The cup runneth over for real fans

Mike Marqusee ( Come on you Ghana, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, Korea, Italy ... , 8 June) is well wide of the mark to suggest that neutral watchers of the World Cup are the luckiest. The most fortunate supporters of all will be those who passionately support a team and then see them win the trophy. As Mike points out, moments of joy for most supporters will be few and far between. But to my mind, the possibility of such elation is what makes the game worth following. As a Fulham supporter, I had the intense joy this year of seeing my team get to the final of European competition for the first time ever. There were moments of elation during the cup run and, despite losing the final, I wouldn't swap the experience of the run for anything. A friend who supports Portsmouth feels that all the misery of his club's receivership and relegation were worth suffering for the experience of his team winning the FA Cup in 2008. I will be watching and supporting England and probably will end up bitterly disappointed as usual. I would not, however, swap my experience for the bland indifference of the neutral. Tim Matthews Luton, Bedfordshire • If Mike Marqusee doesn't want to invest his emotional support in one team, he's not entitled to, nor will he understand, the extraordinary pleasure I'll get in the (admittedly unlikely) event that England win the tournament. Choosing not to support any one team because they might disappoint you is like opting not to form a relationship, pursue a career or have a child in case it doesn't turn out well. Come on, England! Warwick Smith Ardingly, West Sussex • Interesting that the criteria by which New Yorker Mike Marqusee decides his allegiance includes neither the country of his birth nor the one in which he has lived and worked for decades. Lou George Kendal, Cumbria