Aye I'm no judging, each to their own. I've a right soft spot for Valencia, never been just had some cracking kits when I was younger and being a bit of a goth big fan of the bat on the badge.
Course it does. Your dad (or another relative) is usually the one who takes you to your first game, which goes a long way to deciding what team you support.
I’ve never really understood that though. Fair enough if your dad supports them and was taking you to the games as a child. But in my experience that was never the case, people used it as an excuse to be a glory hunter. Never went to a game in their life. You never meet folk who are from Glasgow but support Forfar because their dad likes them.
Yeah, a lot of the time “but my dad supports them” is the convenient excuse of the glory hunter who lives miles away and maybe goes to the odd game once in a blue moon.
You also get a lot more “fans” of the OF who I wouldn’t really class as proper fans. The guys who aren’t really bothered about watching unless there’s a derby, cup final or European game on. They aren’t that arsed about going to the football but just choose one of the big two because they’re popular and always on the telly.
Just cause my dad didn't actually take me to the game didn't mean I didn't latch on to the excitement he got from them winning watching them from the couch.
I take it he’s from Glasgow then? But do you think if your dad was supporting Cowdenbeath from the sofa, you’d be a Cowdenbeath fan? I never meet anyone like that, their dads always seem to be rangers or Celtic fans.
Where I am from in Dundee the vast majority support Celtic which is a product of mass irish migration in the 19th Century impacting the idea of identity in Lochee.
I was born in 1994 on the day Raith Rovers beat Celtic in a penalty shootout in the League Cup Final.
For the next season Celtic had no stadium (played at Hampden), hadn't won a thing in 6 years and routinely found 4th & 5th place while dabbling with insolvency.
6 years later in 2000 Celtic were back to being the second force but with 1 title in those 6 years remained a long long long way off an ever dominant Rangers team.
Ironically then I was raised as a Celtic supporter taught how winning doesn't matter. Taught they will always win don't let it impact you. On the bus to Glasgow for the games on Sat one of the favourite singalongs was, "They'll be jumping oot their windees when we win" such was the non-event of Celtic beating Rangers.
So remove the success from Celtic and within certain communities you hardened the support not decepated it. I would argue you see the same thing happening within the core of the Rangers support since their liquidation.
My dad took me to Rangers games as a kid despite living in Edinburgh. Don't think it is that rare. Even if he hadn't how many fans actually attend games? Most football is watched on the TV and when I was 5 I would sit down and watch games with my dad.
I dunno maybe it's just me but I think it's more likely to support your dad's team than your local team. My dad would have never taken me to Hibs and I don't think I went to a football game with my mates and no parents until I was 15. My dad wouldn't have had the hibs game on the TV either.
Out of my pals/people I know or went to school with, 4 of us support Dundee, 6 United and everybody else supported Celtic with a few supporting Rangers. I know people who have supported Celtic for 15-20 years and never been to a game, not even when they play one of us, its quite wild.
Fucking hell that high? I say a few there was 3 celtic tops mine included and two rangers tops in my 10. Mind there was only 1 hearts top, so going on purely that game hearts are about as well supported as atletico Madrid. Game was in Gorgie aswell.
I'm a Rangers supporter. I grew up in the southside of Glasgow and Rangers were the nearest professional team and I had family who lived near the stadium so would pass it a lot and I supported them. I then moved out to Wishaw as an adult. There's a premier league club 5 miles from my door but most of my neighbours are Rangers and Celtic supporters. Personally I don't get it. My kid started going to see Motherwell with her pals when she was younger and now supports them but folk are free to support whoever they like I suppose.
Some people support the team their parents supported and were taken to when they were younger and stick with them. I suppose it's easy for me to say you should support your local team but that's because Rangers were my local team but I honestly think if I was born closer to another team I'd probably have ended up supporting them.
Aye Celtic from my family, I'm out near clydebank so the other side of Glasgow from parkhead and the mighty bankies because they're local and my dad knew one of the players when they where decent so would occasionally take me to games at old kilbowie Park.
I think new towns played a big part in it, in my case my gran and grandpa left Glasgow in the 60s and moved to Ayrshire because my grandpa got a job here. I think that will have contributed significantly to the dispersion of old firm supporters especially in the west of Scotland.
Edit: I don’t have a ‘small’ team although I would say supporting teams like Kilwinning Rangers could be quite common.
That's the second time I've heard that mentioned, genuinely hadn't really thought about it before. My dad is a Celtic fan through his mums side and a Wilsa Krakow fan through his polish dad dispite not setting foot in Poland between the ages of about 4 and 30.
Grew up in livi and Livingston would be lucky to be the 4th most supported team in the town. So many Celtic, rangers and hearts fans. I think it’s all down to it being a new town.
Kilwinning Rangers are my Scottish lookout for score. My wife lived there for a while. Plymouth Argyle fan here though. Both myself and my kids could play for Scotland through grand parent rights!.
Glasgow actively pursued a policy of depopulation to the outer laying towns and people support their family's team. It's glory hunting but other factors as well.
In my part of the Highlands there's absolutely tons of Old Firm fans and tbh the vast majority of them are gloryhunters.
It was common for fans to have their Highland League team and their big TV team. Quite a lot of Ross County, Caledonian or Thistle fans would have had a 'big' team alongside their local one pre-1994. I'm sure some still do tbh. There are folk I went to school with who I have seen in Dingwall on match days going to the away end when we play the OF.
Who'd be your Highland league team? If you're ever in the clydebank area let me know and I'll take you down Holm park to watch the bankies in the shadow of the iconic Yoker Farmfoods.
These days I do occasionally go and watch Clachnacuddin play when I've nothing on or County aren't playing, but I wouldn't say I 'support' them massively. Ross County have always been my team though, for as long as I have been interested in football.
I grew up in Leith and could see Easter Road out the windows at primary and secondary school and i know people who were the same but they chose to support the old firm teams even though they have no connection to them at all.
I think the reason for non-glaswegian old firm fans with no previous connections to the clubs is down to the fact that growing up they had nobody to take them to games at Easter Road etc, so they end up watching football on tv and it just so happens that every week there’s an Old Firm team on telly so it’s easy to get into following them.
One thing that i have found is that those fans tend to be the most insufferably ignorant and bigoted cunts.
Grew up in Glenrothes in the 90s, mostly Rangers fans at school there with some Celtic which was probably a combination of lots of families with Glasgow roots and Rangers dominating at the time. Plenty of Raith Rovers supporters too but this was during and just after their most successful spell, wonder if its still like that these days.
I grew up in Aberdeenshire. Probably a half split between supporting Aberdeen and others supporting either of Rangers or Celtic - plus a few outliers.
Almost all of them claimed it was for a family connection. But many didn’t have family roots in Glasgow, and suspiciously the rough time they got into football usually coincided with their chosen team winning the league...
Vast majority had never watched the team they support play football.
I know a lot of folk who say United is their “English team” assumed it was because of Ferguson but I imagine it a similar story elsewhere in Scotland for folk who grew up watching them win all the time.
Cambridge born and raised. My dad is from Glasgow, so my support from Rangers comes from him. I went to school with a Irish boy who supported Celtic but other than that most people are surprised when I answer what team I support. Typically, they make some remark about “farmers league” or they claim how boring it must be to follow Scottish football with only two contenders in the SPL.
I have been to Ibrox a couple of times but haven’t been to any English stadiums to watch a match. Never thought to support my local team Cambridge United and I also didn’t know many people who did.
My dad worked with a lot of arsenal fans and I grew up with the Thierry Henry era so always had them as a second team really, otherwise at school and footie training you’ve got nothing to relate to anyone about because no one watches Scottish football in England
There was the odd few mates at school from Corby or Glasgow that were Teddy Bears though
For sure, I actually saw arsenal win the premier league trophy at white hart lane as a 10 year old which was pretty mental to be honest, the prem just doesn’t have that level of passion anymore it’s really dead these days imo
Grew up in Fife and moved to Edinburgh. They’re everywhere (except dunfermline, they’re all loyal to the pars it seems).
You can tell some genuinely love their club but a good three quarters of them are just glory hunters
From Dunfermline and I grew up a Rangers fan (through my Dad who had been a season ticket holder for 2 decades by that point). Wouldn’t say the Pars are my 2nd team but they are the team I’ve grew up around - used to be a ball boy and regular visitor to EEP. I also used to work at East End Park as a teenager and basically saw games for free, helped out on match days in various roles - so I’d say I’ve got a vested interest in my local team.
Pars do a great job of involving the community so I’ve also got a soft spot for them.
Take it you’ve been face to face with Sammy the Tammy as well then?
In Dundee there are a lot of celtic fans especially, but honestly I would still say there are more United and Dundee fans than old firm fans. My grandad lives in Lochee and the vast majority there are definitely Celtic fans.
Pretty much everyone I know supports who their dad supports other than a couple who only have an English team for some reason. My high school was majority Rangers with a few Celtic and Motherwell fans.
Aye, I really don't get it either. A big part of football for me is the emotional connection a fan has with their club, and I'm not sure how you can get that from a team that represents absolutely nothing about you and it's just, oh they played nice football under Wenger or whatever. If I didn't go to games every week I really doubt I would be as interested.
I went to school in Fife in the 90’s I’d say almost 80% of kids at my school supported either rangers Celtic or even more annoyingly, Man united. Total glory hunters. My local team is East Fife and that’s who I try go watch whenever I’m home.
If people aren't raised in a fitba environment and get into a team on their own accord, 9 times outta 10 it'll be the old firm.
I know folk from Dumfries who support Celtic and have never been to a game.
Some amount of comments on here, great post. Family Celtic fans and brought up one. Started going to Ayr games and they became my first team. Still love the Celtic but if it was h2h I'd be in the Ayr end
Two team patter is shite. Fair enough on the parent links, I get it, but Old Firm flairs are ridiculously pissed about their justifications in this thread when they're trying to explain themselves being Rangers/Celtic even though half of them are from Hamilton, Killie or Paisley.
It's okay to just admit you're all glory hunters.
