I Too Am Searching For An EPL Team

First off, I want to say thanks for a great website. I'm a newbie to the EPL. Last season was the first season that I tried to follow the league in earnest; this coincided with me getting FSC. I started out as following Manchester United. I thought they might have been my team. However, I read Bill Simmons' article on ESPN Page 2 recently and began to have doubts. Was I a glory seeker? I didn't want to be the guy that everyone who follows soccer hated because I picked one of the mega-teams of the EPL. I originally started following them because I knew of Tim Howard and knew he was on their team. Of course, in the back of my mind, I knew Man U was a rich team with a good tradition but I didn't know anything about the other EPL teams so it was a safe choice.

I became more aware of Fulham last season. I was already a big McBride fan as he is from my home state of Illinois. But I didn't know much about the team until last year. I came to like Bocanegra and some of the other players on Fulham.

So now I'm at a decision point. I'm trying to find an EPL team that I can support for a long time. I want a team that has a good following in the USA, has some American players and has a chance at success without being a bandwagon team. I also would like to support a team that has good England-based fans (i.e.- not many hooligans if possible) and a great stadium (to which I hope to travel and see a match someday).

Obviously, since I've joined this site, Fulham is on the list. I am also considering Reading and Tottenham (I know they don't have any Americans starting but I like many of their players as well). I've read many of the posts here and found some of the reasons why you all chose Fulham as your team. Any more help or information on why you chose them or what the fans/organization is like would be of great help. This site is a big plus for Fulham as I would have a place to interact with fellow American Fulham fans. Thanks so much!!

BC

 

BC,
Supporting Fulham is like riding a rollercoaster. There are many ups and downs. As I have said on here before, Fulham is not going to win a Premiership title any time soon, but there might be a League Cup or FA Cup run at some point, which would be fantastic.

The point being is that likr Don said, you never know what you are going to get with Fulham. One week they will beat the best team in England, Chelsea, and the next they will lose to one of the worst teams, Portsmouth. They are just very hard to predict and that in turn is one of the great things about supporting this club.

Clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal expect to win each week. Even when the team wins, there is little excitement on a regular basis as these teams are expected to win. When you are expected to win, it just makes for a lot of nervous and unwanted stress and you cannot enjoy your team week in and week out with Fulham.

That does not mean we do not want our team to win here at Fulham, but I think we appreciate the wins more here with Fulham than many other clubs do.

A note that might encourage you is that just ten seasons ago Fulham was in the very lowest league division in England. In essence, Fulham was a Class A baseball team that with new ownership, some nice spending and some good coaching, was promoted not once, not twice, but three times to get into the Premiership. That is unreal and something very few clubs can boast of as Fulham can.

The stadium is great and once you go there you will see that for yourself.

The last reason I will say this is a great club is that the supporters and people surrounding the club are great. When you decide to support this club, it is like being part of a family. I went to Craven Cottage for the first time two seaons ago and was embraced by everyone and welcomed into the Fulham family. I felt right at home at Fulham and I feel since FulhamUSA.com started, we have tried to welcome all Fulham supporters into the family and expand the Fulham fan base more and more.

This is a great club and while I could potentially slag off Tottenham and Reading, I will not. I will let you choose your team based on positives of the clubs, not negatives. Not mudslinging here at FulhamUSA, just a lot of passion and love for Fulham all around.

If you have questions about the club, feel free to ask any of us. There is no such thing as a bad question.

 

BC,
I myself first saw Fulham in action when they came stateside and played the Tampa Bay Mutiny in friendly...I remember seeing the fans that made the trip and the ones that showed up chanting and getting loud for their team, as they were on the verge of premiership footey next season....I was lured into Man U. as I grew up in a family that was not soccer minded and now they love it, but the prem was new to me and totally foreign to my dad, mom, etc......come 2 years ago my coach at college (rovers supporter) called me a "united plastic fan" and that had me thinking...why did i "support" man u., it was all that i saw on t.v. (at the time i only saw european teams during champions league play on espn) but after thinking about it, I knew I was only on the Man U. post treble wagon....I always kept an eye on fulham, but in 2004 my first night in London i tried to get tix to a fulham vs. man u. match (papa tied it 1-1 on that wonder strike by the way) and just loved the walk around the cottage, the area.....Fulham to me was a big team b/c of the EPL, but not so big that MONEY was the first thought (tix, t.v. rights, club seats)...w/ Mcbride and Boca on the team I was hooked (although sad to see EVS go, big fan)...

