1. Your "Knowledge" of the Game
All of this adds up to one thing; the modern football fan has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of the game. Well, if you count playing Football Manager and sharing YouTube highlights of obscure goals from the Turkish League as "encyclopedic" that is. Whilst the modern football fan may know the entire Everton squad off by heart and even be able to name their starting 11, there's absolutely no critical thought involved. Yes, you might be able to talk about Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge playing well together recently, but you wouldn't be able to do so without the help of Gary Neville. The modern football fan is in a unique position in that he is able to procure information in the easiest way. Gone are the days when that obscure signing from Nigeria was a genuine surprise, you've been watching him tear apart the Austrian League for years (I made this player up, don't try and YouTube him). If anything, it's starting to go the other way. Based on YouTube highlights alone, Shinji Kagawa is one of the greatest midfielders of all time. Not accounting for his completely wasted use at Old Trafford, he's looked rather ordinary. Your knowledge of the game is not something to be flaunted about. We can all learn lists of information, you don't call Star Trek fans cool because they know how to speak Klingon. If you actually have something insightful to say, say it. I'm intrigued to hear the nuanced opinions of QPR fans about their ridiculous owners but I don't care about how many managers they've had in the past 10 years. Click next for my conclusion.