If...

[Sporting]

Back in 1995 we all remember how many people thought that Liverpool would lie down against Blackburn to stop Man Utd winning the league. And as everyone knows Liverpool won but fortunately for Blackburn, West Ham did them the favour of all favours.

So a couple of questions: would you be happy for your team (be honest) to go easy on the day so as to prevent a dreaded rival from lifting the league trophy? And in which countries (I'm thinking Argentina but there will be others, I'm sure) would such shenanigans be most likely to occur?

[ursus arctos]

I would gladly see Barcelona lie down to deny Real Madrid a title or Fiorentina do the same to frustrate Juventus. I agree that Argentina would be a prime location for such badminding, but think that it may be more widespread than you think, at least among truly despised rivals.

[caja-dglh]

I think this type of behavior goes on much more around relegation than for trophies, probably because the likelihood is so much more probable. The one I remember best is Liverpool deliberately going easy on Manchester City so they could avoid relegation in 1996.

Somehow Alan Ball seemed to give the message to the pitch that a draw was enough, which it wasn't. So they got relegated.

[Nocturnal Submission]

If Chelsea ever deliberately took it easy against another team to engineer a favourable outcome elsewhere I'd be thoroughly ashamed of them.

[Sporting]

Have you ever cast a tactical vote in an election? Admission: I have.

[Nocturnal Submission]

No I haven't but it's not the same thing, of course. Going to another game to support a team whose result could relegate or deny a rival would be.

[Sporting]

No I haven't but it's not the same thing, of course. Going to another game to support a team whose result could relegate or deny a rival would be.

Fair enough. I was trying to think of a situation in which you do something you don't like so as to avoid something you like even less.

[ursus arctos]

I see them as being quite similar.

Perhaps Sporting and I lack the proper Corinthian spirit (I certainly do).

[elguapo4]

In 1993 Shamrock Rovers and Cork city were running close to win the title, as a Bohs fan I remember going to our home game against Cork with three to go not caring, we went one down early but after a while I was thinking "fuck it, it's not our problem " and when we equalised and drew the game I celebrated the point as much as any other one.

[Antepli Ejderha]

I went to watch Bursaspor versus Gaziantepspor in Bursa with a handful of games left of the season, it was looking like Bursaspor could win the league and when they scored against us I genuinely celebrated. About half of the Gaziantepspor fans did the same.

Bursaspor and Ankaragücü fans will frequently attend each other's games to lend support.

I'm also pretty sure many fans of clubs that could stop Başakşehirspor winning the league would gladly give points to one of the chasing clubs. That's not a friendship issue but an anti regime protest.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Fair enough. I was trying to think of a situation in which you do something you don't like so as to avoid something you like even less.

I just can't conceive of a situation where I wouldn't want to see my team win, even if that meant handing the title to a rival or preventing the relegation of same, though the issues of sportsmanship and integrity are just as important.

[ursus arctos]

It is just a different conception of fandom.

For most of my life, I have hated my teams' "rivals" at least as much as I have liked my teams (and sometimes more, particularly when my favourites have been pants).

[Nocturnal Submission]

Oh, I get that, or at least I know that's how some people feel. A Chelsea-supporting friend once told me that he genuinely wasn't sure if he'd rather see our team win the FA Cup or see Spurs relegated. This was in the mid-90s though, when we hadn't won a trophy for 25 years, but he was still torn!

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Man United losing at home to West Ham on the last day in 2007, relegating Sheffield United, and then trying to buy Carlos Tevez, never really worked out very well for anyone involved.

[Wouter D]

Happens between Ajax and Feyenoord fans all the time. If the other team is battling PSV for the title, your team better not think of taking points from PSV.

[Snake Plissken]

Clarets draw a nothing game to relegate Blackburn? Every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Us qualify for Europe or win a Cup and they stay up? I’d take that as well.

[longeared]

We might well have this on Good Friday when we go to Norwich. By then our season should be all over and if that's the case I'd be quite happy to lose the game if a Norwich win buggers up Sheffield United's promotion drive.

[Ray de Galles]

If Chelsea ever deliberately took it easy against another team to engineer a favourable outcome elsewhere I'd be thoroughly ashamed of them.

