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Gents I don't post much certainly don't start many threads. I think I need to vent. Why does it seem to me that it seems not to matter what manor you are from as what team you support. The arsenal love fest has really brought it home to me. Have seen so so many tops now they have won the league. A bit less after Saturday and a bit less gobby. Seen them in east London in south and the worst in the pavilion pub !! Rammed as well. It was always the way with the "I am a Liverpool fan or man u ect but the local area was rangers when i was younger. Now its just every where just and I don't get it. Almost a million arsenal fans they said. Are we as a club doing something wrong (not winning prob) but I think this applies to most of the smaller london clubs. Probably not Liverpool or Manchester. I just don't fathom how you can follow a club that you have no real geographical link to or family history or something other than they have won somethingor they are big. Just choose and support. Do they really support them, like most of you crazy fools that follow this club.? I am sure.it.was.more localised when.i was younger you never had the pavilion full.of arsenal "fans" I mean the shirts look very new. Can someone explain why or if this goes on else where in the country. ? I hope i explain my annoyance and perplexed state. Was the white horse full.of arsenal the tavern ? for information i am QPR of 85 onwards so was spoilt by the early 90s team. Surely this is an issue for the club to try and change and get the local people supporting. Not having a go.at any one who supports from a distance. I.dint make many games nowadays just some with my boys. If we are not pulling in locals what are we doing wrong. I am Ladbroke Grove based for info as area. Who lives the closest and who the furtherest out.of interest.
[Post edited 31 May 21:03]
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 21:43 - May 31 with 8782 views
I'm close - started Westway, then batman Close now Hammersmith. Lived in Suffolk briefly and drove to the games. I know lots of Rs fans have moved out of the area over the years.
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 22:00 - May 31 with 8722 views
Granted it was irritating to see so many Arsenal tops around this weekend. A lot brand new tops too :) Two in my local Supermarket with box fresh tops on as the game was kicking off! Ultimately though I couldn't give a shite. I you see/meet a QPR fan you know they are genuine. I think we're like a family.
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 22:40 - May 31 with 8600 views
Total bollax isn’t it. Seen a ton of them in Ealing and Hanwell.
I don’t usually sport my colours unless I’m playing my terrible level of 5aside but I’ve been sorely tempted. Other teams in London exist FFS!
The woodwork has never been so empty what with all these Arsenal fans appearing from nowhere!!
For context, grew up in Notting Hill, now in West Ealing, my great grandad was a caretaker for the White City estate, both parents West Londoners (Harlesden and Notting Hill)
[Post edited 31 May 23:29]
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 23:32 - May 31 with 8485 views
I was in Hammersmith for the weekend with the missus, as I usually am (she lives there) and they were everywhere- and again at victoria coach station this evening when I was heading back - and half of the coach back to Birmingham had Arsenal tops on too - bizarre! We actually watched the penalties last night with a crowd of Fulham fans through the window of the pub at the edge of Hammersmith bridge and they didn't seem too bothered. Mind you they are a bit wooden - we pass there every match day going for the 72 up to Shepherds Bush and I've always got my R's top or hat on and never had a peep out of them - a bit of banter, or even an occasional insult would be welcome- but nothing.
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 23:55 - May 31 with 8415 views
Yes, definitely seen more since they won the title. However, Arsenal have always had a large reach beyond Islington (and they are a South London team anyway). Obviously, there's the global fanbase too - there was an article on the Guardian website saying how Africa wanted them to win the Champions League.
Let's face it, it's no different to United in the 90s or Liverpool in the 80s. Most of their fans will never see them live and they are most concerned with going in the office on Monday saying 'they've' won against another random team.
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 23:59 - May 31 with 8414 views
I think it's 3 things in addition to what you called out: 1 - more people live as adults away from where they grew up than they used to so you see more "out of town" shirts that maybe genuinely have family/for reasons 2 - it used to be if you want to watch "your teams" games then you had to go to them, , and going was easier if you lived locally. Now, everything is on TV, so you don't need to attend in person and can do so from anywhere. 3 - the younger generation seem to have more attachment to individual players than the generations before. I don't really understand it but it's almost players first, team second. And certainly the best players play for the best teams.
The glory hunting thing is real too, but honestly, I think there was a fair chunk of that even back in the 80s and the reasons above just allowed it to be easier.
If you find it annoying as a QPR fan, imagine how Spurs fans feel! So to answer your question. I live in the west of Ireland about 500 hundred miles from London. I started following QPR aged 12, when we beat Liverpool (my annoying older brother’s team) 2-0 in August 1975 at the start of THAT season - which I thought would be the norm. In the intervening 50 years I have seen us SIX times ‘in the flesh’ and only once at HQ. An insipid 1-1 draw v Oldham in 2003/4 in the third tier. In those 50 years there have been vast swathes of time when I would have known what division they were in but not their league position on a weekly basis. I would have known their headline players, but couldn’t have named the team. Unlike you the early 90’s team would have largely passed me by. I was aware we were doing well, but I started up my own business in ‘90, got married in ‘92, kids came along thereafter, went back to College in early noughties - basically life got in the way,. But they were ALWAYS my team, even when it was largely in the background. Got much more reinvested around the time Warnock became manager and have been pretty much ever since, with Loftforwords playing a huge part over the past 15 years or so. Due to retire in 2 years time, so hopefully will pop over a couple off times a season to see them. I don’t feel ‘less’ of a fan (and I know you haven’t suggested any ‘faraway’ fan is) by not attending matches, but I do have massive respect for those who go to every match especially the metaphorical Grimsby on a Tuesday night in January..
