OfnPanad Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 It's not a new idea that football is a different experience depending on the club you support, but the older I get the more I notice the differences between my attitude and reaction to winning, transfers and even club politics, compared to other clubs' supporters. It just seems to mean more to me. So I started to wonder who 'gets' it? I mean - which club's supporters, in general, get the richest experience that football can give? Is it the Man U (formerly Liverpool) crowd? Traditionally "glory hunter" supporters that win most weeks? Is it the Wigan, Fulham or Yeovil fan that saw their club come from the bottom? Perhaps it's the Luton fan who sticks with them all the way down? Or is it us? I think we have a good case. In the Premiership years no other league team lost more games than us. Eventually we succumbed and had some more **** times. Then the turnaround...JPT, winning every week...no-one can argue that we have had some extremes in recent years. Does this mean we get more from football than most fans or just more grey hair? What do you think? Which club's fans (generally speaking) get the most out of football and why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joneth Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 I do look at fans of top 4 clubs and think how privileged I am to have grown up with Saints. Dealing with defeats and setbacks, always expecting disaster to be snatched from the jaws of victory, that is basically life. Supporting Saints has definitely made me a stronger person, so I agree that fans of some clubs 'get' more out of football than others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 (edited) I do look at fans of top 4 clubs and think how privileged I am to have grown up with Saints. Dealing with defeats and setbacks, always expecting disaster to be snatched from the jaws of victory, that is basically life. Supporting Saints has definitely made me a stronger person, so I agree that fans of some clubs 'get' more out of football than others. So, a die hard man united fan does not 'get' football as much as you? Does that mean a Pompey fan 'gets' football more than you? What a load of waffle Edited 25 June, 2013 by Batman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CB Saint Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 Bet this degenerates into a "who is the best fan" bickerfest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olallana Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 Is this like the "who gets the most out of life"-question? The one that lives the longest or the one that lives every minute.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulletsaint Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 So, a die hard man united fan does not 'get' football as much as you? Does that mean a Pompey fan 'gets' football more than you? What a load of waffle I don't necessarily think that's what he's saying. Pretty easy to get all sniffy about other posts without offering anything interesting or constructive yourself. I do think many fans of successful clubs take that success for granted. I know that now money has on the whole ensured that successful clubs, if run well, stay that way, but I think you only have to look at Liverpool and more recently Arsenal to see that clubs don't have a divine right to win trophies. Granted, nothing seriously bad has happened to these clubs, but by their own high standards thy have underachieved. I remember coming back from the FA Cup final in 2003, virtually every Arsenal fan I met seemed to be ****ed off at the fact they hadn't won by more. They were all saying how disappointing it had been and they'd been there before, it was nothing special. It was boring for them. I remember at the time thinking 'if you feel that way, why buy a ticket?'. There must have been plenty of Arsenal fans that would have loved to have been there. I wonder if looking back, any of those fans regret not embracing that occasion. It was only two years later that they won their last trophy and began their much publicised trophy drought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 It's all relative. We were exactly the same in league 1. When we were by far the bigger club generally and spent more than the rest of the league combined Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulletsaint Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 It's all relative. We were exactly the same in league 1. When we were by far the bigger club generally and spent more than the rest of the league combined We and them is way too much of a generalisation. As is believeing all Saints fans are the same or all Arsenal fans etc etc. I for one never took success in League One as a given, too many years of things going wrong or almost going wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 We and them is way too much of a generalisation. As is believeing all Saints fans are the same or all Arsenal fans etc etc. I for one never took success in League One as a given, too many years of things going wrong or almost going wrong. And I doubt all man united fans take their success for granted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pap Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 This is a question I've often pondered, especially with all the Evertonians on my doorstep. This is a club, that by most standards, is a successful one. They've maintained their Premiership status year after year, have a strong tradition but have been in roughly the same place for ten years, yo-yo'ing into the top half of the table. We've at least been on a journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dronskisaint Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 