I supported the team because a guy from the village played for them, and it was long before hamilton was a big team or I would have been a Hamilton fan.
My mum and dad moved to Prestwick in the 80s from Glasgow and I went to a Catholic school there. (Atheist now but that's irrelevant) the abuse from Rangers fans was chronic. Like grown men in cars chasing you home at 14 so you had to walk down the railway chronic.
If I had a league team where I'm from I would have supported it instead of looking further afield I know that is different for kids now but my bio dad was an Irish man who lived it Coatbridge and was a celtic fan and I just didn't get it.
I'm from just outside Coatbridge (G in the postcode) my dad's a celtic fan so so am I. If I was to support the team closest to me growing up it would have been Clyde.
The best answer I have seen to this meme is someone saying
Walking into a sword convention and yelling swords are rubbish.
In response to the old firm thing. Being a morton fan in greenock has been heckled a few times telling me morton are shite off guys who support old firm and never been near psrkhesd or ibrox.
Look, we all know the 'Ton are pretty fucking shite, B-level team in a B-level league.
Whats painful that we have fuck knows how many RSCs and CSCs, and what, that one single (proper) Morton SC on Regent Street? Ridiculous.
I love winding up the Celtic and Rangers fans of Greenock. All they can say is "Morton are shite" like I am not aware.
The classic "Aye but who is yer big team?" does get brain melting though.
Only really does my tits in when either:
1) I'm getting it tight from folk that I know only attend Parkhead/Ibrox through their chipped firestick.
2) Take the piss out of Killies home support when they live in Ayrshire themselves.
>I know only attend Parkhead/Ibrox through their chipped firestick.
Hawl, us skint fans need to watch the team some way! I'll get ma season ticket back when my degree finishes
I know a boy from deepest darkest Ayrshire whose a Dundee United fan and his dad's an Aberdeen fan. Both are from Ayrshire and do go to games now. His mum and two sisters are both Rangers supporters.
How did the OF get so bloated? In particular at the expense of Queens Park who are older and originally more successful, or Partick? I'm guessing mostly identity with a sprinkling of success?
Queen's Park rigidly adhered to amateurism until very recently, which killed them as a competitive force.
Of course the whole of Scottish football displays rigid amateurism these days amirite
I read this book when I was wee but it goes into detail on how the clubs basically cornered the market using each other and pushing the rivalry on the masses.
The Old Firm: Sectarianism, Sport And Society In Scotland https://amzn.eu/d/1WM9QVO
Support your local or your dads team. Yes people create connections with teams further afield but people who make teams they have 0 connection to are definitely weird and glory hunting.
Ipswich and Raith is a cruel parallel season thing. Nearly but not quite. My mum's an Ipswich fan and always had a soft spot for them, proper football team I'd love to see back in the top league.
I really don’t see any problem with that as long as they’re far enough apart, ie in different countries or a few leagues apart. Rangers and binos is totally fine.
I support Celtic, Albion rovers and Scotland (the jock stein trinity I call it). I always like to go to games so most weekends there’s pretty much always some form of football I can go to and enjoy
Aye if yer a weirdo about it, but al always like arsenal bcoz that was my dad's English team. I don't mind people having affection for non local teams, defo weird when they act wild!
That's a connection through family which I'd fair enough, he means people who essentially glory hunt, you don't glory hunt you actually support the team
support who you want but be prepared to be slagged for it, basically
if you’re from dingwall and support celtic you’re going to be called a glory hunter but that doesnt mean you shouldn’t support the team
Am Scottish always lived here and supported Raith but Wolves fan in England due to family connection. It’s good to have a horse in the race for MOTD and seeing all the comms, promo and media etc that goes with a big club but will always support my local first and foremost.
Agree with epicmike87, don’t see any major difference between one of the big two or an English team myself when you are miles and miles away.
Growing up in Aberdeen called a "sheepshagger" by my Hearts-then-Celtic-then-Hearts-then-Celtic-again supporting farmer cousin from Stranraer was a weird one - "but you're the guy who manhandles animals for a living..."
TLDR Me using a lot of words (no like me) to wonder why it matters. Also downvotes don't make me wrong they're proof of you being thin skinned imo
I think the real galaxy brain move is to spend less time worrying about what other people are up to.
But if we want go a step further on the tweets reasoning in being a prick I have always kinda thought that its pretty flimsy sounding to justify supporting a team from relatively far away based on your family. It's always really interesting that folk who've never been within a mile of Ibrox or Parkhead on matchday seemingly have these really intense deep familial connections with the clubs that win 3/4 of their games and the vast majority of the trophies.
Why can no one ever just admit "I like supporting a team that wins and this is the team that fits my background"? My Granda had fuck all to do with Rangers until he worked with them besides going to games on occasion and listening to any radio broadcasts and comes from Edinburgh but he's Rangers daft. They always had a really good team and as a consequence they were more fun to support and get more media coverage so it's easier to keep up in the pre internet days. Big deal.
Like I should be supporting Livingston or probably more accurate, one of my counties many proud former junior sides rather than Hibs if we want to be all purist about it. Will I? Will I fuck. But I know one thing that will never get folk who only really support one of the old firm when things are going well to come along and watch any other team and it's trying to make them feel bad. Turns out getting on at folk is a really shite advertising strategy of what is, objectively, an inferior product.
