Like any outsider looking in, it is hard not to be more than a little envious of the Premiership.
The wealth, the glamour, the constant adoration—it all looks like a rather enjoyable party, one you would not want to miss. As a fan of a lowly Championship side, however, it is exactly that nightmare I have had to face most of my life.
As a result, it was perhaps inevitable that my jealousy would spill over to the many fans of clubs in England’s top league. After all, they get to see the team on TV every week, hear about the latest club news every hour of every day, and enjoy the anticipation of that next big-money signing until their heart’s content.
I, on the other hand, have to trawl the web in search of a story about my team, do a jig of delight when their name makes it into the paper, and think £20 000 is big money for any player (which, to be fair, it is in this current financial climate).
What makes it worse, almost painfully so, is that I have savoured the Premiership experience on more than one occasion. I am familiar with that sweet taste of success, I have lived and breathed it.
But if a Crystal Palace fan knows anything, it is that the good times never last.
For, as fleeting as that moment in the spotlight lasts, it really is enjoyable. The constant attention, the high-profile signings (Nicola Ventola? Unbelievable!), and undeserved put-downs from Alan Hansen all make for an exciting year.
The inevitable relegation, however, does manage to put a real downer on things. You feel like a recently eliminated X Factor contestant—what is there to live for now?
Championship sides seemingly have very little going for them—the rest of the world only care about them when the Playoff final rolls around, after all.
The adage about a trip to The Valley not being quite the same as a visit to Villa Park is—like all over-used clichés—based on more than a little truth. And, perhaps most damningly, the majority of games still kick-off at 3pm on a Saturday.
I mean, what self-respecting team does that anymore?!
I still loved it though, don’t get me wrong. I embraced the atmosphere, I saw its own unique charms. I thought the Championship was where the real work was done, where good honest professionals went out and gave it all for their club.
Let the big boys have the glamour and wealth—we had real football.
However, after the unfortunate events of the summer, where Tottenham ruthlessly stole the prodigiously talented John Bostock away from us, I really began to reconsider my beliefs.
After investing a fortune in our much-vaunted youth system, Premiership clubs were now coming in and taking our greatest prospects—for a fraction of their potential wealth.
- B/R Ticket Guide
It didn’t seem fair.
I had followed Bostock’s career since he was 13, felt the anticipating build as he neared the first-team. And just as he began to reach that milestone, he packed his bags and headed across to the supposedly greener pastures of North London.
Now he sits in Spurs’ “development” squad, years away from unleashing his formidable talent on the Premiership. And, worst of all, most Spurs fans won’t even give him a moment’s thought until he does.
Maybe that is the real difference between the fans of the Premiership, and everyone else. For the Chelsea fans, the West Ham fans, the Portsmouth fans—it is all too often about the here and now. Who should be dropped next week? Who should be bought to improve this season’s fortunes? Who is to blame for the current problems?
If a youth-teamer is released, no one bats an eyelid. If a successful former player returns to the club, he is routinely booed. Now is all that matters.
For Palace fans, it is the complete opposite. A former player is never forgotten. We salute our big name players as they head on to bigger and better things (I remember crying myself to sleep when Gareth Southgate missed that penalty in Euro ’96, and still follow his managerial work at Middlesbrough) but we also remember those players that never made it to the top level.
Mention the name Teerathep Winothai to any Palace fans—odds are they will remember him. He never played a game for the club.
In the lower leagues, this is the subtly different dynamic. The present is important—but equally so is the future. Current on-the-pitch troubles will always be the primary concern, but fans are constantly looking further down the road. Most fans know all about the young players coming through, and take comfort in their development.
For a Premiership fan, everything is so immediate, so throwaway. It is not necessarily their fault—after all, much of it is encouraged by the constant inundation of news updates and analysis. When the Eagles were soaring in the Premiership, I fell under the same spell.
But the fact remains, for any stable Premiership club, one week’s problems are next week’s chip paper. A Saturday defeat is mourned for the rest of the weekend—and maybe Monday as well—before being boxed up and thrown away, wiping the slate clean in time for that crunch midweek game.
