Who could you have supported?

[Curious Orange]

Okay, this is a purely hypothetical post.

I was thinking about my roots and was thinking about which team I could have supported had the chain of events that led to me being born in Sussex been slightly different. And I came up with the following.

First off, the family which gives me my surname is from Berkshire, so had some of them not moved to Brighton, and given their association with the club, I could have been a Reading fan.

Or, had my Grandfather not been in the Navy during the war he might not have met my Grandmother, meaning she could have stayed in Edinburgh, and I'd be a Hearts fan.

Going back further, if my Great-something Grandmother had not left France then I'd be supporting a French team. Or if her family hadn't left Israel many generations earlier I'd be supporting a team in that country.

Of course, these are all what-ifs that would have led to me not being born, so I guess there isn't an alternative as to who my local team 'could have been'. The only thing that truly affects who I support is my own personal choice.

I think I made a good decision.

 

[albiongirl]

My dad was born in Glasgow the Celtic half so I follow their results but he moved down here and supported Brighton, met my mum who,s brother also followed Brighton. So the story ends boring really. So I,m a born and bred brighton fan!!! Phew!!!

 

[Curious Orange]

Don't get me wrong, I am a born and bred Brighton fan, a third generation fan on my father's side (he is from Haywards Heath, same as me), and probably more on my mothers side (she is a genuine Brightonian). I'm just aware that I'm not exactly thoroughbred Sussex, or even English for that matter, but then again who is?

 

[GNF on Tour]

I could have supported Whitehawk.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

My Dad was both a Charlton & Spurs fan as a youngster, though thankfully not avid enough to push this on me. He used to take his 3 boys to Southampton - often against Brighton (as Sim supported the Albion since he was born) & Coventry (his new wife was friends with the chairman of Coventry at the time). So I could have supported any of those - in fact, one of my brothers is actually a Saints fan.

Closest shave came when I was 14. I was at my Dad's at Winchester & decided to go to a local football game. Saints were away, so I went to Pompey (in the home end). And they won! Thankfully I went to an Albion game with my mates 2 weeks later & was immediately converted. I still look back at my day-out in Fratton with horror - it makes me thinking about it

 

[Yorkie]

I cannot trace either my Mother's or my Father's family out of Sussex for quite a few generations (a cousin did a family tree)

The only other factor that may have affected me is that my Dad spent years in the Navy and I may have been born in Portsmouth (we did live there for a while but saw sense and came back to Brighton)

So Brighton & Hove Albion all the way for me

 

[Gwylan]

My mother's family is Welsh and are not footie fans (all egg chasers).

My dad's family is Susses through and through, so it would have to be the Albion (unless we go back a few hundred years when they came over from France that is).

I got into footie relatively late, spending my time watching rugby, so no other team enters into it. It's the Albion or nothing.

 

[MRRF 10]

My dad was from chichester, which means he was nearer portsmouth than brighton, my mum was ealing so her nearest team was brentford, or qpr
My dads side have always lived in sussex, well since the battle of hastings when they came over to fight, so i could support a french team.
My mums side always lived in london.

 

[REDLAND]

My dad was born in Glasgow the Celtic half so I follow their results but he moved down here and supported Brighton, met my mum who,s brother also followed Brighton. So the story ends boring really. So I,m a born and bred brighton fan!!! Phew!!!

Exactly the same story as my Grandad (Mothers side) they moved from Glasgow just before my mum was born, but I get my BHA roots from my father who has always been Brighton thru and thru, but I do have a soft spot for Celtic as my gandad was a great chap.

 

[Icy Gull]

I was an armchair Spurs fan as a kid , no Sky in those days. The first live game I ever went to was BHA v Crystal Palace
(and I went to watch Palace rather than Brighton, to see what all the fuss about PT and Malcolm Alison was all about)

I had only moved from abroad to Brighton a couple of months before and like Saul of Tarsus I was hit by a blinding light and converted

 

[Turkey]

Part of the family come from London and I could have easily been Brentford or Q.P.R.

 

[Shizuoka Dolphin]

If my Dad had stayed in manchester I could have ended up wearing a Man Utd shirt!

I like to think he'd have steered me towards the blue half of manc land though - but you know what kids are like...

 

[Seagullible]

Was born in Brum so could've been a Blue Nose. Dad was from Plymouth and Mum from Oxford - take your pick really

 

[looney]

I converted to Albion early teens.

 

[Dropkick Turnip]

I could have been a Palarse fan!!

My family have no interest in football so it was up to me to find a team to support. I grew up in Horsham in the 70s and had a friend who was a QPR supporter. Not knowing that Brighton was only down the road it seemed reasonable enough for me to support QPR and this continued, albeit in a very "armchair" fashion, until I moved to Brighton in my late 20s.

Another friend of mine (lifelong Albion supporter) had recently renewed his interest and I tagged along to a couple of games. Bye-bye QPR, hello Brighton!! But this was during the Gillingham exile so I can't really be accused of glory hunting.

Whilst it's true to say that I switched teams, at least I've ended up supporting the right team and although games againt QPR have extra interest for me, there's no doubt as to where my loyalties lie now.

But I do hear there's a team known as The Red Devils who are worth a watch. I don't know where their ground is but they seem to have a lot of support in the South

 

[MRRF 10]

I could have been a Palarse fan!!

My family have no interest in football so it was up to me to find a team to support. I grew up in Horsham in the 70s and had a friend who was a QPR supporter. Not knowing that Brighton was only down the road it seemed reasonable enough for me to support QPR and this continued, albeit in a very "armchair" fashion, until I moved to Brighton in my late 20s.

Another friend of mine (lifelong Albion supporter) had recently renewed his interest and I tagged along to a couple of games. Bye-bye QPR, hello Brighton!! But this was during the Gillingham exile so I can't really be accused of glory hunting.

Whilst it's true to say that I switched teams, at least I've ended up supporting the right team and although games againt QPR have extra interest for me, there's no doubt as to where my loyalties lie now.

But I do hear there's a team known as The Red Devils who are worth a watch. I don't know where their ground is but they seem to have a lot of support in the South

Yes it's called south of manchester united

 

[Dandyman]

Born in North London so still have an affection for Spurs (and hate the Arse).

Also lived in South Manchester for a year or so when I was 1 or 2 so could have ended up a bitter Blue.

 

[midlandseagull]

Brought up in London I atched Charlton as a kid and occassionally Spurs. Somehow though it was always Brighton because we went there for holidays and when we moved down (I was 10) that was that

 

[zefarelly]

Steyning Town, and Shoreham where I was born and raised
Charlton . . .I think are the nearest to Camberwell/Peckham? My Mums side
or Cape Town where my Dad was born . . . .

definitely not anything as embarassing as Man U or the glory hunting like!

 

[Razi]

My entire family are Man City fans, as they all grew up in the suburbs of Manchester. They moved down south to make my Dad's commute into Croydon a little easier, and I was soon born - so I'm the only southerner in a family full of ex-Mancs. I didn't really get into football until I was about 9, with Italia '90. When I'd caught the bug, my Dad took me down to the Goldstone in the South Stand and I never looked back.

Although, I do still have a soft spot for Man City and just happen to be going up to the City of Manchester stadium this weekend for their opening competitive game at their new home. I'll be the one watching from hospitality after enjoying my 4-course meal =)