There is a contradiction at the heart of long distance fandom that is difficult to square. On the one hand should you support a club situated hundreds of miles away or in another country entirely you are open to all manner of lazy accusations that place your authenticity in doubt and if your team happens to be successful then those accusations become outright dismissive. You are a ‘glory-hunter’. To the particularly callous you are a ‘plastic’.

Yet the very same reasons why long distance support is looked down on from some quarters can just as easily be regarded as being thoroughly commendable. The responsibility of following a particular team was not bestowed upon that person either through family inheritance or locality. There is no obligation to display such loyalty. A long distance fan chooses to sacrifice his or her sanity at the altar of that side. They choose to have their sleep pattern knocked sideways to stream a game in the middle of the night. They choose to endure the slings and arrows that come from a club allegiance and all while feeling frustratingly disconnected due to geography.

And when that supporter goes the extra thousand miles and attends the matches any prejudices they encounter is surely all the more erroneous.

Malcy began supporting Manchester City in the early 90s after going to university in the area. For 20-plus years he was a season ticket holder who would travel down from Scotland for every home game and moving to Sweden six years ago wasn’t going to deter him from watching his beloved blues. Which means that these days his regular trips to the Etihad necessitates flights – including transfers – and sometimes a sleep-over on his friend’s sofa and for all this it’s rare that he will see any change from five hundred quid.

For such devotion to the cause it is not uncommon however to have his credibility as a City fan questioned.

“I sometimes get asked “are you one of the new fans?” by blues or fans of other clubs, probably because of my lack of Mancunian accent. It doesn’t take long to put that one to bed though.”

Conversations with Liverpool, Manchester United and City fans based in Ireland meanwhile reveal a similar breakdown of cost, time and inconvenience that amounts to heroic dedication. Countless hours of travel, hotel stays, and wallet-shrinking fortunes being spent is the norm and that’s before we get to rearranged kick-off times throwing days of careful organisation into expensive disarray.

In the hyper-opinionated orbit of modern football there are a great many aspects that confound but perhaps nowhere is sheer unfairness more evident than in the negative perception reserved for overseas supporters such as the above. Liverpool are mocked for hosting a number of Scandinavian fans while Reds from across the world are derided as being ‘day-trippers’ for flying over to Old Trafford and so often the originator of the belittlement is less familiar with the ground in question but simply lives closer to it.

In researching this article discussions took place on social media and across various forums and though it was almost entirely civilised and respectful. Here, without any judgement whatsoever, are some of the more disparaging comments posted concerning long distance fans:

“Anyone who ‘chooses’ a team isn’t a real fan, more a customer.”

“I just can’t get my head around supporting a team you have no connection to that play miles away just because they were winning things when you grew up. Surely the bond you have with your football club stems from local pride?”

“The difference between a lad from Hull supporting Liverpool and a Thai supporters group that are mocked on social media is simply distance.”

“I detest what I call glory hunting fans from different places who have no connection what so ever to the team they’re supporting. I’ve no time at all for cockney reds and northeast folk supporting Liverpool.”

It should be noted that the vast majority of respondents wholeheartedly appreciated the sacrifices and commitment undertaken to support a club from afar but equally perhaps it is all too easy to pigeonhole the more sceptical as being prejudiced in some way. The global branding of the Premier League has resulted in genuine causes for resentment emerging from localised support as tickets become scarcer to secure not to mention the widely held suspicion that clubs now prioritise overseas fans due to their propensity to spend more.

It can be immensely annoying too, no matter how you feel on the subject matter, to see your club mocked with a hackneyed stereotype from a rival fan whose Twitter bio and location suggests that the misnomer has been sourced second-hand and from a position of ignorance.

Countering this, several long distance fans were keen to point out how extremely lucky local supporters are to have the ground on their doorstep requiring the minimum of effort to watch their team in action. Granted this additionally makes derby defeats all the more visceral and harder to endure on a Monday morning should you live in the area but it also follows that those who reside elsewhere have less rivals to gloat to in the workplace following a derby win. As Felix from Germany puts it – “I always have to celebrate alone and I have no person to share my passion in real life”.

It is unquestionably a huge boon to feel emotionally connected within a club’s catchment area and more so to be able to get home in time for the X-Factor after a Saturday kick-off. Others meanwhile begin car journeys that don’t end past midnight, or head for the airport, or go back to bed for a couple of hours prior to feeling like a zombie for the next 24 – and all while feeling detached again from their obsession and relying on the internet for vicarious connection.