In the age of Sky, every Sunday is a Super Sunday.
In the lower leagues, however, support is one long, constantly evolving battle. While the results are far from inconsequential, they are taken with far less emotion than those watching their sides on Match of the Day. Whatever happens on the pitch, there are always positives and negatives to be talked over in the pub afterwards.
Just as it is a different type of football, it’s a different type of supporting. Lower league fans are all about the journey, as much as the destination. After all, there are no guarantees it will ever be reached.
For many Premiership teams, however, they are already at their destination. As a result, the emotions are more immediate, the highs and lows more instant. Inevitably, the approach is more short-term.
This is what I was jealous of—the instant pay-off. It was like they were watching a blockbuster film every week, while I was continuing to plod through my never-ending soap story.
And yes, on the outside that does appear to be the case. I don’t think lower-league fans live week-to-week, or even month-to-month, but year-to-year. The moments of real drama are fairly infrequent.
But this is not necessarily a bad thing. The years of mediocrity, disappointment, and adversity only serve to make those moments more dramatic, more meaningful.
I will never forget weeping like a baby during Palace’s relegation-defining match against Stockport County in 2001, and the unmitigated relief I felt when Dougie Freedman scored in injury time to keep us up.
But that moment caries so much more poignancy when I remember all that surrounded that season—indeed everything that had occurred since our relegation from the Premiership in 1998. That moment at Edgeley Park was the culmination of three years of trials and tribulations.
So, I’ll continue to savour the journey, and worry about the destination if and when we get there. I’ll enjoy those blockbuster moments when they come—Playoff drama, the big cupsets against Premiership opposition—but now I don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.
I’m no longer jealous of those enjoying the Premiership lifestyle, I simply appreciate the experience I am given. I’ll live for those little moments—like when home-grown Victor Moses scored that goal against Watford.
Not necessarily in the same league as seeing your team beat Man Utd on Sunday afternoon—but it will do for me.
To many it might appear to be less fun—but who said supporting a football team should be about having fun?
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about 1 month ago
Great article Alex. Being a supporter to a smaller club myself, I understand exactly how you feel. Incidentally, I have heard of Teerathep Winothai before, but only because he's coming to Lierse SK in Belgium. POTD for me.
from about 1 month ago
Good knowledge, Guido. Somehow I thought you might have known that name. I am beginning to wonder if there is any player in the world you don't know about...
about 1 month ago
Great stuff again Alex. I thought the most gut wrenching thing for you and all Palace supporters was losing Clinton Morrison yet again :-)
I agree with alot of what you say. As you know I'm a proud Gooner and I'm quite happy to let Wenger work his magic and I yearn for the day that it'll work, don't all football lovers? I despise Mourinho and his boring tactics attitude and bought trophies. Not for all the tea in China whould I swap Wenger and his purist attitude for any other manager in the world.
Besides winning year in and out can get boring, if Arsenal win the EPL this year it'll be the best yet.
My own home club, Limerick 37 attract about 400 fans a week but its great fun, thats Ireland second division for you. Won 2-1 last night so they did :-)
from about 1 month ago
Ha, Morrison - the most Irish Ireland international since Tony Cascarino...
Nice to hear about Limerick 37 (what does the 37 mean?!), it sounds similar to when I go and watch Maidstone United. Barely have a stand to sit in, and sell replica shirts inside a garden shed. Classic...
from about 1 month ago
ha ha poor old Clinton, I guess Jamaica was too far away to play internationals, Rep. Ireland tried to get Marlon King too, whole load of Granny rule bending there.
The 37 in Limerick's name refers to the year it was founded (1937). The original club Limerick FC didn't get a license in 2006 so the club was sold and repackaged but couldn't use the name Limerick FC so used Limerick 37 instead. It is going to revert back to Limerick FC again next season.
