Changing allegiances...

[gbems92]

Following on from this in another thread, thought it might make for decent discussion
https://www.wbaunofficial.org.uk/sho...d.php?tid=7940

Any stories of people changing their colours? Would we welcome a new wave of fans from Chelsea, fulham, qpr or anyone got that matter. We have attracted overseas fans who probably support clubs back home, should we think any lesss of their support financials aside?

My dad used to support the hoops... A converted bees fan for 20 odd years.

 

[wanderer paul]

I don’t get it...why would you? :scratch: :shrug:

Brentford or nothing for me.

 

[TheHairdresser]

I always like the stories about kids choosing different (local rival) allegiances to their dad's(or mum's for that matter).

A knobber who lived opposite me was an Irish Gooner (apparently) but was then spotted wearing a Chelsea home shirt.

 

[gbems92]

I always like the stories about kids choosing different (local rival) allegiances to their dad's(or mum's for that matter).

A knobber who lived opposite me was an Irish Gooner (apparently) but was then spotted wearing a Chelsea home shirt.

My dad supported qpr but my uncle supported brentford and took me to my first live game at griffin park and that was that. I could never imagine changing personally but i guess it depends how "hardcore" you are whether you can switch or not. For example i work with a spurs "supporter" but hes never been to a game and quite weak reasoning for supporting them. Going to try and get him to gp and hope it has the same effect it did on me way back when

 

[Plymouth Bee]

I had been a Chelsea fan since I won a tanner off my mum when they won the 70 FA Cup. I went once - a Sheffield United game in 73 but was a pretty half hearted supporter. A work colleague invited me to join him and his dad at a game at GP. 31 October 81, v Burnley, 0-0 but it also just happened to be the debuts of both Chris Kamara and Stan Bowles.

We stood in New Road and I loved it. Hooked on the Bees from then.

 

[Alan D]

Being born in Newport I was a black and amber fan as a young child. When my parents moved to Isleworth in 1957, I slowly bit surely becames a Bee. Thats what 62 years ago and I have regretted it, even through the many bad times. I'm reaping my reward now, but must admit I still have a soft spot for Newport County.

 

[The Pipe]

Can’t see how anyone can change allegiance from one league club to another.

In my case I take in the very occasional Taunton game, not as a fan but nice to see live football whilst drinking a pint and smoking my pipe !!!!

 

[TW3Bee]

Being born in Newport I was a black and amber fan as a young child. When my parents moved to Isleworth in 1957, I slowly bit surely becames a Bee. Thats what 62 years ago and I have regretted it, even through the many bad times. I'm reaping my reward now, but must admit I still have a soft spot for Newport County.

Of the Welsh League clubs Newport are the ones I hate the least.

 

[Gazza Bee]

4 generations of Bees so never in doubt really. Lot of my mates growing up changed their team depending on who were the best team at that time - could never switch even in the darkest hours and being rewarded with days like yesterday make it worthwhile

 

[Infatuated Bees Alter Ego]

As far as I am aware, we all only have one heart. Anyone who changes allegiances is suspect to the ninth degree. How can it be ? How can you do such a thing ? One heart. One team till I die. It’s how it should be and is, in my book.

 

[maddogging]

Can be done, my Dad was a Bristol City fan during his younger years and would never miss a game with his friends. When he and my mum moved to Hertfordshire and had my sister and I, he wanted to continue the football without the extended travel, thanks to Bob Booker (thanks !) he chose Brentford. Since the mid 80’s he has only missed five or so home games.
Still if you ask him his favourite player ever he would say John Atyeo.

 

[BlueJayBee]

I'm not "a football fan", I'm a Brentford fan. Simple as that.

 

[jbee]

I'm not "a football fan", I'm a Brentford fan. Simple as that.

Me, too. To be honest I struggle to sustain interest in non-Brentford games. I'd rather watch a film.

 

[gbems92]

Can be done, my Dad was a Bristol City fan during his younger years and would never miss a game with his friends. When he and my mum moved to Hertfordshire and had my sister and I, he wanted to continue the football without the extended travel, thanks to Bob Booker (thanks !) he chose Brentford. Since the mid 80’s he has only missed five or so home games.
Still if you ask him his favourite player ever he would say John Atyeo.

I think this would be the most common example, some people love football in general and when youre miles and miles from the team you support it may be easier for some to just change teams or support two teams. The people who live hundreds or thousands away but still travel to griffin park or where ever and stay loyal to "their club" have my upmost respect. I would guess its a small minority who are happy to just change the club they support

 

[hairman]

Me, too. To be honest I struggle to sustain interest in non-Brentford games. I'd rather watch a film.

