The new Premier League season is nearly upon us. No matter which team you pledge to your heart, we all participate in the same experiences of the rollercoaster ride that is being a football fan. Here are just some of the occurrences that football fans can relate to.
It all starts on the anticipated day when the fixtures are released. We focus on the fixtures of our club with utter concentration, mirroring an upper class gentleman reading the latest edition of the Times. Immediately we plan what games we will attend in person, we stop to grimace as we see a crucial game is scheduled on the same day as a girlfriend's birthday or worse, an anniversary. Shit. Our nerves come to the fore as derby day dates are memorised, a match that summons extreme emotions.
Whether willing to admit it or not, football fans all become "experts" during the summer transfer window. Fans will furiously punch their keyboards through Facebook fan forums to tell their fellow supporters who their club should be pursuing or getting rid of. Ultimately they have little control.
First game of the season. As we take our seat in the beloved stadium where the unconditional love for the club was born, we are filled with optimism. The music begins playing and the fans rise as the players emerge from the tunnel, like when a priest asks his audience to stand. Will this be the year? A question every football fan asks as their 11 heroes take their position.
Witnessing your team be victorious is addictive. But hearing that your footballing rivals have lost brings great satisfaction also. It inspires you to take time out of your day to go on Twitter to have a laugh at their expense or text a mate who follows that team and slyly remind them of the score.
Every premiership club has a huge Twitter following and this is the best online medium to get fan reactions. Team news, tactics, goals etc are all debated as thoroughly as two academics exchanging in serious discussion. Twitter rows between fans are something you will all see during the season. Despite flying the same flag, fans argue with each other forcefully about the team. A civil war. In an age where social media allows us to freely express our opinions, arguments are expected.
Streaming. For those who are not computer know it alls, this can be extremely frustrating. Discovering a functioning stream for a match is difficult enough but when it consistently freezes and the commentators are communicating in a foreign language, that's when your composure is challenged. The time delay produces equal annoyance as we hear from Sky Sports News that there is a goal before we see it on our laptop screens. For those who have mastered streaming and can do so effortlessly, I envy you.
No matter how our teams have performed, that feeling of pride will never evaporate. You can't choose your family and if you are a genuine football fan, you wouldn't have it any other way in relation to the club you support.
In the latter period of the season, there is always a game that your team can ill afford to lose. A win will open a window of opportunity whereas a defeat will derive a mass of broken hearts. Then the unthinkable happens. Your team concedes sending you into an abyss of despair. No longer are you in control, fury takes over. The club which you have invested an abundance of money and time have let you down.
Sometimes we ask ourselves why we put ourselves through this pain each season. The answer is simple. When your'e in the stadium surrounded by people who have the same passion as you, or when your'e in the pub wearing your colours with pride and one of the players scores a screamer, the exhilaration you feel is unforgettable. For all the harrowing moments, there will be those that make you love being a football fan.
This season like all those that have preceded it will draw contrasting emotions. Win, lose or draw we will never abandon football or our club. This is the beautiful game and we fans cannot wait for unexpectedness of the upcoming campaign.
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