Meet Britain's most loyal football fan who hasn't missed a game in 49 years
Meet Britain’s most dedicated football supporter – who hasn’t missed a single game for almost 50 YEARS.
Rob Shannon, 64, 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 has watched them 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.
He even admits his infatuation with the club could be to blame for his divorce - from an Aston Villa fan.
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.
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.
"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.
"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.
"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, 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.
Rob Shannon, 64, 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 has watched them 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.
He even admits his infatuation with the club could be to blame for his divorce - from an Aston Villa fan.
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.
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.
"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.
"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.
"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, 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.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 I'm Rob Shannon, 64 years of age, but this month I'll be 65.
00:07 It's a pleasure to be, and an honour to be a Birmingham City supporter.
00:12 My dad took me from a very early age and I was fortunate to be mascot for the Blues for several seasons,
00:27 from about 64 to about 1970-ish.
00:30 Through school, still fortunate to go to most of the away games, just progressed from there.
00:38 Just don't know anything different on a Saturday or midweek when they're playing.
00:43 I mean, you walk into St Andrews and you meet 70 people that you know,
00:50 and they're obviously there for one reason, and that's to watch the Blues.
00:55 We're all there to watch the Blues and cheer them on.
00:58 It's great, you can see the anticipation on their faces and the joy and the smiles.
01:06 But it is, on a match day, walking into the ground is always a bit special, because you've arrived.
01:13 It's great.
01:16 Now the new regime has taken over, I just wish I was 20 years younger.
01:22 Because now, these kids now, big things I think are going to happen to this club, which is fantastic.
01:29 So I'm looking at the younger kids and I'm thinking, 'Blimey, I wish I was that age now.'
01:34 Because the things that they're going to see, I think, are things that we've not seen before.
01:41 So I'm thinking, the kids now have got someone to look forward to.
01:46 We're not any suburb, we are Birmingham, and that carries great weight.
01:52 And I think all the fans will sort of agree that having the name of the city is something that they are proud of.