Yep. Me too.

 

[Boston Bee]

Me three.

Used to follow the First Division generally until they pulled the ladder up behind them and formed the Premier. Now I’d rather watch a film than Match of the Day.

Me, too. To be honest I struggle to sustain interest in non-Brentford games. I'd rather watch a film.

 

[Beefletch]

As a kid growing up in Brentford and having the allegiance to the Bees passed on by my Father there was only ever one team for me.My Uncle was a a Chelsea fan mainly due to being a friend of Barry Bridges.His son ,my cousin would often make disparaging remarks about Brentford throughout the barren years , of which there have been many over my 60 odd years.
However he is now been a season ticket holder for the last 5 seasons and is a convert.
That said you can bet I remind him from time to time of what a **** he was back in the day !

 

[kevalutonbee]

S!lightly off topic but someone once asked me if I would watch luton if the Bees ceased to exist.

I told him if that happened that's me and professional football done.

To me swapping a club would be like dating someone else a week after your wife has died. It's just wrong

 

[Boston Bee]

]

To me swapping a club would be like dating someone else a week after your wife has died. It's just wrong

Would definitely be suspicious, depending on how she died.

 

[horshambees]

I have watched many games not involving my club and have enjoyed the experience, but I am forever Brentford.

 

[SpiderBee]

****ers

 

[sonofabee]

****ers

 

[Contactabee]

I understand those who are saying never change your club, but sometimes it just happens without planning. I was brought up a fanatic Leeds fan and a regular on the terraces in the 70s. Moved down to London in my early 20s and apart from the very occasional game that was the end of live football for me - impossible to get away tickets and travelling back to Leeds on a regular basis was too expensive. I still followed Leeds but the lack of live football dulled the passion.
Many years later my young son wanted to see a live football game so i picked a local team and came to GP. Bees v Port Vale. Wasn’t as electric as my early days at Elland Road, but good enough to bring me back for a handful of games that season. I slowly became a Bees supporter, but also kept a keen interest in Leeds results. No conflict in those days as we didn’t play Leeds.
That was 16 ?? years ago and each season I came to more games and got more into following Brentford. The standard of football wasn’t always good, but you can’t beat live football. I never planned to change my club, just wanted a second club that I could watch live. Over the years my interest in Leeds waned as my passion for Brentford took hold. I now recognise everything that the rest of the world hates about Dirty Leeds and love it when they lose.
Some might call me fickle, but the pull of regular live football brought me to the right team and it’s a journey I’ll never regret.

 

[To Bee Someone]

Me, too. To be honest I struggle to sustain interest in non-Brentford games. I'd rather watch a film.

My dad took me to Brentford because I wanted to go to football games. I fell in love with it. Forsters quick fire hat trick v Bristol Rovers, the season we would have gone up any other year. Brentford innit... But if he we managed to go to Chelsea games, i didnt feel it at all. Wasnt the same

I'm so out of touch with PL football because I love Brentford and keep in check with the Championship. But im not ashamed of it.

 

[Babbelfish]

I understand those who are saying never change your club, but sometimes it just happens without planning. I was brought up a fanatic Leeds fan and a regular on the terraces in the 70s. Moved down to London in my early 20s and apart from the very occasional game that was the end of live football for me - impossible to get away tickets and travelling back to Leeds on a regular basis was too expensive. I still followed Leeds but the lack of live football dulled the passion.
Many years later my young son wanted to see a live football game so i picked a local team and came to GP. Bees v Port Vale. Wasn’t as electric as my early days at Elland Road, but good enough to bring me back for a handful of games that season. I slowly became a Bees supporter, but also kept a keen interest in Leeds results. No conflict in those days as we didn’t play Leeds.
That was 16 ?? years ago and each season I came to more games and got more into following Brentford. The standard of football wasn’t always good, but you can’t beat live football. I never planned to change my club, just wanted a second club that I could watch live. Over the years my interest in Leeds waned as my passion for Brentford took hold. I now recognise everything that the rest of the world hates about Dirty Leeds and love it when they lose.
Some might call me fickle, but the pull of regular live football brought me to the right team and it’s a journey I’ll never regret.

Great story, and I know of several others like you who supported other teams but who turned to Brentford on account of their kids, and whose transfer of allegiance has been gradual. Good stuff.

 

[ruislip bee]

God I love Griffin Park as much as the Bees. It's going to feel like a bereavement! But we all have to suffer those in life and come through.

 

[pompeybee]

Great story, and I know of several others like you who supported other teams but who turned to Brentford on account of their kids, and whose transfer of allegiance has been gradual. Good stuff.

