One night, when I was married, during Crystal Palace’s first year back in the Premier League, I went to a home match that we won. I got in at around midnight and woke my wife with an enthusiastic shake. ‘Oh my God, what is it?’ she cried, possibly imagining the house was on fire. ‘We’re 15th’, I said.
It is a testament to the priorities of most people that we don’t choose our football club because we think they will win. We become part of the club because of where we live or our family connections.