Interesting question that questions the motivation for following as we/others do. I don't really ever see it as having been a choice or a decision to make...from as young as I can remember I've been a Saints supporter and it's just been part of my make-up ever since and all that goes with it. It's been difficult to watch my son go through the Liverpool/MU success-folowing bandwagon as he grew up but, unlike me, he didn't grow up in Hampshire. He got there in the end and follows nearly as avidly as me now but kids in non-footballing hotbeds (I live near Lowestoft on the East Coast) have a lot of peer pressure and access to far more football on the box than those of my generation ever did and I wanted him to come to his own conclusions rather than force mine on him...all's well etc. That being said his son, my first grandchild's first ever item of clothing was a 'My first Saints kit' and he gets the RLSGM song as a lullaby so I'm not making the same mistake again!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulletsaint Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 And I doubt all man united fans take their success for granted I may not have spelled it out (getting across your thoughts ain't easy while trying to get three kids ready for school) but I agree. However, I would say that constant success does mean that a greater proportion probably do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 The ones that 'get it' are the ones for whom football is not about cup finals, league titles, celebrating big money transfers on facebook and twitter, wearing the club shirt down the pub to prove their loyalty, and 'banter' at work between fans of other big clubs who never got to games either. It's not people who looked at the league table one day and decided they needed to support a premier league team so chose one who were in the top 4. It's about tuesday nights in Hartlepool and Oldham, away days at places you would never have any reason to be at apart from the football. Places like Huddersfield and Orient aren't just small clubs that making up the numbers, they are memories of great days out and stories to be told. It's easy to be a fan in good times, when Man United come to town or when there is a chance of glory, not so easy when you've travelled 200 miles to see us lose without so much a wimper. It's easy to pay your sky subscription and tune into Super Sunday and think you're part of the greatest hype on the planet, not so stick with the team you've supported all your life and pay out your money season after season when at times you dont even know why you do it. Every club has these fans, not just small clubs or Saints, however football has changed and clubs arent interested in fans like this anymore. they want the ones that have the 'matchday experience' that buy the tickets, the pies, the programmes and take a trip to the club shop to stock up on mugs, posters, the lastest special addition training top. They want fans that enjoy sitting in silence listened to piped music in fake atmospheres created by marketing men. Football clubs dont want fans anymore, they want consumers and sadly an awful lot of people at matches these days are just this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulletsaint Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 The ones that 'get it' are the ones for whom football is not about cup finals, league titles, celebrating big money transfers on facebook and twitter, wearing the club shirt down the pub to prove their loyalty, and 'banter' at work between fans of other big clubs who never got to games either. It's not people who looked at the league table one day and decided they needed to support a premier league team so chose one who were in the top 4. It's about tuesday nights in Hartlepool and Oldham, away days at places you would never have any reason to be at apart from the football. Places like Huddersfield and Orient aren't just small clubs that making up the numbers, they are memories of great days out and stories to be told. It's easy to be a fan in good times, when Man United come to town or when there is a chance of glory, not so easy when you've travelled 200 miles to see us lose without so much a wimper. It's easy to pay your sky subscription and tune into Super Sunday and think you're part of the greatest hype on the planet, not so stick with the team you've supported all your life and pay out your money season after season when at times you dont even know why you do it. Every club has these fans, not just small clubs or Saints, however football has changed and clubs arent interested in fans like this anymore. they want the ones that have the 'matchday experience' that buy the tickets, the pies, the programmes and take a trip to the club shop to stock up on mugs, posters, the lastest special addition training top. They want fans that enjoy sitting in silence listened to piped music in fake atmospheres created by marketing men. Football clubs dont want fans anymore, they want consumers and sadly an awful lot of people at matches these days are just this. Wow, nice one Turks! I'd like to think there's no hint of sarcasm in there anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucks Saint Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 Spot on Turks. Sad, but spot on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 (edited) Those who chose their club by picking someone successful will never enjoy success as much as anyone who supports a club due to family or area ties. It's the active choice that seperates those who 'get it' from those who do not. It's all too easy to follow success, it's when success comes to those who have been through the mill following their respective clubs