I'm one of them. Portsmouth were my local team growing up, where my dad took me when I was a kid. When I moved away, they remained my team, though I saw them less often, particularly as I reffed every Saturday for the next 25 years or so.

When I ended up in West Ealing and it was time to take my son to football, I was only ever going to take him to his local team. (It was the cheap option, for a start.) He doesn't go any more, but I started going more regularly when I packed up reffing and have now been an ST holder for several years (at least eight according to my recent letter from the club.)

There's more to it than just being local though. I'm quite old school as a supporter, and I like everything about Brentford and GP. Going regularly coincided with Pompey going into the Premier League and all the nonsense which followed that, so they were fairly easy to fall out of love with.

It helped that my two teams rarely had to play each other, but when they last did, six or seven (?) seasons ago I knew the turning point had come when Donaldson scored the winning goal and Brentford came from behind to win 3-2. I've never looked back.

 

[pompeybee]

I still hate Southampton more than Fulham or QPR though, so maybe I've got a way to go yet.

 

[sonofabee]

I still hate Southampton more than Fulham or QPR though, so maybe I've got a way to go yet.

Personally I’d have your season ticket cancelled and make you watch Pompey week in week out until you get it....... Putney and Raras are hated, Birmingham and Reading despised

 

[scaramanga]

I still hate Southampton more than Fulham or QPR though, so maybe I've got a way to go yet.

lol I like the Pompey lot

 

[To Bee Someone]

I still hate Southampton more than Fulham or QPR though, so maybe I've got a way to go yet.

Those scummers lol

 

[Streetboy]

A mate of mine started supporting us after mistakenly getting sent a Bees shirt in the post. He usually wins the 'how I became a fan' discussions in the pub hands down.

 

[Banana]

Careful what you wish for, Mr B himself transferred allegiances.

 

[Pixelator]

So let me see if I've got this straight: changing allegiance is offensive and unthinkable unless you're changing from BEEnfidel heretic to BEEliever.

 

[Brentford Bob]

I had an all red kit and a Liverpool bag when I was six. Then my Dad took me to Brentford v Fulham in 1980, and I was absolutely sold. Who said there’s no such as love at first sight?

My Grandad lived in South Ealing and when we visited him every Sunday, afterwards my Dad would have to drive around Braemar, Brook Road and Ealing road, just so I could look at the ground.

 

[TheHairdresser]

Remember reading this on their forum prior to the recent match, relates to someone in this thread saying they'd give up on football if Brentford FC didn't exist.

https://hobnob.royals.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=186432

Brentford would appear the logical choice for quite a few of the respondents on this thread.

 

[Nada Bee]

Raised into a West Ham supporting family. Went to Brentford as they were my local team.

I remember it well. Think we just beat Cambridge 6-0 I turned to my grandad and said “where’s Brentford?” He said just down the road. So we went. 2-0 v Crewe. March 95.

I actually went to a Barnet game in between my second game too. Dougie Freedman scored for Barnet. Think it was 1-1 v Wigan. So I could of swung to the fake Bees!

Second game was 3-0 v York then I think we drew v Chester at home 1-1. This was nearly 25 years ago so I may be wrong.

To many people’s dismay I support both Bees and West Ham. Although I’m 60/40 Bees atm because West Ham are a joke club.

For the record probably 200 Bees games home and away and maybe a dozen West Ham. I haven’t been to the Olympic stadium yet either despite the fact I work in Stratford. Just not interested.

I would never switch allegiances now.

 

[wanderer paul]

Careful what you wish for, Mr B himself transferred allegiances.

I reckon he’s a rara! :thetruth:

Why else would you name the boxes at Lionel Road, “Rowlands”, “Sinton”, “Barbet”, “Francis”, “Towers” and “Lazarus”.....???

 

[8corner]

Personally I’d have your season ticket cancelled and make you watch Pompey week in week out until you get it....... Putney and Raras are hated, Birmingham and Reading despised

Correct!! I'd add Watford to the first list and Birmingscum to the second!

 

[Invipai]

When I was younger I used to support Man U... Got into football pretty late in the day at around 8 (I was known as not liking it before that, but a few kids were on holiday at the end of the school year so I was roped (begged) into playing to make up the numbers, and found that I loved it.) Got in TV football about a year later. Anyway a few of my close friends were Man U at that point, so became so as well.

