What Connects Us?

[Jasrod]

For most of us we were taken to our first game at a very young age and from that magical moment fell in love with our club. And guess what it wasn’t just love it was unconditional love just the same as a baby gives it’s mum and dad!!

For some of us it was like meeting our first partner, infectious and exciting. Some move on from this but once again for some it becomes a love never to be forgotten!!

For a few of us it starts as an investment. Just like buying that old classic car that needs some tender loving care. With the intention of selling it for profit once fully restored. But slowly you start to fall in love with the project and decide that you no longer want to separate from it.

Love of Southend United is what brings us all together!!

What do you think connects us? ?

 

[TrueBlue]

For most of us we were taken to our first game at a very young age and from that magical moment fell in love with our club. And guess what it wasn’t just love it was unconditional love just the same as a baby gives it’s mum and dad!!

For some of us it was like meeting our first partner, infectious and exciting. Some move on from this but once again for some it becomes a love never to be forgotten!!

For a few of us it starts as an investment. Just like buying that old classic car that needs some tender loving care. With the intention of selling it for profit once fully restored. But slowly you start to fall in love with the project and decide that you no longer want to separate from it.

Love of Southend United is what brings us all together!!

What do you think connects us? ?

I think what connects us most is that we have all mainly rejected the lure of Sky and top flight football, we realise that Southend is our local club and thus should be supported.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Love of Southend United is what brings us all together!!

What do you think connects us? ?

I think that comment is all you need to read for your answer.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

We’re all a bit mad. Many a time I’ve wished my old man took me to Spurs or Arsenal. Only joking .. imagine moaning like their fans do. What the others said. I’m proud to support my local team.

 

[Mad Cyril]

Billions of years of evolution.

 

[duncan bulgaria]

My first game was in 1991 having just moved to the area as a 12 year old , my friends dad took me to watch the Cambridge game , it kicked off in the car park before hand and i thought is this what happens in every game .
However the game itself was pretty dull and i was sitting in the East stand with minimal atmosphere and i wasn't too fussed about returning to be honest.
My first game standing right at the front gate next to bungle in the North bank was when i got hooked.
Having to climb the fence when the goal rush happened and hearing some of the funniest chants and banter id seen , the buzz was amazing and seeing some fast paced attacking football was an added bonus .......great times and i feel for the youngsters who have never witnessed the good ol glory days

 

[nick12]

My Dad first took me to Roots Hall when I was 5 years old and until his stroke 2 years ago we still used to often go together.

I was born here and lived in the area most of my life. I don't believe in supporting 2nd teams although some clubs I admire (Leicester, Norwich) and some I have no time for (the greedy 6).

These days it's the friends I have made in the West stand and the great away days travelling with Shrimperzone when a few too many ? always make the football look fantastic ?

For over 50 years there has only and will only ever be one team for me. ?

 

[Barling Magna]

For some of us it was like meeting our first partner, infectious and exciting.

Ah, you had the same experience as me with your first partner eh? Unfortunate, but thank goodness for antibiotics.......

.

 

[Barling Magna]

We’re all a bit mad. Many a time I’ve wished my old man took me to Spurs or Arsenal. Only joking .. imagine moaning like their fans do. What the others said. I’m proud to support my local team.

Strangely enough my dad, who was a Gunners fan, took me to see Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers in 1961. It was my first football match at the age of 6 and I can still remember how boring it was. It ended 0-0. The only player I had heard of was Blackburn's Bryan Douglas because his photo was in a football book I had and he did little. The thing I remember most about the game was the enormous clock!

I asked dad if we could go to Roots Hall. He wasn't particularly interested but agreed to take me along with my brother and my uncle - who was a real Shrimpers fan to see us play Halifax. It was a very different experience. My uncle's enthusiasm was exciting to behold. Ended in a victory for Southend, 2-1 I think, but was much more exciting than the Highbury match. Just as well!

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

Of course things become rather vague when trying to remember back that far, so I stand to be corrected. At secondary school in the late fifties I don't remember there being the pull and passion for the 'bigger' clubs that there is now. We lived in Southend, so it went without saying that we supported our local club, it was a natural, roots based. assumption. Having said that I do remember (I think!) seeing Manchester United play Anderlecht on a tiny black and white TV back in 1956. Yet this wasn't per se to follow Man U, it was more about supporting an 'English' side in Europe.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

Strangely enough my dad, who was a Gunners fan, took me to see Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers in 1961. It was my first football match at the age of 6 and I can still remember how boring it was. It ended 0-0. The only player I had heard of was Blackburn's Bryan Douglas because his photo was in a football book I had and he did little. The thing I remember most about the game was the enormous clock!

I asked dad if we could go to Roots Hall. He wasn't particularly interested but agreed to take me along with my brother and my uncle - who was a real Shrimpers fan to see us play Halifax. It was a very different experience. My uncle's enthusiasm was exciting to behold. Ended in a victory for Southend, 2-1 I think, but was much more exciting than the Highbury match. Just as well!