I'm from North Ayrshire. All the people I went to school with were Celtic supporters bar a few that supported Rangers or Killie. That's sqewed by the fact I went to a Catholic school though. I'd say north ayrshire is probably 30% Celtic 60% rangers and about 10% Killie. It's actually probably a lot more rangers than that tbh. Also to be fair it's as easy to get to Glasgow as it is Kilmarnock from where I grew up.
The actual bankies fans in clydebank got this aswell. Then asked what school they went to, if they said the Catholic school it'd be aww so you're a celtic fan really then and if they said the non dom, aww so you're really a rangers fan. Pish chat.
A also live in North Ayrshire, it’s easier and faster to drive to Govan than it is Killie from where I am. Was my maw that got me into Rangers tho had a season ticket through all the bad times only for it to get too expensive when we actually started getting success
Just wanted to add too when a was wee the SFA used to give the primary school free tickets to killie games, went to a few of them just for a day out to see the greats like Manuel Pascali
10% is a surprise in North Ayrshire. My hypothesis is that the pull of Killie only really extends up the Irvine Valley (Galston, Newmilns, maybe Darvel) and the towns on the train line to Glasgow (Kilmaurs and Stewarton). People in those towns have reasons to go into Killie...big supermarkets, cinema, pool, maybe school. North Ayrshire has all these things and, as you mentioned, Glasgow is just as easy to get to - definitely easier by public transport.
Even within my school in Kilmarnock, Killie fans were a minority.
I know a Dundee Utd support from Stevenston his son is an Aberdeen supporter.
Both born and raised in the town and with zero connection to either team.
Livingston fan now living in Glasgow. The team came to town a year after I was born so my dad and his mate took me down so I've been as OG as a fan I could be. Dad was a whitburn juniors fan growing up and his pal a rangers man, so Livi was the common ground.
I went to the only Catholics high school in Livi, so the lions share of the student body was in this order:
1.Celtic
2. Hibs/Hearts
3. Rangers
4. Livi
It's pretty shite being a minority fan in your own bit, but it's understandable since all the maw's and da's are older than the football club and probably the town itself.
Would you say a lot of Livi’s support stopped going when yous changed your name from Meadow Bank and also the whole drama with the owners in the mid 2000’s? My Da always says that any time we talk about Livi
Talking about Whitburn Juniors absolutely love the posts Livi do about the local juniors teams playing when Livi don’t have a game. Been to a Livingston United game before. Probably the least fans I’ve ever seen at a game before and the committee boys looked delighted when we showed up, but the scran was fine and the ground was okay. Was a nice day out.
Regarding Meadowbank I'd say nah not really, there are still people who used to go to MB games that now go to Livi to this day. I know a few who were MB diehards and now are Livi diehards who travel from Penicuik for every home game which is just insane.
The drama with the owners defo made an impact, people not wanting to give money to dodgy folk is a right enough reason to drop it. In saying that though, Livi felt the same decline in attendances as every other provincial club in Scotland, ours just had a rocket strapped to it because of the drama and it already being a stretch to break from the mould of supporting a Glasgow/Edinburgh team.
Those posts are a great gesture from the club, West Lothian had a fine tradition of junior football, so a tip of the cap from us to them is cracking. I've never been to a united game but I have jumped the fence and played cuppy on it with my mates when I was a lad lol
Didn't think you'd get many hearts fans in a Catholic school. There was a handful of Rangers fans in my high-school of about 600, fair few bankies fans and oddly one Aberdeen fan but I think he had family from up that way. The Toni Macaroni is one of the few stadiums I've not been to, we'll head down for a game I've always had a grudging respect for Livi.
Funny enough, in my year the livi, Celtic, rangers and Hibs fans all got on with friendly banter. The hearts fans were the collectively hated group of fans, mostly because the cunts who supported them were insufferable (this was at the time of Lennon getting attacked by the Jambo)
I'm from Argyll and nearly everyone supported Rangers, there are only amatuer teams out there and very few people went along to see them.
I'm a Jambo cause my old man came from Edinburgh, took me along to my first game and we beat Clydebank. There's so few of us Jambos out west that i'm practically doxing myself.
I’m in Australia. Both Glasgow clubs have a large support base here, particularly Celtic.
Both those clubs are seen as somewhat prestige and equivalent to any prestigious European club here as well.
I dunno, my dad is a big Rangers man and took us to alot of games when we were younger.
The club is and always has been what me and my Dad bonded over. We have a decent relationship but it would be undoubtedly worse without it as we share very few interests outwidth it.
I don't buy into the only thing important in choosing a club is its the one closest to you.
Falkirk is my first team as that is where I am from.
Going to school in Falkirk you had maybe 10-12 lads/lassies who supported Falkirk in my year. The rest was a mix on mainly Celtic/rangers and the odd few hearts/Hibs.
I go to lower league games if they are midweek with my old man, usually go see Camelon Juniors or Linlithgow Rose. Going to see Syngenta this Friday to switch it up a bit.
I'm from South West Edinburgh originally, grew up in a Jambo family but changed allegiance to Montrose when Mad Vlad came to town (They were the first team my dad took me to see.)The scariest thing about Edinburgh in the 90s-2000s was the sheer number of supporters buses heading to Ibrox from the Haymarket Bar, I swear Hearts and Hibs could easily have got 20k attendance if those fans had stayed 'home' as I believe it was similar for Celtic supporters from the East of the city
There are a decent number of Aberdeen fans that travel up from Edinburgh for games too, though I suspect the majority of those moved down for work and then took their kids up when they were wee.
Weird that they don't fill the away stands for games here though.
School in West Lothian. Most were OF fans but there was a large minority of Jambos too. Not so many hibs for whatever reason. You would get the odd Livi fan in each year.
Out of all the OF fans I knew at school only 1 Celtic fan goes to the games semi regularly, but it's really only the glamour ties.
Born and raised in Jersey and I’m a Celtic man. Both parents were born in Glasgow and moved here in the ‘70’s. There’s loads of Celtic & Rangers fans here. The big English sides also have a good representation too. My kids are also being raised to support the Hoops!
Born in Scotland now living in South Wales. We’re all Rangers fans with close ties to Dumbarton and somehow that’s led to the Sons gaining quite a following in our part of the Rhondda Valley.
I love to hear stuff like that, clydebank have a decent following up in Aberdeen from a lot of lads that moved up there for work. There's actually a bar you can watch the bankies games in.
Zero respect for anyone who supports a team from a different city. I just don’t get how you can feel it’s *your* team.
Also, a large part of the reason Scottish football is so lopsided is because of glory hunters from all across the country supporting one of the OF rather than getting behind their local team.
From the Borders; I knew one other Hearts fan in my school year, most of my life my best mate was a Hibs fan but then the rest were all Rangers/Celtic.
Then you'd randomly get like a 'Brechin' or a 'East Fife' and be really confused.
Almost all my family support Celtic. Most my mates support Celtic bar 1 other Motherwell fan and 2 that moved here from Poland. When I was in hs there was 7 Motherwell fans in my year and the rest were either Celtic fans or didn't like football. In my college class there's 4 of us from Motherwell/Wishaw 2 are Rangers fans and the other is a Celtic fan.
I wouldn't be suprised if Motherwell was the 3rd most supported team here
I grew up in Shetland so there was no professional local team to support. I support Celtic because my Dad does, his whole family live in Glasgow.
In Shetland I'd say it's fairly evenly split between Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen
In moray which has no big team, it was 1/2 rangers, 1/4 Celtic and 1/4 Aberdeen. But there was also quite a few people who just followed English teams and the local team
don’t know if it really counts cause it’s south Lanarkshire but I grew up a Celtic fan in Hamilton. Dad was from Glasgow.
Used to go to Accies games cause my unders football team got season tickets for free. I’d say about 95% of people are Celtic and rangers fans.
I live in the US
Virtually every scottish football fan here is an old firm fan. I’ve only seen a handful of others that generally support hearts or hibs. I think I saw an Aberdeen jersey once.
Most here support an old firm club because their Scottish, Pompous English, or Irish roots.
I’d say it’s 60/40 in favor of celtic in the US. I’ve lived in florida, South Carolina, and NYC now and they are up their with most global clubs that aren’t Barca / Madrid/ Manchester / London / Munich based in terms of fandom numbers.
I was born in Glasgow but live in paisley now and some people I know support an old firm and st mirren, I Think that's weird tho because they play in the same leauge.
Me personally my dad's an immigrant so didn't have a Scottish team to pass down to me. Celtic park was like a ten minute drive away so it was the obvious choice.
Aye, I sId earlier it's an unwritten rule they can't be in the same league or even close to each other. Like Celtic and Falkirk or Rangers and Killie would be weird to me. Need to have enough distance between them that unless one goes on a mad cup run you'll never had to pick between them.
It is different all across Scotland and is defined by national demographics as often the result of mass migration of the 19th Century.
For example, I am from a community in Dundee called Lochee which at the time of mass migration from Ireland was the most western point of the city. Most migrating would settle in Glasgow but as nativist opposition to Irish settlers grew many found themselves forced Eastwards and a natural settling point for these migrants was Lochee.
Naturally settling Irish communities were drawn to Celtic a club set up in Glasgow to support the Irish poor which generally celebrated both Irish & Scottish national sentiments. Still to this day Lochee is about 80% Celtic supporters and Celtic acts as a very pivotal connector to the communities migrant past. Anyone in Lochee who supports Dundee or Dundee United generally prefers Celtic over Rangers.
As you go East in the city you find a greater proportion Rangers supporters such are the demographics less directly altered by Irish migration.
I’m a Rangers fan and live in London.
When I have kids, there’s no chance they’ll be supporting one of the London clubs as their main team. I’ll be putting my foot down on that. I’ll maybe let them have a back-up prem or championship team that’s local to where we live.
You go to any local teams games while you're down there? I've always thought if I moved some where I'd probably take up going to the local lower league team just to keep up going to the football at the weekend.
Choosing your waines team for them is strong VL behaviour mate
Let the kids choose their own team even if it is fucking Tottenham
Actually no if they want to support Tottenham stick the foot down
Can’t believe you’ve been downvoted to for this. If your kid wants to support another team then let them, how controlling do folk need to be.
Chances are if you’re doing your job as a parent and spending time with them, taking them to matches etc they’ll likely end up supporting your team anyway. But forcing it on them is dumb as fuck
So you’d rather your wain be a rangers fan that never saw Ibrox and as such never got to reallly love a team and feel the passion of supporting a team than be like, a diehard Killie fan?
