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The clubs whose fans live and breathe for their team

It goes without saying that every true fan of a football club will believe that their team is the greatest – they wouldn’t support the team otherwise! However, when it comes down to cold hard truths, all but the most fanatical fans will have to admit that there are stronger, better teams that often eclipse their own.

When it comes to having the best fans – the most passionate, most supportive and most enthusiastic – then clubs of every shape and size can rightly claim that they have the right stuff.

Let’s look at the clubs around the UK with the fans who roar the loudest come rain or shine.

Manchester United
 

Some people might claim that it’s easy to be passionate about a team that’s always winning. “Glory supporter” is a term that is often unfairly thrown at Manchester United fans, especially given their vast overseas network of supporters.

However, if the recent hammerings of the Red Devils is anything to go by (highlighted by the 6-1 Man City drubbing) then Manchester United fans don’t always have everything their own way and often have to pick themselves up and sing a little louder.

If social media is any indication of fans caring about their team, then Manchester United are streets ahead of the nearest competitor, as they are the 3^rd most followed sports team in the world on Facebook with over 20 million fans.

As you can probably already guess, Manchester United doesn’t just enjoy passionate attention in the positive sense. The Facebook fan page “I Hate Man United” has managed to attract a little over 388,000 followers who are keen to publicly announce their feelings to the Internet. Passion cuts both ways, especially at the top of the tables!

Manchester City
 

Manchester City has long been in the shadow of Manchester United, with their fans having to take the tough times of being just out of the limelight. However, nothing breeds hunger for success like a powerful rival, and Manchester City has one of the biggest.

With a vast infusion of money from its new owners, Manchester City has invested in a hugely impressive (and expensive!) squad that is knee-deep in world-class talent. Clearly, this seems to have been money well spent as Manchester City’s form has gone from strength to strength, culminating when they recently inflicted a crushing 6-1 defeat on their nemesis, Manchester United.

You can bet that the fans were showing their enthusiastic appreciation on the day of that historic victory, and will continue to do so for some time.

Newcastle United
 

One of the powerhouses of Northern English football, the city of Newcastle prides itself on the whole-hearted support of its premier club.

This seems to be an attitude instilled at the club from the top down, as current Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has proved his unwavering loyalty. The often embattled owner is known for eschewing the directors box and instead standing out on the terraces with the fans in his beloved black-and-white striped strip, rather than a stuffy suit.

Newcastle’s fierce rivalry with Sunderland dates back through more than 100 years of the Tyne-Wear derby. When these two meet on the pitch, that’s when you’ll see the pulses raised along with the voices from the terraces.

West Ham United
 

The Mighty Hammers have an equally mighty fan fallowing. West Ham supporters may not have the same numbers as some of their Premiership counterparts, but that doesn’t stop their fans from making up for it with extra enthusiasm from the terraces.

Besides, if the 2005 hit film Green Street is to be believed, West Ham fans have enough passion for two clubs, especially when their perpetual rivals Millwall are in the same stadium!

Chelsea
 

If you ever want a lively, vocal match, the Chelsea fans won’t disappoint. As loud in defeat as they are in victory, Chelsea fans are a sea of waving flags, cheering on their beloved Blues.

Liverpool
 

Another titan of the Premiership, Liverpool FC fans have plenty to cheer about when The Reds take to the field. With their success taking them to Europe on so many occasions, the Liverpool squad have the committed support of their travelling fans to thank, having lifted them to great overseas performances time and again.

Fortunately, Liverpool fans have recently shown that passionate support doesn’t have to convert into antagonistic feelings towards the opposing team. At last Saturday’s game against Swansea City, the Swans were pleasantly shocked and moved by the mass standing ovation awarded to them by the Liverpool fans for a game well played.

Swansea City
 

There are few teams in Welsh football that can hold a candle to Swansea City. Not only have they had an incredibly turbulent history of rapid league rises and equally spectacular falls from grace, their fans are renowned for their spirit in the face of adversity, as well as in triumph.

As the only Welsh team to compete in the Premier League, Swansea are now emerging as a force to be reckoned with, rather than just having a toehold in the top flight of English football. The club owes this in large part to the unending waves of support they receive each game from their adoring fans.

Cardiff City FC
 

Along with Swansea, Cardiff City is at the top of Welsh football. The team has the honour of being the best supported in Wales, with an average attendance of 22,500 for their home games. Not only do Cardiff City fans turn out in force, they make their presence felt too, driving on The Bluebirds to greater displays of skill and heart.

Unfortunately, the rivalry between Cardiff City and Swansea City does occasionally have a slightly unsavoury undercurrent to it, as incidents of football hooliganism have occasionally marred matches between the two sides in the past. Hopefully this sort of supporter passion will remain the rare exception rather than the rule of good-natured fan fervour.

Rangers FC
 

As giants of the Scottish Premier League with more Scottish League Cup wins than any other team (27 wins) Rangers fans always have a lot to sing about. Rangers fans call each other “Bluenoses” as a mark of pride amongst themselves, not necessarily as an indication of how chilly it can get on the terraces at Ibrox!

Celtic FC
 

Between Celtic and Rangers, the two clubs (commonly known as The Old Firm) have dominated Scottish football, winning almost 100 Scottish league championships between them. This has fostered an intense rivalry between the two clubs which has both positive and negative aspects to it.

While the uglier side of the rivalry (partly influenced by sectarianism) cannot be ignored as an unfortunate side effect, much progress has been made in recent years by both sides to eliminate this ill-feeling through education and anti-discrimination programmes.

This has helped both sets of fans to enjoy simply supporting their team with all their passion but without violent undertones. This way, everyone can just be part of the beautiful game.

 
Honourable mention: While the contestants here are all clubs, a word on passion has to be said about the Irish national football team’s fans. There still exists a petition on Facebook to have the Ireland vs. France World Cup qualifier match from November 2009 (for the 2012 World Cup) replayed.

In that fateful match, France captain Thierry Henry was clearly spotted handballing in the lead up to the match-sealing goal, but the referee overruled his linesman and made the decision to let the goal stand.

Two years down the line and the Facebook petition profile page is still going strong with over half a million fans. Clearly, it’s way too late to do anything about the unfortunate Irish team’s World Cup chances, but this does stand testament to the passion of their fans.

 
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