All the happy clappy Irish support got me thinking.. listen fair play to them, they really came across well...

But seriously...

Support for me is something very different altogether

Sure you take sheer joy out of the good times, but at times I don't think my nerves can take anymore and I'd be standing there thinking.. what am I doing to myself! Why am I here... when I could be off actually having fun!

In the build up to big games... I'd be doing all I can to avoid reading things in the paper, and again, the fecking nervous tension you carry around... you'd swear you actually had some sort of control of the eventual outcome... all your little superstitions that you stick with!

I think to be a real fan.. it's actually quite a poxy experience most of the time

You live for those few seconds of uncontrollable joy... and you suffer the rest for that hopeful outcome

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 29/06/2016 15:54:47    1873885

The anxiety you describe is the GODS way of letting you know you are ALIVE

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 29/06/2016 16:06:33    1873888

This is going to sound selfish,but i am waiting for Dublin to hammer a team in an All Ireland final.I have nearly died with the nerves for our three recent wins.A stress free All Ireland like Kerry had twice v Mayo in the noughties would be a dream.Imagine being 10 points up with just 15 minutes to go.You could really savour it instead of nearly feinting with worry.Hears hoping!

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 29/06/2016 16:12:05    1873894

great post and I fully agree.
some would say i take sports a bit too seriously.
I'm different than you in the lead up to games. I actually go out of my way to gain information as if its will make a difference.

I don't live in Donegal anymore but Ill often call some friends to see if they have heard of any news/Injuries/suspensions lifted (had to be said).

Then I will always go to the games early and generally find a bar somewhere to hopefully put the rest of the pieces together.

Then there is the game where there are high and low moments. I always try to see if there are kids around and if so I try (dont succeeed) to keep my language to a minimum. Generally the ref gets most of the abuse.

Then afterwards its back for the postmortem and start the whole thing all over again.

The one thing I can honestly say about myself is I am a true supporter of the sport not just my own teams.

dstuction (Donegal) - Posts: 1209 - 29/06/2016 16:15:28    1873897

"You live for those few seconds of uncontrollable joy... "

Been a few years since we've experienced that in Down . . .

Burnsey (Down) - Posts: 561 - 29/06/2016 16:21:47    1873900

To be honest been a staunch Meath supporter is tough at the moment.I do go to a lot of the underage games and they are flying at all levels,so that usually gives me some heart!

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 29/06/2016 16:37:52    1873911

Also I had a bit of a go at a Dub at the game last week and he had a go at me.But we shook hands at the final whistle,it was understood it is not personal just passion while the game is on.

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 29/06/2016 16:39:09    1873912

Another thing,by taking football seriously and thinking about it a lot sometimes means that you don't think about the REAL things in live and that can be a good thing.I guess it is some sort of therapy!

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 29/06/2016 16:40:37    1873913

I really wish I was a true fan of someone.

I've a lot of teams I'd have a fondness for, particularly the Irish soccer team, but I've never been fanatical for any team.

I don't actually fully understand the real fan experience.

It's not as though as a fan you've played a huge part in the success.

When I was playing, I could barely think about anything else during the GAA season. There was nothing like the wait for a big championship game. The couple of training sessions just before it. I don't think I'll ever have enough connection to a team that I'm not playing with to ever experience close to that excitement.

Management will probably be the closest I get. Even then I can't see it being the same.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4225 - 29/06/2016 16:44:35    1873917

Without despair there's no real value in joy, I think being a true fan is great, sure there's lots of tense, nervous moments and the euphoric moments seem to pass very quickly but I think they're worth the wait.

I've seen Meath as a top team winning All-Irelands and all the comebacks and stress that came with that. I'm currently still supporting Meath when we're essentially hopeless, haven't achieved anything meaningful in years and no possibility of improvement in the immediate future.....I long for the stressful days, believe me it's far worse without the stress!

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 29/06/2016 16:59:10    1873928

Don't get as nervous before games anymore. That said I get very nervous before an All Ireland final's (which are on another level to any other game) involving Mayo dreading the worst again...