that you then realise what it means to actually win. That JPT final felt more of an occasion to me then the european cup final did to the 'plastic' friends of mine... they admitted it themselves. There is also an element of familiarity bringing contempt. If you win all the time it will be accepted as normality. There was a very different tone on here after promotion to the Premier League after 3 years of winning 60% of matches compared to the old S4E days where defeats were taken with a little more pragmatism. I do also agree with a lot of what Turkish said, I also hope that he isn't being sarcastic.... sometimes it's tricky to tell. Edited 25 June, 2013 by Colinjb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint_clark Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 It's all relative. We were exactly the same in league 1. When we were by far the bigger club generally and spent more than the rest of the league combined Were we? I remember Leyton Orient fans taking the p*ss because we went so mental when clawing it back to 2-2 from being 2-0 down away at their place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilsmer Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 If at 4:55 on a Saturday afternoon your mood has been significantly changed/enhanced by the result of your team then you get it, IMO. I don't think it matters who you support. Its easy to cite Man Utd fans as not getting a full experience because they have had prolonged success but they were in the old second division not that long before Fergie took over and there are no doubt a lot of fans who remember those times and as a result fully appreciate the success of the last 20 years. You also only have to witness their away fans to understand that a large number of them 'get it' even though they support a club which is bound to attract glory hunters. We've been through the mill recently as Saints fans and we are currently experience a period of relative success but I don't think the ups and downs have in any way allowed us to become truer football fans. Its not about the journey your team goes on but how the journey affects you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 Were we? I remember Leyton Orient fans taking the p*ss because we went so mental when clawing it back to 2-2 from being 2-0 down away at their place. never ever remember the 'we will walk this league' crap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint_clark Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 never ever remember the 'we will walk this league' crap? Didn't happen. When we came down from the Prem it did, and the last I saw of it was the Burley play-off season. After the season we stayed up on the last day thanks to Stern John our fans were a lot more humble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 Didn't happen. When we came down from the Prem it did, and the last I saw of it was the Burley play-off season. After the season we stayed up on the last day thanks to Stern John our fans were a lot more humble. There was a little bit of arrogance from some before the promotion from League 1 season... all backed up by comments in the media along the lines that we "arguably the strongest side to have ever competed in league one at the time." - Paraphrased from a BBC preview article. The bad start soon put pay to that and we were a lot more humble afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Charlie Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 Its about the fan not the club. There are proper fans at every club and loads who aren't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dronskisaint Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 If at 4:55 on a Saturday afternoon your mood has been significantly changed/enhanced by the result of your team then you get it, IMO. I don't think it matters who you support. Its easy to cite Man Utd fans as not getting a full experience because they have had prolonged success but they were in the old second division not that long before Fergie took over and there are no doubt a lot of fans who remember those times and as a result fully appreciate the success of the last 20 years. You also only have to witness their away fans to understand that a large number of them 'get it' even though they support a club which is bound to attract glory hunters. We've been through the mill recently as Saints fans and we are currently experience a period of relative success but I don't think the ups and downs have in any way allowed us to become truer football fans. Its not about the journey your team goes on but how the journey affects you. The highlighted bit is an excellent yardstick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 There was a little bit of arrogance from some before the promotion from League 1 season... all backed up by comments in the media along the lines that we "arguably the strongest side to have ever competed in league one at the time." - Paraphrased from a BBC preview article. The bad start soon put pay to that and we were a lot more humble afterwards. One of MLG's finest ever posts came about whilst we were in L1 when insisted we were the most attractive club for a player outside of the top 4 in the premier league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 Shame 4.55 on a Saturday doesn't count in all the clubs competing in europe. Yes, yes I do get the meaning.