The UK'S Biggest Football Know-It-Alls Are From Liverpool
A new study of the nation’s fans has discovered that Scousers have more to say about football than supporters from anywhere else in the UK, with 26 percent believing they could easily be a TV pundit (compared to a national average of 15 percent).
Edinburgh was second on the list, with 24 percent feeling confident they could be on the telly, due to their footballing expertise.
Third in the list of self-professed football thought-leaders were those from the steel city of Sheffield (24 percent), according to the survey of 2,000 fans, by footballing bible, The Athletic.
Folk from Glasgow, Leicester, Nottingham and Newcastle also made the final list of know-it-all’s.
Nationally, one in five (18 percent) of the UK footy fanatics say rows with pals and work colleagues often get heated, while 34 percent insist there are people who they can’t be in the same room with when the big game is on the TV.
VAR, which was introduced to reduce arguments, is the cause of a third of rows (33 percent) according to the research, way above team selection (25 percent) and who the manager should be (19 percent).
Almost half (42 percent) admit they secretly revise stats before a game so they can show off their footballing knowledge.
And it’s not just when we’re face to face, we fall out, as 44 percent regularly have football-based rows with friends over text and WhatsApp.
In fact, according to the study we will argue more about football than any other sport, with 94 percent saying that it causes more disputes than any other.
And it’s not hard to see how the rows occur with a big-headed 53 percent of fans insisting they know way more than the average punter about the game.
VAR, which was introduced to reduce arguments, is the cause of a third of rows (33 percent) according to the research, way above team selection (25 percent) and who the manager should be (19 percent).
In response to these regular arguments, The Athletic, which commissioned the research has announced it is launching the Emergency Football Hotline to help settle disputes and queries during the upcoming tournament.
Alan Shearer, footballing legend and regular columnist at The Athletic said, in support of the hotline: “This research shows the depth of feeling among fans of the beautiful game. Fans will never stop sharing their opinions, whether wanted or unwanted, but nobody wants to see people fall out forever over it. Ultimately, the more people know about football, the more they enjoy the beautiful game.”
“When I hung my boots up in 2006, I didn’t ever think about leaving the sport as it was such a big part of my life and always will be - it’s forever evolving, whether that be through the introduction of VAR or players quite literally doing the previously impossible, there is always something new to keep us hooked.”
He continues: “The hotline is there to ensure fans don’t have to waste energy on debating the smaller matters in football and the World Cup can be enjoyed to its fullest”.
Whether a simple rule of the game needs confirming, or an argument over the possession of individual players needs resolving, casual viewers and hardcore fans alike will be able to take advantage of The Athletic’s expert knowledge, data, and insights, normally only available through subscription.
TOP TEN ARMCHAIR PUNDIT CITIES
*National average 15 percent
1. Liverpool 26 percent (reckon they have the knowledge to be a pundit)
2. Edinburgh 24 percent
3. Sheffield 24 percent
4. Glasgow 23 percent
5. Leicester 22 percent
6. Nottingham 21 percent
7. Newcastle 20 percent
8. Leeds 20 percent
9. Birmingham 19 percent
10. Norwich 19 percent
