The Art of Fanfare

The Fan is not a difficult creature to find in the wild, if you know where to look. They gather on a weekly basis, in herds of many thousand, depending on the species, on cold, barren stone which flanks large grassy areas. Though the Fan comes to these areas in order to get away from the monotony of day-to-day life, these occasion can often turn to verbal barrages, to determine the better species. It is not clear whether these duels are carried out to attract a mate, or simply the result of heavy intoxication, but one thing is for sure; the life of a Fan can be an arduous ordeal at times.

I struggle with loyalty. Growing up, I found it difficult to affiliate myself with one particular club for the long haul, and went through stages of supporting teams, some for a few years, some for around a week. I have a friend, a Liverpool supporter, who will not listen to anyone who cannot sing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' from its first syllable through to it's last. I could never be that biased, and as a Sports Journalist, I hope it serves me well.

I'll admit, in my youth I was something of a glory hunter in terms of the teams I supported. First there was Liverpool, then Manchester United, then for a short time, Real Madrid. I often went to see Colchester United play at the old Layer Road ground, but I never struck up a connection in the same way that I had with teams I would probably never see grace the field in person. More recently, I had an affinity towards Arsenal, before turning my back on glory for good to avidly support nearby Ipswich Town... For about a year. Nowadays, I live a nomadic life, not pledging my allegiances to any one team, more enjoying the beauty of the game, the technicalities of its participants, and the excitement of any given Saturday. Although secretly, I'm a bit of a Barcelona fan.

Oh, I can't help it. For me, supporting a team is boring. I won't deny that when a team is winning, they become more attractive to me, but its more than that. It is the way the game is played. I only became interested in Barca after Pep Guardiola transformed them into the passing powerhouse that they are today. Arsenal were, and still are to a lesser extent, the best passing team in England when I glued my eyes to the TV screen to watch them play. Real Madrid had Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Guti and for some strange reason, Steve McManaman when they caught my eye. Every team that I concluded would be my new club had a certain X Factor, a je ne sais quoi if you will. But now, I roam the world detached. I pledge my allegiance to football, not a football club.

From way up here in Row Z, thanks for reading