In wrestling this topic down, that appears to be the nub of the issue: local fans should feel fortunate to reside in the same postcode as their heroes, with all the benefits that brings, only some do not. Some instead feel entitled.

Sadly this entitlement is becoming more prevalent largely due to the aforementioned global branding of the game and social media making a big world smaller. It has even made itself known at games with Manchester City supporters recently turning on their own at Chelsea asking ‘where have all the Mancs gone?’

At that match Stuart from Hampshire was accosted by a fellow blue outside the stadium who demanded to know how he’d accrued the necessary loyalty points for a ticket given that he had no northern accent.

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Our attitude towards long distance fans used to be so different back in the day when it was commonplace for supporter’s groups visiting from overseas to be paraded on the pitch prior to kick-off and given hearty applause for their dedication. Now resentment seems to be increasingly on the rise.

Surely though such exclusivity has no place in a modern game that has a significant impact far beyond injury updates in local newspapers and office one-upmanship. In writing this a quote from The Stone Roses’ singer Ian Brown kept coming to mind – It is not where you’re from, it’s where you’re at: and if you’re chewing your fingernails down to the quick at three o’clock on a Saturday afternoon you’re a fan regardless of location.

The sentiments of Cliff from America linger. “I am in California and I feel Manchester City fans in Manchester might be a bit more connected then me by going to the games. But I live and die with every win or loss. I bleed Blue and am clued in on everything City.”

Another comment, this time from a forum, also resonates – “How lucky you are to fall out of bed and stroll up to our ground when you feel like it and sneeringly dismiss those of us not blessed to be born within peeing distance of the pitch.”

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”253276″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Man City’s record breaking Premier League season in quotes”]

The 2018 World Cup is well underway and there are a number of players that have already made a big impact for their country in their opening group game, and surely some of them will have caught the eye of Birmingham City manager Garry Monk.

The 39-year-old will surely be keen to make some moves in the transfer market this summer to ensure the Midlands outfit significantly improve if they want to be promotion contenders this season, having flirted with relegation last term.

If the former Swansea City and Leeds United boss is to achieve that he may need to strengthen his team all across the pitch, and he may have a particular focus in attacking areas give his team only scored a paltry 38 goals in 46 Championship fixtures during the 2017/18 campaign.

The Bedford-born boss will already have some targets in mind for City, who should move to sign a 5ft 9in Leicester City attacker now the Foxes have signed James Maddison, but he may have been convinced by the impressive displays of a number of individuals in Russia, too.

Here are three World Cup stars that Monk has surely added to his summer transfer wishlist…

With the futures of both David Stockdale and Tomasz Kuszczak said to be in doubt, one of Monk’s transfer priorities this summer may well be to bring a new number one to St Andrew’s, and he could be tempted to make a shock swoop for Halldorsson following his brilliant display for Iceland in their memorable 1-1 draw with Argentina on Saturday.

The 34-year-old, who currently plays for Randers FC, saved a Lionel Messi penalty and made a number of other impressive saves for his country, and he could be a key player for Birmingham in the Championship this season.

Australia weren’t fancied to take anything against France in their opening 2018 World Cup fixture, but they came close to getting a point before they eventually fell to a 2-1 defeat, and Kruse made a big impact on the left wing for the Socceroos.

The 29-year-old caused Les Bleus right-back Benjamin Pavard plenty of problems, and as well as using his pace to drive forward, he also won five fouls according to WhoScored.com.

The wideman scored seven goals and provided a further six assists in 30 appearances in all competitions German second-tier side VfL Bochum last term, and with just one year remaining on his contract he could be snapped up for a reasonable fee this summer.

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Another of Monk’s priorities may well be to bring in a goalscoring winger and centre-forward this summer, and he could get a player that is able to play in both positions in Tunisia international Ben Youssef.

The tall attacker was the one that Kyle Walker was adjudged to have fouled for his country’s penalty against the Three Lions on Monday, and he caused problems in the final third for England’s defence.

Four goals and one assist in eight appearances for Saudi side Al-Ettifaq in 2018 shows the quality he could bring in attacking areas for Birmingham.

Do you agree, Blues fans? Let us know below.

West Ham United have made a surprise £12million bid for West Bromwich Albion’s Craig Dawson which has been rejected by the Baggies, according to The Telegraph.

