What is an armchair fan?

quote=Dresilved
Its all about the heart nothing else.

Instead of counting sheep when you go to bed, you think of Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo combining to score a wonder goal occasionally inserting yourself into the picture
Got better things to think about when I go to bed!

When you turn your computer on in the morning you check Man United news before you check your email.
That's it. Then when I get to work. Then every hour or so. Then when I get home (Get a life, boy, I hear). Addicted.

You get truly excited when you meet a complete stranger from Serbia or Argentina or Portugal or whatever and you immediately feel like you have something in common with them.
Don't get excited but the conversation always turns to United.

When all your passwords are anagrams or references in some way to man utd staff.
:D. I like that one. My passwords deal with facts about the B17 steam engine named Manchester united!

When you live on the other side of the world and the match is on at 6am and you have to get up at 5am to walk a mile through freezing snow and wind to see the match at the pub even though its on at home on FSC.
No snow here. Lots of sand though

When you wake up on a crucial champions league day and you get that flutter in your heart before you even get out of bed.
Feel the same for league games too

When you havent seen somebody whos not even a football fan for years and the first words out of their mouth are "so hows Man United doing"
Get winter residents in my store every day saying exactly that.

When you have an exceptionally busy week with absolutely no time to spare all week long and you rearrange your whole schedule to fit the match in.
Have a hard time with this one. After trying to instigate into my staff for punctuality and time off they know that when there's a game I disappear home to catch it on satellite. Gave up lying about it years ago.

If you have even a few of these things, you're not an armchair fan, no matter how far you live or how many games you've been to, its all about the heart and what you feel inside.
Like your descriptions. You got it.
 
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After this forum, soon Glazers might be thinking of building custom made Manchester United armchairs.
 
great thread !

my fiance absolutely thinks i am obsessed with united and cant understand how i plan our weekends so i don't miss our matches ! :confused:

- we went away two weeks ago and i organised the whole thing well i had to as i was going to propose of course a pre requisite was to have satellite so i don't miss the arsenal match.

- getting up at 1AM,3AM,5AM to watch every match during the season is what its all about for me even tho i am on the other side of the world i still support my club!

i don't use a armchair more my comfy leather couch :drool::D
 
If you read what I said, its not where you're from or how you watch United, its what you know about the club and your reasons for following them that matter.

By your own description of your United history you are in no way shape or form an armchair supporter. You're too clued up for that..
Point taken Fred
 
Its all about the heart nothing else.

Instead of counting sheep when you go to bed, you think of Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo combining to score a wonder goal occasionally inserting yourself into the picture

When you turn your computer on in the morning you check Man United news before you check your email.

You get truly excited when you meet a complete stranger from Serbia or Argentina or Portugal or whatever and you immediately feel like you have something in common with them.

When all your passwords are anagrams or references in some way to man utd staff.

When you live on the other side of the world and the match is on at 6am and you have to get up at 5am to walk a mile through freezing snow and wind to see the match at the pub even though its on at home on FSC.

When you wake up on a crucial champions league day and you get that flutter in your heart before you even get out of bed.

When you havent seen somebody whos not even a football fan for years and the first words out of their mouth are "so hows Man United doing"

When you have an exceptionally busy week with absolutely no time to spare all week long and you rearrange your whole schedule to fit the match in.

If you have even a few of these things, you're not an armchair fan, no matter how far you live or how many games you've been to, its all about the heart and what you feel inside.

True. When we have a big CL game, as soon as I wake up I think of nothing else but the game, it's a struggle to get through my boring working day. At this moment, I couldn't afford to go to OT to see any matches so I have to make do with watching it on the TV but I'm hoping next season to get to a match, absolutely :devil:
Yes, it doesn't matter how busy I may be during the week or weekend, I always find time to watch the match if it's on, I just have to I could NEVER miss a match.
 
Its all about the heart nothing else.

Instead of counting sheep when you go to bed, you think of Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo combining to score a wonder goal occasionally inserting yourself into the picture

When you turn your computer on in the morning you check Man United news before you check your email.

You get truly excited when you meet a complete stranger from Serbia or Argentina or Portugal or whatever and you immediately feel like you have something in common with them.

When all your passwords are anagrams or references in some way to man utd staff.

When you live on the other side of the world and the match is on at 6am and you have to get up at 5am to walk a mile through freezing snow and wind to see the match at the pub even though its on at home on FSC.

When you wake up on a crucial champions league day and you get that flutter in your heart before you even get out of bed.

When you havent seen somebody whos not even a football fan for years and the first words out of their mouth are "so hows Man United doing"

When you have an exceptionally busy week with absolutely no time to spare all week long and you rearrange your whole schedule to fit the match in.

If you have even a few of these things, you're not an armchair fan, no matter how far you live or how many games you've been to, its all about the heart and what you feel inside.

you got it spot on..!
 
great thread !

my fiance absolutely thinks i am obsessed with united and cant understand how i plan our weekends so i don't miss our matches ! :confused:

- we went away two weeks ago and i organised the whole thing well i had to as i was going to propose of course a pre requisite was to have satellite so i don't miss the arsenal match.

- getting up at 1AM,3AM,5AM to watch every match during the season is what its all about for me even tho i am on the other side of the world i still support my club!

i don't use a armchair more my comfy leather couch :drool::D

You need a life!
 
  • Is it somebody who has never been in their life?
  • Is it somebody who could go easily but they don't make any effort and then claim it's because they can't get tickets (which is a blatant lie)?
  • Is it somebody who only goes to the odd game here and there?
  • Is it somebody who only goes to a few games a season?
  • Is it all of these things?

I'm just a little confused about it so I need it clearing up.

