The Frustrations of a Football Fan: 90 minutes of emotions

Liverpool had just scored a goal and i was angry. My fiance asked if the other team had scored and what was wrong with me. It doesn't seem healthy at all for my mood to swing so dramatically in two hours. How can sport make grown men and women cry, when does a team you support become 'WE' and why do we go through so much agony in just 90 minutes?

As fans, we become engrossed in our team and their activities. The medias infatuation with ins and outs, ups and downs and focus on minute details about on and off-field conduct means that we are fed news 24-7. This i believe has led to us being even more loyal and emotional about how our team is doing. About 25 years ago footballers were Saturday 3 pm professionals; now they are superstars in a celebratory world and therefore care more.

So why do i get so involved?  I get involved because i have been a fan for so long and i now feel a huge sense of loyalty for my team. I try to detach myself at times but i cannot; it has come to a point where the team represents me and i represent them. It may be just a game for some but for many it is their life, their religion and their full and undivided devotion.

The frustrations of fans come from their expectations. Yesterday, when Liverpool scored i was really annoyed and frustrated because we didn't deserve it, had been playing really badly and i desperately wanted us to win. This season has been very stop start for us and this continued against the team bottom of the league and we seemed like we (I wasn't playing) couldn't be bothered and more importantly were not good enough. I expected a better performance and this is where the frustrations came from. Sometimes i feel it may be better to support a team that has no or low expectations but this is impossible.

Following on from this title, the frustrations are no longer just for 90 minutes. As i write this now i am still frustrated and annoyed at Liverpool's victory yesterday. I can share this experience with many others on fan forums and discussions with friends and waiting for the next game leads to new expectations. When there is so much else going on in the world i struggle to find any clear logic to explain my frustrations for my football team. I am also now in a state when i know that these will continue and probably get worse as i get older. This is all part of the package and is the reason why i love it so much. 

The roller coaster of emotion has just started. SO strap in and enjoy the rider.