The Fate Of Our Local Rivals

[Jai]

It's great to see Col Ewe struggling because for as long as I can remember and for at least 18 years they have been the higher placed team in the county despite their inferior crowds. I think one season (05/06) we've finished in a higher position until last year. So they are long overdue a bad patch and I also find it funny how much they hate Cowling, considering how much he has done for them as a club.

They are a tinpot outfit with dreadful support and how their supporters imagined a club with their gates ever expected to consistently finish in the top half of League One (which is where their deluded fans think they belong) is beyond me.

I also had to work there for quite a few years while they were in a higher division and it has made me dislike them that bit more even though you were far more likely to see an Ipswich shirt around the town than a Col Ewe one.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Life really is too short to hate another struggling League 2 football team. Save it for the Premier League clubs who see us all as an annoyance and wouldn't bat an eyelid if we all went under.

I'd rather stand together with them all in the face of a sealed Premier League, a European Super League, B-Teams and the wealth of unfair practices (such as robbing young talent for peanuts).

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

No-one chooses to be a Col Ewe or Leyton Orient fan over being a Southend fan.

I'd much rather W*** H** went down/out of business instead.

 

[RHB]

A Bury supporter who lives in Bromley stated on their message board that he might start supporting Southend as we are nearer and better than Bury, so there.

 

[Ironshrimper]

I'm probably the opposite to most on here in that I hate Orient with much more passion than Colchester. In my time following the Blues (about 16 years) we've spent more time in the same division as Orient than we have our Essex neighbours.

And for me that's what it's all about. As others have said, what's the point in having a rival if you can't have a couple of derby games a season against them. They are normally the first ones I look for when the fixtures come out.

At the Col Ewe away game last season, I got up there early and spent some time chatting to their fans whilst queuing for the car park. Every club has its ********s but these were just fellow lower leagu football lovers. They were pretty down about their chances of survival and just asked who our decent players were, etc. I kinda walked away from it doubting whether I still get worked up enough about local rivalries to hate opposition fans now I'm in my thirties.

Mind you, it always seems to all come rushing back whenever we play that mob from Birdbrain Road!

Hate is a really strong word (just something I was not allowed to use a child) I can understand the dislike of other clubs, but it should all be light hearted....it's good playing local teams.

 

[Norwichshrimper]

Got more respect for col ewe fans than plastic premiershite supporters

What, both of them?

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

A Bury supporter who lives in Bromley stated on their message board that he might start supporting Southend as we are nearer and better than Bury, so there.

Then he's not a real Bury fan.

 

[undercovershrimper]

Would love to see Col Ewe relegated to non league and replaced in L2 by another Essex side like Braintree!

 

[mattitouk]

I don't think either of them will get relegated tbh.

IMO, things will get a lot worse before it gets better (especially for Col Ewe), I've noticed that in their next 9 games taking them into the new year, 5 of those 9 games are against current top 10 teams.. Yeovil (10th), Crewe (6th), Notts County (8th), Luton (5th) & Carlisle (2nd).

I don't know if they have any money in the kitty, and what the transfer window closed until then, along with their current performances, I can't see them getting many (if any) points off of those teams before then.
So in the meantime i'm just going to sit back and enjoy it whilst it lasts! :smile:

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Do we have any local rivals? Doesn't it have to be vaguely competitive for there to be a rivalry?

 

[fbm]

I wouldn't like to see any club go out of business to be honest. Even Franchise FC, who - whilst I despise the action that was taken - will now have their own proper following who will know little to nothing about the shenanigans that surrounded their creation.

My feeling about football runs very deep and I have gone from being an absolute football nutcase - there was practically nothing I didn't know about the game as an 11-20 year old back in the 70's - to now pretty much just a Southend fan. I will watch anything at any level but only have real interest in our club.

This "falling out of love" with the Beautiful Game surrounds money and the fact that there is so, so much of it at the top, and just a tiny fraction of just 1 or 2% of Premiership players wages spread around the lower leagues would absolutely enable the smaller clubs to survive without the continued threat of administration.

Anyway, rant over.

Talking of Orient, a story comes to mind which ranks as one of the funniest I have encountered on my travels.

It was an evening game and we were walking back towards the car, which was parked in one of the side roads off Leyton High Rd. I was with my father-in-law and my 2 early teenage sons, plus there were some other fans walking in front or behind, all of which had come from the away end.

We turned the corner and were ambushed by about 4 Southend guys, around 20 years old I guess.

One of them in particular was leaping up and down like a baboon, shouting "Come on then, come on you Orient scum, want some do ya? ***ing COME ON THEN".

None of us broke stride and I, plus a couple of the others behind me said, "Calm down mate, we're Southend fans." and we just carried on walking.

I've never seen someone become so deflated so quickly. Hilarious.

 

[AndyT]

* Checks League Two Table *

:smile:

 

[Chairman Trigg]

Perhaps a more interesting poll would be to compare the results against certain London clubs.The genuine supporters of clubs outside the Premiership are the real fans who get very little success or glory in return .To follow a club not even local is what really ###### me off

 

[Skyblue]

I would much rather we went back to the old North and South divisions to save on costs with maybe combining the non league which is probably on a par with div 2 anyway. I'd have no problem playing local sides including Orient and Col U every week if we were to get relegated again.

 

[Harry Bullocks]

Weirdo....:winking:

 

[Bobby dazzler]

A Bury supporter who lives in Bromley stated on their message board that he might start supporting Southend as we are nearer and better than Bury, so there.

Not a fan we would want then.
During my time living abroad their was this little team called AJAX that seemed to do well. Did I switch loyalties. No !
I drove the three hrs back to the channel tunnel and after eurostar drove back to see the Blues. A six/seven hour trip (then the same back on the sunday) I made at least 14 times a season. (yes I know thats part time but hey I did have two mortgages to pay !) Mid week games were a bitch to make after finishing work !

 

[Bearded Shrimper]

I want to actually play them, i hope we have some seasons in the same League so we can play them and beat them, otherwise it's just some northern teams i don't care about