Sebastian the Red As an addendum to Green's question, what is it that goes wrong for so many people in their childhood/teenage years that stops them from developing competent, adult emotional stability? I just can't begin to understand people, some of whom are as old as 26 or 27, whose moods are genuinely impacted by football results and who get worked up about the ways other people show their support.
Agreed about the last bit-people on here do get worked up about singing, chanting, booing etc and question the loyalty of anybody who doesn't sing or cheer.It's as if going to football is the same as going to Butlins, it isn't.
One thing I feel that people locally don't understand is how it feels as a fan of any club who lives in enemy territory.
Obviously this excludes London where nobody talks to anybody but in the civilised rest of the country once people are aware of the team that you support that then becomes part of you.
"I see your lot got stuffed again on Saturday"
"How did Reading get on?"
You are somehow representative of the club so you are not embarrassed as the odd poster on here seems to be (in fact in the good times it can be uplifting to hear good things about your hometown and your hometown's club) but your mood is affected by results and the league table.
Who really wants to be reminded on a Monday morning that your team has lost at home to the bottom club?.
Those living locally don't have to defend anything or get involved very deeply in discussion-in Reading and out in the sticks of Woodley or Theale people understand the mood already and the question becomes more like "what are WE going to do?" or" what do you think will happen to US?"
Seb of all people (legal beagle that he is) should understand that defending a cause is not always easy so the mood is affected when things aren't going well and what makes things worse is if you currently live in somewhere like Brighton or Bournemouth or Southampton where you are reminded of where we were not so long ago and might still be if the club had been managed better.
I know that things are cyclical (look at Portsmouth or Sunderland or Coventry) but it is not easy to always take a longer term view.
As I see it , being a fan is something that is with you forever and unlike Seb (not criticising) ,who appears to have a passion for the arts but no passion when it comes to football, the exploits of your team do affect the mood for most of us.
Personally I get in a better mood after yet another home defeat because of the drive back home and hearing fans of other clubs going on about the ills of their teams on the radio and being reminded that so many fans feel the same on a Saturday evening-that is quite therapeutic.