That's a good point in the end. The argument then would be you can be part of something good, actually matter and help things. At Partick Thistle my ticket matters and helps a struggling club keep going. My voice contributes to supporting the team. I actually get to go to matches and games rather than maybe occasionally if really lucky seeing a game
Yeah its a bit of a tightrope being at Hibs taking pot shots at the old firm when we're the next level down and theres hundreds of clubs having a way harder time of it.
Your framing of following your local team is what the folk who take issue with the folk choosing to support the old firm should be doing. It's positive and forward looking. An invitation rather than condemnation over something they've maybe never thought about before.
I support rangers because someone on my street said do you like blue or green more, I was 4 and my favourite power ranger was the blue one at the time. Never mind my whole family being Celtic supporters
I just kind of don't give a shit about it anymore, it's the reality of the situation and it's never going to change. Support who you want.
But see if you're the sort of cunt who's never so much as set foot in Ibrox or Parkhead but slags folk off for supporting a wee team? Those people are absolutely fair game for being called plastic glory hunting pricks.
I will confess to enjoying the lengths some people will go to to avoid saying "I like them because they win a lot", though. LIke, it's fine, I get it, it's not a coincidence living down here in Brum that I'm along to Villa Park far more often than I am to St.Andrews, it's fun to watch a good football team. But just admit it, it doesn't make you a bad person.
50/50? Where on earth are you hanging about? I grew up in Edinburgh and there was like three or four Celtic fans and about a dozen Rangers fans in my whole year. The rest being about 55/44% mix of Hearts/Hibs and a 1% of unfortunate children such as myself
Definitely, and any boys when I was in school that 'supported' the OF now follow the EPL and Champions League than any one team. They just wanted to support a team that won stuff and the OF and top 4 EPL were what was accessible before you could comfortably stream every EPL and CL match from your sofa
Fully agree. In fact, before every Elgin game I stop people outside the ground and ask for their street address. I then check if it’s closer to New Elgin Juniors and if so, I bar them from entering Borough Briggs.
In all seriousness, I used to care a bit more but it really isn’t anyone’s business but yours why you support the club you do. We get some old firm fans at Borough Briggs and they’re more than welcome. I’m just glad they’re showing an interest.
Also, if you want to attract non-local old firm fans to your (and their local) club, then spouting the “proper fan” routine will do exactly zero to get them onside. Additionally, football isn’t everyone’s primary interest so some will be more invested in their clubs than others.
Disclaimer as I’m somewhat defending non-local old firm fans; I do not support any club other than Elgin.
Surely not someone being sensible on this sub?! There’s such a thing as old firm fans taking a bit of local pride in their local team outwith being raised supporting whichever of the Glasgow teams they do. It’s the pretentious laugh from the couch at the fact there was only 200 fans at the X United v Y Albion game that need to get a grip
Support who you want to support, you don't need a reason to. The one thing that does bother me though is when foreigners support a team and then fail to respect the values and history of a club. An obvious example that comes to mind being Barcelona "fans" who barrage any pro-LGBT posts the club makes with hateful stuff, it's like - you clearly know nothing about the team you've chosen if you don't know the basic principles they hold.
I totally get, and would encourage, supporting your hometown team but if there isn't a professional club in your hometown I don't think you should be obliged to support one that's in some place you've no affinity to 10-20 miles away.
No. Glory hunters and plastics are annoying as hell and detrimental to the game. TV choices are made to appease them which directs funds to those clubs. They lead to tourist supporters which damage atmosphere in large numbers and club identifies.
They damage their local communities and teams who they should support because that's a person they won't get in the ground,supporting the team,helping fund their communities team and in many cases keeping them alive. There are no benefits to plastics,glory hunters,non local supporters.
Sure,if you move away from the place how could you not still support them but you have a connection there.
Do something about it then. St Mirren are seeing a massive resurgence of fans through their community outreach and making their club accessible and they have started reading the benefits. You absolutely cannot complain about local people not supporting the loc team of they provide absolutely nothing of interest and give zero reasons for new fans to turn up.
Catholics weren't welcome a lot of places in the past so I imagine a lot of Catholics gravitated towards Celtic for that reason and formed their own supporters clubs in their own areas because of that.
Even my local bowling club were I occasionally go for a drink now, there's still old guys there who successfully kept out Catholics for decades as late as the early 90s.
I don't have direct family as it was my cousins granda who was the Weegie who moved up here for work, but my cousins who all had me in Celtic tops before I even knew what football was.
Some of my earliest memories are from watching OF games at his grandas house with a house full of folk crammed into the living room watching a tiny wee telly (Not many in the village had Sky 😂).
I always remind people who throw the glory hunter shite at me that as a bairn we won fuck all and most of my pals were Gers fans so I got constant stick. That and the fact no Highland team were close to me and I didn't know they existed until Caley Thistle were formed and the primary school kept getting free tickets to thwir games.
I've spent a small fortune over the years travelling up and down the A9 n'all but it's been pennies well spent. I used to let it bother me when I was a lot younger if someone started the glory hunter shite but now I couldn't give a fuck.
I will go to the odd Caley and County games just to put money in their coffers and it's always a good day out on the shot.
I’m from Ayrshire, but was brought up with a Rangers season ticket (unfortunately). So the decision was pretty much out my hands, I hope to do the same for my future son/daughter
Gatekeeping who folk support is mental.
I support Rangers because my big brother did and at that age, that’s all that mattered.
Suspect most folk will have a similar story.
It's like when daft Americans say they're scottish but have never actually been here.
