Pretty much a random shower thought but got me thinking.
A Big 6 fan has got the success, the chances at winning trophies regularly, their team generally wins most weeks, they get to see the best of the best play for their club. Their team is recognised around the world. They get to watch European football almost every year. If you can’t attend games you can watch them on TV most weeks because they get shown more often.
On the other hand, you’ve got the ungodly amount of toxicity. Big 6 fans are absolutely rabid towards each other. Every match thread is a cesspit of anger. You’re constantly looking at the other teams at the top and hoping they lose as well. You get all the mockery when your team dares to not pick up 3 points in a match. Every refereeing/VAR decision that goes against them is met with cries of corruption, that there is a conspiracy against the club or to favour another club. Is the high of winning as much as the low of losing for them?
An other 14 fan on the other hand, success is hard to come by. Other than perhaps a run at the FA Cup or Carabao Cup, maybe an occasional Europa League appearance, you’re basically cheering for not getting relegated every season. You know that chances are you may never see your team lift a trophy in your lifetime.
On the other hand (I know I’ve repeated that phrase too much), every win perhaps feels more special. And if you do win a trophy, or that European run, or that promotion from the Championship, it’s the best thing ever. You don’t have those weeks where you’re expecting an easy 4-0 win and anything less is unacceptable, you genuinely never know what you’re going to get and every win is huge. You can generally have a nice chat about your team rather than “ugh you support ___, grr grr grr i am going to tell you why they are the evil of this world”. You’re not going to see a loss memed about by the rest of the footballing world for the entire week. You don’t have to sit through an entire week of analysing why VAR has ruined football because they hate your team specifically. (Seriously, as much as Liverpool had that dodgy Spurs game, if they’d have had the season Wolves have had so far with referees there would be outrage on another level and City would probabaly have a few additional charges.)
Weirdly the time early Klopp time was more enjoyable and relaxing than the successful Klopp years. Don’t get me wrong the victories where amazing and some of the best moments I’ve had celebrating with fans around town and the parades.
But it’s so god damn stressful, every draw feels like a tragedy and defeat feels like the end of the world (chasing Man City does this for you) there’s also just so many games that matter it gets mentally tiring. The end of 2021/22 season was a slog with massive games every 3 days and frankly I was happy when the season ended and didn’t really get into the start of the next season for ages.
That said I wouldn’t want to go anything else the highs of winning the champions league and European trips are some of the best memories you can have