Doing the 92: How Football Changed During My Groundhopping Odyssey

My 43-year journey through English football grounds revealed profound changes: the disappearance of traditional pubs, the brief return of standing terraces, and the ubiquity of giant flags nationwide. This grand pilgrimage, which began in 1982 on a dilapidated terrace, fittingly concluded on a drab, rainy December afternoon. I watched my team suffer a 3-0 defeat in a gleaming new stadium, proudly bearing the name of an international commercial law firm. A dramatic last-minute away victory would have felt far too romanticized for such a down-to-earth odyssey. This somewhat anti-climactic ending felt precisely right for the moment I finally completed the ’92’. Many of these matches, like that concluding game at Everton, were experienced as an away Nottingham Forest supporter, while others I attended as a neutral observer. This extensive, often absurd, yet deeply satisfying undertaking, spanning countless miles, offered numerous insights and lessons. One striking change I observed was how fans once proudly displayed their loyalty: a scarf meticulously wedged in a car window, fluttering in the breeze. Today, this subtle declaration has largely been supplanted by corporate car stickers or bespoke number plates—a shift that, in my view, reflects a regrettable decline in the authentic spirit of fandom.