The Hammers have already been in the transfer market this summer, having signed right-back Ryan Fredericks from Fulham on a free transfer, Toulouse defender Issa Diop and Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.

Clearly new boss Manuel Pellegrini is keen to strengthen the defence as he has made a bid for 28-year-old Dawson.

According to the report, West Brom boss Darren Moore rates the centre-back closer to £20million which seems steep for a player valued at £7.2million on Transfermarkt.

What do you think of the World Cup so far? Let us know and win any World Cup shirt of your choice. 

Dawson made 28 appearances for the Baggies last season, scoring twice, but his consistent defensive displays could not prevent the side being relegated to the Championship.

West Ham fans have been reacting to the latest transfer news on social media and it appears they aren’t too happy with Pellegrini’s decision to move for Dawson.

Some Manchester United fans are not keen to see the club make a move for Adnan Januzaj this summer, despite his sumptuous winning goal against England on Thursday night.

Januzaj’s winner in the 1-0 victory ensured that Belgium topped their World Cup group at the Three Lions’ expense, leading to speculation that Man United may be interested in re-signing him.

Outlets such as the Manchester Evening News reported in the wake of his goal that United had a buy-back clause with regards to the winger, after selling him to Spanish club Real Sociedad last summer.

At club level last term he did fairly well, scoring four goals and assisting six times in all competitions, winning his place in Belgium’s talented squad.

It’s also true that United need a natural right winger ahead of next term if they are to compete for major honours on multiple fronts.

Supporters though don’t appear especially keen to activate that on the back of one World Cup goal.

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These fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on a potential return after he scored his winner…

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A poor start from the batsmen and the failure to get early wickets by the bowlers cost India the second ODI, MS Dhoni, their captain, has said

Cricinfo staff19-Dec-2009A poor start from the batsmen and the failure to get early wickets by the bowlers cost India the second ODI, MS Dhoni, their captain, has said. Dhoni scored a century after the early loss of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, taking India to 301, but Sri Lanka, boosted by a second successive ton from Tillakaratne Dilshan, sealed a three-wicket win in the final over.”We did not get a good start. We got some partnerships going but also lost wickets regularly,” Dhoni said after the game. We capitalised on the Powerplay to get to a total, which I thought was par for the course. But in these conditions you need to get early wickets. We did not get those.”If we had got wickets with the new ball things would have been different. Though we got three-four wickets in a clutch it was too late to make a difference.”Dhoni admitted poor fielding was also a factor in India’s failure to defend a competitive score. “This team is the best in batting and we have the best bowlers, but we are not the best fielding side in the world,” he said. “We need to score 20 more runs to make up for the fielding lapses.”There were several misfields and fumbles when India were fielding, and one that virtually sealed a Sri Lankan victory came in the penultimate over. Zaheer Khan, fielding at mid-on, allowed a drive from Angelo Mathews go through his legs to the boundary to bring the equation down to four runs off eight balls.India have been relying on the services of former Australia fielding coach Mike Young, who is a part of the support-staff in his capacity as a consultant. But Dhoni said results could not be expected overnight. “You have to see the individuals also and then you have to decide on how much you can upgrade yourself. It’s not that if I am fielding or you are fielding and all of a sudden there comes the coach and you become Jonty Rhodes,” he said. “It’s like a bowler. A spinner can’t bowl fast bowling. The same way fielding is something that comes naturally. Somebody is a good fielder or he’s not.”However, Dhoni praised India’s middle-order batsmen, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli, who hit half-centuries and played key roles in India’s recovery. “Virat batted very well. When he came in there was a lot of pressure. The spinners were bowling well and the fast bowlers were using the bouncers. He is also an excellent fielder either inside or outside the circle. It’s exciting to see characters like him,” he said. “Raina is a batsman who, after he is well set, goes for the big shots, sixes and fours. That’s the hallmark of his batting.”Dhoni has had a successful 2009 with the bat, scoring two centuries and nine fifties and currently heads the run-scoring charts along with Ricky Ponting. “If we have to score more runs I promote myself. I try to be there till the end so that in the slog overs we can score more freely when one set batsman is there. By batting at different slots I have learnt what kind of pressure every individual has,” he said.Sri Lanka’s response was led by Dilshan’s typically attacking 123 and Dhoni lauded his consistency. “He’s a very aggressive batsman and has been very consistent. On his day he can be dangerous. He has got all the shots, the cut, the pull or the shot over the bowler’s head.”Dilshan has scored four out of his five centuries while opening the batting, and he acknowledged that promotion up the order had brought about a transformation in his batting. “Opening has certainly helped me,” he said. “I have changed my mindset and started converting my 30s and 40s into big scores.”An unbeaten 37 from Mathews took Sri Lanka past the finish line after India had struck back with quick wickets. “We had to take our chances and Angelo Mathews (37 not out) made sure we did not go down,” he said. Mathews appeared to pull his thigh muscle during his innings and had to rely on a runner. Sri Lanka’s team manager Brendon Kuruppu said the extent of damage was not known as yet. “We don’t know exactly what has happened to him. We have to wait for 24 hours before deciding the course of action.”