I went to my first Brentford game as the caretaker at Mayfield Primary was a big fan, so arranged the whole football practice team to go. After that I followed their results here or there and went with my dad sometimes, but he wasn't really a football fan (likes checking the results more than watching, and doesn't support Brentford). So when he lost interest I didn't go to Brentford for years. The Hudders play off game was the last game I went to for about 5 years, as a combination of the above and losing interest a bit with football anyway. Got back into Brentford properly around 2008/09, oddly enough as a result of moving away to Aberystwyth for uni, but when you meet people from their towns who support other local clubs (Exeter, Tranmere etc) it brings back a sense of local pride for things back home. I started going again during Christmas and Easter breaks and then got a ST when I moved back fully for Rosler's first year.

 

[beebopalula]

Came close to thinking about a new allegiance when we nearly went out of business in 1967. At the time I couldn't face finding another club if the Bees had gone. So once a Bee always a Bee even if it had been reduced to a memory.
Interestingly at that time, a number of Bees supporters who used to wear the Brentford supporters club badge to school, switched allegiance to QPR who were on the rise. I couldn't understand it. Glory seekers but the universe works at its own pace and Karma takes its time.

 

[Low End Bee]

Up until the age of 12 when I went to my first game at Griffin Park I supported whoever I thought had the nicest kit.
To my shame I spent a while supporting Palace because of the Players No.6 strip and Plymouth Argyle for the white kite with black and green trim amongst others.
My family were all Fulham apart from my old man who had little football interest but would go for Chelsea if pushed. So I always knew I didn't like either of them. My school was nearest to QPR and that was enough to put me off.
In answer to the original post I would say you're allowed to switch allegiances up until puberty but after that it's a bit weird.

 

[Voice from the Braemar]

I had an all red kit and a Liverpool bag when I was six. Then my Dad took me to Brentford v Fulham in 1980, and I was absolutely sold. Who said there’s no such as love at first sight?

My Grandad lived in South Ealing and when we visited him every Sunday, afterwards my Dad would have to drive around Braemar, Brook Road and Ealing road, just so I could look at the ground.

.....and it had nothing to do with fulhams mob getting smashed out of the oak into the new rd corner and them having to walk along the touchline up to the ealing rd end ?? lol lol shame we lost on the pitch though

 

[Infatuated Bees Alter Ego]

Supporting a club and following a club are two separate entities. It does my head in when I hear people say they ‘support’ such and such a team, when the bare bone facts are, they’ve never been and watched them play live. They have never travelled the lengths and breadths of the country to watch them play. Never sung their hearts out at a game. They just watch the games on TV when they can and profess to ‘support’ that team ! That’s not supporting in my book. It’s all complete 130llox !

 

[Northwalesbee]

Supported Man U as a youngster purely because I loved playing in goal and peter schmeichel was my hero. Going to school in North Wales it was either Liverpool , Man United or Everton at the time early 1990s.

In August 1995 my uncle took me to York City away and the rest is history. As a youngster I went to many mostly away games due to location until I joined the army in 2007.

In 2008 I was living in Newbury and so went to most home games and would often tie visits home to North Wales with Northern away games. Things move on I live in Tewkesbury now and I have a young family but my son Sebastien is slowly becoming obsessed with all things Brentford and will be a 4th generation Bee for my family.

Grandfather sold programmes in the Royal Oak so I guess it was going to happen eventually.

 

[BlueJayBee]

Supporting a club and following a club are two separate entities. It does my head in when I hear people say they ‘support’ such and such a team, when the bare bone facts are, they’ve never been and watched them play live. They have never travelled the lengths and breadths of the country to watch them play. Never sung their hearts out at a game. They just watch the games on TV when they can and profess to ‘support’ that team ! That’s not supporting in my book. It’s all complete 130llox !

Couldn't agree more.

 

[BeeHomeSoon]

I supported Man United up until 1995 because of Eric Cantona.

I had attended Brentford matches here and there at the start of the 1994-95 season with my uncle @seanrs and my late grandad.

I never really got the bug as I was always in awe of Cantona as a player so nothing came close, he then went and Kung Fu kicked the Palace supporter got himself a lengthy ban and that allowed the Brentford bug to take hold of me.
Strange as I wonder what path I would have followed had he never drop kicked that bloke...

Incidentally that season gave me my first taste of “it’s Brentford innit” lol

 

[JCMcBee]

...my 3 allegiances are Kirkintilloch Rob Roy....Glasgow Rangers....and Brentford FC....as with my kids....I don't do preferences.

 

[horshambees]

...my 3 allegiances are Kirkintilloch Rob Roy....Glasgow Rangers....and Brentford FC....as with my kids....I don't do preferences.

There is a thing called passion. You qualify under that part of the heart.
I have one for a team from Parkhead.I do not think there is no wrong in that.

 

[Lionel Bart-At]

There is a thing called passion. You qualify under that part of the heart.
I have one for a team from Parkhead.I do not think there is no wrong in that.

Double negative intended?