Liverpool FC Forum

by **hello_red** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 9:17 pm

I can only apologise if this has already been posted

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A report naming the best and worst English League football teams to follow has been published on Saturday in the first-ever list commenting on whose fans are said to suffer the most stress following their team. Liverpool are considered the easiest team in England to support, with Notts County voted the most harrowing club to follow.

Notts County, the oldest club in the Football League, tops the list of teams having the most distressed supporters, according to the Football Fever Report, released today.

The national survey, conducted by Littlewoods Football Pools, claims to be the first ever in-depth 20-year study of which teams regularly make their fans suffer.

Portsmouth, who have only been in the top-flight of English football since 2003, are considered to have the most stressed fans of any current Premiership club side, followed by Manchester City and Watford FC.

On the other hand, Liverpool FC fans are said to have had the least stressful experience over the past 20 years, with the next most relaxed fans deemed Arsenal's, with League One side Yeovil Town in third, with Chelsea and Manchester United following.

The report studied all 92 English league club sides, whose fans were asked to identify a set of different factors that have caused them the most anxiety when following their team.

A number of so-called 'stress factors' are used to distinguish results, including the sacking of managers, failed promotion bids, play-off losses, clubs going into administration, the 'yo-yo' effect of promotion and relegation, regular defeats at home, losing games from being in a winning position and finally losing cup games, especially finals.

The MK Dons (formerly known as Wimbledon FC) are considered the second most distressing team to watch.

The club has the worst home record in English football since the Second World War, have suffered debts of more than £20 million over the past and gone through three relegations in the past 10 seasons.

Carlisle United are next, with the Cumbrian club considered the nation's third most distressing team to watch. Their average league position of 15th over the last 10 years was the worst in England, while their relegation out of the Football League and spell in administration further heightened fan's woes.

The results from Littlewoods Pools, based on the stress ranking system:

The nations' Top 10 MOST stress-inducing clubs are:

1. Notts County
2. MK Dons
3. Carlisle United
4. Darlington
5. Swindon Town
6. Bury
7. Crewe Alexandra
8. Portsmouth
9. Stockport County
10. Grimsby Town

The nations' Top 10 LEAST stress-inducing clubs are:

1. (92) Liverpool
2. (91) Arsenal
3. (90) Yeovil Town
4. (89) Manchester United
5. (88) Chelsea
6. (87) Everton
7. (86) Birmingham City
8. (85) Aston Villa
9 (84) Boston United
10 (83) Tottenham Hotspur

The director of marketing for Sportech PLC Jon Sheehy, who own Littlewoods Football Pools, said: "The Football Fever Report is the first-ever insight into which clubs lead their fans on an emotional roller coaster, and is further evidence that supporting a team near the foot of the league is harder than supporting one that is always at the top."

As the Littlewoods New Football Fever rules explain: ‘The experts at Littlewoods Football Pools have analysed each team and used a sophisticated scoring system to mark them across all the stress factors identified. Each team has then been ranked accordingly, with the team believed to be the most stressful to follow ranked as number 1, the second as 2 and so on.

'Although more weight has been given to each club's more recent history (10-15 years being the average length of time a current supporter has been watching his or her favourite team), for certain criteria the club's post-War record has been taken into consideration.

'The scores for each club have also been weighted to take account of fans' expectations, as the initial research showed that fans who expected their team to do particularly well, or particularly badly, each season were less likely to suffer from nervous anxiety during the course of the season.'

by **A.B.** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 9:26 pm

I don't know maybe that goes for the rest of our supporters but my heart rate sky rocket's before a game is about to start. Also when the game is not on the TV and I have to get on the net to find out the score, I feel like I'm about to have a panic attack. I'm THAT anxious about finding out what the result is.

Wouldn't want it any other way though.

by **CarlosRocks** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 9:28 pm

A.B. wrote:I don't know maybe that goes for the rest of our supporters but my heart rate sky rocket's before a game is about to start. Also when the game is not on the TV and I have to get on the net to find out the score, I feel like I'm about to have a panic attack. I'm THAT anxious about finding out what the result is.

Wouldn't want it any other way though.

spot on.....i couldnt agree more.... :bowdown

by **Ciggy** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 11:08 pm

CarlosRocks wrote:
A.B. wrote:I don't know maybe that goes for the rest of our supporters but my heart rate sky rocket's before a game is about to start. Also when the game is not on the TV and I have to get on the net to find out the score, I feel like I'm about to have a panic attack. I'm THAT anxious about finding out what the result is.

Wouldn't want it any other way though.

spot on.....i couldnt agree more....

Duno about the most easiest team to follow I neary have a heart attack at times watching them, theres a man on the CL DVD that is in the crowd that nearly has one aswell :laugh:

by **sophe_lfc_4_lyf** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 11:12 pm

My home town at 10th on the top 10 stress-inducing clubs

haha

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