James Tredwell, the uncapped Kent offspinner, has been added to England’s Test squad as cover for Graeme Swann

Cricinfo staff14-Dec-2009James Tredwell, the uncapped Kent offspinner, has been added to England’s Test squad as cover for Graeme Swann, who has not fully recovered from the side injury that troubled him earlier in the tour, although the management are confident Swann will be able to take his place in the opening match at Centurion.Swann missed the second Twenty20 international and was ruled out of the first two 50-over contests between the sides last month with the injury, but was replaced in the starting XI by Adil Rashid, the legspinner, on those occasions. However, Tredwell then joined the one-day squad for the remainder of the series.Swann played in both the two-day matches against a South African Invitational XI at East London, collecting 6 for 55 in the first game and 1 for 65 in the second from a total of 27 overs.”Graeme’s injury is improving and we expect him to be available for the first Test starting on Wednesday,” Andy Flower, the England coach, said. “But with a further three matches to come after Centurion we have decided that we need a ‘like for like’ replacement on hand for Graeme should this be required later in the tour.”When not with the senior squad, Tredwell has been based with the Performance Programme in Pretoria and he scored 70 in last week’s match against a Titans President’s XI. He was part of the England training session which took place at the University of Pretoria’s high performance centre (HPC) on Monday.England have been troubled by a number of injuries during the tour and doubts still linger over the fitness of pacemen James Anderson, who has a problem with his right knee, although Ryan Sidebottom is fully recovered from his side strain.Anderson looked in decent shape during a centre-wicket practice session at the HPC and removed Jonathan Trott when Chris Jordon, the Surrey paceman who is part of the Performance Squad, held a good catch at third slip.

Anjum Chopra anchored India Red Women’s innings with an unbeaten 34 to help her team complete a five-wicket victory against India Blue Women

Cricinfo staff02-Jan-2010
ScorecardAnjum Chopra anchored India Red Women’s innings with an unbeaten 34 to help her team complete a five-wicket victory against India Blue Women in the opening game of the Women’s Challenger Trophy in Ahmedabad. Chasing 118 for victory, India Red got home in the 20th over with four balls to spare.Chopra was supported by Thirush Kamini and Rumeli Dhar but India Red’s chase was jolted by three run outs. They lost wickets at regular intervals but Chopra ensured victory by remaining firm at one end. She struck two fours in her 39-ball innings.Earlier the India Blues’ innings had also suffered from a spate of run outs. Anagha Deshpande top-scored with 48 but she was one of three batsmen to be run out as her team was restricted to 117 for 4 in 20 overs. Mithali Raj chipped in with 41 and hers was the only wicket taken by a bowler.

Fog and bad light robbed allowed only 38 overs of play on the first day in Amritsar

Cricinfo staff19-Jan-2010
Scorecard
Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina put on an unbroken 141-run stand•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Fog and bad light allowed only 38 overs of play on the first day in Amritsar. When play did get underway four hours after the scheduled start, Ranadeb Bose and Ashok Dinda struck three quick blows to leave Central Zone reeling at 9 for 3 in the sixth over before Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina rescued them.Both Central openers, Tanmay Srivastava and Jalaj Saxena, were dismissed for ducks, and No. 3 Sanjay Bangar avoided that ignominy, only just, falling for 1. Kaif and Raina then revived Central with an unbroken 141-run stand, both batsmen going on to half-centuries. Kaif was watchful, taking 115 deliveries for his 65, while Raina was more cavalier, slamming 15 fours and a six, in his 96-ball 83. Seventy minutes after the start play was again called off due to bad light and it also caused an early finish.The winners of this match will progress to the semi-finals, where they will take on South Zone in Indore from January 26.