I remember going pre season to Highbury with a mate who was an Arsenal fan. It was against Lazio (I think). I fell asleep after a few shandies before the game, I wasn’t asked again!

 

[TrueBlue]

My dad is from Canning Town and he’s always been West Ham, him and my mum moved down to Hockley from east London like many did in the late 70s and early 80s. I was born in Rochford hospital in 1985 and my dad always wanted me to be West Ham, but I wanted to be Southend, why? Well West Ham does not represent who I am and where I am from, I am born down here and Southend represents who I am. Can you imagine what and where the 92 clubs and beyond would be and in what league if club support was all based on the area that club is. Southend would be at least in the championship with 20k to 30k each week attending. This for me goes to show how much potential the club has, trouble is we have never been able to unlock that potential and that for me is my biggest pain with Southend

 

[Gt Yarmouth Shrimper]

At secondary school in the late fifties I don't remember there being the pull and passion for the 'bigger' clubs that there is now.

Certainly changed by the early/mid seventies Yogi. In my class at San Quentin High (Eastwood HSB), there was Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manure Wet Spam et al supporters. I was the only one who had been inside RH, let alone seen a game. Needless to say, not one of them had seen their team play.
We're a strange breed, lower league supporters, am constantly being ask which Premier League team I also support when I reveal who my team are.
I will always be proud to support this club, I will continue to wear my shirt around town and use my mug at work. To all out there who scoff at our current predicament, I say?.
Keep the faith all, it was not that long ago that the big yellow and green team from up this way were operating two leagues down from where they are now, with Delia coming in for dogs load of abuse. We'll be back.

 

[BedfordShrimper]

Some may have seen me mention this before but I have no link to Southend at all as I am born and bred in Bedford but after 26 years supporting I literally feel like I was born in Southend. To anyone I know, I call it my adopted home and everyone connects me with the town. Most people who don’t know me well also just assume I am from the town. I feel as connected to the club and town as anyone born elsewhere could be. I love everything about this beautiful South Essex Seaside town.

 

[Microbe]

OK, dons helmet for torrent of abuse

As a teenager living in Hornchurch I was introduced to football by a mate when I started work in 1972. We went to West Ham as it was his team and I got hooked, not particularly by the flowing technically brilliant football, but more the rollercoaster of emotions during a good game. I particularly remember the european games at West Ham as the crowd was packed in the ground and was buzzing.

As an adult with a family football was much more difficult and I faded away from going to games and watched it on TV.

I have moved around a lot whist working and almost always been to a few games local to where I was living and found the unpredictability of lower league football more attractive than the Premier League which I largely now ignore.

I moved from Northampton (I had a season ticket there for 10 years) to Rayleigh in 2006 and went to a few different matches to see where I wanted to settle. West Ham, Arsenal, Dagenham & Redbridge, Orient all with friends but didnt get the feeling of belonging. Went to Southend on my own and loved it from the 1st game and have been a season ticket holder with my son and his wife ever since.

For me the playoff and subsequent Wembly game vs Wycombe was the absolute pinnacle of my experience watching SUFC, the ups and downs were so emotional!

 

[Strykr]

I think we all share a bit of a love for the perpetual underdog as well.

It means so much more when things go well and we punch above our weight.

Must be incredibly dull being a fan of any premiership club who's goal is to just stay up each year, or finish midtable. The highlight of your fanship being the odd scalp of manu or ars

If i tot up all the games ive seen over the years 60-70 percent of them have probably been crap, so when you knock man u out the cup or win the league, or all of a sudden you have a squad of winners playing great football its extra special.

 

[Callum]

My love for Southend is the passion from players and managers and watching us beat Millwall in the fa cup and gearing Wycombe in the play off final

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

I think we all share a bit of love for the perpetual underdog as well.

It means so much more when things go well and we punch above our weight.

Must be incredibly dull being a fan of any premiership club who's goal is to just stay up each year, or finish midtable. The highlight of your fanship being the odd scalp of manu or ars

If i tot up all the games ive seen over the years 60-70 percent of them have probably been crap, so when you knock man u out the cup or win the league, or all of a sudden you have a squad of winners playing great football its extra special.

That certainly rings true with me.

 

[TrueBlue]

Loving this thread!! Refreshing to read after the last few months and years of gloom! Keep the backgrounds coming people

 

[Swiss Tony]

Walking around the deck one morning on my very first cruise(about 10 years ago) when i heard "oi mate like the shirt) when i looked round this lad who was a part of the ships crew said i was the first Shrimper he had seen since starting his job and made him think of home and asked how the boys were doing down the Hall,for the next 2 weeks he treated me like a long lost cousin everytime the mrs and me bumped into him,my point being there is a togetherness among us like many other lower league clubs that is maybe not evident as much in higher league clubs and for me that's a big part of why i put my flag in the ground at Southend.