It is one of those that is difficult to explain to non-Londoners, but these games are huge for the supporters, even the ones against the smaller London clubs, because they are always up for it when Spurs come to their ground and if they get one over on us, we never hear the end of it. Sunday was a proper London derby, Fulham had an edge to their game that I hadn't seen all season and it will be the same when we go to Selhurst Park on Sunday.
In real terms, not soap box, there is a reason I don't say "we." I don't hate Fulham or Arsenal or even Real Madrid. Just as Galaxy supporter/fan, I don't hate LA Chivas or Quakes or LAFC (or even DCUnited when I could have). Same goes for all opponents of the teams I like - The Dallas Cowboys are probably the closest to hate, but that mostly is directed at their owner. Now, do I want Arsenal to lose? Sure. But I'd rather Spurs (or any sports club I support) are better than the opponent, not the opponent worse than the club I support. And, for perspective, I grew up a Dodger fan, and hated the SF Giants, but at some point realized that the hate for the Giants was not worth the burning, and did nothing for me other than want to make the opponents/fans of feel bad. You want to hate, go ahead, but don't tell me I need to hate. I see the real hate, the kind that kills people, almost daily, in person. And I mean the kind that is racist.
I say 'we' about Spurs because I'm a member - it's a club, and I belong to it. whether or not I 'hate' Arsenal or Chelsea depends upon whether or not I am entitled to the occasional use of hyperbole. I certainly feel that there are serious situations where it is not wise to do so … but I don't really feel that general footy-chat is among them. do I literally hate Arsenal? of course not. do I literally see Fulham as an enemy? well … no. but 'distaste' occasionally comes out as 'hate' and 'opponent' is termed 'enemy'. but neither is accompanied by bile, venom, or a truncheon (or put differently, by genuine hatred). words have meaning, 'tis true - and in things like politics and diplomacy, they need be weighed carefully upon usage. In fact, I will concede a great appreciation for those who consider and utilize their words seriously. but languages can also make use of things like exaggeration, hyperbole, and sarcasm without being an indictment upon their users. … unless, of course, the listener is really bent on it. which, like hatred and much else discussed here, is utterly up to him/her.
This is why I love this group, I didn't think a flippant comment about Fulham would lead to such enlightened, eloquent discussion! I have to say the comment about football kits resembling pyjamas does have some merit, especially when you look at our green away kit, which looks a lot like some of my 5-year-old son's pj's.
That is very much why I like this group as well. Think about those big baggy shirts in the 1990s. That is pj material right there.
I once told some Eintracht Frankfurt friends who were being insufficiently disdainful of Bayern (some were wishing them victory in a CL match … "to help Germany's coefficient", or some such) 'pffft, you Germans … you just don't know how to hate'. we all had a good laugh at that.
I actually liked those chocolate coloured away kits we had in the Martin Jol days. Green has always been a strange colour for football kits (considering the colour of the grass). The only exceptions for me are the Republic of Ireland and Saint-Étienne in France, with honourable mention to Wolfsburg in Gemany. Did you know that only one team in the entire Football League has green as its main coulour. Can you name it?
"We hate Argyle, and we hate Argyle." (Courtesy of my college friend from Torquay.) Old folks like me will always think green should be reserved for goalies. And black for the officials.
Yes, Forest Green are now in League 2, but they shouldn't count since they have green in their name! Plymouth Argyle is the other one.
they're in the league now, but do they wear green? they used to wear black and white; but somewhere in the last 5-10 years they were taken over by a new owner who's kinda re-oriented the club to his (and others') values - I guess they're super eco-friendly (by footy standards, at least) and serve only vegan concessions, etc.* - and I know they've changed their badge … so maybe they've changed their colors, as well. how's this for sad? I've googled it, and I still don't know. the new badge features vertical stripes on a white background, but I'm colorblind and I can't tell if they're green or black (or something else dark), the latter of which would be reflective of their old kits. but I can see the image of their new home kit, and it is certainly not black and white, but looks yellow with black hoops - though it could be green with black hoops … or yellow with green hoops … or green with darker green hoops … colors just aren't my strong suit. what's more is that it says they're known as the Greens or Green Army; but I don't know if that's a reference to the color or their name. pathetic. *these are the kind of things you learn when you read WSC magazine.