The threat of overseas players withdrawing from the 2010 season of the IPL has reduced after the league’s organisers assured players’ unions that the security plan will be implemented at each venue

Cricinfo staff02-Mar-2010The threat of overseas players withdrawing from the 2010 season of the IPL has reduced after the league’s organisers assured players’ unions that the security plan will be implemented at each venue. Tim May, the head of FICA, said the development would “certainly improve confidence in security”.”This is a significant step forward. The more information you provide the players with, the greater the likelihood that they will attend the event,” May told . “We have a significant amount of information we did not have previously, which will assist players making far more informed decisions about whether to go or not.”May had warned earlier that there could be several withdrawals due to security concerns. However, this latest improvement in the situation came after the reported threat from the 313 Brigade, an Al Qaeda cell, was deemed “not credible”.”We haven’t reached utopia yet, but the new information has given us greater confidence,” May said. “Last week we were operating in an information vacuum.”Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, who had earlier refused to deal with players’ associations said he didn’t think there would be any withdrawals at all. “Already a lot of the players are on planes on their way to India and will arrive in the next few days,” he said “Security is very important to us. We have not had to change our plans, I think it is more a case of the players now understanding them. I think they are more comfortable with the plans being implemented.”Meanwhile, the Kings XI Punjab franchise issued a statement confirming that England batsman Ravi Bopara would arrive in India on March 3. “We have spoken to Bopara and he has confirmed his participation and is eagerly waiting to join in the hunt for the 2010 IPL trophy,” they said. “All media reports on his non-participation are speculative.”It was reported that Bopara had delayed his departure from England, and had not yet come to a decision whether to travel to India or not for the tournament which begins on March 12.

Daljit Singh has promised a sporting pitch for Kings XI Punjab’s IPL opener and hopes the wearing surface holds out for the duration of the competition

Jamie Alter in Mohali12-Mar-2010Daljit Singh, the curator at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, has promised a sporting pitch for Kings XI Punjab’s IPL opener on Saturday and hopes the wearing surface – the Indian season is nearing its end – holds out for the duration of the competition.”We tend to make Twenty20 pitches grossly in favour of the batsmen,” Daljit told Cricinfo. “What we are trying to focus on here is an even contest. We need the bowlers to get good pace and good carry. If not, then the ball doesn’t go through. I suppose in this format you want to see batsmen hit through the line. If a pitch is slow, a slogged six will carry about five or six yards over the ropes. If the pitch is fast, and a batsman connects well, that six can go 90 yards. Our job is to ensure there’s enough in this for batsmen and bowlers, which is challenging given the short timeframe.”With the advent of the IPL, the emphasis has been on producing featherbed, comatose pitches that assist the smash-bang ways of the Twenty20 format. Mohali has a reputation of producing high scores in Twenty20, but also one of assisting batting in both innings. In the first IPL match held here in 2008, Chennai Super Kings scored 240 and beat Punjab by 33 runs. In the second match, Punjab posted 182 and kept Mumbai Indians to 116 with the wickets shared by the fast and slow bowlers. Punjab had no such difficulty chasing down a target of 159 against Delhi Daredevils, beat Kolkata Knight Riders after scoring 178, handed a nine-wicket win to Royal Challengers Bangalore, and finished the tournament with a 41-run win over Rajasthan Royals after putting up a huge 221 for 3.The last Twenty20 played here, between India and Sri Lanka in December, had India chasing down 207 with six wickets in hand. “That was a high-scoring game, yes, but I don’t think you will see such big scores this time around,” Daljit said. “This is the end of the Indian domestic season and these are tired wickets. There is some grass on the surface but we’ve tried to brown if off. A green wicket is not ideal, but you need some grass. If you brown it down, that’s better for Twenty20.”Another difference here is the night temperature. Look at other IPL venues … in Chennai it is 23 degrees, in Mumbai 25, in Delhi about 16-17, but here in Mohali it’s about eight degrees. The ball will be swinging in the air and the track will be hard and bouncy. I think the wickets would be shared by the fast bowlers and spinners.”Punjab are almost certainly without Brett Lee for the first match while there is some doubt about Irfan Pathan and VRV Singh’s fitness. According to Daljit, Punjab’s spinners will be key to lifting a “deflated” side in front of a boisterous home crowd. “Not much has gone right for Punjab so far,” he said. “The fast bowling looks to be in a bit of a mess and there are some concerns over key strike bowlers. I think [Piyush] Chawla and [Ramesh] Powar will have to shoulder a lot of responsibility, and they should get some turn here.”