Tom is spot on in saying Fulham is like a roller coaster, my first year last year really following the whites was full of ups and downs wanting them to do better b/c you knew it was in you and at other times making you wonder what was going on?? When you expect a great match, it can be subpar...when your hoping to not get killed by a certain chelski...they upset them 1-0 courtesy of Mr. Boa Morte!!! Each week following fulham feels like a WC group match, knowing how vital 3 points are and the closer to that magic 40 point mark means another year of top flight status....but following fulham lets you meet up w/ all the good people on this site and find out other bits about the club that not to many other clubs can boast......


and if anything you get your fulham gear in harrods while in London....try getting spurs or reading gear there!!!

whatever you choose, good to see your following the premiership, this league, no matter what sport is the absolute best to follow.....as fishermen say..."keep it reel"

 

I support Fulham since the Crew, Bengals, Reds and the US team dont completely fill my need for constant frustration....

Seriously, I think you've mentioned two GOOD other candidates.. esp if you might travel to watch a match.
In Reading you have a chance on the ground floor of US fandom... in my experience you could always find Bolton and Blackburn followers around the states. But I never saw anyone post on MLS boards as also a Reading fan.

And they will most likely survive for this season, at least.

Fulham is on a different place in the maturity curve; after a few years of knucklebiting survival, Fulham is, this year, going for advancement into the Prem top ten.

It's up to you, of course, but I think the MAJOR reason a remote fan follows is the ease he meshes with the other fans of the team.

With Fulham you have several choices.. starting with the official messageboard which has quite a collection of characters and is unique in its format allowing a footy bar or happy hour-like 'conversation pit' in which there's enough nonsense or outright BS spewn to keep anyones interest.
To balance that.. there's this board where we also have other views and interests and you have to watch what you say because it's on the record.. for several months, at least.

Bottom line: It's the fans' communities for us as much as the team.. having spent a little time on several Everton boards in the last few weeks, I accept they are a little different than Fulham's, both stateside and UK. This gave me pause, because if I werent following Fulham I would be following Everton.

A whole different thing, IMO

 

Thanks for your prompt replies everyone. Your posts have given me some good things to consider. I'm especially impressed that this community seems to be made up of people who enjoy good football discussion and not juvenile taunting. I think it is something I would enjoy being a part of.

One other question: I didn't pay much attention to it last season but about how often is Fulham on FSC (or some other channel we get here in the US)? Are there other ways to hear/see the match on the internet if it's not on US TV?

Thanks again. Because of the good things I've read here and my research on the net, Fulham has moved up to number one on my list.

 

FulhamUSA also boasts a matchday chatroom where you can join in and discuss the match and what is going on during the match. It is quite fun to interact with a number of people.

Keep up posted on what you decide BC.

 

Pettyfog wrote:

Fulham is on a different place in the maturity curve; after a few years of knucklebiting survival, Fulham is, this year, going for advancement into the Prem top ten.



I hope this is not the kiss of Death on our chances?

 

May I ask who Gentleman Jim is? Thanks.

 

And you must not say anything Negative on here either, it hurts the poor little soles that only think positive

 

He does the Radio commentary

 

GJ

He is quite the character. An unqualified "homer", he does the webcast, playing the part of the play-by-play man as well as color commentary. However, he does have some excellent moments, calling players and refs such things as "clown!" He usually is hoarse by the end of the match.

 

RE: GJ

Is he the main announcer on the Fulham TV demo? Whoever that was is a great announcer. His "Yeeehaaaww!" after McBride scored was priceless.

Also, I admit, I got chills watching Boa Morte's goal against Liverpool.

 

RE: GJ

I've found a few sites, such as freefootball.org that list games that will be live and available online from foreign countries, usually Asia. This could be an option for you, and I'm going to try this method out this year to see what kind of success ratio I can get.

 

RE: Re: RE: GJ

Fulham was actually shown on TV as much as the 'big clubs'. And in the first half of the season we were the most televised Premier League team on FSC.

Gentleman Jim was the man that solidified me as a die hard fan, his commentary is unique to say the least.

 

Re: RE: I Too Am Searching For An EPL Team

Oops, sorry, a little bit late showing up here I guess! Welcome from Cleveland! Anywho, if you want to support the Yankees of English footie, support Man U. Otherwise, Fulham is for you! Plus the quality of this website is above and beyond any other team soccer site you will find thanks to ChicagoTom and AmericanMike.

 

Re: RE: I Too Am Searching For An EPL Team

As much as Tom and I have created FulhamUSA, if it wasn't for some of the greatest exiled fans in the USA there wouldn't be a FulhamUSA!!

You included Simon, the new updates and features to the member map are awsome.