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Plastic fans=Middle Class?


Barry Sanchez

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Is this true? Are there middle class clubs as opposed to working class ones? What about the supporters? Chelsea were always known as having a deep rooted hooligan problem yet now they are attacked for having plastic fans from Surrey, this could be said for a lot of successful teams but what about teams that are not so lucky to have a cup or two?

Are your Readings, Brightons and Milton Keynes Dons just johnny comes latelys who can not get to a game of rugby or new fans to the game which shouldeb applauded?

 

Is there a link between good atmospheres (a better one than others as atmosphere in stadiums is something not what it was) and traditional working class support and a lack of one to day tripper fans from afar who want to watch solely a game of football/entertainment as opposed to seeing their local side and therefore a small part of their identity being paraded every other saturday?

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having sat amongst Liverpool fans recently at anfield, I was surprised how quiet they were compared to our home crowd. thought would be other way around.

 

apart from their song and scarves we are much louder more passionate. I was disappointed.

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having sat amongst Liverpool fans recently at anfield, I was surprised how quiet they were compared to our home crowd. thought would be other way around.

 

apart from their song and scarves we are much louder more passionate. I was disappointed.

 

Liverpool are quite a middle class set with many fans coming from all over the Country and Europe on matchdays, Everton is the very much working class football team.

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Is this true? Are there middle class clubs as opposed to working class ones? What about the supporters? Chelsea were always known as having a deep rooted hooligan problem yet now they are attacked for having plastic fans from Surrey, this could be said for a lot of successful teams but what about teams that are not so lucky to have a cup or two?

Are your Readings, Brightons and Milton Keynes Dons just johnny comes latelys who can not get to a game of rugby or new fans to the game which shouldeb applauded?

 

Is there a link between good atmospheres (a better one than others as atmosphere in stadiums is something not what it was) and traditional working class support and a lack of one to day tripper fans from afar who want to watch solely a game of football/entertainment as opposed to seeing their local side and therefore a small part of their identity being paraded every other saturday?

don,t think many club has many real working class fans they have been priced out of football,and abandoned by labour party years ago.
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There is a definitely lack of terrace culture at Southampton.

 

What exactly defines "terrace culture". What sort of behaviour/style/mannerisms do you feel we lack?

 

I do know what you mean but I'd like to hear you define it (and don't worry, I'm not trying to peg you as someone backing violence or anything, I mean in that respect take a look at the absolute racket the fans make in Germany despite the fact that the vast majority of them certainly seem to be quite civilized when away from the game.)

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There's something in this, the harder the living the more vociferous the enjoyment of recreation.

Billy Connolly once noted that the gigs in Newcastle Australia, a city of industry and 'salt of the earth' individuals, his gigs were far more enjoyable and lively than that of a more salubrious area.

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Somebody will also need to define class in this as well

 

Cannot just be the amount on money the person has because some Lottery winners are certainly Lower class and a lot of Aristocrats (upperclass are Poor)

 

Subclasses of the classes will need defining as well to prevent skates being defined as something there not

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Is this true? Are there middle class clubs as opposed to working class ones? What about the supporters? Chelsea were always known as having a deep rooted hooligan problem yet now they are attacked for having plastic fans from Surrey, this could be said for a lot of successful teams but what about teams that are not so lucky to have a cup or two?

Are your Readings, Brightons and Milton Keynes Dons just johnny comes latelys who can not get to a game of rugby or new fans to the game which shouldeb applauded?

 

Is there a link between good atmospheres (a better one than others as atmosphere in stadiums is something not what it was) and traditional working class support and a lack of one to day tripper fans from afar who want to watch solely a game of football/entertainment as opposed to seeing their local side and therefore a small part of their identity being paraded every other saturday?

 

who said that plastic fans were middle class? Something you have made up or did you see it elsewhere?

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Liverpool are quite a middle class set with many fans coming from all over the Country and Europe on matchdays, Everton is the very much working class football team.

 

Well Everton were pretty quiet as well - except for their goal celebrations of course.

 

They couldn't even muster a response to Saints singing, Is this a library? Is this a library?

 

So being working class doesn't automatically guarantee atmosphere.......

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For lots of Surrey residents Chelsea is their nearest team.

 

By this I presume you mean "their nearest Premiership top-6 team". that sounds plastic to me.

 

People should only be allowed into the ground of their nearest team. That includes you, OP. Otherwise is a disgrace, people just wanting to go and see a game of football for a nice afternoon out, shouldn't be allowed, should have the blood in their veins and don't get me started on people who have two claubs. Two clubs? TWO CLUBS???? thats uber-plastic and people like that should be allowed in football grounds only people who have only ever supported one team and who only ever want to watch one team and who probably haven't really left the town they grew up in for 40 years or nmore but thats another story.

 

Thats better.

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By this I presume you mean "their nearest Premiership top-6 team". that sounds plastic to me.

 

People should only be allowed into the ground of their nearest team. That includes you, OP. Otherwise is a disgrace, people just wanting to go and see a game of football for a nice afternoon out, shouldn't be allowed, should have the blood in their veins and don't get me started on people who have two claubs. Two clubs? TWO CLUBS???? thats uber-plastic and people like that should be allowed in football grounds only people who have only ever supported one team and who only ever want to watch one team and who probably haven't really left the town they grew up in for 40 years or nmore but thats another story.