So getting tickets is easy? I'd like tickets for home match against everton 23/12 or tye Newcastle match in January how do I get them? can you sort me out I need 2 adults and 1 child please
 
So getting tickets is easy? I'd like tickets for home match against everton 23/12 or tye Newcastle match in January how do I get them? can you sort me out I need 2 adults and 1 child please

For £50 a pop you can get seats in the new Quadrants - they're usually on general sale a day or so before the game.

Or if your're e member use Viagogo - 25% touting charge mind.
 
I had one united membership until this year, last year applied for tickets for every home match managed to get tickets for reading match. Having to have one united membership is a rip off so decided this year not to bother.
Incidentally don't be to smug about getting to matches many supporters can't afford it.
 
So getting tickets is easy? I'd like tickets for home match against everton 23/12 or tye Newcastle match in January how do I get them? can you sort me out I need 2 adults and 1 child please

400 quid for a day trip over to this one from ireland.... I'm supposed to be going, but the mate that was meant to be coming might be away in NY... he will no longer be a mate!
 
It's all a pile of sanctimonious bullshit to be fair. It's what you feel in you're heart for the club et al, nothing to do with your post code, whether you can afford it or whether you can make that level of sacrifice to get to a lot of games.

uhuh.

Couldn't agree more. You're always going to have the elitists that truly believe they set the standard though narnar, whether it is a huge club like United or a small league of Ireland club. It's just human nature, sad that it might be
 
I'd agree that it has nothing to do with your postcode.

But I'm sorry, attending matches - if you can afford it - is what a football fan should do. It's about getting in the stands and cheering the lads on - giving them actual vocal support.

The term 'Armchair Fan' is an insult, of course it is. Fans who attend OT, whereever they come from, will always differentiate themselves from those who simply watch the game at home on the TV.
 
I'd agree that it has nothing to do with your postcode.

But I'm sorry, attending matches - if you can afford it - is what a football fan should do. It's about getting in the stands and cheering the lads on - giving them actual vocal support.

The term 'Armchair Fan' is an insult, of course it is. Fans who attend OT, whereever they come from, will always differentiate themselves from those who simply watch the game at home on the TV.

That's it, in a nutshell.

People may have very good reasons why they can't get to many (any) games - e,g. financial, distance to travel, busy job etc. etc. but an armchair fan is, by definition, someone who watches games on TV and it stands to reason that they support their team less than the fans who turn up on match-day.

For most of the reasons above I can only afford to go to a few games each season but for the rest of the time I'm an armchair fan, whether I like it or not.

I don't like to think that I'm somehow less committed than someone who attends every game but I am, no matter which way I dress it up.
 
For most of the reasons above I can only afford to go to a few games each season but for the rest of the time I'm an armchair fan, whether I like it or not.

I don't like to think that I'm somehow less committed than someone who attends every game but I am, no matter which way I dress it up.

Spot on. And I was for most of the years 1993-1997 when I firstly priced out of OT and then couldn't get hold of tickets for more than a handful of games per season. I used to sit in the pub screaming at the telly, but the players couldn't hear me cos I was an armchair fan. :(
 
I had one united membership until this year, last year applied for tickets for every home match managed to get tickets for reading match. Having to have one united membership is a rip off so decided this year not to bother.
Incidentally don't be to smug about getting to matches many supporters can't afford it.

I'm not being smug about it, I'm a student and earn barely any money so I'm in no position to be smug.

My point was about people who can afford to go to a game and get tickets yet claim they can't get hold of them without even bothering to check because they're not really too bothered about going to see the team.

If that makes sense, had a bit too much lager I think :o
 
I had one united membership until this year, last year applied for tickets for every home match managed to get tickets for reading match. Having to have one united membership is a rip off so decided this year not to bother.
Incidentally don't be to smug about getting to matches many supporters can't afford it.

I had a one united membership last year and got loads of tickets buy doing single applications. i went to every home cup game and got about ten league games. All the others I went through Viagogo. The concept of Viagogo is fantastic the way the club abuse it is scandalous
 
Christ I'd fecking love to be able to go to OT every week.. yer a pack of lucky bastards you know that.....

(the oh would leave me though... probably the only downside....)..

This is the first year i'm actually gonna have a chance to get over.. both money & taking the time off work have stopped me up to now.... I just have to get to see Giggs, Neville & Scholes before its too late... the hardest thing is trying to decide which one to try get to...
 
Remember the banner that read

united Kids and wife (how sad is that?)

If that's a "real" supporter give me my armchair any day
 
:nono::nono:

I and my other half lead a busy life BUT i dont think putting aside 2 hours a week to watch my team play is asking too much :devil:

Unless its a Euro week too... then I end up watching midweek, weekend and all the highlights... it quickly becomes an issue.. :D but feck it :lol:
 
you know, now that i think on it a bit more, i think it comes from the profession of psychology, how they used to sit in their armchairs and explain away every action and thought.

thus an armchair fan thinks they understand everything, know what should be done better than the manager or the players, and has endless opinions with no humility.

Speaks volumes of the numerous experts who dish out opinions and explanations at the drop of a hat. Quite a few in this board, too.
 
Remember the banner that read

united Kids and wife (how sad is that?)

If that's a "real" supporter give me my armchair any day

I don't have any kids but as much as I love my gf, she's not as important as United. At the end of the day relationships come and go (50% of marriages end in divorce). But your club is something that should be there for life.
 
I don't have any kids but as much as I love my gf, she's not as important as United. At the end of the day relationships come and go (50% of marriages end in divorce). But your club is something that should be there for life.

Well said ;)

While its not the same thing, i cancelled a trip to prague with the lads a few years back so i could go to the Arse game at OT when we ended their run, probably the most expensive home game i've been too :D
 
My girlfriend gets a bit pissed off at me but she accepts it... its a fact of life... the rule is she's not allowed in the house if there's football on!