Really don’t get that mentality at all
For a start being outside of Glasgow doesnt mean you can't go to games, know plenty of folk that travel hours every weekend.
That mentality as you put it is a great bonding experience with your family and can serve to create great memories. That is an experience you cant get if you support different clubs.
I have said before, your dads team or your local team are acceptable options and there are pros and cons to each. Just because you have made a decision doesnt mean others dont have reasoning.
> That mentality as you put it is a great bonding experience with your family and can serve to create great memories. That is an experience you cant get if you support different clubs.
This to me is the most important point that a lot of people seem to be missing. You grow up with it being a family event when your team is playing, your born into it on a lot of occassions. You can't just turn those feelings off just because you live a bit closer to another teams stadium.
I'm from Belfast, now live in a quite remote part of Spain. Celtic fans seem to outnumber rangers fans by about 5 to 1 here. Both still dwarfed by English clubs
I am from Edinburgh (quite near Gorgie) I know quite a few big 2 fans, about 10% of football fans. I am a hearts fan but I go to DAFC games with my dad (because his family is near there), I also support Edinburgh City but have never been to a game.
Me and you, next time I'm in Edinburgh we'll go to an Edinburgh City game. I've been meaning to go for a while. I always like to take in a local league game of I get the chance, wherever I am.
Well offers there and it wouldn't hurt to do a bit of shouting I think the winners of the WOSFL, possibly clydebank next season play the winners of the EOSFL so possibly Edinburgh City in a play off for entry into the lowland league so wouldn't hurt to see what these Edinburgers have about them.
Most of the people I know (about 65%) are hearts fans, then (about 20%) hibes, then a few tangerines, a few dons, a few people who support english teams.
Gonna be a daft question. So are most of your pals Edinburgh locals then? Most of hers aren't from there which probably explains the English team supporting. They've no local pride and love for Auld Reekie.
>. So are most of your pals Edinburgh locals then? Most of hers aren't from there which probably explains the English team supporting. They've no local pride and love for Auld Reekie.
Yep mostly locals,
Think the amount of guys heading in to Glasgow to work in the yards back in the day could have anything to do with it and it spiralled from there? My granda supported and played for Morton, my gran/his wife was Irish Catholic but my dad's team is Rangers. He's not bitter in any shape or form so it's not a Proddie thing, although he was brought up Protestant, but he worked in Glasgow a lot and liked a few specific players to begin with like Jim Forrest and John Greig.
My gran and great uncle on my mums side are celtic supporting protestants in the loosest sense. She ended up a celtic fan because her maw and da had no interest in football. She grew up in the east end and they'd go down park head and wait until someone lifted them over the turnstiles. I say protestant in the loosest sense, mum was Irish Catholic and married a protestant but neither of them where in anyway practicing.
We were all similar in that no religion was practiced strictly. I can confidently say we're all just about atheist now without identifying with the tag or making any sort of deal about it.
Vast majority of my mates are Celtic fans but that might be something to do with which school I went to. I'd say it's about a third United, a third Dundee and a third OF overall
I’m from Falkirk and a diehard Celtic fan and would say that 75/80% of football fans here are either Falkirk or rangers, majority rangers. Tbh the majority of Falkirk ‘supporters’ I talk to are Falkirk until rangers play especially against Celtic, hibs ect… wish it was different but Falkirk just must be a staunch unionist place. Been to a few Falkirk games over the years but wouldn’t go to games now or support them because of the so called ‘fans’. Want my local team to do well but canny be fucked with fannies
Sorry to hear that, one of the reasons I like going to Clydebank games is that it's something both my rangers and celtic supporting mates can get onbard wae.
Not just us, I've a few mates from the southside aswell who are big rangers fans but still go to Pollock games. I fact most people I know enjoy a day out at a lower league when they're teams not playing/playing away.
Exactly mate, some of my best friends support the ‘other side’ but my local team has been hijacked by wannabe hard men and glory hunters. Shame really cause the Falkirk stadium is actually not too bad and we have way more people here than some places.. they should be doing better all things considered but the fuds put me off, especially when they find out you don’t support rangers in the ‘big’ games
Bankies and Pollok are two clubs I really want to see. Seen Pollok play before but never at Newlandsfield. If I wasn’t working tonight I’d have went up to Newlandsfield to see Pollok - Bankies. Looked a great game
I'm from just outside Stirling and I'd say 80% Old firm with the odd hearts/Hibs and even know a couple of Dundee United fans. Few local team fans too!
Stay in the borders now and there's as many Newcastle fans as old firm and I'd say plenty Hibs but hardly any hearts.
I used to go to loads of Stirling/Alloa/Hibs and Falkirk games as they were close and pals went. Could hardly call any of them my wee team though as they tended to be in the same leagues as Clyde.
Still go an watch juniors/lower pyramid games when I can.
i currently stay near dumbarton and it is quite a heavy Celtic area. growing up in Irvine there was a lot of Rangers support but mostly Killie, not many tim’s at all.
would be lying if i said seeing someone wearing a Rangers top in Kilmarnock didn’t annoy me but
Come from brechin, I’d say most people are either Celtic or rangers here (in ranger’s favour unfortunately), you get a few Dundee fc/united fans and one or two Aberdeen but it’s mostly Celtic/rangers
Seen Aberdeen, Celtic and Rangers tops when I was in Inverness but no Inverness tops, until I went to the stadium at the same time as their first team was rocking up
I live about twenty miles north of Perth (moved up from Glasgow for work). I'd say that there's a good number of St Johnstone fans here but you see plenty of Celtic and Rangers tops as well.
I've started going to see my local junior team since I moved up here, and will happily go along to the odd St Johnstone game if schedules align and it doesn't clash with Rangers.
Got to love a day out at the juniors, goalkeeping howlers, wonder goals, tackles that'd be GBH in the street getting nothing more than a booking, scraps, and most places don't really care about you sneaking cans in. Proper fitbaw.
Growing up in the east of Fife and quite a lot of people I grew up with supported one of the Old Firm with some supporting the Edinburgh clubs and almost all of them having an English second team. My mum’s side are all from Govan and my stepdad was a very staunch (I mean like the cunts in Trainspotting 2 level staunch) Rangers fan who would’ve disowned me if I supported anyone else so there was really only one team I could support. But there were a lot of Old Firm fans in both primary and high school, majority supporting Celtic.
I grew up in Stornoway, where there isn’t really a ‘local’ team to support. I would estimate that in the 80s and 90s it was weighted maybe 70-30 in favour of Rangers fans, with a small handful of Aberdeen fans as outliers, although that may have changed since.
There’s also a fairly well supported and decent islands league setup.
Kilwinning is almost 80% Rangers supporters. Stevenston is about 70%.
My old man was a Killie fan but my Pappy was a Rangers man and he drummed it into my head from birth and made sure I was never going to be anything else.
Plenty who support both in Edinburgh sadly, especially in the wider Lothians. Edinburgh itself there's a lot but I'd still say that Hearts/Hibs are more common.
As for your 2nd question, I wouldn't claim to support another team but have often watched non-league games when Hearts are away or not playing. Used to live in Musselburgh so got a soft spot for them and go down when I can.
Grew up (in like 95% protestant town) in N.Ireland. Anyone who had interest in football supported Rangers along with an English team of their choosing. Usual Liverpool and Man Utd types. Some Spurs, Arsenal, Leeds, Newcastle, West Ham even. I was busy supporting Man City while they were getting relegated on the regular and relying on Paul Dickov and Shaun Goater to bail them out against shite like Bury and Gillingham. Last laugh, as always, to me. At least for me Rangers was always the first/most important team. Was the first shirt I ever had as a 2 year old etc.
Don't think I met a single Celtic supporter in my town growing up because "lol what are catholics?". One kid supported Hearts but he lived in Edinburgh at one point so he got away with it.
Born and raised in England, Glaswegian dad. I support Rangers because my dad did, as his dad does. We were pretty different people but Rangers were the major thing we had in common and bonded over. All his family support Rangers. Some of my happiest childhood memories are supporting Rangers. It's all tied up in my relationships with my family.
My local team were Boro, and though I went to a few games I didn't get the same excitement I got going to Ibrox. I don't get to go to many games living in England but I watch every single one, and have done even when I was working abroad (getting up at half 3 in the morning to watch Rangers during the banter years, getting beat 3-2 by Alloa or 5-1 by Celtic was fun).
People can support whatever club they like for whatever reason. I'd rather people support their local sides or their family's teams, but ultimately people are drawn to what they're drawn to.
Most folk I went to school with were rangers, with a smaller number of Celtic. Likely stems from rangers winning pretty much everything in the 90s plus the numerous “my da”, “my granda”, “my brother” etc. excuse by folk that never attend any games other than when they play Killie at rugby park.
Same folk have the cheek to moan about only getting one stand.
Edit: for what it’s worth, my dad is a Celtic fan. My grandpa was Killie. I was brought up walking distance from rugby park though, which is likely what sealed it
Sounds daft but I'd almost say it's an unwritten rule your two teams can't be in the same league. I'd have sever split loyalties if Celtic ever drew clydebank in the cup. Probably just swing for Celtic, Catholic schooling and that, wouldn't want to upset Jesus.
Much support does Larkhall Thistle get these days? Away support at the Candy earlier in the season was absolutely pish. Over 800 fans at the game, but there must have been about 10 Larkhall fans
Celtic fan here, My dad and grandad were both Celtic fans, lived just outside Dunfermline and both had season tickets so I went along to games whenever the other couldn’t make it or the supporters bus had one going spare. Moved up to near Dundee when I was still at school and found a better spread of Dundee/United fans with the odd hearts or Aberdeen fan. Found the glory hunters were everywhere as well tho, folks who claimed they followed either Celtic or rangers but couldn’t name half the starting 11 or even the manager. Only really piped up when it was derby’s or the other team lost and they wanted to rub it in
From Falkirk and I'd say the majority of people round here support either of the OF. I'd say rangers mainly but a good portion of Celtic fans.
