If someone follows a player's career, from the very start, for so many years, one has no other choice but stay loyal to the bitter end.
It's not about loyalty though. That can turn to bias and militant defence.
I don't mean you here, as you have criticised him when called for. I also am talking more in general about anything - Lewy, Ronaldo, Taylor Swift, Apple, Playstation, Nintendo, Twitter, Trump, whatever.
There comes a point where it goes beyond liking someone and it becomes fanboyism and a cult i.e. defending someone constantly because you want them to be the best, rather than that being your genuine opinion. Developing a bond or emotional attachment to them that causes you to irrationally judge them as better relative to others, and against your own sense and good judgement.
That is cultism and fanboyism. Plenty defenders of the above display that. It's fine to a point but when it causes people to overrate those things or entities relative to others who deserve it more, that is when it oversteps the mark.
One example being saying Lewy is better than prime R9 and is the greatest striker ever. I like to think I am unemotional in this debate as I have zero issue with lewy as a person. Maybe I have some nostalgia for R9 as a player. However, to me the idea that Lewy is better than him just doesn't seem right to me at all, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth and goes against the way I view and think about football (as with Messi-Ronaldo). Hence, I mention that I feel it is overrating of Lewy and does a disservice to R9.
Is it the worst thing in the world? Does it make Tempt a bad guy to say it? No, of course not. It is utterly harmless, as is all 'who's better at football?' debate. In the grand scheme of things it means nothing. However, it is a football forum, so if I see people say things I don't think stand up to scrutiny I will say my piece, sometimes at least. That is what i did here.
What you implied in that sentence there about 'staying loyal to the bitter end' makes it sound like some people have an emotional attachment to someone, that causes them to rate them irrationally, cover up their flaws, and give them more leeway than other entities they care far less about. Even when it is clear that person doesn't deserve the defence anymore ('to the bitter end').