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 Didn't happen. When we came down from the Prem it did, and the last I saw of it was the Burley play-off season. After the season we stayed up on the last day thanks to Stern John our fans were a lot more humble. Yes it did. Remember being told here that we would beat England, league 1 lambert was better than Torres, Lallana should play for England and that we were the most attractive team to play for outside of the top 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 (edited) Yes it did. Remember being told here that we would beat England, league 1 lambert was better than Torres, Lallana should play for England and that we were the most attractive team to play for outside of the top 4 Yep, i remember all that. It did happen, as well as some posts that this was the greatest Saints team of all time and Nigel Adkins was the next great English manager and the new Alex Ferguson* *for the benefit of helmets like Stug76, not everyone said this, but some people did. Edited 25 June, 2013 by Turkish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 We and them is way too much of a generalisation. As is believeing all Saints fans are the same or all Arsenal fans etc etc. I for one never took success in League One as a given, too many years of things going wrong or almost going wrong. Plus we didn't even win it, never mind walk it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PokingFun Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 If at 4:55 on a Saturday afternoon your mood has been significantly changed/enhanced by the result of your team then you get it, IMO. I don't think it matters who you support. Its easy to cite Man Utd fans as not getting a full experience because they have had prolonged success but they were in the old second division not that long before Fergie took over and there are no doubt a lot of fans who remember those times and as a result fully appreciate the success of the last 20 years. You also only have to witness their away fans to understand that a large number of them 'get it' even though they support a club which is bound to attract glory hunters. We've been through the mill recently as Saints fans and we are currently experience a period of relative success but I don't think the ups and downs have in any way allowed us to become truer football fans. Its not about the journey your team goes on but how the journey affects you. This just about sums it up for me. To me it is definitely not just about who goes to games and who does not. There are many people who are ardent fans that cannot go to games either due to commitments, cost, playing themselves etc but if you feel that kick in the guts that defeat brings and the incredible high that success brings whether it is a seasonal triumph or beating a supposed bigger team then you probably have the bug for your team. Of course there are different degrees of this also. The football club they support is some people's life, for others it is about a jolly with their mates, some just like the entertainment and some just go when their company offers a freebie. I'm sure there are loads of other reasons as well so the best way to be is to simply accept different people have different reasons for following a team and respect that accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 If at 4:55 on a Saturday afternoon your mood has been significantly changed/enhanced by the result of your team then you get it, IMO I don't even agree with this bit, I've been a football fan for 40 years and I'm LONG over the result affecting my mood. For about 95% of matches, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 Yep, i remember all that. It did happen, as well as some posts that this was the greatest Saints team of all time and Nigel Adkins was the next great English manager and the new Alex Ferguson* *for the benefit of helmets like Stug76, not everyone said this, but some people did. wasnt it universally accepted my nearly all that promotion was the bare minimum for adkins in league 1? surely, that is expecting success? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 wasnt it universally accepted my nearly all that promotion was the bare minimum for adkins in league 1? surely, that is expecting success? I don't think so - maybe for Pardew before the season started, but by the time Adkins came in we were in the bottom 5. By then some people would have taken your arm off for making the playoffs that season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilsmer Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 I don't even agree with this bit, I've been a football fan for 40 years and I'm LONG over the result affecting my mood. For about 95% of matches, anyway. That's fair enough but what about those 5% of matches? The one that sticks out from last season is the Norwich game when they got a last minute penalty. I was in the depths of despair when the penalty was awarded and we looked on our way to an undeserved defeat. Moments later, when Artur saved the penalty, I was jumping around like a loon even though we had only managed a 0-0 draw. That, in my opinion, is what its all about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 (edited) I don't think so - maybe for Pardew before the season started, but by the time Adkins came in we were in the bottom 5. By then some people would have taken your arm off for making the playoffs that season. it happened. stop pretending it never Edited 25 June, 2013 by Batman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 That's fair enough but what about those 5% of matches? The one that sticks out from last season is the Norwich game when they got a last minute penalty. I was in the depths of despair when the penalty was awarded and we looked on our way to an undeserved defeat. Moments later, when Artur saved the penalty, I was jumping around like a loon even though we had only managed a 0-0 draw. That, in my opinion, is what its all about. Can't disagree that some of it matters - I think it's related to the pursuit of relative success though. I went