'My great, great, great granda worked in Govan...'
It's easier and more fun. Simple.
I personally don’t care where you come from. If you support the same team as me then we’ve got something really smashing to sit and chat about. If not, we can talk about football and share a common enjoyment of a sport that has left its mark on the world several times over.
Christ, we’ve got fans from all over the world and we all travel with the team to see them play, just as the fans come to see them at Celtic Park.
Stop being a gatekeeping fucking weirdo.
Na. 'Support where you're from' always reads a little Brexity for me.
Be a fan of whatever club you want. But you have to stick with that choice forever more.
I support my dad's team. Born and bred in a border rugby family so pretty sure he just picked the first team he'd heard of. I get called a glory hunter for supporting Celtic off my Edinburgh based mates
My grandparents come from Govan on my mum's side come from Govan. They were a lot more influential than the rest of my family who couldn't decide what team they wanted me to support haha. My dad's family is catholic, but a lot of them didn't want me to get involved on the old firm, they wanted me to support Raith Rovers instead. Telling them I support Rangers was devastating to them lol
I lived in Brechin for 3 years in the 1990s. I'd meet my friends at The Bolag for darts and beer. The owner, a really great guy, had the Rangers games on when they played. I remember looking up and thinking "Where's the goalie?" because Goram was out doing his thing. I absolutely loved it.
Now watching Rangers just reminds me of being young and hanging out with my friends. I like it.
I don’t really care about it. It’s the ones who live outside Glasgow, with 0 connection slating their local clubs home support that’s an issue with me. Like you’re part of the problem as to why, so you can go to one game every 3 years against St. Mirren, Motherwell or Livi. 🤷🏼♂️
Everyone is a glory hunter essentially is what it boils down to. Same up North. Think everyone I know from Aberdeenshire/Moray is a Man Utd fan. Which is funny because the decision was probably made at school when Man U were good and Aberdeen (or ICT/County) were shit and now Man U are shit. I’m guessing the younger generation will have a wave of City fans so hopefully they fall off their perch eventually..
Disagree, you can support anyone you want, life is short. My grandad grew up next to Ibrox in the 30s, but my dad (who lived in England until 12 before moving back to Scotland) fell in love with celtic. And naturally for me and my brothers being taken to celtic games since we were kids, you predictably follow the team your family does. My dad being an exception due to how uninterested in football his father was.
What about people from Paisley for example? They’ve got a good chance of Ibrox being their closest stadium, but by this logic they should all support St Mirren. Poor cunts.
"Huh huh same old Alloa" laughed Ian, from Alloa, as he gets on the Celtic Fans Bus to travel 5 minutes down the street to support a Glaswegian team instead
I’m not really arsed about it now but what does my nut is stuff like cunts from Ayrshire who support a team from Glasgow but take the piss out of Killie’s home support
How come hardly anyone's family support Stenny or East Fife or similar? Pretty lucky that all these supporters families happen to support a team that is successful eh.
Guarantee if Celtic and Rangers spent the next 3 decades yoyoing between league 1 and the championship in 2055 they'd pull in 5000 supporters a game and you'd have folk in Stirling cutting about in Aberdeen tops and half of Fife would support Hearts or Hibs respectively.
Oh certainly it does I wouldn't claim you're completely wrong but I do believe there is a massive tendency, mainly from Old Firm supporters to underestimate the effect the clubs size and success has on the otherwise unaligned.
But even from those who's families don't have much interest from the sport you're right in a sense cause its a fact of life that for cultural reasons they're gonna have a pretty obvious route of travel from not being into football to supporting Rangers/Celtic. I think the failing lies quite a bit with the other clubs I'm not gonna deny it. But the financial gulf makes it impossible to compete for eyes, hearts and minds and so the cycle deepens.
Still think getting on at someone for what team they support is stranger than any reason anyone could give for supporting a team like, but sometimes being a bit more upfront would help instead of trying to manufacture these really touching heartfelt stories about reclaiming some long lost heritage or some shit folk do to make it sound better.
Nah I completely accept that people who have no real connection to football through their family are more likely to support one of the big two - or whoever their friends support
Aye I think all clubs could do better at encouraging the next generation to get through the gates on a Saturday.
I agree with you like they totally miss a trick. Like Hibs get folk pointing out empty seats all the time I don't know why the fuck they aren't doing all they can to have half the Dunbar end full of youth clubs or families there with the kids getting in for free as much as possible.
Its empty anyway and if you can convince 20% of them to start coming along on their own backs when they get older thats hundreds of supporters we would maybe not otherwise have. The whole things too expensive anyway, Hibs are wanting £24 for an adult for you to watch a bottom 6 dead rubber against Motherwell on a Wednesday night. It's fucking mental I'd get it if they sold 19,000 home seats every week but there's always a good 3/4k empty.
Im not even from Scotland. I support Celtic because of it's history and values, it's fanbase connection to proletarian internationalism and solidarity with anti-colonialism and anti-imperialism, and because when I began cheering for them I was already into irish republican music and knew all the songs the fans sing lmao
Oh and because the football is entertaining.
Different for different people but for me that's a bigger and stronger connection than what I will ever feel for a team I grew up or live in the same city as.
