I am an American searching for a Premier League Team to Support…Help Me Choose!!
May 26, 2008
Hello everyone. I am an American who played soccer as a kid, but got really hooked during the 2006 World Cup. I need a team to support and I just can’t get into the MLS.
I started this forum a couple of weeks ago. The comments started coming in under this post, but I would like to begin having this discussion on the “Who Should I Support?” forum which you can access by clicking the tab on the right.
I also will create any discussion you want to talk about, so i started some other forums as well. I don’t know anything about these other leagues, would be interesting to learn.
My only request is let’s keep this forum somewhat intelligent. If you read the original comments below, you will see excellent examples of intelligent coversation. I don’t know about the UK, but in the US sports message boards can be loaded with stupidity! Say what you want, agree, disagree, just don’t post idiotic comments!
Ok, everyone, let’s hear what YOU have to say to an American football novice!!!! (And to everyone else!!!)
World Football Forum 
May 26, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Fulham, they have the most American players. Everton isn’t bad either because they always seem to be decent and have Howard in goal.
May 27, 2008 at 6:50 am
Id choose Aston Villa!
We have an american owner and we are goin places!! if yu support them now, yu wont look like a gloryhunter when we start winnin cups and make it into the champions league!!
like mark, i also like the look of everton, though i dont like fullham!!
but IMO, Villa all the way mate!! we have an american owner who is dedicated to the club, can play hard football, but also can play entertaining football as demonstrated in our 4-4 draws against chelsea and tottenham, and our 5-1 win over rivals birmingham city!!
May 27, 2008 at 8:02 am
Liverpool is my team, love them because they are solid, they dont dive, almost never foul other people just to get ahead, and they are beautiful to watch. can I just add though that its a little lame to be asking other people which team to support, you should watch games and see who MAKES you want to support them, instead of just asking others to give you an opinion. Just a thought.
May 27, 2008 at 9:19 am
Well for someone who pretty much grew up on seeing the Brazilians play samba I would say the only credible team worth supporting in the English prem would be arsenal they paly footbal thats soft to the eye and they still have the traditional approach to football,I think if they want to do well this season they should relocate to Spain instead of playing in a league where they are being treated unfairly since they are an English team with a French connection.lol.So if you’re really serious about getting on board the English Prem I would suppot them mate.Cheers wale
May 27, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Support Celtic they play in Scotland are current SPL champions and will be playing the in the Champions League next season. They are also one of the biggest supported clubs in the world but they are in a separate league from England.
May 27, 2008 at 1:13 pm
I agree that I definitely need to watch the teams play. Getting these comments really helps give me some context of the league. Just the 5 comments here really helps me see things differently. By the time August rolls around I should really have a good perspective on which teams I think I will like, and their background.
I am really initrigued by Celtic and the Rangers, but I don’t think we get those games in the states.
May 27, 2008 at 3:04 pm
why would man utd be out, if you want to support them thjen go for it, its called freedom of choice…lol i`ve supported them for many many years, in the highs and the lows and never changed, they will always be the team for me, but you cant really ask someone who to support, i would suggest watching as much premiere league football as you can, believe me you will find your choice, there is a lot of good teams in the premiere leaguem BUT dont forget the lower leagues, some good football played in those leagues too and it is more of a passion in the lower leagues than say the premiere wich is usually money orientated, good luck in finding a team
May 27, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Newcastle’s your answer. An American owner, a solid team, with big potential. Mark Viduka is a solid striker, Obafemi Martins also solid yet so fast. some one who bullies? Joey Barton and Alan Smith, people to be afraid of!
Newcastle United have many reasons to be supported, the main reason is, they need it! with such a big stadium, big names have had problems with producing silverware, with Kevin Keegan back, they’ve got the chance! Support a team starting from the beginning, Thats the only true way to support a team, from thick and thin, beginning to end. Newcastle United, Remember that name… It’ll Succeed!
May 28, 2008 at 10:23 am
Hi there.
