...No USA players @ Fulham - would you still support them...

I too shall lend my lifetime loyalty to Fulham. My first year of following the Prem was last year and I was a Man Utd "fan". The main reson for this was I didn't know jack about any other EPL teams besides the big 4 and I liked Tim Howard so I thought, "I'll support Man U." After watching them on TV and following them for a season, I felt empty. I had chosen a perennial top 4 club to support out of the blue. I couldn't live with myself and I'd seen other Prem clubs play by that point so I went on a search for a different club to support.

I found Fulham. And yes, the Yanks on the team were a strong draw. But so was the gestalt of the club, the uniqueness of the Cottage and the outstanding site that is Fulham USA.

I haven't worn my Manure shirt since.

I will support Fulham as long as I follow football. Yanks or no, Prem or Championship, they are my team.

A good point has been made, however. There will be "fans" leaving the club when McBride retires or if we go down. That's just the nature of things. But I think I speak for most American soccer fans in saying that we are so proud of our players making it into the Big League (EPL) that we are naturally drawn to those clubs for which they play. And for some, the Yanks on Fulham were the initial draw but an attachment to the club will grow for other reasons, and shall remain as a lifetime committment to the best club in the EPL.

Fulham Till I Die.

 

Would I have started following FFC if it weren't for the Yanks? Honestly, probably not.

Will I switch if/when they're all gone? Hell no. That's just not how it works.

 

The Exception.

Most of the postings in this thread say you'll support Fulham even after the Yanks are gone. I might not, and here's why:

I've been supporting Fulham for only half a year. Although I've tried, it's hard to get emotionally caught up in Fulham because they are rarely on TV. I cannot afford to fly to across the pond to catch the games, and I only have FSC, which hasn't shown many matches this spring. I follow the statistics, read the articles, and pay attention, but I don't know the players well enough yet to really care about them. The one player that I know the best, Dempsey, hasn't played much, or very well, for that matter.

I've enjoyed watching the EPL for a while, but up until six months ago I didn't follow any specific team. I decided that I needed to pick a team to support, so I picked Fulham. I picked them mostly because of the rumors that Dempsey was headed there, and because of McBride.

I also wanted to follow a team that wasn't in the top four. I would rather cheer for the underdog. (And although I will never support Man United, I have to admit that watching C. Ronaldo is more entertaining than watching most other teams or players, even Fulham.)

Fulham also lacks the personal attachment that I feel to the USMNT and the Rapids because of the location. Fulham is not the "hometeam" for me. The 3 Yanks do provide a little bit of a "hometeam" feel to Fulham, but once the Yanks are gone, that feeling will be too.

The biggest reason that I can see myself stepping away from Fulham is that I don't get the nervousness in my gut that I get when watching the USMNT or the Rapids. I want Fulham to win, don't get me wrong, but when they lose it doesn't effect me as much. Especially when the games aren't on TV, so I find out about the loss/draw on the internet. Without the 90 minutes of suspense leading up to the result, the result doesn't do much. It's more of a curiosity to see how far they are from the drop (and hoping they're around next year) then actual devistation that they might be dropping.

And if Fulham is relegated, then I will have to walk away. I'll still check the scores every week, but how can someone living in the U.S., who has no access to any of the games, really care about a second tier English team? It would be hard to care about a team if you never saw them play.

Everyone talks about the Fulham family, and how great Craven Cottege is. I don't know any other Fulham fans personally, and I've never been to Craven Cottege. I have a few websites and the TV, and a sweatshirt that I love very much, and that's my only access to Fulham.

So, if the Yanks leave, I'll keep wearing my sweatshirt and checking the scores, and catching the games when I can, but I might not catch all of the games that I could. I think I'd be more willing to let a few games slip if I knew that McBride or Dempsey weren't going to be there.

I'm also getting more into the MLS as the league gets older and better. The quality in the EPL is obviously still much better, but I only have so many hours per week to follow football. As I dive more into the MLS, I may have to step back a bit from the EPL.