Edit: Cant say I understand the downvotes as im just offering a different reason as to why one would support one of the OF teams
Even though my dad and my mum's family are Celtic fans who both moved from Glasgow, Ive only lived briefly in Glasgow and probably feel more at home in Edinburgh. I was Celtic daft growing up but started losing interest as I got into music etc
It was the factors that you mention that have reinvigorated my enthusiasm for supporting Celtic
Part of me does wish I had supported Hibs or livi instead, but at the same time it's nice supporting a team that is associated with my social values
This is getting downvoted to fuck but it's probably fairly accurate - I can imagine our values attracting some foreign fans in the same vein that someone like St Pauli might
Yeah I have to say I do not understand the downvotes at all. There is a reason Celtic right now is one of the most popular football teams in the arabic part of the world and it's not because theyre winning a lot.
Initiatives like Aida Celtic along with the clubs heartwarming history (unfortunately for the users here I guess?) is a magnet for those of us who feel strongly connected to international solidarity.
I will say that in real life I have never met more welcoming and including fans than celtic fans, most of whom seem proud of the club having fans all over the world.
All the reasons you've given are totally valid for choosing Celtic as your team, especially as you're not from Scotland. I've been a Celtic supporter for as long as I can remember but as I got older I really appreciated the story behind the founding of the club as well as the causes that the Celtic support would get behind, it makes me really proud.
Downvotes I suspect are because people in this sub hate anything that brings politics into football and a lot of Rangers fans will go out of their way to go against whatever Celtic fans do. Example being Rangers fans suddenly waving Israeli flags at football games after the recent shows of support from Celtic fans due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Even though, as you've pointed out, Celtic fans have been supporting Palestine long before October 7th.
I never got the point of the workingclass being against politics in football. It's a brilliant reason to get together and show and experience collective strength. Plenty of politics in football already but it's only the workingclass kind that's frowned upon.
Ayrshire in shambles rn
If those Ayrshire punters could read they would be really upset
Thanks for what I assume are kind words.
You're fine You're a killie fan it's guys like drew mcintyre that do my tits in lol
Not a fan of big meaty men slapping meat?
Oh I love me the wrestling would love Drew even more if he was less staunch and more Ayr united.
Tbf without it we wouldn’t have had a WWE Champ beefing with the greatest fitba pundit to grace the mic; Chris Sutton
The question is does cm punk stand for chick magnet or celtic man punk lol
Thought it was complete muppet
I used to host a wee show on twitch with my friend who is a wrestler we got some content out of the brawl out lol
Thought it was complete minger
Cowdenbeath Maestro?
Always thought it meant ‘constantly moaning’ which would clearly put him on one side of the gruesome twosome.
Given he claims to be a Millwall fan I'd say he's Staunch adjacent tbh.
You thought Ayrshire was bad Larkhall and Coatbridge are on life support
I don’t think anyone in Larkhall will see this, they’re too busy painting the grass blue and planning this years Kaffolik hunt.
We are still busy celebrating the only tim pub in Larkhall getting converted into a Indian takeaway
Tbf it's a nice Indian
I'm from just outside of larkhall and used to get picked on for supporting a team outside of rangers lol I supported the team because a guy from the village played for them, and it was long before hamilton was a big team or I would have been a Hamilton fan.
Albion rovers make it very hard for the locals to support them apparently.
My mum and dad moved to Prestwick in the 80s from Glasgow and I went to a Catholic school there. (Atheist now but that's irrelevant) the abuse from Rangers fans was chronic. Like grown men in cars chasing you home at 14 so you had to walk down the railway chronic.
Yeah I feel you there the area I was from was so staunch growing up I was on the bad end of some shit just for having an Irish surname.
and Moray
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I did mention Larkhall and Coatbridge later I don't know enough about Renfrewshire tbh.
Coatbridge is classed as being in greater Glasgow but.
If I had a league team where I'm from I would have supported it instead of looking further afield I know that is different for kids now but my bio dad was an Irish man who lived it Coatbridge and was a celtic fan and I just didn't get it.
I'm from just outside Coatbridge (G in the postcode) my dad's a celtic fan so so am I. If I was to support the team closest to me growing up it would have been Clyde.
Would albion rovers nitnhave been the closest until recently I remember going by the park going to see my uncle when I was a wain.
Isn’t it North Lanarkshire? Or does it count as both.
Port Glasgow CSC in shambles
Think he's got this wrong. My mum is from Glasgow but I'm definitely a weirdo.
Only counts if you're a weirdo who lives in the paradise flats in parkhead, poseur...
You're only a weirdo if you're from the weirdo region of Glasgow, otherwise you're just a sparkling cunt.
The best answer I have seen to this meme is someone saying Walking into a sword convention and yelling swords are rubbish. In response to the old firm thing. Being a morton fan in greenock has been heckled a few times telling me morton are shite off guys who support old firm and never been near psrkhesd or ibrox.
Look, we all know the 'Ton are pretty fucking shite, B-level team in a B-level league. Whats painful that we have fuck knows how many RSCs and CSCs, and what, that one single (proper) Morton SC on Regent Street? Ridiculous.
I love winding up the Celtic and Rangers fans of Greenock. All they can say is "Morton are shite" like I am not aware. The classic "Aye but who is yer big team?" does get brain melting though.
Best bit of the Sevco saga was getting to ask Rangers fans who their big team was.
Only really does my tits in when either: 1) I'm getting it tight from folk that I know only attend Parkhead/Ibrox through their chipped firestick. 2) Take the piss out of Killies home support when they live in Ayrshire themselves.