Yeah the ground (Jackman Park) is pretty bad, particularly if you compare it to where Limerick's Hurling and Gaelic Football team play (shows you where the money goes in Irish sport). Actually Jackman Park sounds an awful like Maidstone United.
HOWEVER, things are on the up it seems. Jack McCarthy the new owner has forked out €2million for new training facilities, and a big fundraiser dinner is being held later this month with Giovanni Trapattoni and talks are on with Sunderland to play a friendly next year.
Oh and one final thing before I bore you, a certain Sam Allardyce used to be a player/manager with Limerick FC :-)
from about 1 month ago
the mighty maidstone united. if they win in their fa cup 4th round qualifier, apparently they could be the facing the gills. maidstone away, what a great game that would be!
about 1 month ago
It doesn't get better than supporting your hometown team like Palace (who did us over 1-0) or Yoosof Farah's Gillingham or my Charlton! It's time we got a well deserved mention and the highs and lows of lower leauge football are still interesting to watch and follow. Nicley written!
about 1 month ago
great article alex. me, you and miles support real football teams. for me, lower league football is the best. although not at the valley, there is never atmosphere there. any game at the valley is crap (no offence miles). they may play some good football, but there's no atmosphere. i've been to the valley a countless amount of times, and not once have i ever heard the charlton fans sing! come to priestfield however, and the atmosphere is intense. the 'pikey army' in the rainham end really know how to get behind their team. they also know of a great way to reduce visiting players to tears!
from about 1 month ago
Ha, yeah, did you read some of those comments attributed to that Dubai group looking to buy Charlton? I was wondering which club they had been watching! They even said they had good fans (although they also alluded to the fact they are going to try and steal all football fans in North Kent)!
from about 1 month ago
yeah they obviously don't know a lot about charlton then. if only charlton where based a bit more in london, then they wouldn't be stealing our fans all the time!!
about 1 month ago
Loved this article, Alex. I wish soccer on this side of the pond allowed for the same connection to small clubs as you feel. The system just isn't developed enough for everybody to have a club close by, so we're forced to adopt. News of small clubs from Europe has a hard time trickling through the wave of news from Real Madrid, Manchester United, Juventus, et al.
Here's a story you may enjoy though: I went to a bar in Orlando wearing an Arsenal shirt and the barkeep called me a bastard for supporting a big club. His team? Wigan. His wife's team? Exeter.
from about 1 month ago
Ha, cracking stuff. That could hardly be more random!
I know what you mean about only hearing about the big teams - after all, over here we never hear about the smaller teams in the NFL - it is always Cowboys, Packers, Giants, Dolphins, and Patriots. Nightmare.
about 1 month ago
Fantastic article Alex. I was lucky enough to be born 3 miles from one of the biggest club's in the world but if i hadn't been I like to tell myself I would've been like you and stuck with someone else whether they were sucessful or not. I'll never know if its true but I've got total respect for you. Great article. Keep up the good work.
from about 1 month ago
I am sure you would Anthony. I sometimes feel sorry for guys like you - you have a genuine reason to support United, but often get tarred with the same brush as the legions of 'glory hunters' that also support the team.
about 1 month ago
cool article, enjoyable read.
about 1 month ago
Nice job. I enjoyed reading about the lower soccer teams' fans viewpoint.
about 1 month ago
Fantastic article! Who knows? You might support a Crystal Palace in the EPL soon!
Of course, it's difficult for people from outside England to support clubs such as these because we've never heard of them at the time! By the time we hear of them, it's just too late!
from about 1 month ago
You never know Shyam, you never know.
Yeah, I understand that. I think Crystal Palace have a few fans in China, after we signed Sun Jihai and Fan Zhiyi, great players in there time. This article was by no means an insult to fans who support Premiership clubs!
about 1 month ago
As an American, supporting a team in a division under the Premier league is like living in a town or city with a minor league baseball team. Anytime my family and I go on vacation in the states we hit as many minor league games as we can. The atmosphere is just different. It is still the game I love played at a high level. Of course not the best players in the world but many players that still have that dream of playing in the big leagues. Also you get some players who are in their 30's and have never made it to the Majors, but they keep on playing because they love it. You get to be closer to the game, everything costs less and you still have a great time. We've seen the Birmingham Biscuits, Round Rock Express, Corpus Christi Hooks, Tennessee Smokies, Mobile Bay Bears to name a few.
