QUIRKY WORLD ... Agony and ecstasy: Losing keeps fans on the ball

ENGLAND: Loyalty to a football club is heightened by defeat as well as victory, a study has found.

The shared pain of losing binds fans together as disciples of their team as much as the euphoria that comes with winning, say psychologists from Oxford University.

Despair and joy can be so intensely felt that both emotions cause fans to identify strongly with the club they support.