utterly mental at Brighton away at Withdean, same at Plymouth, had a few moments last season (Man City away, home, Chelsea etc and hell Newport getting into the FL worked for about a week) but overall if you've got no expectations and it's just some game in the middle of the season, you can stay flatline win or lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 it happened. stopped pretending it never What happened ? "Everyone expected promotion"? When we were about 8 games in and in the bottom 5 ? Sure it did... EVERYONE. "Universally accepted". Of course. Take a look in the archive. As with everything on here, there were a range of opinions, most of which were more hope than expectation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuncanRG Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 As much as the lows make the highs that much sweeter for fans of smaller clubs like ours, I'm not sure anything can emulate the feeling of winning trophies and I don't think it gets old for fans of the clubs that win them regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucks Saint Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 I don't even agree with this bit, I've been a football fan for 40 years and I'm LONG over the result affecting my mood. For about 95% of matches, anyway. I can respect that its changed for you. For me, I am happy to say that the result of almost every match still does affect my mood. Ok, so with age and experience / maturity my mood changes are less pronounced for most games compared to years past, but there is still an impact and it is a major one for the more significant / unexpected / last minute type results Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPTCount Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 everyone's an individual until the become a fan i have heard loads of fellow saints fans say the most stupid things in my time, best has to be two lads banging n about Hammil sitting o the bench. I mean he was a promising youngster but not our only hope as they saw it. When he came on the first thing he did was stand on the ball, loved it. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericb Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 The ones that 'get it' are the ones for whom football is not about cup finals, league titles, celebrating big money transfers on facebook and twitter, wearing the club shirt down the pub to prove their loyalty, and 'banter' at work between fans of other big clubs who never got to games either. It's not people who looked at the league table one day and decided they needed to support a premier league team so chose one who were in the top 4. It's about tuesday nights in Hartlepool and Oldham, away days at places you would never have any reason to be at apart from the football. Places like Huddersfield and Orient aren't just small clubs that making up the numbers, they are memories of great days out and stories to be told. It's easy to be a fan in good times, when Man United come to town or when there is a chance of glory, not so easy when you've travelled 200 miles to see us lose without so much a wimper. It's easy to pay your sky subscription and tune into Super Sunday and think you're part of the greatest hype on the planet, not so stick with the team you've supported all your life and pay out your money season after season when at times you dont even know why you do it. Every club has these fans, not just small clubs or Saints, however football has changed and clubs arent interested in fans like this anymore. they want the ones that have the 'matchday experience' that buy the tickets, the pies, the programmes and take a trip to the club shop to stock up on mugs, posters, the lastest special addition training top. They want fans that enjoy sitting in silence listened to piped music in fake atmospheres created by marketing men. Football clubs dont want fans anymore, they want consumers and sadly an awful lot of people at matches these days are just this. Absolutely blinding post, couldn't have put it better myself. I've thought for a while the best thing that happened to us as a club was going down to league one and fighting our way back up. I absolutely loved those days out of the top flight, and loved even more that the people travelling to places like Gillingham, Oldham, MK Dons etc where proper fans. Sadly the longer we stay top flight the more sterile, boring, glory hunting and placid our support will become. But some of us will still remember those days, and keep our fingers crossed for a cup day away at stevenage over a "glamour" tie at home to United. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwig Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 those who "get it" understand that football is not just a game. Its not just about going to a match to follow and support a team. Its about kicking off, shaking fences, getting banned from stadiums and being a hooligan. Its about not dressing up in replica kits. Its about being able to abuse people in the name of banter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbury Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 Really interesting topic. I confess to following Leeds/Liverpool maybe even Forest (anyone but ManU) in the mid 70's. It was always about Tony Currie to me, and maybe Kenny Dalglish / Birtles later on, plus random cup final players. I used to take the micky out of my dad for supporting saints. My older brother got it first and then I did. Saints is where it's at - it's not about glory, it's not really about cups - it's about the fact that Saints is your team, you DON'T have a choice. Now we're in Australia, my 11 year old knows more about the current squad and history than I do. Wears his Yellow to