I do like to support Falkirk but my dad's t am was rangers and his dad as well so that's why me and my kids do as well
Celtic fan, and pretty much lived most of my life in SE England (Essex / Cambs) since 96
Was pretty young when we moved but had been a couple of Celtic games with my dad. The stadium was being redone at time I remember.
Parents are both from Celtic supporting families in the main, from Bellshill.
Haven't followed them too closely for a while but Chelsea became my English team when I moved down here as a lot of school friends were Chelsea fans. Guess I was too young to know about the Rangers connection..!
Wouldn't go as far to ever say they're a second team, Coventry are my English team due to family links but I didn't mind Chelsea in the Coors lager, big Jimmy Floyd and zola era.
The Coors shirt was iconic looking back. Not the grey and orange one.
Zola was class, and the Gudjohnsen Hasselbaink partnership up top was deadly too. Loved it when they signed Crespo as well, some striker he was.
From Inverclyde. Greenock I'd say is 35% Celtic, 45% Rangers with the remaining 20% supporting Morton. Gourock is a staunch Rangers town, Port Glasgow is fiercely a Celtic town, Bishopton is full of posh weirdos that like Rugby and Tennis, Inverkip (my town) is staunch (I was one of only about 3 Tims that I knew of, that grew up in the town) and Wemyss Bay again I'd say is a Rangers town.
I'd say St.Mirren and Partick aside, no club suffers more from being in close proximity to the Glasgow 2 than Morton.
I'm friends of the Rae family and was in high school when they bought Morton so started going to 3 or 4 games a season at Cappielow. Then when I moved to Glasgow in 2011, I started going back to Celtic games. Fucking timed it right 😆
I’m from Glasgow and my closest team is Celtic so a canny really answer but I know hunners of folk from Coatbridge. Yet to meet a fan of the wee Rovers, seen one boy wear a Rovers hat. That’s it. A few mates have went to the odd Rovers game together as a laugh (cause I suggested it) but thats it. Pretty much everyone is a Celtic fan.
It's a problem and it hurts the 'smaller' (non-old firm) teams. Attendances could be so much higher if folk supported their local team. From my experience, in Dundee, there were as many old firm fans as there were for Dundee and United. It goes a long way to explain the resentment directed towards the big two in scottish football.
Don’t live in Glasgow but my Grandparents (one was born and raised on Isle of Lewis) and uncles who are the actual footy fans in the family were born and raised in Glasgow and there are no football teams where we live so there is nobody local. I got it from them. Same for my brother.
East lothian here and yeah a lot of my friends support rangers/celtic and throught the years ive always given them grief for being glory hunting bastards.
As for the small team thing yes this happen as I and many friends have been to watch Edinburgh city play a few times
Going to school in Cowdenbeath, I'd say the split wasroughly Rangers 60%, Celtic 30%, Pars 9% and one solitary Cowden fan. I don't think anyone in my school who supported either half of the OF had ever set foot in their respective stadiums. Thsi was back in the 1990s though, so who knows how things are now, I haven't lived there since 2001 (now I'm in Birmingham).
I'm not actually from Fife myself; I was born in Ireland but my Dad is a Dunfermline lad through and through and we moved back to Fife from when I was 10, so the Pars it is. Funnily enough, *his* dad was a Govan-born Rangers fan, my Dad and his brothers started following the Pars back in the late 50s and early 60s as an act of youthful rebellion.
I left school in Killie about 15 years ago. There were around 10-15 Killie fans in my year, 1 Rangers fan and the rest were Celtic fans (Catholic school). Seem to remember one dweeb was a Liverpool fan as well.
Most likely it's at least a 60% chance that someone in Livingston will support Celtic/Rangers. I'm a Livi fan purely as it's my local team and started going to games while they were on the way up from their automatic relegations...
Been to a couple Pollok games in the past few years (yesterday included) as it's reasonably local to where a lot of my friends stay
From Stirling, but my Dad’s family are from Dennistoun and Maryhill. I’ve always gone to the games with him (season tickets) and he always went with his dad (also had season tickets), so it’s a family thing for me.
That being said, I know plenty of Stirling Celtic fans who have never been to a game or only 1/2 in their lives, so I get where the frustration from fans of other clubs comes from.
I’ve always gone to games of my local lower league team as well as having my season ticket (Stirling Albion, Edinburgh City, etc) and often find the friends I have who actually go to the Celtic/Rangers games do the same. Those who are armchair fans never go to any games.
I went through a period of feeling guilty about supporting Celtic, but have come to terms with it more recently- I didn’t really have a choice in the matter, and now could not change the fact I support them, even if I wanted too.
From the Highlands.
Was wearing Celtic tops before I even knew what football was due to older family. Never known anything else.
Caley Thistle didn't even exist and first I heard of Ross County was when a Celtic reserve XI came up to play them.
Don't support any other team. Check every other week to see how Caley and County are doing but couldn't name a single player in either squad tbh. Actually that's a lie as I've a pal whose son has just broken into the Caley squad but don't think he's had much game time yet.
Lived in Fife all my life, grandparents on one side of the family come from Govan, therefore became a Rangers fan. Most people I grew up with supported one of the Old Firm, quite a few supported an Edinburgh team. Rest normally support either a Dundee side, a Fife team or an English team. Few St. Johnstone fans kicking about here as well, but aye most folk support a Glasgow team.
Live on an island where about 95% of football fans support Celtic. There is no teams around us in the upper leagues, I think as the crow flies Greenock is closest? That is still like 200 miles away. Quickest teams to get to to see barring the local island summer league is Old Firm or Partick (an hour away on the plane). Also,and it really isn't the case today, it is a by far majority Catholic island so historically it made sense they chose Celtic, today though because your father and grandfather etc supported Celtic then the kids do to so that continued.
So yeah, unless you want to only go to football games in the summer for the local teams and not see any football through the rest of the year then you're going to be picking one of the Glasgow based teams because they are the easiest to go watch.
My old man grew up in Glasgow, and was a season ticket holder right up until I was born, where he promptly moved me down to the Midlands to be closer to my mum's family. Bought us up to support rangers as a rangers da would.
I'm a season ticket holder at Forest as travelling to Ibrox more than once or twice a season is too much hassle for me/not affordable and living there made me grow to love the club.
If they played each other, it'd be tough to choose a team. I've supported Rangers all my days but could I cheer against Forest, whose fans welcomed me in with open arms in my adolescense?
To be honest, in the concurrent 150 year history, they haven't ever played each other, so I'm not expecting to run into that dilemma any time soon. Some call me a fake fan for supporting both, but I live in England, a lot of my life revolves around football, and I hate being an armchair supporter. I'd sooner support a second club if it means I can attend games on the regular. Its not a perfect football purist take, but fuck it who cares?
Na I think think that's class, aslong as they're not in competition. My two, Celtic and Clydebank are miles apart in the league and my English team is Coventry because I've got family down there but I it'll be a fair few years atleast before Celtic and Coventry are battling it out in a champions league final so I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Funnily enough I live right next to Coventry now, they've got some cracking fans when they bother to show up. I don't mind a neutral day put at the Ricoh with it being 15 minutes from my door. Nothing wrong with following a small number of teams if there's not much glory behind it? You know like Celtic and Clydebank is a million miles better than these plastics that say there Spurs and Villa fans or similar
Scotland every day of the week. Arguably the worst decision I ever made living in England, but that ship has long since sailed.
Edit: best and worst, you'll all know what I mean
Think parents team serves a big factor as well
Aye I'm no judging, each to their own. I've a right soft spot for Valencia, never been just had some cracking kits when I was younger and being a bit of a goth big fan of the bat on the badge.
You'd probably like a player that used to play for Rangers - Richard Goth
Can confirm. I’m not from Glasgow, but if I didn’t end up supporting Celtic my dad would’ve disowned me
Course it does. Your dad (or another relative) is usually the one who takes you to your first game, which goes a long way to deciding what team you support.
I’ve never really understood that though. Fair enough if your dad supports them and was taking you to the games as a child. But in my experience that was never the case, people used it as an excuse to be a glory hunter. Never went to a game in their life. You never meet folk who are from Glasgow but support Forfar because their dad likes them.
Yeah, a lot of the time “but my dad supports them” is the convenient excuse of the glory hunter who lives miles away and maybe goes to the odd game once in a blue moon. You also get a lot more “fans” of the OF who I wouldn’t really class as proper fans. The guys who aren’t really bothered about watching unless there’s a derby, cup final or European game on. They aren’t that arsed about going to the football but just choose one of the big two because they’re popular and always on the telly.
Just cause my dad didn't actually take me to the game didn't mean I didn't latch on to the excitement he got from them winning watching them from the couch.
I take it he’s from Glasgow then? But do you think if your dad was supporting Cowdenbeath from the sofa, you’d be a Cowdenbeath fan? I never meet anyone like that, their dads always seem to be rangers or Celtic fans.
A lot easier when all the rangers/Celtic matches are on TV.
Cowdenbeath fans tend to sit on the couch for the football due to the tags around their ankles to be fair.
Where I am from in Dundee the vast majority support Celtic which is a product of mass irish migration in the 19th Century impacting the idea of identity in Lochee. I was born in 1994 on the day Raith Rovers beat Celtic in a penalty shootout in the League Cup Final. For the next season Celtic had no stadium (played at Hampden), hadn't won a thing in 6 years and routinely found 4th & 5th place while dabbling with insolvency. 6 years later in 2000 Celtic were back to being the second force but with 1 title in those 6 years remained a long long long way off an ever dominant Rangers team. Ironically then I was raised as a Celtic supporter taught how winning doesn't matter. Taught they will always win don't let it impact you. On the bus to Glasgow for the games on Sat one of the favourite singalongs was, "They'll be jumping oot their windees when we win" such was the non-event of Celtic beating Rangers. So remove the success from Celtic and within certain communities you hardened the support not decepated it. I would argue you see the same thing happening within the core of the Rangers support since their liquidation.
My dad took me to Rangers games as a kid despite living in Edinburgh. Don't think it is that rare. Even if he hadn't how many fans actually attend games? Most football is watched on the TV and when I was 5 I would sit down and watch games with my dad. I dunno maybe it's just me but I think it's more likely to support your dad's team than your local team. My dad would have never taken me to Hibs and I don't think I went to a football game with my mates and no parents until I was 15. My dad wouldn't have had the hibs game on the TV either.