If you are looking for a tough no nonsence team. Choose Bolton Wanderers. They have got a new manager just before xmas. They have just fought their way out of the relegation spot. They have a proper english player called Kevin Davies. He is not a dirty player, but a no nonsence players that doesn’t roll around looking for cheep free kicks and penalties, like Arsenal or Chealsea. I support oldham myself, as I think the lower devisions are full of english players who play proper football, and don’t just cheat for free kicks. But just watch all you can, and then choose. Glad you don’t intend to jump on the glory band wagon like some. That just makes it more special when your chosen team do, do well. Thats something glory seekers will never experience.
May 28, 2008 at 6:03 pm
if your looking for a team on the way up i would go for pourtsmouth and aston villa or possibly arsenal, but i would go for aston villa as they have a lot of talent
May 28, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Hey there,
My advice would be to watch some games and choose yourself, if you want a tough, hard working team these are a few teams to look out for Blackburn Rovers( The managers even hard as nails), Stoke City ( Just promoted to Prem leauge), Portsmouth ( They have just won there first major trophy in about 60years and have the best English manager in the game Harry Redknapp). Also Everton, Bolton, Aston Villa, Sunderland and Fulham as the others have said! Glad to see your not going to be a glory hound! Im a Portsmouth fan and have we come from almost being relegated to the 3rd league in england to a top 10 prem leauge team and F A cup winners in just seven years, all on the back of players working hard and battling every game! Just ask Man United fans who we beat i the quater final!
Good luck with you search mate!
May 29, 2008 at 7:11 am
hi
I am also an American and started following football after the world cup. I went through the same dilemma you are. Who should I support?
Going into the season following the WC, I happened to see a lot of the previous years fixtures with Tottenham (better known as Spurs). I thought they were going to be my team.
However, actually watching the game can change your perception a bit. One of the first live games I watched was Middlesbrough v Chelsea from the Riverside Stadium. Boro pulled off a stunning defeat and that was all it took for me. I was hooked on the Teesiders.
Late in the year, I got my best friend to watch. I hadn’t given it any thought but all of a sudden he was a Portsmouth fan. He even went as far as to buy a jersey and hat. Now, it’s a blast to have our own little rivarly whenever our teams get together.
All of the people that have posted here have made great points. But my advice is to spend lot’s of time watching as many games as you can THEN chose. You may be surprised in your choice (I know I was).
May 29, 2008 at 11:06 am
This is awesome getting so much great feedback. I can’t wait til premiere league starts again so i can really watch the teams. The summer looks like some good football too. The US team got beat by England last night, and it looks like we have a couple of more crushing defeats to endure as we have Spain and Argentina coming up!
I think if I could afford to go to England and go to the games and experience it it would be easy to find “my team”. Since my wife is pregnant with twins, I don’t think I’ll be making any trips to the UK soon!!
Oh, and in watching the FA cup in review, what do you guys think of the Bristol Rovers and Barnsley? They are not Premier League teams, but it looked like they had a lot of heart!
JDP
May 29, 2008 at 11:57 am
As an Arsenal fan, I would obviously advise you follow them but have to admit (through gritted teeth!) that IMHO Man U would be the only other real option if you want to watch quality football.
Despite what others might tell you about thier teams flashes of brilliance, only these two sides consistently deliver top-quality football (almost) week in-week out, win or lose.
There is unfortunately a certain band-wagon-jumping element that people will assume if you choose Man U, but following a football team is like religion – it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, its about what you believe in.
May 30, 2008 at 8:42 am
For bristol rovers and barnsley to get to the cup final was awesome. It is so good not to see big clubs buying all the titles again. The best thing, is to follow a team and watch them grow. Glory seekers never really will experience the trill of winning something through hard work. It is as if, it is their devine right to win something, because of all the money they spend. They buy instant success. That very rarely lasts. If you get the time, take alook at the lower devisions as well. Maybe choose a second team to support from those devisions. Or if you have any ancestors from the uk, maybe support that area!
May 30, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Yes for sure I want to choose a lower league team to support also. Just one problem, I don’t think I can get their games in the states. I would love to follow a Welsh Team as well, but I was looking at their league online, and their stadiums only hold a few hundred people. I know they won’t be on in the states!
May 31, 2008 at 10:27 am
I dont know if you can, but, you can get commentry on games online. I support Oldham. But live in Bolton. The only way I can hear Oldham, is to go on their web site, and listen to the live commentry they have for each game. I dont know if you get English radio or online stations over there. Sometimes, listening to football is more exciting than watching it. You get to hear players nanes mentioned. And gives you a better idea on who is the more attacking side. Plus, there is alot of bias commentry for the more higer spending teams. Just take your time. There is no rush. Let you freinds at your local pub tell you all about their team, they will like that. And choose a team when you are ready.
