Football fan claims he's UK's most devoted supporter and named son after stadium
Devoted Rob Shannon claims to be Britain’s most devoted football supporter – having not missed a single game in almost 50 YEARS.
The 64-year-old has watched his beloved Birmingham City more than 2,300 times in a row, both home and away, since they beat Derby County 3-2 in 1974. Before that, he only missed a game because he was too poorly to get out of bed and just the Covid pandemic has stopped him attending matches in recent years.
Dad-of-two Rob has lost count of the money he has spent following the Blues up and down the country but knows it’s running into “plenty of thousands”. He even named his son Andrew, 32, after their home ground of St Andrew’s, and he now also sits on the Birmingham City Former Players Association.
Rob said: “My mum and dad took me down when I was a boy around the 62/63 season and I’ve loved going ever since. I was mascot for several years. I haven’t missed a game since 1974. The only thing that has stopped me going was the pandemic when obviously nobody could go.
Rob has been to all but one of Birmingham's matches since 1974 (Joseph Walshe / SWNS)“It’s become a bit of an obsession, I just follow them through thick and thin - although it’s been more like thin and thin. People say you must have seen all the ups and downs - and I joke it’s mostly downs for Blues.
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“But I got to see them lift a major trophy in 2011 which I think most Birmingham City fans never thought we’d see. There have been some good times really but it has been a bad few years. Although the new owners sound like they really mean business and are very ambitious.
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The only game Rob has missed was when he was sick with coronavirus (Joseph Walshe / SWNS)“Getting the likes of Tom Brady on board can only be a good thing so I think the future is bright and I certainly have no intentions of stopping. I’m also happily divorced from a Villa fan, she used to say, ‘You love Blues more than me’. I always joked, ‘I love Villa more than you’.”
Rob has watched his club in the old Divisions 1, 2 and 3 as well as the Premier League and Championship - plus every League Cup and FA Cup game in between. Rob, who works as a driver, first went as a four-year-old boy during the 1962/63 season and soon fell in love with the Blues, going every week.
Loyal Rob says his favourite game over the last 60 years was watching them win the Carling Cup at Wembley, beating Arsenal 2-1 in 2011. His favourite player was the recently deceased Trevor Francis and he reckons Jude Bellingham is one of the best talents the club has ever produced.
A seven-year-old Rob Shannon (front) pictured when he was Birmingham mascot in 1965 (Courtesy Robert Shannon / SWNS)Rob, from Sheldon, Birmingham, once even discharged himself from hospital to travel to an away game at Swansea and has also missed family occasions. He added: “I guess you have to be a bit mad to be a Blues fan. I’ll only stop when I physically can’t get down there anymore.
“I haven’t added up the cost but it’ll be plenty of thousands. It’s best not to think about it. I was devastated when Trevor Francis passed away, I got to know him and his sons. He is still my favourite player.
“My favourite game was without a doubt the Carling Cup final, it was the best day of my life, and the European games that followed were really special too. But any game that we beat the Villa is also my favourite. I’ve also seen a couple of wins at Anfield and Old Trafford, which doesn’t happy very often for us.
Rob pictured with Jude Bellingham earlier this year (Courtesy Robert Shannon / SWNS)
Alex McLeish guided Birmingham to the 2011 EFL Cup title - beating Arsenal (Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)“I’m proud to now volunteer at the club as part of their Former Players Association - I get to arrange for ex-players to come back to the club for games. I’d resigned myself to the fact I would probably never see Blues in the Premier League again but hopefully we can get back there under these new owners.
“It’s the hope and anticipation that kills you though - but I guess that’s what being a football fan is all about.”
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Rob can’t remember his first game but said his dad helped get him the mascot gig in 1964. He said: “I was mascot for the club for around six years from 1964 onwards.
“My dad was a Blues fan and he just said to the club secretary one day ‘can my son be mascot?’. It was as simple as that really. It wasn’t like now where you get multiple mascots a game and they are different each week, I got to walk out with the team every home game for around six seasons. It was great.”
*Are you more devoted to your club than Rob? Let us know the lengths you’ve gone to as a supporter by emailing [email protected]
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