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11230 - 29/06/2016 17:01:05    1873930

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 29/06/2016 17:14:53    1873935

Its the nature of the beast Jim.

You, as a "true fan" (define whichever way you like), will almost always go through more downs than ups.

Its what makes the minority of great times, that little bit better. And the hard times, that little bit harder.

People ask me why I go to games knowing tha Dublin are going to win by 15 and 20 points.

I always say the same thing, I go because I also know that these timeswont last forever. Dublin will, at some point, fall away from the top and teams like Meath will come again.

N its gas cause when i'm actually leaving the gaff to go to a game, My mam or someone would often say "enjoy the game", But I cant enjoy a game, especially the close ones.

I enjoy the build up and pre game atmosphere, I enjoy the chats with opposition fans beforehand, but once that whistle goes, My body becomes a bag of nerves, Any enjoyment goes out the window.. You can only actually enjoy a game when you are 5 6 7 points up with a minute or so to go, Then you can, as a fan, relax.

Then afterwards, If we win, I can enjoy looking back at the game, I can enjoy the aftermath. The game itself when its going on infront of you is impossible to enjoy.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 29/06/2016 17:17:23    1873936

Aye it's true.

I wouldn't call those of us who endure it 'fans', I think we are supporters. Fan to me conjurers up images of actually doing all this for the craic and enjoyment, but most of the time it isn't that enjoyable and I'm saying that being from a county that has had far more good days then bad.

Look around at your fellow county supporters next time your at a big game that's going down to the wire, do any of them look like their enjoying themselves?!

Thank God we had Cork and Mayo beat well after 10-15 minutes in 3 of the 9 All-Ireland's I've ever been at, it gave me some respite.

I didn't enjoy the 2014 All-Ireland against Donegal at all. I spent most of the second half quietly praying to myself that we wouldn't let the lead slip like we did against Dublin the year before.

The build up to the big matches is great, the sense of joy/relief you get in the hours/days/months after an All-Ireland is great but it scarcely makes up for that 70minutes of pure hell.

It is a strange thing that people willing choose to put themselves through that.

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 29/06/2016 21:27:37    1874028

When you look around at the people at a game.The ones who are most anxious/nervous are the biggest fans..

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 29/06/2016 21:40:37    1874035

Dublin fans are the only fans in Leinster who still feel like that Jimbo. Nobody else cares anymore. you need to be insane and still get emotionally attached to your county doing well in leinster. it's just not healthy as you've no chance of success.

the league now is different. i feel exactly like that for many of our division 2 games. getting promoted to division 1 is honestly what i dream of as a meath supporter now.

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 29/06/2016 22:10:43    1874054

rcarragh (Dublin) - Posts: 305 - 29/06/2016 22:20:07    1874058

I don't know lads I go true all them emotions as a supporter but I wouldn't change it for anything , i enjoy that adrenaline Buzz of it being like a rollercoaster ride (even though I hate rollercoasters in general haha) for 70minutes. Nothing else matters in my life when I'm at a match everything else stops apart from what is happening on the pitch below. Having experienced both sides of been on the pitch in big games it's not the same experience. Playing you don't feel that emotions. Your just in concentration mode. The feeling aint actually as bad as a supporter gets if you loose,Mainly because you focus on your own performance or your back training in a day or two and its gone out of your head. But being knocked out of the all ireland as a supporter is a horrible feeling. Everything you think about for a week or two revolves around It. It seems like you cannot get away from it.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 29/06/2016 22:43:10    1874064

Cue, your dead to me. DEAD!!

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 30/06/2016 00:44:35    1874087

It's a release, men (not forgetting our lady fans) in general don't show a lot of emotion in day to day life, it's pretty controlled most of the time, but yet at sports events, we can feel both sad enough, and happy enough to cry in a room containing 80,000 other people.

KerryKillers (Dublin) - Posts: 711 - 30/06/2016 01:55:24    1874088