One thing that was intriguing and slightly concerning when I went about putting together this list was that I didn't even come close to putting the fans of any English team in my list. However, when many factors are considered this is not overly surprising.
The English have and always will be passionate about football- fact. It runs in our blood. If you don't support a team you are pretty much an outcast in our society, unless you support Sp*rs- which makes you an outcast anyway. So we are equally as passionate, if not more passionate than our Continental friends, the issue is that we simply do not have the platform to convey this passion like they do.
With the advent of all-seater libraries hugely dampening atmospheres at football grounds across the country and heavy-handed policing clamping down on even the slightest whiff of over-exuberance, English football fans have been forced to become more subdued.
One can only hope that with the introduction of Safe Standing looking a real possibility, English will yet again be able to show their true passion.
Anyway, enough of that. On to the list. I have decided to not post the list as one and simply post one of the ten teams for the next ten days, allowing me to do more in-depth studies of the teams, their history and their fan bases. Here's the first team today:
10. Cologne (FC Koln)
The passion for football certainly runs deep in the Valley of the Ruhr and despite their decent dip on the field, Cologne fans remain among Europe's best fans. They still average a staggering 41,000 attendance in Bundesliga 2 and a great match day atmosphere continues to be produced. Their RheinEnergie Stadium typifies what all modern stadiums should be like. Despite being built for the 2006 World Cup the designers ignored the sweeping curves of other European stadiums and built a great ground with four traditional, but better equipped stands.
The Koln hymn is apparently a great spectacle to witness always belted out with gusto before each home game. The bulk of Koln's vocal support is based upon the lower terracing behind one of the goals (an idea I believe would work wonders at the Grove) and like many German fans they utilise the use giant flags and banners to create an excellent display visually. One game that certainly confirmed my belief that Cologne fans are up there with the best of them was their game against Bayern Munich at the end of last year’s Bundesliga season. It was certainly one of the best atmosphere's I've heard in recent years so here's a clip to demonstrate the amazing atmosphere that day.
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