I don't think hooliganism is quite as bad as it used to be – there haven't been full-on riots for a while now – but violence, abusiveness and binge drinking is still very much a part of our national game. Not wishing to be associated with this is, more than anything, the reason why I hate football with a passion.

I know it's unfair to tar all football fans with the same brush – my wife's a football fan, after all, and she doesn't kick the shit out of rival club supporters (at least, not to my knowledge) – but something about the fact that those people even exist offends me.

This is arguably a bit rich coming from someone who partakes in the same hobby that created people who use "rape" as a term of endearment and are world-renowned for their racism. Oh well! 🙂

As for local loyalty; I have no clue. I live in a state whose entire population doesn't even amount to a quarter of even the smallest "big" city. We live between Denver and Minneapolis; usually football teams are divided that way.