Does your team scan?

[tee rex]

(a little nostalgia for the days of crowds and tunes ...)

We all claim to support "by far the greatest team the world has ever seen". But it's easier for some than others. 4 syllables is straightforward ("no nay never" becomes "Aston Villa, Aston Villa FC"). 3 and 5 will usually fit well enough (Sunderland, Exeter City). Supporters of 2 syllable teams usually have to cheat, don't they? Inserting "Super" is stretching things too far, frankly. There aren't too many 1 syllable teams around, but what do they do? Also, what about the AFCs? I hope they don't sing "AFC Bournemouth FC", so wrong there should be points deductions.

The Souza march ("here we go" etc) was fine for the 3 syllable clubs, of which there are plenty. It was/is infamously silly when 2 syllables ("England") are lengthened. It helps to have a flexible name, so "QPR, QPR" works as well as "Rangers" for a 2 syllable clap-clap. Tottenham Hotspur covers all bases here: everything from "oh when the Spurs ..." to the full 5.

And do any local rivals get hated more than Nottingham Forest?

[Aitch]

Can I just park this here?

[Sporting]

And do any local rivals get hated more than Nottingham Forest

Dunno about local rivals, but one team is repeatedly hated in a song and that's a certain Yorkshire club:

"We all hate Leeds and Leeds (repeat multiple times)...we all fucking hate Leeds."

Disclaimer: I don't hate Leeds.

[Sporting]

2 syllables is difficult. For example, Swindon, Ipswich, unless you incorporate the town bit into chants (is this done?)

[DCI Harry Batt]

We all claim to support "by far the greatest team the world has ever seen"

Funnily enough, although I used to think this, it turns out that Nottingham Forest fans have a slightly different version. It makes more or less the same claim, but uses the words differently. I'll try to find it.

We have 3-, 2- and 1-syllable versions of our name, which works well.

[Jobi1]

Our 3 syllables fit well enough for the ”greatest team” chant, with the elongated first syllable. I do, however, recall in the early days of internet forums an utterly joyless faction of our support insisting we should stop singing it as it was factually inaccurate.

In terms of the Sousa march, we (along with Leeds, Stoke, Hull, and I'm sure a few others) get around our single-syllable first name by chanting "We are [name]". Interesting that that one is used more with the city name (Manchester, Nottingham) than the club name where it fits.

[Sporting]

What do Queen of the South fans chant?

[tee rex]

2 syllables is difficult. For example, Swindon, Ipswich, unless you incorporate the town bit into chants (is this done?)

The 1978 FA Cup final has the Amazing Grace tune playing in the background throughout ... "Ipswich, Ipswich, Ipswich".

[Jobi1]

Funnily enough, although I used to think this, it turns out that Nottingham Forest fans have a slightly different version. It makes more or less the same claim, but uses the words differently. I'll try to find it.

We have 3-, 2- and 1-syllable versions of our name, which works well.

There are some teams (I want to say Cardiff are one) who I think sing "we're the greatest team in football the world has ever seen", which just sounds awful. Not to say completely unnecessary - I'm sure no opposing fans are thinking they're laying claim to superiority in kabaddi or anything else as well.

[tee rex]

Perhaps they're modest. Not "by far" greater than Brazil 1970 or Real Madrid in the 50s, just settling for greater.

[Sporting]

The first chant I remember hearing (I think it was at Swindon in the late 60s) was "Over there, over there//And don't they smell//Like fucking hell."

I wonder who started the "In your Liverpool slums" and other variants?

[DCI Harry Batt]

There are some teams (I want to say Cardiff are one) who I think sing "we're the greatest team in football the world has ever seen", which just sounds awful. Not to say completely unnecessary - I'm sure no opposing fans are thinking they're laying claim to superiority in kabaddi or anything else as well.

Oooh, I think that might be t. Or something like that.

[Sporting]

I think that might be t

"t"?

[ad hoc]

The diphthong in the second half of "Sheffield" can be lengthened to two phonemes or compressed into one (thereby creating a 5 or a 4 syllable team name for Sheffield Wednesday depending on need)

[Sporting]

The diphthong in the second half of "Sheffield" can be lengthened to two phonemes or compressed into one (thereby creating a 5 or a 4 syllable team name for Sheffield Wednesday depending on need)

Everton, and no doubt other three syllable teams, can vary, or speed up, their chants by introducing a schwa-like sound in the middle.

[3 Colours Red]

The 1978 FA Cup final has the Amazing Grace tune playing in the background throughout ... "Ipswich, Ipswich, Ipswich".

Amazing Grace is one of only two chants that really work with two-syllable clubs IMHO. The other is the siren-esque:

"WREEEEEEEEEEX-ham, WREEEEEEEEEEX-ham, WREEEEEEEEEEX-ham"

[Ray de Galles]

There are some teams (I want to say Cardiff are one) who I think sing "we're the greatest team in football the world has ever seen", which just sounds awful. Not to say completely unnecessary - I'm sure no opposing fans are thinking they're laying claim to superiority in kabaddi or anything else as well.

Yes, I was going to say that Cardiff's version differs slightly from the norm.

[pebblethefish]

I've always loved the "Super" in "Super Brentford FC" (as well as "Bees, Bees, Super Bees" and others). To my knowledge, the only people who describe anything as "super" are the Famous Five, so I'm always hoping for lashings of ginger beer and a really super adventure to follow.

On a slight sidetrack, on one of my first ever trips to Griffin Park, I was stood near a group of rather portly gentlemen singing "We are Bees, we are Bees, we are Bees!" which sounded a lot too much like "We're obese, we're obese, we're obese!" Never been able to hear that chant without sniggering ever since.

[gavc23]

Dunfermline Athletic have struggled with this a lot. Dunfermline is so awkward as to be ignored and Athletic only works if you drag it out - so end up with “ath-errr-let-ic” which isn’t aesthetically pleasing.

Hence they tend to use the nickname as both “Pars” and “The Pars” work better in song. That and they use the club’s initials so sing about “D.A.” - which I don’t think happens at many other clubs?

[torres]

The first chant I remember hearing (I think it was at Swindon in the late 60s) was "Over there, over there//And don't they smell//Like fucking hell."

I wonder who started the "In your Liverpool slums" and other variants?

Leeds. Early seventies.

[Jah Womble]

2 syllables is difficult. For example, Swindon, Ipswich, unless you incorporate the town bit into chants (is this done?)

In the seventies, if you only had the two syllables, you simply sang your club's name to Amazing Grace. Over and over.

As for 'most hated rival', I think my lot cop for a fair bit here in London: Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham Utd (and possibly others) all cite Spurs as most-despised opponent. The reality is that it's the Arse - Chelsea are mainly just sneered at, while West Ham barely even register.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Can I just park this here?

I always thought "An N and an E and a WC, an A and an S and a TLE" was a bit mangled.

[DCI Harry Batt]

"t"?

it

Also, what about the AFCs? I hope they don't sing "AFC Bournemouth FC", so wrong there should be points deductions.

We do chuck an "AFC" at the end in the "by far the greatest team" song, come to think of it. It really grates.

What is "the Sousa march"?

[tee rex]

Two-syllable teams are easily hated, as in "We hate AB and we hate AB ... we are the AB haters". I remember a strange feeling of pride when Plymouth fans started singing "We hate City", as though we were familiar enough foes to have a City/United or City/Rovers relationship. In fact they would be more likely to call us Exeter than City, but it didn't scan properly.

"Argyle" is another flexible one, 2 or 3 syllables depending on need (see Sousa march above).

[tee rex]

What is "the Sousa march"?

Here we go, here we go, here we go. Ad infinitum.