Football Clubs - Our Fellow Passengers

We apologise for the gap in between our first post and the second one. Damn international breaks!!

One of the things that a football fan does not look forward to is an international break. Yes, we can still watch international friendlies and world cup qualifiers, but it is just not the same, is it? So what is it that makes club football so endearing and country football not so much when it is the same beautiful game played by a different but familiar set of players?

This article may not be applicable to everyone, since I am an Indian and my day doesn't really get better or worse based on the results of the Indian National Team (no offence, but we have to suck up to reality), therefore, I am fairly biased towards club football.

Mixed Feelings!

Club football beats the international scene for many simply because it is much more exhilarating. While the quality of club football is undoubtedly better due to better understanding between the players resulting from playing together for almost the whole year, there is also that unquantifiable and inexplicable element about club football that simply puts it above the international scene for football lovers. So, here is my feeble attempt to put that element in words.

Remember when you had just started watching football and you were yet to pin your loyalty to a club? Most likely, you would have seen your club scoring a couple of goals resulting from some delightful interplay, or a couple of dominating performances in a string of matches and slowly but surely you begin to fall in love, track their matches, their opponents, predict the full-time scores and before long, you are playing spitball with the fans of your rival club. :D

Or one other way would be to just look at the league table and select the top club - a much simpler way. :P

Of course this may not apply to people in countries like say, England or Spain, where your club membership card may be getting processed even before you were born. ;)



Through the highs and lows!

Anyway, what I am trying to say is after making that choice, we stick with the club through the good and bad times, revel in the victories and trophy triumphs, encourage the team when they are lying low, boo them when they are indifferent to our support, utter obscenities at a misplaced pass or a miscued shot and what not, every match, every weekend, every month, every year.

In short - it is like a journey that we embark upon with the club for years to come!! :)

For me, this is why a club is so close to our hearts. It not only makes us go rapturous and ecastatic at times, go down in despair and anguish in others, but it stands as something to reflect upon when we look back in the future - lots of memories, sweet and bitter!

And hey, there is also that Premier League Fantasy which is the most visited page on our browsers in the weekend! ;)