 

Thats better.

 

so who should ppl in Surrey support? I cant think of a stable and consistent league club between Chelsea/Fulham, reading and saints....

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Is this true? Are there middle class clubs as opposed to working class ones? What about the supporters? Chelsea were always known as having a deep rooted hooligan problem yet now they are attacked for having plastic fans from Surrey, this could be said for a lot of successful teams but what about teams that are not so lucky to have a cup or two?

Are your Readings, Brightons and Milton Keynes Dons just johnny comes latelys who can not get to a game of rugby or new fans to the game which shouldeb applauded?

 

Is there a link between good atmospheres (a better one than others as atmosphere in stadiums is something not what it was) and traditional working class support and a lack of one to day tripper fans from afar who want to watch solely a game of football/entertainment as opposed to seeing their local side and therefore a small part of their identity being paraded every other saturday?

 

I reckon that fans who sing probably are predominantly working class. However, that doesn't make fans who don't sing 'plastic', just a bit more reserved.

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What exactly defines "terrace culture". What sort of behaviour/style/mannerisms do you feel we lack?

 

I do know what you mean but I'd like to hear you define it (and don't worry, I'm not trying to peg you as someone backing violence or anything, I mean in that respect take a look at the absolute racket the fans make in Germany despite the fact that the vast majority of them certainly seem to be quite civilized when away from the game.)

 

In essence it's groups of well dressed, clued up lads. Don't confuse this with groups of lads looking for a fight.

 

What it isn't is

Blokes dressed as clowns and In gimp suits

Scruffy blokes singing different songs to the same tune over and over again

Fat blokes in replica shirts clapping like coked up seals

Soppy tarts that take their birds to games

Blokes that rush home after the game to watch X factor

 

There are small pockets of the top group about but the vast majority of our fans fall into the second.

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I was recently reading an interview with Jonathan Meades (that's how I roll - he's also a Saints supporter) and he was discussing social class and the so called north / south divide. He made the following observation about Liverpool and Southampton in the 1970s which made me smile:

 

"Oh, I don't think the South is a paradise, that's a complete nonsense. I have a friend who grew up in Liverpool 8 above a pub and he went to university in Southampton and he said that Liverpool will kick you but then say, ‘Sorry wack.' But Southampton will just kick you. We're talking about places that are hard, without any doubt; especially port towns."

 

There was also an interview with Bob Paisley in the early 80s when he compared the port/football demographics of Liverpool and Southampton. I can remember several occasions in the 70s and 80s when northern and London clubs came to Southampton for some bumpkin bashing and got the shock of their lives, due to the docks being on short time or catching large contingents of local nutters in certain pubs by accident. There were also away games where all the local faces plus entourages would show up, all ages, in large numbers, the Brighton FA Cup away game in 1986 sticks in the mind. Anyway, in terms of the original post, in my opinion certain clubs are irrevocably linked to the social identity of their city, and where the city has a history of toil / industry you will have a hardcore of rooted working class tribal support, even if they don't go to matches. Not sure what Reading is built on apart from chocolate and Oscar Wilde, Brighton nudism and dirty weekends - perhaps there is something in this...

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In essence it's groups of well dressed, clued up lads. Don't confuse this with groups of lads looking for a fight.

 

What it isn't is

Blokes dressed as clowns and In gimp suits

Scruffy blokes singing different songs to the same tune over and over again

Fat blokes in replica shirts clapping like coked up seals

Soppy tarts that take their birds to games

Blokes that rush home after the game to watch X factor

 

There are small pockets of the top group about but the vast majority of our fans fall into the second.

 

To be fair i think going to down the leagues helped with our terrace culture a bit, in league one we were definitely getting it back again but as you'd expect now we've gone back to the premiership it's a noticeable minority, although you do find that there's a few pubs that are more inclined to terrace culture than others (the alex definitely has it's own character these days).

 

Also away games at the less fashionable places always have a good chunk of that support - i'm thinking Millwall away for example - so it does exist.

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In essence it's groups of well dressed, clued up lads. Don't confuse this with groups of lads looking for a fight.

 

What it isn't is

Blokes dressed as clowns and In gimp suits

Scruffy blokes singing different songs to the same tune over and over again

Fat blokes in replica shirts clapping like coked up seals

Soppy tarts that take their birds to games

Blokes that rush home after the game to watch X factor

 

There are small pockets of the top group about but the vast majority of our fans fall into the second.

 

Hmmm, yet again trying to make the majority feel like 'they're not worthy' compared to you and you mates :lol:

It doesn't work - we don't care and we won't start wearing Ben Sherman just because you tell us.

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Hmmm, yet again trying to make the majority feel like 'they're not worthy' compared to you and you mates :lol:

It doesn't work - we don't care and we won't start wearing Ben Sherman just because you tell us.

 

I think this comment just about sums it up. :rolleyes:

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Clubs like Leeds, Spurs etc have always had a working class support and that's why they're pretty noisy grounds. Their away support is decent in terms of numbers and noise and you rarely if ever see them dressed up like Christmas trees.

 

Then there is our support...

 

Our support is not really different to other clubs of our size.

 

I see just as many gimp suited bellends at Wolves & Stoke as I do at SMS and both cities are far more base than Soton.

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