May 31, 2008 at 10:32 am
As an after thought. Swansea City have jus won promotion from devision 1 to the Championship league. As a welsh side, you might see a game or two of theirs over there. If not, go on their web site and see what you think of them.
May 31, 2008 at 11:20 am
Daklone makes a good comment…….plus Man U gets a lot of coverage, but when i watched them play Chelsea in Moscow I couldn’t help but pull for Chelsea!
I thought Aresenal was really good!!
May 31, 2008 at 11:24 am
Tina, good points, although I don’t even listen to my own teams here in the states if they are not on TV. Of course, 99.9% of the time they are. I am a huge Dallas Cowboy and Florida State University “American Football” fan. Some could say I am a bandwagon guy for being a Cowboys fan, but I have been a fan for 38 years, my whole life!
Swansea city is a Welsh team in the English league?
Are there any Welsh teams in the English league?
May 31, 2008 at 12:28 pm
hi!
If I were you I’d choose Tottenham. Why? They aren’t as famous as Cheslski, liverpool, Man U or arsenal. And they have a pretty good team which plays a beautiful football (at home, minimum 4 goals per game for or against them –> not boring as chelsea!). Their fans are really nice people (not as Hammer’s).
My team isn’t Tottenham. I’m french from an english family and for obscur reasons we follow man united… But if I’d had the choice, I’d choose them or Aston villa.
Or Cardiff city… They’re welsh… Or Nottingham forest, they’ve a glorious history.
But whoevrer you choose, don’t choose one of the big four.
May 31, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Yes, my pub friend Andy from Manchester, a Manchester City friend, talks of the evil Big $ too!
May 31, 2008 at 12:32 pm
But that’s true that you should maybe choose one of the big four if you wanna watch them easily… If you do so, don’t choose the arsenal cockneys or chelsea billionairs.
May 31, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Tottenham would be a good choice – it’s a club with a lot of potential, has a good manager, some excellent players & has a massive fan base – there are supporters’ groups in the USA & Canada… visit http://www.thequake.com/caats.html, which will give you plenty of information about the club, where you can catch the games, etc.
I am a Spurs fan myself & I can tell you it is never boring supporting them!!
June 1, 2008 at 4:16 am
well, i m a manutd fan.. bt after the FA cup final, i tink cardiff city iz a good team.. they play fluent passing and hav been attacking portsmouth most of the time in the first half.. although their defence is vulnerable and i feel tat if u wan to start support a team u shud go for a team in a lower division and c them promote and get trophys..
June 1, 2008 at 4:56 am
To be totally honest mate,as your ‘new’ to the game so to speak, you should choose yourself.However the way I looked for a team, when i made the transition from rugby to soccer was to put it in the context ‘as im new support the new boys’ like West Brom, Stoke City and Hull. Im currently at university in Stoke and have seen them play many many times and they are battlers to the end!! Go on youtube and search different club videos. It may only be one player that you really admire, but that can begin a love affair with the whole club. Good luck
June 1, 2008 at 5:01 am
Support Stoke City. You’ll be the only fan in America and can support them from the start. You can say you were a fan from their beginning.
June 1, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Sotke City seems pretty cool, who else is being promoted, and who got relegated?
June 1, 2008 at 12:07 pm
There isn’t any welsh sides in the english premier league, yet. The closest is Swansea in the devision below, the championship. But who is to say that Swansea will not get promotion next season. The point made about Cardiff is also a good one. They have some very decent players playing for them. Plus, there are some good welsh players in English football. Plus, Blackburn Rovers have a former welsh player as their manager. Mark Hughes. Sadly, he scored against my beloved Oldham in the F A cup some years ago. So I am slightly bias. But he is a hard manager, who managers a hard no nonsense side. There has to be something more than just supporting the team from where you live. You do get pulled to certain teams. Just feel part of our mad football world and enjoy all the advice and comments you are getting.