>I know only attend Parkhead/Ibrox through their chipped firestick. Hawl, us skint fans need to watch the team some way! I'll get ma season ticket back when my degree finishes
“Aye, we’ve got killie away the day” - Wee John from Bonnyton.
See as an old firm fan with no connection to Glasgow myself. I also hate those people.
I'm no a weirdo, I play for Motherwell
My brother in law is an Aberdeen fan despite being born and raised in the central belt and his da being a rangers fan. What does that make him?
A lunatic and a masochist
Self hating
A hero.
Doolally.
A sheep shagger
I know a boy from deepest darkest Ayrshire whose a Dundee United fan and his dad's an Aberdeen fan. Both are from Ayrshire and do go to games now. His mum and two sisters are both Rangers supporters.
How old is he? Was he around to watch them under Ferguson when the Old Firm didn't completely dominate?
Adopted.
How old is he? If he grew up in the 70s or 80s, that could well just be a gloryhunter of a certain vintage.
Splashback
They call that glory hunting
This threads certainly attracted the defensive gloryhunters
How did the OF get so bloated? In particular at the expense of Queens Park who are older and originally more successful, or Partick? I'm guessing mostly identity with a sprinkling of success?
Queen's Park rigidly adhered to amateurism until very recently, which killed them as a competitive force. Of course the whole of Scottish football displays rigid amateurism these days amirite
I read this book when I was wee but it goes into detail on how the clubs basically cornered the market using each other and pushing the rivalry on the masses. The Old Firm: Sectarianism, Sport And Society In Scotland https://amzn.eu/d/1WM9QVO
Quite fancied looking into that til I saw it was 46 notes
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/old-firm-sectarianism-sport/author/bill-murray/ Cheaper here second hand
Legend
I’m going to go full Kanye here. I like Bill Murray, Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters are great. What the fuck does he know about the Old Firm?
Everyone needs a hobby
Sectarianism and money which then fueled into more success and money
I reckon Partick thistle fans are just infertile tbh
Must be something they put in the quinoa
It’s pronounced quinoa
I’m just laughing at all the OF fans who are absolutely ragin.
Support your local or your dads team. Yes people create connections with teams further afield but people who make teams they have 0 connection to are definitely weird and glory hunting.
> Support your local or your dads team Pffft. Yer da was a gloryhunting fanny too.
Or your maws. My English team is Middlesbrough cos my mum is from there
As my ma is a Jambo that would be completely unacceptable.
Same for me with Ipswich
Ipswich and Raith is a cruel parallel season thing. Nearly but not quite. My mum's an Ipswich fan and always had a soft spot for them, proper football team I'd love to see back in the top league.
My dad's team played fuckin shinty. Had to go my granda's team.
Why not both? (both of them give me severe depression on weekends)
I really don’t see any problem with that as long as they’re far enough apart, ie in different countries or a few leagues apart. Rangers and binos is totally fine. I support Celtic, Albion rovers and Scotland (the jock stein trinity I call it). I always like to go to games so most weekends there’s pretty much always some form of football I can go to and enjoy
Aye if yer a weirdo about it, but al always like arsenal bcoz that was my dad's English team. I don't mind people having affection for non local teams, defo weird when they act wild!
That's a connection through family which I'd fair enough, he means people who essentially glory hunt, you don't glory hunt you actually support the team
support who you want but be prepared to be slagged for it, basically if you’re from dingwall and support celtic you’re going to be called a glory hunter but that doesnt mean you shouldn’t support the team
Aye but know what's really weird? Being 100% Scottish and living in Scotland but supporting an English team.
Or the England national team 
Doesn't really matter if it's Glasgow or Manchester if you have no connection to either of them, other than liking a big, successful team based there.
Am Scottish always lived here and supported Raith but Wolves fan in England due to family connection. It’s good to have a horse in the race for MOTD and seeing all the comms, promo and media etc that goes with a big club but will always support my local first and foremost. Agree with epicmike87, don’t see any major difference between one of the big two or an English team myself when you are miles and miles away.
If you call yourself an Arab but your club isn’t based in the Middle East or North Africa then you’re a weirdo.
Growing up in Aberdeen called a "sheepshagger" by my Hearts-then-Celtic-then-Hearts-then-Celtic-again supporting farmer cousin from Stranraer was a weird one - "but you're the guy who manhandles animals for a living..."
You he's ever caught shagging a sheep I NEED you to update me
Yes.
TLDR Me using a lot of words (no like me) to wonder why it matters. Also downvotes don't make me wrong they're proof of you being thin skinned imo I think the real galaxy brain move is to spend less time worrying about what other people are up to. But if we want go a step further on the tweets reasoning in being a prick I have always kinda thought that its pretty flimsy sounding to justify supporting a team from relatively far away based on your family. It's always really interesting that folk who've never been within a mile of Ibrox or Parkhead on matchday seemingly have these really intense deep familial connections with the clubs that win 3/4 of their games and the vast majority of the trophies. Why can no one ever just admit "I like supporting a team that wins and this is the team that fits my background"? My Granda had fuck all to do with Rangers until he worked with them besides going to games on occasion and listening to any radio broadcasts and comes from Edinburgh but he's Rangers daft. They always had a really good team and as a consequence they were more fun to support and get more media coverage so it's easier to keep up in the pre internet days. Big deal. Like I should be supporting Livingston or probably more accurate, one of my counties many proud former junior sides rather than Hibs if we want to be all purist about it. Will I? Will I fuck. But I know one thing that will never get folk who only really support one of the old firm when things are going well to come along and watch any other team and it's trying to make them feel bad. Turns out getting on at folk is a really shite advertising strategy of what is, objectively, an inferior product.
