US superfan jets in to UK for four games in 48 hours
US superfan jets in to UK for four games in 48 hours
Friday night – Loftus Road, Saturday lunchtime – Plough Lane, Saturday evening – Selhurst Park, Sunday afternoon – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Four venues, three leagues, more than six hours of football, almost 67,000 steps and all in less than 48 hours.
That was American superfan Andrew Smith’s itinerary fresh off the back of a 10-and-a-half-hour, 5,500-mile flight from San Diego into London Heathrow on Friday.
Taking the love of the game and pushing it right to the limit.
“Some people might wonder why I would spend my time doing this, but to me as a cultural voyeur and at times interloper in the community, it’s very interesting and different to what we have in America,” he said.
“In terms of the game itself, the quality is so much higher over here and the understanding of the fanbases is much more developed. The differences between the tiers is very interesting and the differences between the grounds – fantastic.
“To my eyes it’s like travelling to see a natural or historic site, it’s a cultural phenomenon I appreciate.”
The 47-year-old teacher is a self-confessed football obsessive and a big Tottenham fan.
So much so that he launched his own fans’ group on Facebook to create a small network of supporters to watch the club’s games in their local English-themed pub.
The project grew and with the help of co-founder Ben Forman, the group is now affiliated as the San Diego Spurs Official Supporters’ Club.
It has taken him around the US to the likes of Denver, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Nashville and Los Angeles, and has even seen his beloved team play in San Diego.
Smith tries to watch every game at the club’s pub of choice in the southern California city, no matter the time.
“I would just hand out a slip of paper and speak to Tottenham fans, I never envisioned it would grow to become an official club,” he said.
A manic football weekend in London
Friday afternoon. Touchdown at Heathrow at midday, get to the hotel in Paddington – quick nap, then up and out to walk the three-mile journey to Shepherd’s Bush.
Smith likes to explore his surroundings, take in the sights and meet people along the way.
The Championship match between Queens Park Rangers and Derby itself is a drubbing; a miserable return to Loftus Road for new Rams boss John Eustace, whose side are dismantled 4-0 in west London.
“I sat with wonderful people who welcomed me back wholeheartedly after a 4-0 victory. My favourite chant in the whole weekend was definitely ‘Sacked in the morning’ to [John Eustace] on his return [to Derby],” he said.
Saturday morning, and it’s an almost seven-mile walk south of the river to the Cherry Red Records Stadium as AFC Wimbledon host Salford City in a big game at the top of League Two.
This has a different feel. Loftus Road is a “tenured” stadium, whereas Wimbledon’s relatively new ground is “clean and compact”.
Smith sits next to a man called Jake and his soon-to-be father-in-law. When Matty Stevens scores the only goal of the game for the hosts, he and Jake share a warm embrace as the regular match-going fans savour the big moment.
Smith had even considered trying to squeeze in a 3pm visit to Leyton Orient for their home game against Lincoln before making the (correct) decision that this would have been too much.
Having decided against that, it was a train back into central London and then out again later that afternoon to Selhurst Park for his first taste of the Premier League on the trip – Crystal Palace v Everton.
“I was an American sitting between two Turkish-Germans to one side and a Dutch couple to the other, a season-ticket holder behind me and another American voice two rows behind,” he said.
“It really showed the reach the Premier League has compared to other leagues.”
The visitors won the match through a late Carlos Alcaraz goal on his first start for the Toffees.
The day ended with almost 29,000 steps on the clock for Smith, but the main event was yet to come.
On Sunday, Smith and his friend arrived at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to find the organised fans’ protest against the club’s ownership before the game, which involved more than 1,000 supporters, with the north London club in the bottom half of the Premier League.
“I have mixed feelings about them because on one hand I feel very fortunate to have seen the best decades at Tottenham since the 1960s,” he said.
“On the other hand, I understand the frustration with brand new [training] ground, brand new stadium, highest ticket prices – but look at the results.”
Smith took his place in the South Stand and watched his side claim an important 1-0 win against Ruben Amorim’s struggling Manchester United.
On his last visit, Spurs had not been so lucky – losing 2-1 to Wolves with Joao Gomes scoring twice.
“Credit to the fans, there was some voice for a team that’s, at times, hard to get behind right now,” he said.
Smith’s love of the game has now taken him to 10 UK football grounds across several different levels of the pyramid, including Anfield, Wembley, Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium, Cheriton Road, home to Isthmian League Folkestone Invicta, and of course the old White Hart Lane.
Despite his hectic weekend in the capital, he’s shown no signs of slowing down – already in Edinburgh for part two of his holiday – although this time there’s a break from football.
“Football is a game of moments, the moment when a stranger hugged a stranger at League Two Wimbledon because a goal was scored, I will probably never see Jake again in my life but we had a moment where we could celebrate a goal,” he said.
“The moments of talking to people at QPR who skipped Valentine’s Day because football is first for them.
“Standing amongst the other Tottenham supporters in the South Stand. I’ll never be a Londoner, I’ll never be a local but in that moment I feel like I’m unified in supporting my team.
“The quote rings true – ‘of all the least important things, football is the most important’. Why not choose it as something to enjoy, pursue, feast upon? And I can do it in a unique way.”
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