June 1, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Someone, PLEASE explain the tournaments! Portsmouth and Cardiff City played for the FA coup, but Man U and Chelsea played for the UEFA cup. Who is considered “the chammp” in England??? (My buddy says Man City since they beat U. twice!)
Another question….what do their records get them? In the US, the teams with the best won/loss records make the playoffs at the end of the year, and the others go home. But there is only one championship. I am trying to figure out what the records get you other than not being relegated, and what playoff system is what??
June 1, 2008 at 12:24 pm
In answer to the us fan’s question. West Bromich, Stoke City and Hull City all got promotion to the premiership. West brom was relegated from the premiership the other season ago. Hull City is something of a fairy tale. They are touching heights they could only dream of before manager Phil Brown took over. Derby County, Reading and Birmingham City, all got relegated from the premier league.
June 1, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Hey Tina, US Fan is just the name I came up with. I am actually Joe, the site administrator. Thanks for your comments. I love getting input from a woman’s perspective too. I want to get input from a lot of different perspectives. When season starts in August I will have a whole new foundation to to watch with. Just wish I could travel to the UK!
June 1, 2008 at 12:36 pm
In the lower devisions, 3 teams go up, 3 teams go down. 2 teams win promotion automatically. The top league position and second team position. The 3rd place is given to the winners of the play offs. The play offs, is made up of the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th team positions. Out of the 4 teams. 2 play each other. ie: play offs. The winners of those, then play each other a Wembley. The team that win that game, gets the 3rd promotion spot. As for records, well! Basically, in our football. The teams that wins the most games, win. Full stop. Sometimes, if teams have the same points, the amount of goals you have scored gives you a better position over your rival. This can be important not just for winning the league, but stopping you getting relegated. It is positions that count in our league. Man City have got into European football next season due to their Fair Play record, lease bookings, fan behaver etc: Hope that explains things abit for you. Phoo!
June 1, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Just got your message. Didn’t know you were one and the same. It can be a mine field with rules etc: But it is also fun. The cup matches are the best. You would love those. Freezing to death for winter games, start times 7.30pm. But you get to see the big teams and the smaller sides. Money means nothing then. All teams are equal. I know you will love watching footy, and choosing your own team when you are ready. Plus, just ask us all for advice. All us fan are bias. But somewhere in the middle of it all, you will get the full picture.
June 1, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Try Liverpool they are an American team!
June 1, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I found this on the Yahoo UK boards and thought your experience is quite similar to mine. I too became hooked on football during the 2006 World Cup and my English team wound up becoming Manchester United solely because I fell in love with Cristiano Ronaldo immediately during the World Cup. Shallow, I know. Ha ha. I don’t regret my decision because I’ve grown to enjoy everything about Manchester United and I believe that there’s no shame in picking a big four club if you genuinely enjoy watching the football. However, since you’re putting so much thought into this, I’d have to advise against picking a top club just to avoid the whole “glory hunter” thing. Pick a club near the top or one who could be there soon. Two choices that jump out are Aston Villa and Newcastle United. Aston Villa narrowly missed out on Europe this season, they have some great young players and Martin O’Neill is a great manager. Newcastle had somewhat of a rough season but they really started to pull it together towards the end and they too have quality players and a great manager who is literally like God in Newcastle. I expect them to do well next season. Two other good choices would be Blackburn and Everton. I also agree with the posters who have said that you must pick a lower division team too. That’s always a lot of fun. Good luck with your choices! 🙂
June 2, 2008 at 11:03 am
My adavise to pick a lower league when you will be treatd as supporter not an atm m/c, and choose local to home where you can leave home within the hour before the game(helps with evening kick off) oh some supporters have a dialec only they understand( nothern teams) if you want english try southern team. And southern fans have abath at least once a month.
June 2, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Not as good as us up north then. We have one a least once a week. If we need one or not.
