English soccer teams' diverse players

[mtbc]

On the one hand many soccer fans seem fiercely loyal to some local team. On the other hand, teams seem to have managers and players drawn from all over the continent, even the world, rather than their being of largely local origin in any sense. I wonder why fans so identify themselves with a team whose main link with them is just that their current players happen to play together locally.

Comments

[damerell]

I dunno. I support Real Gothic, who play two matches a year in Whitby against what used to be the local newspaper team (who have unfair advantages like practicing, knowing each other, not being hung over, and knowing how to play). I'm led to understand they are not entirely typical of football teams.

[mtbc]

That's certainly easier to understand the appeal of! I guess that's more like the starting place in that perhaps premier league teams wouldn't draw such loyalty had they simply sprung into existence de novo in their current form.

[damerell]

I dunno how widespread the appeal is; I gather there are few other football teams with heckles like "Best of seventeen, then?"...