You think the allegiance to a football team defines a group's attitudes?
Well it actually does especially in the case of liverpool fans. Keeping in mind the rivalry the clubs have.
my dad supported United in the George Best era. I have one uncle who supports Leeds from the same generation..and then the younger uncles who were mad Liverpool fans. They all raised their kids to be liverpool fans and likewise my dad talked me into supporting United even though he wasn't a die hard fan by any means.
Best bit is, I started supporting them in 92 because by that point I was a 7 yr old kid who loved my football, had been asked this by my uncles, but decided United having never really watched them play on TV either. Convenient for me that they became the most successful team at exactly that point. I knew nothing of the history either. My friends just happened to all support Liverpool and jumped on this point immediately. So when we played football they'd always play up, throw insults...trash talk about United.
I made another friend on my street who was like me, a United fan. Had all the posters, t-shirts etc. Suddenly before the 96 final he was wearing the green/white liverpool shirt.........and his immediate response to my surprised look was "LIVERPOOL ARE WAY BETTER, WE'VE WON MORE TROPHIES, WE HAVE BETTER PLAYERS, WATCH WHAT HAPPENS!!!"
the next time they came out in full force, it was a different set of mates in high school and Arsenal had just won the league. I honestly wasnt a die hard fan, but the constant remarks from all my liverpool supporting mates got me more into football. Even better that we followed up that season by winning the Treble.
Thing is nothing changed. Those same mates from primary, high school, they all came out in full force in recent years on facebook. I know other guys through work who are the same..and finally seeing the back and forth between redcafe and rawk forum cemented the fact that they really are the most deluded annoying fans in football.
i have a mate who's a die hard Leeds fan. Another from Moston who supports City..they'd make little comments but never in that dipper way.