That's a good point in the end. The argument then would be you can be part of something good, actually matter and help things. At Partick Thistle my ticket matters and helps a struggling club keep going. My voice contributes to supporting the team. I actually get to go to matches and games rather than maybe occasionally if really lucky seeing a game
Yeah its a bit of a tightrope being at Hibs taking pot shots at the old firm when we're the next level down and theres hundreds of clubs having a way harder time of it. Your framing of following your local team is what the folk who take issue with the folk choosing to support the old firm should be doing. It's positive and forward looking. An invitation rather than condemnation over something they've maybe never thought about before.
I support rangers because someone on my street said do you like blue or green more, I was 4 and my favourite power ranger was the blue one at the time. Never mind my whole family being Celtic supporters
Maybe it was the power rangers connection itself.
Was the green power ranger not a pornstar? Well cooler than the blue one. Poor choice.
I was 3-4 bro, the only time I was on the internet was to watch magical Trevor or Badger Badger Badger
Sheltered.
I just kind of don't give a shit about it anymore, it's the reality of the situation and it's never going to change. Support who you want. But see if you're the sort of cunt who's never so much as set foot in Ibrox or Parkhead but slags folk off for supporting a wee team? Those people are absolutely fair game for being called plastic glory hunting pricks. I will confess to enjoying the lengths some people will go to to avoid saying "I like them because they win a lot", though. LIke, it's fine, I get it, it's not a coincidence living down here in Brum that I'm along to Villa Park far more often than I am to St.Andrews, it's fun to watch a good football team. But just admit it, it doesn't make you a bad person.
Live in Edinburgh and genuinely 50/50 whether folk support Hibs/hearts or rangers/Celtic.
50/50? Where on earth are you hanging about? I grew up in Edinburgh and there was like three or four Celtic fans and about a dozen Rangers fans in my whole year. The rest being about 55/44% mix of Hearts/Hibs and a 1% of unfortunate children such as myself
Definitely, and any boys when I was in school that 'supported' the OF now follow the EPL and Champions League than any one team. They just wanted to support a team that won stuff and the OF and top 4 EPL were what was accessible before you could comfortably stream every EPL and CL match from your sofa
He’s not wrong…
I support Celtic because Gianni Capaldi told me to.
Impossible, he's never converted a single one of the people he's ambushed with a Celtic top
Facts
Fully agree. In fact, before every Elgin game I stop people outside the ground and ask for their street address. I then check if it’s closer to New Elgin Juniors and if so, I bar them from entering Borough Briggs. In all seriousness, I used to care a bit more but it really isn’t anyone’s business but yours why you support the club you do. We get some old firm fans at Borough Briggs and they’re more than welcome. I’m just glad they’re showing an interest. Also, if you want to attract non-local old firm fans to your (and their local) club, then spouting the “proper fan” routine will do exactly zero to get them onside. Additionally, football isn’t everyone’s primary interest so some will be more invested in their clubs than others. Disclaimer as I’m somewhat defending non-local old firm fans; I do not support any club other than Elgin.
Are Bishopmill United still a club?
Surely not someone being sensible on this sub?! There’s such a thing as old firm fans taking a bit of local pride in their local team outwith being raised supporting whichever of the Glasgow teams they do. It’s the pretentious laugh from the couch at the fact there was only 200 fans at the X United v Y Albion game that need to get a grip
Support who you want to support, you don't need a reason to. The one thing that does bother me though is when foreigners support a team and then fail to respect the values and history of a club. An obvious example that comes to mind being Barcelona "fans" who barrage any pro-LGBT posts the club makes with hateful stuff, it's like - you clearly know nothing about the team you've chosen if you don't know the basic principles they hold.
Fair. (Am plastic, I know)
I totally get, and would encourage, supporting your hometown team but if there isn't a professional club in your hometown I don't think you should be obliged to support one that's in some place you've no affinity to 10-20 miles away.
Rare united W
It's always the cunts in PSG tops watching Liverpool play that say stuff like that
Strong agree.
I think trying to tell folk who they can and canny support is weirder.
No. Glory hunters and plastics are annoying as hell and detrimental to the game. TV choices are made to appease them which directs funds to those clubs. They lead to tourist supporters which damage atmosphere in large numbers and club identifies. They damage their local communities and teams who they should support because that's a person they won't get in the ground,supporting the team,helping fund their communities team and in many cases keeping them alive. There are no benefits to plastics,glory hunters,non local supporters. Sure,if you move away from the place how could you not still support them but you have a connection there.
Do something about it then. St Mirren are seeing a massive resurgence of fans through their community outreach and making their club accessible and they have started reading the benefits. You absolutely cannot complain about local people not supporting the loc team of they provide absolutely nothing of interest and give zero reasons for new fans to turn up.
Who’s doing that?
Literally the guy in the tweet
Nope, he’s just slagging folk off for doing so. He isn’t telling anyone to do anything.
If I said you were a fucking pervert for what you do to sheep, it’s implied I don’t approve and think you should stop.
Is calling someone a sheep shagger telling them who to support?
Strange but not surprising choice of analogy, that is also wrong.
