How long do football fans stay in a bad mood after a poor result?

A recent survey conducted by Betting.co.uk among 2,000 football enthusiasts across the United Kingdom has shed light on how long fans remain in a bad mood after their club performs poorly.

Here is what we found:

• On average, UK football fans remain grumpy for 2 hours and 43 minutes following a poor performance by their favourite club.
• Among Premier League supporters, Crystal Palace fans are the most affected, with their gloom lasting an average of 5 hours and 27 minutes. Wolverhampton fans follow closely with 5 hours and 12 minutes, while Spurs fans claim third place with 4 hours and 22 minutes.
• Brighton & Hove Albion supporters recover the fastest from a bad result, with their mood lifting in just 31 minutes.

As the new Premier League season kicks off, emotions are sure to run high, with tears of both joy and sorrow on the horizon. However, it’s the fans of Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace who may need to brace themselves the most. If their club performs poorly, they tend to stay in a bad mood for longer than any other Premier League fanbase. While the UK average is 2 hours and 43 minutes, Crystal Palace supporters lead the pack with a grumpiness duration of 5 hours and 27 minutes.

Top 5 saddest Premier League fans

That a football match involves more than just 90 minutes of chasing a ball around applies not only to Crystal Palace fans. It’s also no surprise for Wolverhampton supporters. On average, fans of Gary O’Neil’s club are out of sorts for 5 hours and 12 minutes after a poor performance. This puts them second among all Premier League fanbases.

A bad result doesn’t sit well with Tottenham Hotspur supporters either. The Spurs fanbase stays grumpy for exactly 50 minutes less than Wolverhampton fans, at 4 hours and 22 minutes. This places them in third place. Arsenal also scores significantly higher than the UK average. Last season, Arsenal missed out on the title—something that likely didn’t leave the fans unmoved, as they are in a bad mood for 4 hours and 1 minute after a poor match, earning them fourth place. Finally, fans of London’s West Ham United complete the top 5. Supporters of Julen Lopetegui’s club are, on average, upset for 3 hours and 58 minutes after a poor performance.

Brighton fans bounce back the fastest

Not all Premier League supporters need hours to bounce back after a poor result, as proven by Brighton & Hove Albion fans. They are only in a bad mood for 31 minutes, the shortest time among all fanbases. Bournemouth supporters also recover quickly. At 41 minutes, they score the second fastest time, just narrowly ahead of Leicester City, who at 44 minutes, recover the third quickest from a poor result.

1 in 5 UK football fans takes frustration out on their partner

But how does this grumpiness manifest after a defeat? Some may sulk in silence, while others might take it out on those around them. For a significant portion of UK football supporters, a poor match leads to genuine sleepless nights, it seems. When asked if they have ever had trouble sleeping due to a poor result from their favourite club, as many as 1 in 7 respondents said yes. But that’s not all—partners often bear the brunt as well. A convincing 22% of UK football fans admitted that they’ve taken out their frustration on their partner after their favourite team has lost.

Methodology

In August 2024, Betting.co.uk conducted an independent survey of 2,000 respondents across the United Kingdom, asking how long, on average, they feel down after their favourite football club suffers a bad result. All respondents were pre-screened for their strong interest in football, and a representative sample was taken from each Premier League club’s fanbase. Of all respondents, 58% were male, 41% female, and 1% non-binary. The average age of the respondents was 40.7 years.

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