I was born near Houston, Texas so I love my BIG teams like the Houston Texans, Houston Rockets, Houston Astros and since 2006 Houston Dynamo of MLS. I do know that if I grew up or lived in a town with a minor league team or a USL soccer team, I would be a fervent supporter of them and love them the same.
Someday when I finally make it to England I want to catch my favorite Premier league team Everton, but I'd also like to see a Championship game and one from the lower leagues also. So I can see the passion that people have for their clubs at each local level.
Now can you do something about Everton and their horrible start to this season...ha.
about 1 month ago
Great article mate, im a Colchester United fan, and im a great fan of the lower leagues,
about 1 month ago
I WAS a lower league fan, but Hull only went and got promoed to the Premiership. I'm sure they were in Old Division 3 8 years ago. Being bad was the whole appeal when I was 8 :)
about 1 month ago
Interesting read, Alex, but hard done on mentioning Portsmouth supporters the way you do; it makes me wonder just how much you actually know about our club.
We're a club DEEPLY connected with our history and of players past, so to say we're more concerned about who to buy or blame for bad performances isn't very fair. Up until last year, Portsmouth fans wouldn't shut up about how we were "doomed" to never get very far in the FA Cup since a certain tie against Liverpool in 1992 (!) that no Portsmouth supporter would DARE forget. And how we were cheated by a diving Robert Pires in Arsenal's "invincibles" season when we SHOULD have won, if not for the penalty. I can go on and on and on. Name's like Paul Merson, "Gentleman" Jim Dickinson, the Croatian magician Robert Prosinecki, Darren Anderton, and so many other players are incredibly important to us. ANY Portsmouth supporter who has been following the club for at least a bit can tell you all about players like these and the role they played for us. And the amazing thing, Alex? That means that almost EVERY supporter can do it, because we really don't have many of the "fair weather" supporters; our club has NEVER been considered "fashionable" like a Chelsea, or an Arsenal, or others.
As for players who were important to us and have since departed, as long as they haven't had a stint at Southampton, they almost always get applause at Fratton Park. Especially the likes of Arjan De Zeeuw, Yakubu, Matty Taylor, Gary O'Neil, Teddy Sheringham, and several others (in truth, many of our players don't end up being sold to Premier League opposition, so there aren't too many). And of course, we tend to always show our respect for them by letting them put one in our net. :-( And those players who have disrespected our club and our servants over the years - such as El Hadji Diouf (the spitting incident), Ben Thatcher (the Mendes incident), Robert Pires (the above mentioned diving incident), etc. are all roundly booed by the Pompey faithful any time they appear.
I was one of those supporters who experienced our times in the lower leagues (though certainly for not as long as MANY others). We know our history of near administration on MULTIPLE occasions, having been the best team in England for a decade to then dropping into the lowest tier of English football. And we appreciate the money and support we've had from owners that have truly have cared about our club (Milan Mandaric and now, Sacha Gaydamak).
Our academy system is new, but I look forward to the possibility of some young talent breaking its way into our squad. Because thats the way to make a club sustainable and profitable in this age of massive debt for clubs in the top leagues of the world and with the credit crunch the global economy faces. It won't happen right away for us, but I gurantee that is the goal of Gaydamak, Storrie, and the rest of the board at Pompey. And I look forward to it.
Good article overall Alex, but hard done. Can't help but feel you might have thrown a mention of us in there to bait me into this, though. ;-)
from about 1 month ago
Ha, I wish I could claim I mentioned Pompey to bait you Ryan - but unfortunately I didn't!