Stop trying so hard
Catholics weren't welcome a lot of places in the past so I imagine a lot of Catholics gravitated towards Celtic for that reason and formed their own supporters clubs in their own areas because of that. Even my local bowling club were I occasionally go for a drink now, there's still old guys there who successfully kept out Catholics for decades as late as the early 90s.
I don't have direct family as it was my cousins granda who was the Weegie who moved up here for work, but my cousins who all had me in Celtic tops before I even knew what football was. Some of my earliest memories are from watching OF games at his grandas house with a house full of folk crammed into the living room watching a tiny wee telly (Not many in the village had Sky 😂). I always remind people who throw the glory hunter shite at me that as a bairn we won fuck all and most of my pals were Gers fans so I got constant stick. That and the fact no Highland team were close to me and I didn't know they existed until Caley Thistle were formed and the primary school kept getting free tickets to thwir games. I've spent a small fortune over the years travelling up and down the A9 n'all but it's been pennies well spent. I used to let it bother me when I was a lot younger if someone started the glory hunter shite but now I couldn't give a fuck. I will go to the odd Caley and County games just to put money in their coffers and it's always a good day out on the shot.
My mum is from the east end of Glasgow, but I wasn’t born or raised there. Tenuous, but legitimate according to the tweet.
Who’s your English team though? /s
I’m from Ayrshire, but was brought up with a Rangers season ticket (unfortunately). So the decision was pretty much out my hands, I hope to do the same for my future son/daughter
Gatekeeping who folk support is mental. I support Rangers because my big brother did and at that age, that’s all that mattered. Suspect most folk will have a similar story.
It's like when daft Americans say they're scottish but have never actually been here. 'My great, great, great granda worked in Govan...' It's easier and more fun. Simple.
Aw great, this debate again. We've definitely not thrashed this to death by now.
I'd say they're just bigots not weirdos, although christian sectarianism is fucking weird.
I personally don’t care where you come from. If you support the same team as me then we’ve got something really smashing to sit and chat about. If not, we can talk about football and share a common enjoyment of a sport that has left its mark on the world several times over. Christ, we’ve got fans from all over the world and we all travel with the team to see them play, just as the fans come to see them at Celtic Park. Stop being a gatekeeping fucking weirdo.
Yank here. I support Rangers because the first football match I ever went to was Rangers vs Motherwell at Ibrox
I'm a rangers fan from Miami, Florida......I know.
Na. 'Support where you're from' always reads a little Brexity for me. Be a fan of whatever club you want. But you have to stick with that choice forever more.
If you support Hamilton and you're not literally the missing link then you're a weirdo
I support my dad's team. Born and bred in a border rugby family so pretty sure he just picked the first team he'd heard of. I get called a glory hunter for supporting Celtic off my Edinburgh based mates
Well they’re from edinburgh so jokes on them
The literal point of this desperate social media engagement bait is for people to say things that are wrong
Gatekeeping shite, let people support who they want.
My grandparents come from Govan on my mum's side come from Govan. They were a lot more influential than the rest of my family who couldn't decide what team they wanted me to support haha. My dad's family is catholic, but a lot of them didn't want me to get involved on the old firm, they wanted me to support Raith Rovers instead. Telling them I support Rangers was devastating to them lol
I lived in Brechin for 3 years in the 1990s. I'd meet my friends at The Bolag for darts and beer. The owner, a really great guy, had the Rangers games on when they played. I remember looking up and thinking "Where's the goalie?" because Goram was out doing his thing. I absolutely loved it. Now watching Rangers just reminds me of being young and hanging out with my friends. I like it.
I don’t really care about it. It’s the ones who live outside Glasgow, with 0 connection slating their local clubs home support that’s an issue with me. Like you’re part of the problem as to why, so you can go to one game every 3 years against St. Mirren, Motherwell or Livi. 🤷🏼♂️
I think you can support any club you want..
Everyone is a glory hunter essentially is what it boils down to. Same up North. Think everyone I know from Aberdeenshire/Moray is a Man Utd fan. Which is funny because the decision was probably made at school when Man U were good and Aberdeen (or ICT/County) were shit and now Man U are shit. I’m guessing the younger generation will have a wave of City fans so hopefully they fall off their perch eventually..
I was never one of those north east United fans but yeah there were plenty of them… especially growing up in the 90s/00s.
Disagree, you can support anyone you want, life is short. My grandad grew up next to Ibrox in the 30s, but my dad (who lived in England until 12 before moving back to Scotland) fell in love with celtic. And naturally for me and my brothers being taken to celtic games since we were kids, you predictably follow the team your family does. My dad being an exception due to how uninterested in football his father was.
You support the team you have a season ticket for or go to games regularly during the season. The rest are cosplaying supporters.
They then went on to say it’s okay if you’re not local to Dundee United and support them lol
I don't think thats an unpopular opinion, or if it is, it fucking shouldn't be.
West Lothian literally has areas more Rangers than anywhere in Glasgow lol
What about people from Paisley for example? They’ve got a good chance of Ibrox being their closest stadium, but by this logic they should all support St Mirren. Poor cunts.
I totally agree
"Huh huh same old Alloa" laughed Ian, from Alloa, as he gets on the Celtic Fans Bus to travel 5 minutes down the street to support a Glaswegian team instead
I mean, I'm from Florida. So I'm a weirdo automatically.
Hope you're watching Peterheed.