June 2, 2008 at 8:42 pm
I’m from New Jersey and I’m an Arsenal fan. I became an Arsenal fan when I first laid my eyes on this Arsenal jersey that was on sale at Niketown back in 1996. I was hooked. I had no clue who or what in the world were the Arsenal, but I just knew the jersey was so hot. I really didn’t watch any games until one day, me and my daughter’s mom were flipping through the channels and they were showing an Arsenal game. Not sure who they were playing, but I actually enjoyed the game. At the time, I wasn’t much of a soccer fan. Just something about watching their style of play got my attention. From there I watched more and more soccer until now I really enjoy watching it. There are certain leagues that I can’t watch because they just don’t provide that excitement like the EPL. I really hope someday the MLS can be that way. But anyways, if it were up to me I would say go with Arsenal. If I were you, watch some more games and see who you enjoy watching the most. Don’t a front-runner either. I hope you do find a team, but don’t be so hard on the MLS. It’s not great, but they’re trying. The Red Bulls are just so inconsistent, but I root for them. They got nice jerseys like Arsenal. LOL!!! I wish you the best on selecting a team. As for me, it’s all about the Arsenal. Yeah, I’m a Gooner. Peace.
June 5, 2008 at 2:51 am
please believe me, man utd is playing good football at the moment, but chelsea is the team to follow.
June 16, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Like it or not, follow one of the top four as an American and you’ll be labeled a band-wagoner. As an Everton fan, of course I’d love to welcome another fan into the fold, but I agree with others who have said pick your own by watching games. As a US fan, picking a Premiership team that has little chance of being relegated is a safe bet to be able to see games. I agree that some of the lower division teams are interesting, but you’ll rarely see their games on US television. Some things you should know… Everton is the “other Liverpool team” and generally gets respect from English fans who at least know you have heard of teams out of the big four. They have a great manager and of course an American goalkeeper. Tottenham and Aston Villa have plenty of money and lots of potential as well, if anyone is going to break into the top four, it’s probably going to be one of those three. Be careful of being attracted to Newcastle they have a rabid fan base and would be lots of fun to support, but they are the Chicago Cubs of English Football, lots of potential, and no trophies in anyone’s recent memory.
June 17, 2008 at 9:50 pm
U.S. Fan:
I was in exactly your position last year. I had watched the last World Cup with a bunch of local soccer fans (I live in NC), but had no interest in club soccer – thought it was boring based on the MLS product. A friend of mine challenged me to pick an EPL team to support for one year and see what I thought after the year was out.
To determine what football team to support, I looked to my preferences in US sports. I am a South Carolina Gamecock, a team that did not win a bowl game for the first 103 years of football, but sold out an 80,000 seat stadium after losing 21 consecutive games. I have hated the New York Yankees my whole life, so much that I started to like the Red Sox (though I will always be a White Sox fan). I realized I never cheered for the top teams in any sport and kind of enjoyed the misery of painful losses, because it made the good times so much better. I also wanted a team that tried to be competitive, not the Chicago Cubs.
So I picked a team that had good attendance, pretty passionate fans, some upside, and was not in the “big 4”. And so, last August, I found myself a Manchester City Citizens fan, mainly because I knew I would hate Man United. I figured it would be like cheering for the NY Mets in New York. From what I can tell, there is a good argument that there are more Man City fans than United fans in the actual city of Manchester, though you never hear of any in the states. I have also heard that Man City is the third best team in Manchester, behind Man U and Man U reserves. Still, despite Man U winning the EPL (again) and beating Chelsea in the Champions league final, Man City beat them twice this year, including a win at Old Trafford that was televised here.
For good measure, I also picked a championship team to support – the Sheffield Wednesday Owls. We don’t get Championship games here too often, unless they are in the league cup or the FA cup, but the fans of the lower division teams are way more passionate about their squads then triple A baseball fans.
June 21, 2008 at 6:17 pm
i think u should leave your choice untill after the first few games of the season. im sure once u start watching a few different teams u will find urself drawn to one. dont just jump at a team because once ur choice is made u should be loyal good times and bad. good luck and hope what evere team u choose u get some joy from it
June 27, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Hi there. Support Stoke City this coming season in the Premier League! number 1, we will need all the support we can get, following more than 20 years outside the top division. Number 2, one of the club’s directors, Phil Rawlins, is based in the U.S.A., and I think has just set up a team there. It may be in Texas, I’m not sure. A former player of ours, Adrian Heath, is taking on the coaching role. Come on you mighty Potters!!!!
June 30, 2008 at 9:50 am
You should pick man united, they have a good solid team that are clearly friends on and off the pitch, and also american owners so you have something to relate to with the team being american yourself. But its up to you pal!!
June 30, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Chelsea Blue is the only way to go!!!!!!