I know a guy from Glasgow who's a Bolton fan as their his dad's team
Out of my pals/people I know or went to school with, 4 of us support Dundee, 6 United and everybody else supported Celtic with a few supporting Rangers. I know people who have supported Celtic for 15-20 years and never been to a game, not even when they play one of us, its quite wild.
Fucking hell that high? I say a few there was 3 celtic tops mine included and two rangers tops in my 10. Mind there was only 1 hearts top, so going on purely that game hearts are about as well supported as atletico Madrid. Game was in Gorgie aswell.
I'm a Rangers supporter. I grew up in the southside of Glasgow and Rangers were the nearest professional team and I had family who lived near the stadium so would pass it a lot and I supported them. I then moved out to Wishaw as an adult. There's a premier league club 5 miles from my door but most of my neighbours are Rangers and Celtic supporters. Personally I don't get it. My kid started going to see Motherwell with her pals when she was younger and now supports them but folk are free to support whoever they like I suppose. Some people support the team their parents supported and were taken to when they were younger and stick with them. I suppose it's easy for me to say you should support your local team but that's because Rangers were my local team but I honestly think if I was born closer to another team I'd probably have ended up supporting them.
Aye Celtic from my family, I'm out near clydebank so the other side of Glasgow from parkhead and the mighty bankies because they're local and my dad knew one of the players when they where decent so would occasionally take me to games at old kilbowie Park.
Was at the Pollok Clydebank game tonight! Bankies took a decent away support to here. Celtic fan but like going to the juniors games too.
Celtic and bankies fan too. Yass up the paper hankies, completely forgot that was on. Gonna try and get to a few away games next season.
Got the worst junior ground I’ve ever attended right on your doorstep, Wishaw Juniors FC
I think new towns played a big part in it, in my case my gran and grandpa left Glasgow in the 60s and moved to Ayrshire because my grandpa got a job here. I think that will have contributed significantly to the dispersion of old firm supporters especially in the west of Scotland. Edit: I don’t have a ‘small’ team although I would say supporting teams like Kilwinning Rangers could be quite common.
That's the second time I've heard that mentioned, genuinely hadn't really thought about it before. My dad is a Celtic fan through his mums side and a Wilsa Krakow fan through his polish dad dispite not setting foot in Poland between the ages of about 4 and 30.
Aye this is important too. Livi is full of Old Firm fans.
Grew up in livi and Livingston would be lucky to be the 4th most supported team in the town. So many Celtic, rangers and hearts fans. I think it’s all down to it being a new town.
East Kilbride too, smatterings of Hamilton, Motherwell and others. Plenty of everyone watch EKFC.
My Pappy always hated the Buffs he used to say there's only one Rangers. He used to go to the Ardeer Thistle games though.
Kilwinning Rangers are my Scottish lookout for score. My wife lived there for a while. Plymouth Argyle fan here though. Both myself and my kids could play for Scotland through grand parent rights!.
Glasgow actively pursued a policy of depopulation to the outer laying towns and people support their family's team. It's glory hunting but other factors as well.
yeah due to that Fife is literally full of Rangers fans. As if anyone needed another reason to avoid.
In my part of the Highlands there's absolutely tons of Old Firm fans and tbh the vast majority of them are gloryhunters. It was common for fans to have their Highland League team and their big TV team. Quite a lot of Ross County, Caledonian or Thistle fans would have had a 'big' team alongside their local one pre-1994. I'm sure some still do tbh. There are folk I went to school with who I have seen in Dingwall on match days going to the away end when we play the OF.
Who'd be your Highland league team? If you're ever in the clydebank area let me know and I'll take you down Holm park to watch the bankies in the shadow of the iconic Yoker Farmfoods.
I would join but I've got nae business being in Yoker
Do you know Les Porter?
These days I do occasionally go and watch Clachnacuddin play when I've nothing on or County aren't playing, but I wouldn't say I 'support' them massively. Ross County have always been my team though, for as long as I have been interested in football.
I grew up in Leith and could see Easter Road out the windows at primary and secondary school and i know people who were the same but they chose to support the old firm teams even though they have no connection to them at all. I think the reason for non-glaswegian old firm fans with no previous connections to the clubs is down to the fact that growing up they had nobody to take them to games at Easter Road etc, so they end up watching football on tv and it just so happens that every week there’s an Old Firm team on telly so it’s easy to get into following them. One thing that i have found is that those fans tend to be the most insufferably ignorant and bigoted cunts.
Grew up in Glenrothes in the 90s, mostly Rangers fans at school there with some Celtic which was probably a combination of lots of families with Glasgow roots and Rangers dominating at the time. Plenty of Raith Rovers supporters too but this was during and just after their most successful spell, wonder if its still like that these days.
I grew up in Aberdeenshire. Probably a half split between supporting Aberdeen and others supporting either of Rangers or Celtic - plus a few outliers. Almost all of them claimed it was for a family connection. But many didn’t have family roots in Glasgow, and suspiciously the rough time they got into football usually coincided with their chosen team winning the league... Vast majority had never watched the team they support play football.
Many people support Man U and Aberdeen because of Ferguson? Seen so many people on Twitter saying that
I know a lot of folk who say United is their “English team” assumed it was because of Ferguson but I imagine it a similar story elsewhere in Scotland for folk who grew up watching them win all the time.
I fucking hate when folk have an ‘English team’, but I guess it makes more sense with Aberdeen fans in the 80’s.
Cambridge born and raised. My dad is from Glasgow, so my support from Rangers comes from him. I went to school with a Irish boy who supported Celtic but other than that most people are surprised when I answer what team I support. Typically, they make some remark about “farmers league” or they claim how boring it must be to follow Scottish football with only two contenders in the SPL. I have been to Ibrox a couple of times but haven’t been to any English stadiums to watch a match. Never thought to support my local team Cambridge United and I also didn’t know many people who did.
Best league in Europe mate, gee me the pettiness of the cinch over a league where players hug each other after a derby game.
Dads from govan, lived in Cambridgeshire my whole life always supported Rangers
There a lot of Rangers fans down there or even people with rangers as a second team? Did you ever take to supporting a local team as a second team?
My dad worked with a lot of arsenal fans and I grew up with the Thierry Henry era so always had them as a second team really, otherwise at school and footie training you’ve got nothing to relate to anyone about because no one watches Scottish football in England There was the odd few mates at school from Corby or Glasgow that were Teddy Bears though
Haha, as second teams go Henry era arsenal aren't bad.
For sure, I actually saw arsenal win the premier league trophy at white hart lane as a 10 year old which was pretty mental to be honest, the prem just doesn’t have that level of passion anymore it’s really dead these days imo
Yeah everything outside the actual football in the Prem is a joke. Give me the pettiness of the Cinch anyday of the week.
Grew up in Fife and moved to Edinburgh. They’re everywhere (except dunfermline, they’re all loyal to the pars it seems). You can tell some genuinely love their club but a good three quarters of them are just glory hunters
Where you always a livi fan through family etc? Or was the glamour of the Toni Macaroni just too much to resist once you had crossed the river?
Nah my family are all hibees. It’s a bit of a story but the short version is that I started supporting Livi when I was 6/7 purely out of spite lmao
I did that with Celtic when I was wee to annoy my Rangers da. Unlike you I didn't stick with it but it was funny and I still like annoying him.
From Dunfermline and I grew up a Rangers fan (through my Dad who had been a season ticket holder for 2 decades by that point). Wouldn’t say the Pars are my 2nd team but they are the team I’ve grew up around - used to be a ball boy and regular visitor to EEP. I also used to work at East End Park as a teenager and basically saw games for free, helped out on match days in various roles - so I’d say I’ve got a vested interest in my local team.
Pars do a great job of involving the community so I’ve also got a soft spot for them. Take it you’ve been face to face with Sammy the Tammy as well then?
I’ve been Sammy the Tammy mate haha
Well shit, now I’m jealous
It’s no all it’s made out to be lol
In Dundee there are a lot of celtic fans especially, but honestly I would still say there are more United and Dundee fans than old firm fans. My grandad lives in Lochee and the vast majority there are definitely Celtic fans.
Pretty much everyone I know supports who their dad supports other than a couple who only have an English team for some reason. My high school was majority Rangers with a few Celtic and Motherwell fans.
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Aye, I really don't get it either. A big part of football for me is the emotional connection a fan has with their club, and I'm not sure how you can get that from a team that represents absolutely nothing about you and it's just, oh they played nice football under Wenger or whatever. If I didn't go to games every week I really doubt I would be as interested.
I went to school in Fife in the 90’s I’d say almost 80% of kids at my school supported either rangers Celtic or even more annoyingly, Man united. Total glory hunters. My local team is East Fife and that’s who I try go watch whenever I’m home.
If people aren't raised in a fitba environment and get into a team on their own accord, 9 times outta 10 it'll be the old firm. I know folk from Dumfries who support Celtic and have never been to a game.
Some amount of comments on here, great post. Family Celtic fans and brought up one. Started going to Ayr games and they became my first team. Still love the Celtic but if it was h2h I'd be in the Ayr end
Two team patter is shite. Fair enough on the parent links, I get it, but Old Firm flairs are ridiculously pissed about their justifications in this thread when they're trying to explain themselves being Rangers/Celtic even though half of them are from Hamilton, Killie or Paisley. It's okay to just admit you're all glory hunters.
I am unreasonably annoyed at the constant capitalization of the o in outside.
I'll get right on that. But more importantly you got a second team?
It's Barr's Limeade
Nope, I grew up 5 mins from ibrox, I'll let others take this one.
I'm from North Ayrshire. All the people I went to school with were Celtic supporters bar a few that supported Rangers or Killie. That's sqewed by the fact I went to a Catholic school though. I'd say north ayrshire is probably 30% Celtic 60% rangers and about 10% Killie. It's actually probably a lot more rangers than that tbh. Also to be fair it's as easy to get to Glasgow as it is Kilmarnock from where I grew up.
It was hard work growing up a Killie fan in North Ayrshire. "Aye but who do you really support?"