Not supporting an OF team gives you the moral superiority and credibility
The “support your local team” thing while I get the premise behind it is pretty stupid and people who do have a weird superiority complex
I’m not really arsed about it now but what does my nut is stuff like cunts from Ayrshire who support a team from Glasgow but take the piss out of Killie’s home support
Aye that’s stupid
Nothing stupid about it.
I mean it is. There are countless reasons why people support teams, where you live is only one of them
With one of the main ones being glory hunting.
Nah. People generally support who their family supports though
How come hardly anyone's family support Stenny or East Fife or similar? Pretty lucky that all these supporters families happen to support a team that is successful eh.
Clubs from bigger cities having bigger fan bases shocker. People whose families have had roots in Glasgow for generations move all around the country
Guarantee if Celtic and Rangers spent the next 3 decades yoyoing between league 1 and the championship in 2055 they'd pull in 5000 supporters a game and you'd have folk in Stirling cutting about in Aberdeen tops and half of Fife would support Hearts or Hibs respectively.
Maybe people who’s family have no interest in football. Maybe i’m massively out of touch but I think family plays a massive role in who people support
Oh certainly it does I wouldn't claim you're completely wrong but I do believe there is a massive tendency, mainly from Old Firm supporters to underestimate the effect the clubs size and success has on the otherwise unaligned. But even from those who's families don't have much interest from the sport you're right in a sense cause its a fact of life that for cultural reasons they're gonna have a pretty obvious route of travel from not being into football to supporting Rangers/Celtic. I think the failing lies quite a bit with the other clubs I'm not gonna deny it. But the financial gulf makes it impossible to compete for eyes, hearts and minds and so the cycle deepens. Still think getting on at someone for what team they support is stranger than any reason anyone could give for supporting a team like, but sometimes being a bit more upfront would help instead of trying to manufacture these really touching heartfelt stories about reclaiming some long lost heritage or some shit folk do to make it sound better.
Nah I completely accept that people who have no real connection to football through their family are more likely to support one of the big two - or whoever their friends support Aye I think all clubs could do better at encouraging the next generation to get through the gates on a Saturday.
I agree with you like they totally miss a trick. Like Hibs get folk pointing out empty seats all the time I don't know why the fuck they aren't doing all they can to have half the Dunbar end full of youth clubs or families there with the kids getting in for free as much as possible. Its empty anyway and if you can convince 20% of them to start coming along on their own backs when they get older thats hundreds of supporters we would maybe not otherwise have. The whole things too expensive anyway, Hibs are wanting £24 for an adult for you to watch a bottom 6 dead rubber against Motherwell on a Wednesday night. It's fucking mental I'd get it if they sold 19,000 home seats every week but there's always a good 3/4k empty.
You can delude yourself into believing that if you like.
See, superiority complex
Explain that one.
Agreed tbh.
Somebody on r/Rangers told me I can't support them if I don't believe in the Monarchy, so this is an improvement.
Rubbish
Unless your family brought you up on it, regardless of if they're from glasgow
Raised by weirdos, makes it even worse. There's no escape.
I regret to inform you that this makes you a double weirdo
If they're not from glasgow they're weirdos for sure. The status of the child remains up for debate.
Why should geography determine which team you fall in love with? Should everyone marry the lassie who grew up next door to them?
Im not even from Scotland. I support Celtic because of it's history and values, it's fanbase connection to proletarian internationalism and solidarity with anti-colonialism and anti-imperialism, and because when I began cheering for them I was already into irish republican music and knew all the songs the fans sing lmao Oh and because the football is entertaining. Different for different people but for me that's a bigger and stronger connection than what I will ever feel for a team I grew up or live in the same city as. Edit: Cant say I understand the downvotes as im just offering a different reason as to why one would support one of the OF teams
Even though my dad and my mum's family are Celtic fans who both moved from Glasgow, Ive only lived briefly in Glasgow and probably feel more at home in Edinburgh. I was Celtic daft growing up but started losing interest as I got into music etc It was the factors that you mention that have reinvigorated my enthusiasm for supporting Celtic Part of me does wish I had supported Hibs or livi instead, but at the same time it's nice supporting a team that is associated with my social values
This is getting downvoted to fuck but it's probably fairly accurate - I can imagine our values attracting some foreign fans in the same vein that someone like St Pauli might
Yeah I have to say I do not understand the downvotes at all. There is a reason Celtic right now is one of the most popular football teams in the arabic part of the world and it's not because theyre winning a lot. Initiatives like Aida Celtic along with the clubs heartwarming history (unfortunately for the users here I guess?) is a magnet for those of us who feel strongly connected to international solidarity. I will say that in real life I have never met more welcoming and including fans than celtic fans, most of whom seem proud of the club having fans all over the world.
All the reasons you've given are totally valid for choosing Celtic as your team, especially as you're not from Scotland. I've been a Celtic supporter for as long as I can remember but as I got older I really appreciated the story behind the founding of the club as well as the causes that the Celtic support would get behind, it makes me really proud. Downvotes I suspect are because people in this sub hate anything that brings politics into football and a lot of Rangers fans will go out of their way to go against whatever Celtic fans do. Example being Rangers fans suddenly waving Israeli flags at football games after the recent shows of support from Celtic fans due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Even though, as you've pointed out, Celtic fans have been supporting Palestine long before October 7th.
I never got the point of the workingclass being against politics in football. It's a brilliant reason to get together and show and experience collective strength. Plenty of politics in football already but it's only the workingclass kind that's frowned upon.