July 1, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Go for Aston Villa, one of the founder members of the football league and established in 1874, Villa have a Proud History and a Bright Future as our recent motto suggests. You will find Aston Villa have a fantastically loyal fan base and one of the best grounds in the football league. Villa have some USA links in the owner Randy Lerner who also owns the Cleveland Browns American Football Team, the actor Tom Hanks has also stated that he is an avid Villa fan. If you choose Villa you won’t be accused of being a glory hunter, as can be the case when new supporters jump on the band wagon of success, although under our fantastic and charismatic manager Martin O’Neil we are still very capable of giving the big boys a run for their money, as Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all found out in the league last season. O’Neil is only in the process of building a strong squad, so things are definitely on the up. Aston Villa have also recently shown grace and style in turning down sponsorship worth millions of pounds to allow a charity called Acorns to have the charity logo on the Villa football shirt for free. To top it all off the possible future King of England, Prince William has been seen sporting a Villa hat.
July 2, 2008 at 9:32 pm
If you really are a football/soccer fan then you should support a MLS team that has some significance to you.
You see, real fans don’t choose their teams to support, they are chosen.
What I mean is the majority of real football supporters in England follow a team because they have some connection to it, they were born in that area or a family member once played for the side. It’s more than just liking a team, it’s a part of your life. This is why a couple of hundred people turn up at Dean Court every home match to watch Bournemouth for example, they’re not the glory-hunters who want to follow a glamourous club in a ‘hollow’ way, it means something to them and they have real pride in THEIR club.
This is one reason that it has been so hard for football to become established in the US, I don’t mean this as an anti-American statement.With Americans and football the concept of support is totally different to that in Europe.
My advice is enjoy watching the Premierleague, but become a passionate, undying supporter of your own local team whoever they are.
Only players ever change teams !
July 3, 2008 at 12:40 pm
If you want a team that is packed full of scoring and always has interesting games, follow Tottenham Hotspur. The only problem is they enjoy underachieving in defense since they have one of the top strike pairings in the league but concede the 5th most goals also. Good for Americans to follow since we generally like a lot of chances, open play and scoring and that’s what Spurs provide.
July 3, 2008 at 8:01 pm
We are going through a similar issue in my household. My 6 year old son has just got in to football and wants to support a team.
It is customary for a team to be supported throughout a family. Unfortunately my team, Gillingham, is appalling and being local to where I grew up was a logical choice.
We have moved away from the area so I can’t really inflict them on him.
His philosophy seems to be pick a favourite player and then follow the team for which they play. He was heading in the Man U direction because of Christiano Ronaldo but a certain Mr Torres and the performance of Spain in the Euro 2008 competition has seen him moving towards Liverpool.
July 11, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Well JDP.
You seem to have got alot of feedback from footy fans over here. Was just wondering what you think of it all. Any teams you are maybe leaning towards?
July 12, 2008 at 7:55 pm
It’s not something you choose. It’s something you are born with. Just watch some games and follow your heart.
October 22, 2008 at 12:37 am
Hey how are you, interesting question you’ve posted. People support football teams for many different reasons; many because its their local team, some because the team are winning or have some great super star (in my brothers case George Best of Man Utd), some because they have a lot of players from their own country. In Ireland, where I live, many support Man Utd or Liverpool because they often have good Irish players and because both city’s have large Irish populations and strong ties with Ireland. For myself I follow the Arsenal because the first live professional football game I watched was the FA Cup Final, Arsenal vs Liverpool in 1971. I was 8 years old and it was great match which finished 2-1 to the Arsenal in extra time (see match report here http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/fa_cup/1321973.stm ) I was enthralled and have followed them ever since. My advice would be, not to pick a team but let a team pick you. Its a question of the heart in football, you follow your team no matter what, win or lose, top of the league or bottom you never change and only your heart can know which team will inspire such loyalty. Watch the football, gradually you will be draw to a team, it will reel you in to the fold and you will know, in the mean time enjoy the footy!
The Premiership is the best league in the world I think, its exciting end to end stuff with many of the worlds best players.
P.S. Swansea are not in the top league, which would be the Premiership but are in the Coca Cola Championship and are not likly to make promotion this year but thats not to say you could not follow them. Good Luck Pete