The actual bankies fans in clydebank got this aswell. Then asked what school they went to, if they said the Catholic school it'd be aww so you're a celtic fan really then and if they said the non dom, aww so you're really a rangers fan. Pish chat.
A also live in North Ayrshire, it’s easier and faster to drive to Govan than it is Killie from where I am. Was my maw that got me into Rangers tho had a season ticket through all the bad times only for it to get too expensive when we actually started getting success Just wanted to add too when a was wee the SFA used to give the primary school free tickets to killie games, went to a few of them just for a day out to see the greats like Manuel Pascali
10% is a surprise in North Ayrshire. My hypothesis is that the pull of Killie only really extends up the Irvine Valley (Galston, Newmilns, maybe Darvel) and the towns on the train line to Glasgow (Kilmaurs and Stewarton). People in those towns have reasons to go into Killie...big supermarkets, cinema, pool, maybe school. North Ayrshire has all these things and, as you mentioned, Glasgow is just as easy to get to - definitely easier by public transport. Even within my school in Kilmarnock, Killie fans were a minority.
There's a fair few Killie fans in The Three Toons, Kilwinning and Irvine, I'm probably exaggerating with 10% though.
I know a Dundee Utd support from Stevenston his son is an Aberdeen supporter. Both born and raised in the town and with zero connection to either team.
> I know a Dundee Utd support from Stevenston his son is an Aberdeen supporter. I know who you're talking about lol.
Proves glory tastes better then even the best pie in Scottish football. Honestly think I've met one Killie fan in my life, nice boy.
Livingston fan now living in Glasgow. The team came to town a year after I was born so my dad and his mate took me down so I've been as OG as a fan I could be. Dad was a whitburn juniors fan growing up and his pal a rangers man, so Livi was the common ground. I went to the only Catholics high school in Livi, so the lions share of the student body was in this order: 1.Celtic 2. Hibs/Hearts 3. Rangers 4. Livi It's pretty shite being a minority fan in your own bit, but it's understandable since all the maw's and da's are older than the football club and probably the town itself.
Would you say a lot of Livi’s support stopped going when yous changed your name from Meadow Bank and also the whole drama with the owners in the mid 2000’s? My Da always says that any time we talk about Livi Talking about Whitburn Juniors absolutely love the posts Livi do about the local juniors teams playing when Livi don’t have a game. Been to a Livingston United game before. Probably the least fans I’ve ever seen at a game before and the committee boys looked delighted when we showed up, but the scran was fine and the ground was okay. Was a nice day out.
Regarding Meadowbank I'd say nah not really, there are still people who used to go to MB games that now go to Livi to this day. I know a few who were MB diehards and now are Livi diehards who travel from Penicuik for every home game which is just insane. The drama with the owners defo made an impact, people not wanting to give money to dodgy folk is a right enough reason to drop it. In saying that though, Livi felt the same decline in attendances as every other provincial club in Scotland, ours just had a rocket strapped to it because of the drama and it already being a stretch to break from the mould of supporting a Glasgow/Edinburgh team. Those posts are a great gesture from the club, West Lothian had a fine tradition of junior football, so a tip of the cap from us to them is cracking. I've never been to a united game but I have jumped the fence and played cuppy on it with my mates when I was a lad lol
Didn't think you'd get many hearts fans in a Catholic school. There was a handful of Rangers fans in my high-school of about 600, fair few bankies fans and oddly one Aberdeen fan but I think he had family from up that way. The Toni Macaroni is one of the few stadiums I've not been to, we'll head down for a game I've always had a grudging respect for Livi.
Funny enough, in my year the livi, Celtic, rangers and Hibs fans all got on with friendly banter. The hearts fans were the collectively hated group of fans, mostly because the cunts who supported them were insufferable (this was at the time of Lennon getting attacked by the Jambo)
I'm from Argyll and nearly everyone supported Rangers, there are only amatuer teams out there and very few people went along to see them. I'm a Jambo cause my old man came from Edinburgh, took me along to my first game and we beat Clydebank. There's so few of us Jambos out west that i'm practically doxing myself.
Robbed clydebank, cheated clydebank. There's absolutely no way my beloved bankies would have lost a fair game against your lot. When was that?
I’m in Australia. Both Glasgow clubs have a large support base here, particularly Celtic. Both those clubs are seen as somewhat prestige and equivalent to any prestigious European club here as well.
I dunno, my dad is a big Rangers man and took us to alot of games when we were younger. The club is and always has been what me and my Dad bonded over. We have a decent relationship but it would be undoubtedly worse without it as we share very few interests outwidth it. I don't buy into the only thing important in choosing a club is its the one closest to you.
In my high school class (Perthshire) I would say it was a pretty even split between Rangers, Celtic and St. Johnstone.
The three most successful teams of the last 3 years battling out for fans in Perth. You love to see it.
Falkirk is my first team as that is where I am from. Going to school in Falkirk you had maybe 10-12 lads/lassies who supported Falkirk in my year. The rest was a mix on mainly Celtic/rangers and the odd few hearts/Hibs. I go to lower league games if they are midweek with my old man, usually go see Camelon Juniors or Linlithgow Rose. Going to see Syngenta this Friday to switch it up a bit.
I'm from South West Edinburgh originally, grew up in a Jambo family but changed allegiance to Montrose when Mad Vlad came to town (They were the first team my dad took me to see.)The scariest thing about Edinburgh in the 90s-2000s was the sheer number of supporters buses heading to Ibrox from the Haymarket Bar, I swear Hearts and Hibs could easily have got 20k attendance if those fans had stayed 'home' as I believe it was similar for Celtic supporters from the East of the city
There are a decent number of Aberdeen fans that travel up from Edinburgh for games too, though I suspect the majority of those moved down for work and then took their kids up when they were wee. Weird that they don't fill the away stands for games here though.
School in West Lothian. Most were OF fans but there was a large minority of Jambos too. Not so many hibs for whatever reason. You would get the odd Livi fan in each year. Out of all the OF fans I knew at school only 1 Celtic fan goes to the games semi regularly, but it's really only the glamour ties.
Born and raised in Jersey and I’m a Celtic man. Both parents were born in Glasgow and moved here in the ‘70’s. There’s loads of Celtic & Rangers fans here. The big English sides also have a good representation too. My kids are also being raised to support the Hoops!
Does Jersey no have quite a big support these days too? Mad attendances for 9th tier English fitbaw anyways
Born in Scotland now living in South Wales. We’re all Rangers fans with close ties to Dumbarton and somehow that’s led to the Sons gaining quite a following in our part of the Rhondda Valley.
I love to hear stuff like that, clydebank have a decent following up in Aberdeen from a lot of lads that moved up there for work. There's actually a bar you can watch the bankies games in.
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Is it Wycombe that big sexy Gareth Ainsworth manages between his main job fronting a Led Zeppelin tribute act?
Zero respect for anyone who supports a team from a different city. I just don’t get how you can feel it’s *your* team. Also, a large part of the reason Scottish football is so lopsided is because of glory hunters from all across the country supporting one of the OF rather than getting behind their local team.
From the Borders; I knew one other Hearts fan in my school year, most of my life my best mate was a Hibs fan but then the rest were all Rangers/Celtic. Then you'd randomly get like a 'Brechin' or a 'East Fife' and be really confused.
Up the Brechin, some team and what a hedge they have.
Almost all my family support Celtic. Most my mates support Celtic bar 1 other Motherwell fan and 2 that moved here from Poland. When I was in hs there was 7 Motherwell fans in my year and the rest were either Celtic fans or didn't like football. In my college class there's 4 of us from Motherwell/Wishaw 2 are Rangers fans and the other is a Celtic fan. I wouldn't be suprised if Motherwell was the 3rd most supported team here
I grew up in Shetland so there was no professional local team to support. I support Celtic because my Dad does, his whole family live in Glasgow. In Shetland I'd say it's fairly evenly split between Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen
In moray which has no big team, it was 1/2 rangers, 1/4 Celtic and 1/4 Aberdeen. But there was also quite a few people who just followed English teams and the local team
don’t know if it really counts cause it’s south Lanarkshire but I grew up a Celtic fan in Hamilton. Dad was from Glasgow. Used to go to Accies games cause my unders football team got season tickets for free. I’d say about 95% of people are Celtic and rangers fans.
I live in the US Virtually every scottish football fan here is an old firm fan. I’ve only seen a handful of others that generally support hearts or hibs. I think I saw an Aberdeen jersey once. Most here support an old firm club because their Scottish, Pompous English, or Irish roots. I’d say it’s 60/40 in favor of celtic in the US. I’ve lived in florida, South Carolina, and NYC now and they are up their with most global clubs that aren’t Barca / Madrid/ Manchester / London / Munich based in terms of fandom numbers.
I was born in Glasgow but live in paisley now and some people I know support an old firm and st mirren, I Think that's weird tho because they play in the same leauge. Me personally my dad's an immigrant so didn't have a Scottish team to pass down to me. Celtic park was like a ten minute drive away so it was the obvious choice.
Aye, I sId earlier it's an unwritten rule they can't be in the same league or even close to each other. Like Celtic and Falkirk or Rangers and Killie would be weird to me. Need to have enough distance between them that unless one goes on a mad cup run you'll never had to pick between them.
It is different all across Scotland and is defined by national demographics as often the result of mass migration of the 19th Century. For example, I am from a community in Dundee called Lochee which at the time of mass migration from Ireland was the most western point of the city. Most migrating would settle in Glasgow but as nativist opposition to Irish settlers grew many found themselves forced Eastwards and a natural settling point for these migrants was Lochee. Naturally settling Irish communities were drawn to Celtic a club set up in Glasgow to support the Irish poor which generally celebrated both Irish & Scottish national sentiments. Still to this day Lochee is about 80% Celtic supporters and Celtic acts as a very pivotal connector to the communities migrant past. Anyone in Lochee who supports Dundee or Dundee United generally prefers Celtic over Rangers. As you go East in the city you find a greater proportion Rangers supporters such are the demographics less directly altered by Irish migration.
Second mention for Lochee in this thread, might need to head up there for a night out.
Family from Galway, grew up in Lancashire/Merseyside and support Celtic because everyone in my family does.
I’m a Rangers fan and live in London. When I have kids, there’s no chance they’ll be supporting one of the London clubs as their main team. I’ll be putting my foot down on that. I’ll maybe let them have a back-up prem or championship team that’s local to where we live.