As I'm sure you know, not all of your fellow Chelsea fans feel the same ;

The home crowd had booed their own team for beating Wanderers. Chelsea had nothing to play for, so when Bolton conceded a second goal due to throwing everyone forward in an act of desperation, the Chelsea faithful weren’t happy. Chants of ‘let them score’ had been sung all game to no avail.

[Satchmo Distel]

I would think that most Celtic fans would want to throw one to put Rangers down, and vice versa.

[Sporting]

Betis fans are from Gijón for a day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pABmRatLzwU

[Nocturnal Submission]

As I'm sure you know, not all of your fellow Chelsea fans feel the same ;

The home crowd had booed their own team for beating Wanderers. Chelsea had nothing to play for, so when Bolton conceded a second goal due to throwing everyone forward in an act of desperation, the Chelsea faithful weren’t happy. Chants of ‘let them score’ had been sung all game to no avail.

Yeh, I was at that game Ray and probably joined in with the singing. But most people didn't really mean it and it was comedy booing. I mean, no-one at Chelsea gives a toss about Everton. But that's not to say that everyone thinks like me and that there wouldn't be those happy to see a draw or defeat if it screwed over a rival club. I just can't do it, though.

[cantagalo]

This is a perennial problem in Brazil, exacerbated by the fact that the 12 teams most likely to be fighting for the title are concentrated in four cities, 4 in Rio, 4 in São Paulo, 2 in Belo Horizonte and 2 in Porto Alegre.

In 2009, Flamengo needed to win their final game at home to Grêmio to hold off the challenge of Inernacional. Grêmio fans were urging the team to throw the game and suspicions were raised when they selected an inexperienced team, including a very young Douglas Costa. In the event, they performed creditably and were leading until deep into the second half when two Flamengo goals clinched the title for them.

Three years later, Fluminense were helped to the title by less than committed performances against them by São Paulo and Corinthians who were clearly trying to sabotage the chances of Flu's closest challengers Palmeiras. São Paulo fans celebrated the Fluminense goals against them and in the Corinthians match their keeper Felipe made no attempt whatsoever to save a Flu penalty.

For a couple of years after, the CBF tried to reduce the chances of dodgy practices by scheduling derby games for the final round of matches.

[Crystal Staples]

There were chants about throwing the match on the final day of 2001/02, to stop Burnley getting in the play-offs, but like the Chelsea example I didn't feel they were serious.

Norwich beat us 2-0 in the end to nab 6th place, the second goal being crucial as 1-0 would've kept them 7th. Still would've preferred the second goal to be an equaliser, would be odd to go all that way and hope to lose.

The only thing riding on it for County was whether we finished 20 points from safety or 23. We weren't very good at anything that season, if we'd tried to throw it we'd have probably won.

[Greenlander]

Back in 1994 Argyle were one of three teams chasing second spot in Division 3 and one May Day Monday about ten of us travelled up to St James to see if already relegated Exeter could do us a favour and beat Stockport.

And at half time they were but it was around then that a few Exeter fans realised we weren't regulars, maybe as we hadn't particularly celebrated their goal or more likely one of our lot had gobbed off in the toilets. Anyway as we huddled together on the Big Bank it became apparent that quite a number of Argyle fans had made the trip so safety in numbers and all that. Which led to a second half with Stockport and most of the Cowshed cheering a 2-1 win.

Full time was more problematic and saw us having to break up and peg it in different directions to our cars with fans of both City and County on our tails (there'd been some bad blood between us and Stockport earlier in the season). It was all for nowt anyway as the season ended with Port Vale nicking second and then both Argyle and Stockport being done in the playoffs by Burnley who'd finshed some 18 points back.

[EIM]

The Manchester derby is scheduled for the 16th, which is also FA Cup 6th round day. The fear was that the derby would be rescheduled for the end of the season, meaning that Manchester United fans had the choice of winning to hand Liverpool the title, or losing and see City win it on our home ground. I think that's the only circumstance I'd be wanting Liverpool to win it. Luckily it looks like the match will take place in early April.

Make no mistake, however. If we went into the final day of the season needing to lose to anyone else other than City to stop Liverpool from winning the league, I'd fully expect Solskjaer to start with Rojo, McTominay and Sanchez, and I'd cheer lustily as Jones gave away the fifth penalty of the match.