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 02:12 - Jun 1 with 8304 views
Went up by train to the Oval yesterday for a cricket match, and we could not understand why so many wearing Arsenal shirts, especially after losing the champions league final the night before.
Didnt know there was a open top bus parade. But yes London seemed full of Arsenal fans everwhere you went !!!
Most probably Sky Sports fans only, despite living nearby, unlike your good self.
Was in a taxi driving towards Shaftesbury Avenue from Southwark on Saturday evening during the latter part of the second half and the amount of Arsenal shirt wearers walking along the roads or drinking outside pubs was astonishing as if they didn’t know that the CLF was on! And to top it all before getting into the taxi at our hotel I was chatting to another Arsenal shirt wearer at the reception and said that I only wanted his lot to win because of Eze and his reply was ‘I’m actually a Man U supporter’, saying it with a Brummie accent! Ye gods!
Location, Location and glory hunters on 06:34 - Jun 1 by DWQPR
Was in a taxi driving towards Shaftesbury Avenue from Southwark on Saturday evening during the latter part of the second half and the amount of Arsenal shirt wearers walking along the roads or drinking outside pubs was astonishing as if they didn’t know that the CLF was on! And to top it all before getting into the taxi at our hotel I was chatting to another Arsenal shirt wearer at the reception and said that I only wanted his lot to win because of Eze and his reply was ‘I’m actually a Man U supporter’, saying it with a Brummie accent! Ye gods!
Seems like simply buying a shirt is the admission fee to the big party. Now that's over, look out for the glut of Arsenal 'souvenir' shirts on Vinted and elsewhere.
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 08:00 - Jun 1 with 8017 views
When I think of Arsenal, I think of blokes in their 30s and 40s wearing the Arsenal shirt while out shopping with the missus. But on match day when there's a home game for them.
I knew a woman once who went out on a first date and the guy had an Arsenal top on. Unforgivable if you ask me.
Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. He runs like a cheetah, his crosses couldn't be sweeter. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore.
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 08:07 - Jun 1 with 7992 views
It's fair to say Arsenal are the 'biggest' club in London, in terms of fans. I don't really see them as a 'North London' club anymore, they're just a London club.
They are fashionable in a way other clubs aren't. Their kits and collaborations hit the mark with the kids.
Where I live in South East London they are easily the most popular team. They're basically what Palace think they are. The only people who support Palace are the middle class types who have recently moved to the area.
They have a big following from the black community:
I grew up around West and South West London. Always loved QPR and wear my shirt with pride. I see these Arsenal fans as new and different type of football fan. I don't have a great deal in common, but that's fine. I'm more interested in talking to Millwall or Charlton fans in my area. We also got the usual Man Utd, Liverpool and now Citeah fans, plus popular continental teams Real/Barca/Juve/Bayern/PSG, etc. It's fashion more than true football fandom. People enjoy football in different ways, I'm okay with that. Give me 16th place QPR in the Championship any day!
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 08:28 - Jun 1 with 7932 views
It not just arsenal as a dislike, even though they have captured my youngest due to his mother's family piling in mostly armchairs (used to go when affordable and tickets were easier to get) it more why dont these Johnny come lately,s support say Charlton or Leyton orient or West ham or Millwall or even QPR. The point of when you see a QPR fan its a instant link to chat i get but what is the draw to sudo support a team. ? Either way the pavilion would never have been full of arsenal fans back in the day. I think it seem s to be a london thing cant see it going on else where ?
[Post edited 1 Jun 15:02]
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 08:33 - Jun 1 with 7902 views
My family are all from Acton and we have a long family tie with QPR. We moved out to Bucks in the late seventies but the family tradition continues and our family continue going with season tickets (albeit reduced because kids now doing other stuff) just about to be purchased again for next season.
Interestingly a lot of families moved out of West London in the Seventies and Eighties and there is a big QPR following from our area of South Bucks. However there is also a big following of other London clubs Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea (although very few of them go to games) but also very few support the most local team Wycombe Wanderers.
I think we have done well to slowly increase our support over the last few years and because top flight football is so expensive we have benefited from being able to hoover up the local youth (18 - 26 year olds) who may have gone on to support bigger clubs otherwise.
Don't forget we still hold the record for the largest ever Play Off final attendance at Wembley and we had over 46,000 there that day.
So we are out there in numbers but are we the smallest big club or the biggest small club???? Answers on a postcard!!
