Can an Arsenal fan switch to Man U?

[Char2na]

I am going to get hell for this but hear me out. So Ive been an arsenal fan since the mid ninetys when they aquired one of my all time favorite players from Ajax Dennis Bergkamp. Loved Axaj but was looking for an EPL team to follow. I also liked Marc Overmas, Kanu and some other ajax guys that came over. What a great team to follow, that team led by Bergkamp had a great chemistry that was really fun to watch. I also liked David Seaman quite a bit.

Which leads me to the delema. Ive been a goal keeper my whole life and have been frusterated the past few years with Arsenal for sticking with Jens Lehman for so long. Sure the guy is good, but to me being a terrible sportsmen (dirty, whiney) and making stupid mistake constantly is unforgivable. Anyway, I know he is gone now, but Ive struggled to connect with Almunia (probably due to the fact that hes switched back and forth with lehman the last few years.

Now to Man U. My absolute favorite player of all time Edwin Van der Sar. I almost cried when he went there. So my hate for Man U dwindled over the last couple years watching Van der Sar do what he does best. Furthermore, while i hated guys like Rooney for his antics as a gunners fan, he ronaldo and tevez (never liked him either) had a really fun chemistry to watch. Ive started to appreciate them a bit and even get a kick out of some of the antics. That and Ronaldo is not only amazing, but like brett favre, he really looks like hes having fun out there. (ha, had to say it)

What is a man to do? When Johnney Damon went to the yanks I had little trouble letting go. Same thing with Vinitari. But this football is different. Arsenal is a completely differnt team and with such a large turnover rate the last couple years has been tough to follow. I do like some of the younger guys there (fabergas, van percy). So do I ride out another season and hope Van Der Sar retires? I can't root against the guy. Am I a terrible person for ever even considering a switch?

 

[PJM]

Some relationships just don't work out. It's not you, it's Arsenal. Anyway it sounds more like you were a Bergkamp fan than a real Gooner. I used to think I was a Spurs fan but then I saw Barcelona in the early 1990s (Cruyff's great Dream Team of 1991-94) - even when they declined I couldn't stop watching. Spurs are still a nice team but I easily lose interest in them. That just doesn't happen if you are a real fan.

So I say cheer for whoever you like, for any reason you want. You may not be a hardcore fan but as long as you don't pretend to be it doesn't matter.

You might want to look out for the fact that Man Utd are likely to change soon; Van De Saar will leave this year or next, Ronaldo will most likely go at the end of the season and Ferguson will go in the next few years. The hardcore fans will stay in there even if the team is terrible (ask some of the Liverpool fans on the board about Graham Souness) but you shouldn't feel you have to.

 

[Char2na]

Yeah, it looks as though its van der sars last one. Now that Lehman is gone I can take a clearer look at my team and decide. Durring his stint of driving me nuts I took a look at liverpool as well. I like torres, hes fun to watch.

Basically imagine brady gets hurt and they bring in somebody you hate to replace him (payton manning perhaps). Then the rest of your favorite players dissapear and every other week you watch theyve got new players on the field. Id never give up on the pats (parents born and raised in foxborough) but in this case Ive never even been to london.

Well see in the next couple weeks if ill be auditioning new teams or not. By the way this has nothing to do with winning or loosing. I'll never be a chelsea fan, and the only reason I started checking up on man u in the first place was to see how van der sar was doing.

Just thought this would be an interesting topic for you gentleman EPL fans. Your right, its funny how this sounds like a relationship thing. Why'd Wenger have to sleep with that slut Lehman. Haha.

 

[Scouse Patriot]

Fans who have real feelings for teams would never switch, no matter what that is your club. Your interest though sounds more casual in the actual teams and your following your favourite players rather than switching actual allegances (something that is hardly ever done in soccer considering the religous, cult like following of every team). It's like Liverpool more recently attracting interest from Holland and Spain because of Torres, Kuyt and Babel. Torres and Kuyt were considered gods at their club so it's only natural foriegners would take an interest in the club because of those players. It's a casual thing and is recognised as such. Nobodys gonna rag your balls off for that.

If you want a geniune team to follow in England though you just follow yourself really. I mean, I found the Patriots because of their values, how they operated. They are a team of pure hard work and they were quite similar to Liverpool in that respect so it's natural I fell in love with the Pats.

 

[Ciara's Dad]

So I say cheer for whoever you like, for any reason you want. You may not be a hardcore fan but as long as you don't pretend to be it doesn't matter.

I would have to agree with this. Sit back and enjoy good soccer whomsoever is playing it.
I think you have to live in a place which lives and breathes soccer for it to matter which team it is that you support. Such places being Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and the North East of England.
It is funny that in today's papers, Sir Sean Connery is waxing lyrical about how he supported Celtic as a lad, and then sometime later, switched to their greatest rivals, Rangers. It is a bit of a coincidence that when he supported us, we won 9 league titles in a row, won the European Cup and got to another final, 2 semi finals and 3 qtr finals. When he switched to Rangers, they were winning 9 in a row and playing against the top sides in Europe every other week.
The words 'gloryhunter' and 'bandwagon' spring to mind. If he was a true fan, he would sit through the bad times when his greatest enemy were in their ascendancy. That is when you gain respect from fans of other teams. Sir Sean, I can assure you, is now despised by both Celtic and Rangers fans.

PS
For 'gloryhunter' and 'bandwagon' fans, go to Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge on home game days.