My initial reaction after reading your comment was, 'but I never mentioned Portsmouth!' However, it is obviously rather clear that I did mention your club. I think it must have been a moment of absent-mindedness, as I do respect the down-to-earth nature of the football club.
They are unlike many other Premiership teams, in that they are well aware of their heritage. Having said that, it also wasn't so long ago that they were a lower league club too - perhaps that is why they are more aware of everything surrounding the 'now', along with all the other aspects you mention.
I apologise for any offence I caused you, it wasn't intended.
Having said all that, would you disagree if I suggested that, since getting to the Premiership, the mentality of Portsmouth supporters has changed slightly?
from about 1 month ago
No offense taken at all, Alex, just felt I should give my retort. :-)
As for the mentality of Portsmouth supporters changing, I don't think the vast majority of supporters have changed, to be honest. Because at the heart, regardless of the recent FA Cup success, the vast majority of Portsmouth supporters are residents of the city and the immediatly surrounding area, or are supporters with these strong ties to the city that are now in exile (as I wrote in my latest article). In the end, almost every Pompey supporter you will meet has been supporting the team for quite a while, and has a significant link to the city. It is certainly my case, having lived there.
I do agree, however, that perhaps we still have so much perspective because we haven't been in the Premiership for very long, but I believe more than anything, it has to do with the history of the club and the city. Portsmouth has never been considered "fashionable," the vast majority of the residents of the city and its supporters are your traditional "blue collar" workers with immense perspective.
While I would agree that there is a small group of supporters who may have changed their perspective some, they are still the minority. While many complained about how we were thumped by Chelsea at the beginning, it was mostly the performance that was concerning (as I wrote about with us against Man City), and NOT that we EXPECT to beat a team like Chelsea.
So, while a little has changed at Portsmouth, Alex....little has changed, if you can understand.
about 1 month ago
Alex,
Nice article, and as a US-based Portsmouth fan (since February 2004) I was going to question your inclusion of Portsmouth. Ryan (see above) beat me to it. I will just say that for myself, I will never get jaded w/ Portsmouth status as a Premier League club.
-billmapguy
about 1 month ago
Quality piece Alex, Premier League dominates everything so massively it's frustrating sometimes.
The Championship is a much more open league - almost anyone can go on a run and find themselves in the play-offs or promotion spots. Palace had such a surge last year if I recall correctly? Though I must admit, as a Brighton lad, the Bristol City second leg last year was a joyous occasion for me....Schadenfreude indeed.
Anyways, on a brighter note, in your opinion just how good are Scannell, Moses and Hills? Will they be snapped up soon or are they going to stick around a bit longer than 'life long Palace fan' Bostock??
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Matt, and I'll do my best to ignore your Brighton jibes...
I think all three players you mentioned will go to be solid professional players - I especially think Moses has the talent to be a top Premiership player one day. He really has all the attributes, although I am not convinced they can be fully nutured under Warnock.
As for Scannell, he also has a lot of talent. I think he has less natural ability than Moses, but that still makes him better than 90% of youngsters around these days. If he really works hard at his game, he could become a decent Premiership player.
Hills looks mature beyond his years, and looks destined to become a solid professional. Rumours have it that Portsmouth are interested in him - I could see him being a perfect complement to Glen Johnson at left-back, in a couple of years.
Hopefully all of them will stick around a bit longer than Bostock, but you never know!
about 1 month ago
Good article Alex,
As if being a Palace fan wasn't hard enough, now you've Neil Warnock to cope with too!
Sean Scanlan looks like he could be good in the future, and I'm sorry to say my Spurs took Bostock from you for next to nothing. He's better than Zokora! Why he isn't in the squad is beyond me.
Great stuff.
from about 1 month ago
If Bostock doesn't get a full England cap, I will be extremely surprised. Don't think Scannell or Moses are quite on his level, but I definitely reckon they have the ability to be Premiership footballers in the future.
As for Warnock, well, to be fair he has done well to win over the fans. I think he is like Robbie Savage - you only love him when he is playing for your team!
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