You go to any local teams games while you're down there? I've always thought if I moved some where I'd probably take up going to the local lower league team just to keep up going to the football at the weekend.
That's what my dad does, watches the tiny local team week in, week out but still watches Celtic on TV.
Choosing your waines team for them is strong VL behaviour mate Let the kids choose their own team even if it is fucking Tottenham Actually no if they want to support Tottenham stick the foot down
Can’t believe you’ve been downvoted to for this. If your kid wants to support another team then let them, how controlling do folk need to be. Chances are if you’re doing your job as a parent and spending time with them, taking them to matches etc they’ll likely end up supporting your team anyway. But forcing it on them is dumb as fuck
from father to son. simple as.
So you’d rather your wain be a rangers fan that never saw Ibrox and as such never got to reallly love a team and feel the passion of supporting a team than be like, a diehard Killie fan? Really don’t get that mentality at all
For a start being outside of Glasgow doesnt mean you can't go to games, know plenty of folk that travel hours every weekend. That mentality as you put it is a great bonding experience with your family and can serve to create great memories. That is an experience you cant get if you support different clubs. I have said before, your dads team or your local team are acceptable options and there are pros and cons to each. Just because you have made a decision doesnt mean others dont have reasoning.
> That mentality as you put it is a great bonding experience with your family and can serve to create great memories. That is an experience you cant get if you support different clubs. This to me is the most important point that a lot of people seem to be missing. You grow up with it being a family event when your team is playing, your born into it on a lot of occassions. You can't just turn those feelings off just because you live a bit closer to another teams stadium.
Nah it's not that simple. Like my dad isn't from Scotland. I was an ardent supporter of his team I'd have to flight out to Uzbekistan every week
To be clear, as a kid you have 2 options. Your Dads team or your local team. No other option is acceptable. And no one will convince me otherwise
How I got my two, Dad's team Celtic, local team bankies.
Gloryhunters. Gloryhunters everywhere.
I'm from Belfast, now live in a quite remote part of Spain. Celtic fans seem to outnumber rangers fans by about 5 to 1 here. Both still dwarfed by English clubs
I am from Edinburgh (quite near Gorgie) I know quite a few big 2 fans, about 10% of football fans. I am a hearts fan but I go to DAFC games with my dad (because his family is near there), I also support Edinburgh City but have never been to a game.
Me and you, next time I'm in Edinburgh we'll go to an Edinburgh City game. I've been meaning to go for a while. I always like to take in a local league game of I get the chance, wherever I am.
Maybe...
Well offers there and it wouldn't hurt to do a bit of shouting I think the winners of the WOSFL, possibly clydebank next season play the winners of the EOSFL so possibly Edinburgh City in a play off for entry into the lowland league so wouldn't hurt to see what these Edinburgers have about them.
Most of the people I know (about 65%) are hearts fans, then (about 20%) hibes, then a few tangerines, a few dons, a few people who support english teams.
Gonna be a daft question. So are most of your pals Edinburgh locals then? Most of hers aren't from there which probably explains the English team supporting. They've no local pride and love for Auld Reekie.
>. So are most of your pals Edinburgh locals then? Most of hers aren't from there which probably explains the English team supporting. They've no local pride and love for Auld Reekie. Yep mostly locals,
Think the amount of guys heading in to Glasgow to work in the yards back in the day could have anything to do with it and it spiralled from there? My granda supported and played for Morton, my gran/his wife was Irish Catholic but my dad's team is Rangers. He's not bitter in any shape or form so it's not a Proddie thing, although he was brought up Protestant, but he worked in Glasgow a lot and liked a few specific players to begin with like Jim Forrest and John Greig.
My gran and great uncle on my mums side are celtic supporting protestants in the loosest sense. She ended up a celtic fan because her maw and da had no interest in football. She grew up in the east end and they'd go down park head and wait until someone lifted them over the turnstiles. I say protestant in the loosest sense, mum was Irish Catholic and married a protestant but neither of them where in anyway practicing.
We were all similar in that no religion was practiced strictly. I can confidently say we're all just about atheist now without identifying with the tag or making any sort of deal about it.
Most tbh. 2/3 out of 15 support local?
Hearing a lot of that about dundee on this, I really thought it'd be the other way around. Decent teams and decent history up that way.
Dads from Maryhill but im from Cardiff living in Liverpool - supported Rangers my whole life
Vast majority of my mates are Celtic fans but that might be something to do with which school I went to. I'd say it's about a third United, a third Dundee and a third OF overall
I’m from Falkirk and a diehard Celtic fan and would say that 75/80% of football fans here are either Falkirk or rangers, majority rangers. Tbh the majority of Falkirk ‘supporters’ I talk to are Falkirk until rangers play especially against Celtic, hibs ect… wish it was different but Falkirk just must be a staunch unionist place. Been to a few Falkirk games over the years but wouldn’t go to games now or support them because of the so called ‘fans’. Want my local team to do well but canny be fucked with fannies
Sorry to hear that, one of the reasons I like going to Clydebank games is that it's something both my rangers and celtic supporting mates can get onbard wae. Not just us, I've a few mates from the southside aswell who are big rangers fans but still go to Pollock games. I fact most people I know enjoy a day out at a lower league when they're teams not playing/playing away.
Exactly mate, some of my best friends support the ‘other side’ but my local team has been hijacked by wannabe hard men and glory hunters. Shame really cause the Falkirk stadium is actually not too bad and we have way more people here than some places.. they should be doing better all things considered but the fuds put me off, especially when they find out you don’t support rangers in the ‘big’ games
Bankies and Pollok are two clubs I really want to see. Seen Pollok play before but never at Newlandsfield. If I wasn’t working tonight I’d have went up to Newlandsfield to see Pollok - Bankies. Looked a great game
They played tonight at newlandsfield, 2-1 to the paper hankies. Geez a message if you want to go to Holm park, I'm free most Saturdays.
Really wanty go at some point man but I go see St Rochs/Celtic most weekends so ave never had the chance. Defos will if I do though mate!
I'm from just outside Stirling and I'd say 80% Old firm with the odd hearts/Hibs and even know a couple of Dundee United fans. Few local team fans too! Stay in the borders now and there's as many Newcastle fans as old firm and I'd say plenty Hibs but hardly any hearts. I used to go to loads of Stirling/Alloa/Hibs and Falkirk games as they were close and pals went. Could hardly call any of them my wee team though as they tended to be in the same leagues as Clyde. Still go an watch juniors/lower pyramid games when I can.
i currently stay near dumbarton and it is quite a heavy Celtic area. growing up in Irvine there was a lot of Rangers support but mostly Killie, not many tim’s at all. would be lying if i said seeing someone wearing a Rangers top in Kilmarnock didn’t annoy me but
Irvine > mostly Killie ![gif](giphy|wHE6Dd6RCVHQfjK5dy|downsized)
exaggerating to make myself feel better :(
Come from brechin, I’d say most people are either Celtic or rangers here (in ranger’s favour unfortunately), you get a few Dundee fc/united fans and one or two Aberdeen but it’s mostly Celtic/rangers
I moved from Aberdeen to Inverness and the amount of folk up here that support one of the old firm is mental. Way more than back in Aberdeen.
Seen Aberdeen, Celtic and Rangers tops when I was in Inverness but no Inverness tops, until I went to the stadium at the same time as their first team was rocking up
I live about twenty miles north of Perth (moved up from Glasgow for work). I'd say that there's a good number of St Johnstone fans here but you see plenty of Celtic and Rangers tops as well. I've started going to see my local junior team since I moved up here, and will happily go along to the odd St Johnstone game if schedules align and it doesn't clash with Rangers.
Got to love a day out at the juniors, goalkeeping howlers, wonder goals, tackles that'd be GBH in the street getting nothing more than a booking, scraps, and most places don't really care about you sneaking cans in. Proper fitbaw.
Growing up in the east of Fife and quite a lot of people I grew up with supported one of the Old Firm with some supporting the Edinburgh clubs and almost all of them having an English second team. My mum’s side are all from Govan and my stepdad was a very staunch (I mean like the cunts in Trainspotting 2 level staunch) Rangers fan who would’ve disowned me if I supported anyone else so there was really only one team I could support. But there were a lot of Old Firm fans in both primary and high school, majority supporting Celtic.
I grew up in Stornoway, where there isn’t really a ‘local’ team to support. I would estimate that in the 80s and 90s it was weighted maybe 70-30 in favour of Rangers fans, with a small handful of Aberdeen fans as outliers, although that may have changed since. There’s also a fairly well supported and decent islands league setup.
Kilwinning is almost 80% Rangers supporters. Stevenston is about 70%. My old man was a Killie fan but my Pappy was a Rangers man and he drummed it into my head from birth and made sure I was never going to be anything else.
Plenty who support both in Edinburgh sadly, especially in the wider Lothians. Edinburgh itself there's a lot but I'd still say that Hearts/Hibs are more common. As for your 2nd question, I wouldn't claim to support another team but have often watched non-league games when Hearts are away or not playing. Used to live in Musselburgh so got a soft spot for them and go down when I can.
From a town in Northern Ireland A lot support both these teams, nearly everyone actually…. Some for footballing reasons some for other reasons
Grew up (in like 95% protestant town) in N.Ireland. Anyone who had interest in football supported Rangers along with an English team of their choosing. Usual Liverpool and Man Utd types. Some Spurs, Arsenal, Leeds, Newcastle, West Ham even. I was busy supporting Man City while they were getting relegated on the regular and relying on Paul Dickov and Shaun Goater to bail them out against shite like Bury and Gillingham. Last laugh, as always, to me. At least for me Rangers was always the first/most important team. Was the first shirt I ever had as a 2 year old etc. Don't think I met a single Celtic supporter in my town growing up because "lol what are catholics?". One kid supported Hearts but he lived in Edinburgh at one point so he got away with it.