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 08:43 - Jun 1 with 7870 views
People have always gravitated to successful clubs. In the early 60s it was Spurs, then Man U and Liverpool, now Man C and Arsenal. And if you think its a UK thing, you're mistaken. PSG, Real Madrid and Barcelona have "fans" all around the world.
Its not the same as going to see your local club and never will be. 80%+ of those fans couldn't find their way to the Emirates or Etihad.
Does it really affect us? Not IMO. If we were successful would we attract even more fans? Probably. In those circumstances look at our possible catchment area - north of the A4/M4, west of the Edgware Road.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one's lifetime." (Mark Twain)
Find me on twitter @derbyhoop and now on Bluesky
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 08:51 - Jun 1 with 7837 views
I see far too many kids wearing PSG tops now. In fact, there's a PSG club shop around Leicester Square.
That's just a lack of character.
My best mate is a staunch Palace fan and so is his son, that was non-negotiable even though the kid was growing up in Cheam which is basically Chelsea c(o)untry now.
If I had a kid and they were like 'Dad, I now support PSG' I'd be like 'Great! You now also support yourself financially, you little c*nt.'
Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. He runs like a cheetah, his crosses couldn't be sweeter. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore.
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 08:56 - Jun 1 with 7815 views
With Arsenal, they were by far the most successful club in London until Abramovich turned up, and the Victoria and Piccadilly lines mean it's always been a pretty straight forward journey for a decent chunk of South and West London, as well as North London. I've known quite a few Arsenal fans from South London who supported Arsenal because of Rocastle, Davis, and Thomas, and then Ian Wright.
Fulham FC: It's the taking part that counts
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 09:30 - Jun 1 with 7720 views
Location, Location and glory hunters on 08:51 - Jun 1 by Bluce_Ree
I see far too many kids wearing PSG tops now. In fact, there's a PSG club shop around Leicester Square.
That's just a lack of character.
My best mate is a staunch Palace fan and so is his son, that was non-negotiable even though the kid was growing up in Cheam which is basically Chelsea c(o)untry now.
If I had a kid and they were like 'Dad, I now support PSG' I'd be like 'Great! You now also support yourself financially, you little c*nt.'
Yes, I remember seeing that PSG shop for the first time and feeling sad. They epitomise the modern superclub, having only been founded in 1970.
I still supported them on Saturday though!
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 10:07 - Jun 1 with 7641 views
Location, Location and glory hunters on 08:51 - Jun 1 by Bluce_Ree
I see far too many kids wearing PSG tops now. In fact, there's a PSG club shop around Leicester Square.
That's just a lack of character.
My best mate is a staunch Palace fan and so is his son, that was non-negotiable even though the kid was growing up in Cheam which is basically Chelsea c(o)untry now.
If I had a kid and they were like 'Dad, I now support PSG' I'd be like 'Great! You now also support yourself financially, you little c*nt.'
That reminds me of the time I did ‘reading help’ in a school in Peckham (pre-Covid). I was struggling to engage with a rather boisterous 8-year-old so asked him if he supported any particular football team. “Ch*lsea”, was the disappointing reply.
Nevertheless I went along with this and brought in a number of QPR v Ch*lsea programmes from my collection. As he seemed happy reading the match reports, readers’ letters etc I repeated the process the following week but this time he wasn’t quite so keen.
“What’s the matter?”, I said. “Don’t support Ch*elsea any more”. “Oh, who do you support now?” “Arsenal”.
So, the following week I brought along my QPR v Arsenal programmes. We seemed to be making progress of some sort but a few days later a new problem had arisen: his allegiance was now with Manchester United.
Then Covid shut the schools down and I never saw the lad again. I do wonder what happened to him and who he might support now.
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 10:13 - Jun 1 with 7605 views
A lot of football fans don't have the chance to pick a local EFL/Premier club as they were brought up & live in the small market towns (or surrounding villages). Most of those have an affinity to their local non league team, but have a professional team they "follow" as well. This particularly applies to the Home Counties as they have many London clubs to consider.
How that team is selected is open to discussion, but is often determined by their parents or which club is doing well at the time of their choosing. My experience is that many stick with that club for life, irrespective of whether they see "live" games.
As a boy in Chesham in the 1960's, I would say that Tottenham were the most popular, but the Met Line trains to Baker Street on a Saturday carried supporters of at least 7 London clubs, plus Manure & Liverpool when they were playing in the capital.
When I moved from the town in 1974, Queens Park Rangers had moved up the list & I'm told that during the 80's & 90's were the most popular club. I doubt that many have joined our bandwagon since the relegation of 1996 though!
You don't always know which club a child refers to as their club by the football shirt they wear. Quite a few have shirt collections of multiple clubs, as they are football addicts & like the kit, but many of those kits are for various European cubs.
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Location, Location and glory hunters on 10:27 - Jun 1 with 7542 views
Came into the office today (Kings Cross station area) and loads of people in Arsenal shirts all with travel cases. Why would they need travel cases if they're supporting their local team.........
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