JtheNorwegianRed
Viv Anderson
Been spending this morning reading random football news on the web. It's looking very likely that the goalkeeper from Aalesund is signing for Machester United. Aalesund is one of two top division clubs in my county, so it's something that the local media is covering. With Ole Gunnar Solskjær becoming manager in Molde, which is the other top team in my county, there are a lot of Manchester United stories going on at the moment. The most recent was from Bishops Blaize, which I believe is one of the main United pubs. They interviewed a couple of local lads about Lindegaard, and they were all positive about him coming and all that. One thing that caught my interesst was that none of them were going to games anymore, since they could no longer afford it. I then did a google search, trying to find out more about Utd supporters not being able to attend games, and came across a forum much like this one, where there was a pretty intense discussion about glory hunters. There's no point hiding the fact that Utd is the most supported football team there is, and their non-local/foreign support is huge. Without it they would not be where they are at the moment, but I can still understand the frustration of the local, life long supporters of the club, who have been more or less been pushed away from the club.
Though this issue may not be currently that relevant at Forest, I would absolutely hate it if the same thing ever happened , but then again, who am I to say so!? It's a dilemma worth thinking about! I've been to a couple of grounds around the UK, and the feel of walking over Trent bridge on a matchday can not be compared to any of the clubs I've visited. And I believe the sight of the Trent end, and the Brian Clough stand from that bridge, with a sea of red surrounding it has to look impressive, even for the non-Forest supporting person.
Now with the world cup bid, talks of a new stadium, and with Forest improving on the pitch, it's only a matter of time before we regain our premiership status. We can say all we want about ND, and money (not)spent, but I can not see us being in this division for more than a couple of years, at most. Forest would then attract more interesst from every corner of the world, and I'm wondering how you locals would feel about that?
I would make an uneducated guess that there is currently an average of 40-50 people travelling from abroad to watch Forest for each game. First and last home game of the season, there may be about 100-200?! We've been about 25 people from Norway going to the last game of the season the last couple of seasons, so it would be ignorant to suggest that it's only us who are going. I know there's a pretty big Irish following, and the other countries in Scandinavia have a got a fair amount of Forest supporters as well, though they're not organized in the same way that we are.
For me personally, being able to attend more Forest games in recent years has made me more of a football fan. I never watch the game on TV, when Forest isn't playing, but I've become a season ticket holder for my local team for the first time in my life. (Got promoted from the third division to the second this year) So for me it has probably worked well, in the oposite direction of what's "normal", but Forest is still my main team, and I will still continue to try and attend a couple of games pr. season. My point is, if Forest did ever attract the same foreign support as teams like Man Utd, Liverpool & Chelsea, I think I would actually feel like I was losing identity towards the club. Though it may seem selfish to say so, I must say that going to Nottingham, which during the season (not in the summer) may not be the most active tourist destination, I get a feel of going to England. The people I talk to in the pub, the people I meet at games, and the guy behind me in A-Block that tells me to "sit down you ****"
is English, and most likely Forest through and through. For me it's a unity thing, and I would absolutely hate if that feeling ever disappeared!
But as I said, it's maybe selfish of me to be thinking in that direction...
Anyway, rant over... but would like to hear what you would think if the United scenario ever happened at Forest.
When we went to Liverpool we heard Norwegian everywhere around the ground, and even in the city centre... Same when we went to White Hart Lane... We're no different than those guys, but when I travel to Nottingham, I still love the identity of the place!
Though this issue may not be currently that relevant at Forest, I would absolutely hate it if the same thing ever happened , but then again, who am I to say so!? It's a dilemma worth thinking about! I've been to a couple of grounds around the UK, and the feel of walking over Trent bridge on a matchday can not be compared to any of the clubs I've visited. And I believe the sight of the Trent end, and the Brian Clough stand from that bridge, with a sea of red surrounding it has to look impressive, even for the non-Forest supporting person.
Now with the world cup bid, talks of a new stadium, and with Forest improving on the pitch, it's only a matter of time before we regain our premiership status. We can say all we want about ND, and money (not)spent, but I can not see us being in this division for more than a couple of years, at most. Forest would then attract more interesst from every corner of the world, and I'm wondering how you locals would feel about that?
I would make an uneducated guess that there is currently an average of 40-50 people travelling from abroad to watch Forest for each game. First and last home game of the season, there may be about 100-200?! We've been about 25 people from Norway going to the last game of the season the last couple of seasons, so it would be ignorant to suggest that it's only us who are going. I know there's a pretty big Irish following, and the other countries in Scandinavia have a got a fair amount of Forest supporters as well, though they're not organized in the same way that we are.
For me personally, being able to attend more Forest games in recent years has made me more of a football fan. I never watch the game on TV, when Forest isn't playing, but I've become a season ticket holder for my local team for the first time in my life. (Got promoted from the third division to the second this year) So for me it has probably worked well, in the oposite direction of what's "normal", but Forest is still my main team, and I will still continue to try and attend a couple of games pr. season. My point is, if Forest did ever attract the same foreign support as teams like Man Utd, Liverpool & Chelsea, I think I would actually feel like I was losing identity towards the club. Though it may seem selfish to say so, I must say that going to Nottingham, which during the season (not in the summer) may not be the most active tourist destination, I get a feel of going to England. The people I talk to in the pub, the people I meet at games, and the guy behind me in A-Block that tells me to "sit down you ****"
is English, and most likely Forest through and through. For me it's a unity thing, and I would absolutely hate if that feeling ever disappeared! But as I said, it's maybe selfish of me to be thinking in that direction...
Anyway, rant over... but would like to hear what you would think if the United scenario ever happened at Forest.
When we went to Liverpool we heard Norwegian everywhere around the ground, and even in the city centre... Same when we went to White Hart Lane... We're no different than those guys, but when I travel to Nottingham, I still love the identity of the place!
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