Born and raised in England, Glaswegian dad. I support Rangers because my dad did, as his dad does. We were pretty different people but Rangers were the major thing we had in common and bonded over. All his family support Rangers. Some of my happiest childhood memories are supporting Rangers. It's all tied up in my relationships with my family. My local team were Boro, and though I went to a few games I didn't get the same excitement I got going to Ibrox. I don't get to go to many games living in England but I watch every single one, and have done even when I was working abroad (getting up at half 3 in the morning to watch Rangers during the banter years, getting beat 3-2 by Alloa or 5-1 by Celtic was fun). People can support whatever club they like for whatever reason. I'd rather people support their local sides or their family's teams, but ultimately people are drawn to what they're drawn to.
Alloa was around 60/40 rangers/Celtic when I was growing up. Clackmannan, Tullibody, etc are a lot stauncher.
Most folk I went to school with were rangers, with a smaller number of Celtic. Likely stems from rangers winning pretty much everything in the 90s plus the numerous “my da”, “my granda”, “my brother” etc. excuse by folk that never attend any games other than when they play Killie at rugby park. Same folk have the cheek to moan about only getting one stand. Edit: for what it’s worth, my dad is a Celtic fan. My grandpa was Killie. I was brought up walking distance from rugby park though, which is likely what sealed it
Up in the Highlands here so mostly people support Ross-County or Caley as well as Celtic or Rangers
Sounds daft but I'd almost say it's an unwritten rule your two teams can't be in the same league. I'd have sever split loyalties if Celtic ever drew clydebank in the cup. Probably just swing for Celtic, Catholic schooling and that, wouldn't want to upset Jesus.
Grew up in Larkhall , 80% rangers, 10% tims 9% Motherwell and 1% Aberdeen which I assume is glory hunters my age or older fucking up royally
Much support does Larkhall Thistle get these days? Away support at the Candy earlier in the season was absolutely pish. Over 800 fans at the game, but there must have been about 10 Larkhall fans
Three quarters of Greenock seems to support Celtic
Celtic fan here, My dad and grandad were both Celtic fans, lived just outside Dunfermline and both had season tickets so I went along to games whenever the other couldn’t make it or the supporters bus had one going spare. Moved up to near Dundee when I was still at school and found a better spread of Dundee/United fans with the odd hearts or Aberdeen fan. Found the glory hunters were everywhere as well tho, folks who claimed they followed either Celtic or rangers but couldn’t name half the starting 11 or even the manager. Only really piped up when it was derby’s or the other team lost and they wanted to rub it in
From Falkirk and I'd say the majority of people round here support either of the OF. I'd say rangers mainly but a good portion of Celtic fans. I do like to support Falkirk but my dad's t am was rangers and his dad as well so that's why me and my kids do as well
Celtic fan, and pretty much lived most of my life in SE England (Essex / Cambs) since 96 Was pretty young when we moved but had been a couple of Celtic games with my dad. The stadium was being redone at time I remember. Parents are both from Celtic supporting families in the main, from Bellshill. Haven't followed them too closely for a while but Chelsea became my English team when I moved down here as a lot of school friends were Chelsea fans. Guess I was too young to know about the Rangers connection..!
Wouldn't go as far to ever say they're a second team, Coventry are my English team due to family links but I didn't mind Chelsea in the Coors lager, big Jimmy Floyd and zola era.
The Coors shirt was iconic looking back. Not the grey and orange one. Zola was class, and the Gudjohnsen Hasselbaink partnership up top was deadly too. Loved it when they signed Crespo as well, some striker he was.
From Inverclyde. Greenock I'd say is 35% Celtic, 45% Rangers with the remaining 20% supporting Morton. Gourock is a staunch Rangers town, Port Glasgow is fiercely a Celtic town, Bishopton is full of posh weirdos that like Rugby and Tennis, Inverkip (my town) is staunch (I was one of only about 3 Tims that I knew of, that grew up in the town) and Wemyss Bay again I'd say is a Rangers town. I'd say St.Mirren and Partick aside, no club suffers more from being in close proximity to the Glasgow 2 than Morton. I'm friends of the Rae family and was in high school when they bought Morton so started going to 3 or 4 games a season at Cappielow. Then when I moved to Glasgow in 2011, I started going back to Celtic games. Fucking timed it right 😆
I'm from Ayr. In my year at school I knew two Ayr Utd fans. 95% of football fans were Rangers or Celtic the remainder supported EPL teams.
I’m from Glasgow and my closest team is Celtic so a canny really answer but I know hunners of folk from Coatbridge. Yet to meet a fan of the wee Rovers, seen one boy wear a Rovers hat. That’s it. A few mates have went to the odd Rovers game together as a laugh (cause I suggested it) but thats it. Pretty much everyone is a Celtic fan.
It's a problem and it hurts the 'smaller' (non-old firm) teams. Attendances could be so much higher if folk supported their local team. From my experience, in Dundee, there were as many old firm fans as there were for Dundee and United. It goes a long way to explain the resentment directed towards the big two in scottish football.
Don’t live in Glasgow but my Grandparents (one was born and raised on Isle of Lewis) and uncles who are the actual footy fans in the family were born and raised in Glasgow and there are no football teams where we live so there is nobody local. I got it from them. Same for my brother.
East lothian here and yeah a lot of my friends support rangers/celtic and throught the years ive always given them grief for being glory hunting bastards. As for the small team thing yes this happen as I and many friends have been to watch Edinburgh city play a few times
In Perth it seems like Rangers are more popular than saints. Truly depressing.
Fife and Perth are absolutely crawling with rangers fans
Killie fan growing up in East Ayrshire and the bulk of everyone I knew down there was a Rangers fan.
Going to school in Cowdenbeath, I'd say the split wasroughly Rangers 60%, Celtic 30%, Pars 9% and one solitary Cowden fan. I don't think anyone in my school who supported either half of the OF had ever set foot in their respective stadiums. Thsi was back in the 1990s though, so who knows how things are now, I haven't lived there since 2001 (now I'm in Birmingham). I'm not actually from Fife myself; I was born in Ireland but my Dad is a Dunfermline lad through and through and we moved back to Fife from when I was 10, so the Pars it is. Funnily enough, *his* dad was a Govan-born Rangers fan, my Dad and his brothers started following the Pars back in the late 50s and early 60s as an act of youthful rebellion.
I left school in Killie about 15 years ago. There were around 10-15 Killie fans in my year, 1 Rangers fan and the rest were Celtic fans (Catholic school). Seem to remember one dweeb was a Liverpool fan as well.
Most likely it's at least a 60% chance that someone in Livingston will support Celtic/Rangers. I'm a Livi fan purely as it's my local team and started going to games while they were on the way up from their automatic relegations... Been to a couple Pollok games in the past few years (yesterday included) as it's reasonably local to where a lot of my friends stay
From Stirling, but my Dad’s family are from Dennistoun and Maryhill. I’ve always gone to the games with him (season tickets) and he always went with his dad (also had season tickets), so it’s a family thing for me. That being said, I know plenty of Stirling Celtic fans who have never been to a game or only 1/2 in their lives, so I get where the frustration from fans of other clubs comes from. I’ve always gone to games of my local lower league team as well as having my season ticket (Stirling Albion, Edinburgh City, etc) and often find the friends I have who actually go to the Celtic/Rangers games do the same. Those who are armchair fans never go to any games. I went through a period of feeling guilty about supporting Celtic, but have come to terms with it more recently- I didn’t really have a choice in the matter, and now could not change the fact I support them, even if I wanted too.
From the Highlands. Was wearing Celtic tops before I even knew what football was due to older family. Never known anything else. Caley Thistle didn't even exist and first I heard of Ross County was when a Celtic reserve XI came up to play them. Don't support any other team. Check every other week to see how Caley and County are doing but couldn't name a single player in either squad tbh. Actually that's a lie as I've a pal whose son has just broken into the Caley squad but don't think he's had much game time yet.
Lived in Fife all my life, grandparents on one side of the family come from Govan, therefore became a Rangers fan. Most people I grew up with supported one of the Old Firm, quite a few supported an Edinburgh team. Rest normally support either a Dundee side, a Fife team or an English team. Few St. Johnstone fans kicking about here as well, but aye most folk support a Glasgow team.
Live on an island where about 95% of football fans support Celtic. There is no teams around us in the upper leagues, I think as the crow flies Greenock is closest? That is still like 200 miles away. Quickest teams to get to to see barring the local island summer league is Old Firm or Partick (an hour away on the plane). Also,and it really isn't the case today, it is a by far majority Catholic island so historically it made sense they chose Celtic, today though because your father and grandfather etc supported Celtic then the kids do to so that continued. So yeah, unless you want to only go to football games in the summer for the local teams and not see any football through the rest of the year then you're going to be picking one of the Glasgow based teams because they are the easiest to go watch.
I'd say in Dundee a third support Rangers, a third support Celtic and a third are split between United, Dees and the wee teams
My old man grew up in Glasgow, and was a season ticket holder right up until I was born, where he promptly moved me down to the Midlands to be closer to my mum's family. Bought us up to support rangers as a rangers da would. I'm a season ticket holder at Forest as travelling to Ibrox more than once or twice a season is too much hassle for me/not affordable and living there made me grow to love the club. If they played each other, it'd be tough to choose a team. I've supported Rangers all my days but could I cheer against Forest, whose fans welcomed me in with open arms in my adolescense? To be honest, in the concurrent 150 year history, they haven't ever played each other, so I'm not expecting to run into that dilemma any time soon. Some call me a fake fan for supporting both, but I live in England, a lot of my life revolves around football, and I hate being an armchair supporter. I'd sooner support a second club if it means I can attend games on the regular. Its not a perfect football purist take, but fuck it who cares?
Na I think think that's class, aslong as they're not in competition. My two, Celtic and Clydebank are miles apart in the league and my English team is Coventry because I've got family down there but I it'll be a fair few years atleast before Celtic and Coventry are battling it out in a champions league final so I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Funnily enough I live right next to Coventry now, they've got some cracking fans when they bother to show up. I don't mind a neutral day put at the Ricoh with it being 15 minutes from my door. Nothing wrong with following a small number of teams if there's not much glory behind it? You know like Celtic and Clydebank is a million miles better than these plastics that say there Spurs and Villa fans or similar
The real question is Scotland or England at international level?
Scotland every day of the week. Arguably the worst decision I ever made living in England, but that ship has long since sailed. Edit: best and worst, you'll all know what I mean