training and is proud to be the only Saints fan out of a hundred kids. His Grandad passed away last week, but that's 4 generations of my family that have supported the team through thin and thin since early 1910s. I'm dead proud of that!!! We get it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 those who "get it" understand that football is not just a game. Its not just about going to a match to follow and support a team. Its about kicking off, shaking fences, getting banned from stadiums and being a hooligan. Its about not dressing up in replica kits. Its about being able to abuse people in the name of banter. Isn't there a Watford forum you can bore people on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shurlock Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 (edited) wasnt it universally accepted my nearly all that promotion was the bare minimum for adkins in league 1? surely, that is expecting success? Brett, there was this one poster -dell days was his name I think, a bit before your time- who went into meltdown after the first couple of setbacks in our L1 promotion season. He was writing us off, saying we would never go up, that we shouldn't be in this position - the presumption that were too big and good for another L1 scrap. Brett, if only you were around back that, sure you would have given the histrionic tart what for. Edited 25 June, 2013 by shurlock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwig Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 Isn't there a Watford forum you can bore people on? Don't get carried away with your one excellent post on this thread. You've still got 19,650 of tedious sh*t to your name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 Don't get carried away with your one excellent post on this thread. You've still got 19,650 of tedious sh*t to your name. and you've had to reinvent yourself and are still a pr*ck. Keep it up though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbury Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 God, it's like being sat under the blankets in the away end and tutting at the ruffy-tuffys getting in fights with themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shurlock Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 Absolutely blinding post, couldn't have put it better myself. I've thought for a while the best thing that happened to us as a club was going down to league one and fighting our way back up. I absolutely loved those days out of the top flight, and loved even more that the people travelling to places like Gillingham, Oldham, MK Dons etc where proper fans. Sadly the longer we stay top flight the more sterile, boring, glory hunting and placid our support will become. But some of us will still remember those days, and keep our fingers crossed for a cup day away at stevenage over a "glamour" tie at home to United. F**k me you sound like a ghetto tourist. Surely no matter what league you're in, it's about constancy, not being fickle, not wavering. If anything for a team like us, the higher division you're in, the more you learn. We were flat track bullies in L1, able to impose our will on most teams, even if we were ultimately big fish in a tiny pond. By contrast, now we're back in the top, we're being reminded that you can't always get what you want and there's an important lesson in there somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 (edited) The ones that 'get it' are the ones for whom football is not about cup finals, league titles, celebrating big money transfers on facebook and twitter, wearing the club shirt down the pub to prove their loyalty, and 'banter' at work between fans of other big clubs who never got to games either. It's not people who looked at the league table one day and decided they needed to support a premier league team so chose one who were in the top 4. It's about tuesday nights in Hartlepool and Oldham, away days at places you would never have any reason to be at apart from the football. Places like Huddersfield and Orient aren't just small clubs that making up the numbers, they are memories of great days out and stories to be told. It's easy to be a fan in good times, when Man United come to town or when there is a chance of glory, not so easy when you've travelled 200 miles to see us lose without so much a whimper. It's easy to pay your sky subscription and tune into Super Sunday and think you're part of the greatest hype on the planet, not so stick with the team you've supported all your life and pay out your money season after season when at times you dont even know why you do it. Every club has these fans, not just small clubs or Saints, however football has changed and clubs arent interested in fans like this anymore. they want the ones that have the 'matchday experience' that buy the tickets, the pies, the programmes and take a trip to the club shop to stock up on mugs, posters, the lastest special addition training top. They want fans that enjoy sitting in silence listened to piped music in fake atmospheres created by marketing men. Football clubs dont want fans anymore, they want consumers and sadly an awful lot of people at matches these days are just this. Bits I agree with in bold. I have lifelong first club liquidation issues and I genuinely don't think any club wants fans to sit in silence, but other than that, fair enough. Edited 25 June, 2013 by The9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 25 June, 2013 Share Posted 25 June, 2013 God, it's like being sat under the blankets in the away end and tutting at the ruffy-tuffys getting in fights with themselves. They might spill my flask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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