That's my take. I think I'm probably closer to the "average" American Fulham fan than all of you die-hards that post here every day. But, with that being said, COME ON YOU WHITES!

 

RE: Re: ...No USA players @ Fulham - would you still support

I'm sticking. Like several other Yanks, my path to Fulham was something like USMNT>Tracking Players Overseas>Finding Fulham>Discovering a Club That I Feel Strongly About.

I love our US guys, but I don't feel the same sense of community and passion watching Reading or Rovers or Man City or Everton yada yada. This site fosters and encourages the sense of community and belonging, even in the relative isolation of never having seen a match at the Cottage or having met other Fulham supporters.

I expect my supporter status to grow even after our current crop of Yanks have passed through the ranks. I may always root for FFC to "Keep the Americans Coming," but my interest won't disappear once McBride, 'Los, and Deuce have moved on.

COYW!

 

Americans

I have another slant on this and ask it in all honesty, instead of no Americans playing what if Fulham get relegated, will you still support the team, and will there be a FulhamUSA web site. Because if they do go down, you will see very little of them if at all, and if they are just a middle run of the mill Championship team you will see nothing of them.

 

Well if he gets rid of McBride he's definitely not doing any favors for Fulham...

 

RE: Americans

I can tell you that my interest in Fulham will remain exactly as is if Fulham gets relegated. The site will still remain with the same features, articles, etc. Of course not being able to watch the matches on television would mean less time seeing the time, but I will be with this club through thick and thin. Excellent question John.

What about everyone else?

 

I'm with Fulham. Craven Cottage is the coolest ground in England. I don't care if they have any Americans or if they are in League Two.

 

haha...i just started this same thread idea on BS b4 coming on here....well, although I'll admit my interest started with the Americans, I'm here to stay...especially as it looks like I'll be moving to London next year....and whether EPL or *gulp* Championship....Fulham is my side....

 

Re: The Exception.

I'd consider myself the exact opposite as jdlcount.

I developed a personal attachment after watching my first match at Loftus road and never looked back. I gained(as have others on FUSA) some great friendships with local Fulham fans over the last 4 years and the feeling they had about the club can never be attributed to a fan following National level.

FulhamUSA will be here for years and years to come. Regardless of what division they are in. Although if its just me, Tom, JohnnyCash, and Mnlandshark posting by ourselves (like the old days) then so be it.

FTID.
COYW's.

 

RE: Re: The Exception.

jdlecount is an MSL'er, so no big surprise there.

 

Interesting new slant on the nonyank issue. Let's face it that its going to come down to the last game, 3 of the 5 teams will be safe and I believe the Whites will be one of them.

However, what happens if the treaded "R" word happens?? I'll still follow the team and since my daughter's step-grandad is a brit who spends half the year here and half the year there and is a Plymouth supporter I'll have somebody to talk to about the sodapop league.

I do think however that a lot of fringe fans will press on and stay within the premiership, and await for a return to the top flight.

 

Re: RE: Re: The Exception.

Just precious!

And what would you say about someone who, say, followed Luton only - claiming he didnt have the time or interest in also following a 'big team'?

As usual... if you're honest you get the jabs!

 

And, as usual, you dont seem to be able to discern what you read.

I did no such thing! Instead, I used your case on purpose.... let's SUPPOSE you had mucho gigs to prepare for. And didnt have time to peruse and follow football... PLUS you'd never seen any US players go to Fulham.

I couldnt blame you for not following MLS... OR the Prem, either.

That you've kept your handle shows the truth in what I use as an argument.

 

I have to keep up appearances.
(Even if I actually was a little bit upset no MLS games were televised yesterday. What's up with that?!?! Not that I care....much.)

 

Dunno...I'll check. Maybe a 'strong man' championship.

 

Or the Poker Chamionship replay from 1996.