[Football] What Constitutes A 'Plastic' Supporter ?

[Codner's Wallop]

Horrible term consistently touted by insecure, entitled narcissists.

Anyone who supports the Albion, pays towards its future or contributes to its growth (say an employee) is a friend of mine.

I don’t care if you watched us twice on the box last year or dragged yourself across the corners of the earth to drool over a pre-season friendly against AN Other Utd. Or seen every home and away game since 1972.

We are all the same - glued together by our passion for the Albion, however small or large.

Just enjoy and worry about yourself, not others.

 

[beorhthelm]

think plastic is just a variation on glory hunter fans, picking a team thats winning or popular at the time. plastic used in particular on those that are vociferious in their support, lording over lower league club fans when they have no real alligence or history with the club.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

.

In answer to your question, if they never physically go to games (other than pinching a ticket for an Amex visit of their club), then they meet the definition of a plastic.

I never go to games and I live 250 miles away from the team I support.

Does that make me an Airfix kit?

 

[zefarelly]

I never go to games and I live 250 miles away from the team I support.

Does that make me an Airfix kit?

I live twice as far from the stadium as I used to despite having been living in the same place ( give or take a few yards) for over 30 years.

I only go to a few games a season these days, definitely on the Italeri 1:35 scale tank register, a bonafide glue sniffer!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Armchairs.

This.

Me and my football companion, Bob the (retired) social worker invited a Man U 'supporting' neighbour down to watch a game on the box 20 years ago. He talked non stop bollox throughout the game. He had no idea WTF was going on. Bob and I occasionally exchanged glances, our faces were smacked arses, and both heaved a massive sigh of relief when the neighbour buggered off at 90 minutes.

Turns out he grew up near Wembley and was able to POTG the European cup final in 1968. He has never seen Manure play live since.

We never invited him back.

He regularly mocked me for supporting The Albion (I was a ST+ 10-ish away games a season man back then). Laughed, he did. Tw@t.

As it happens he drank himself to death a few years later, using the family life savings to fund this largesse, so his widow told me through gritted teeth.

I'd like to think that he'd have really suffered after the two recent filletings by The Albion.

Sadly not. The true measure of the plastic is he (it's always a bloke) rubs every win in everyone else's face, but ignores every defeat like it never happened.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I never go to games and I live 250 miles away from the team I support.

Does that make me an Airfix kit?

No. See above

(Perhaps 'armchair' requires elaboration; armchair without just cause, perhaps).

 

[jonny.rainbow]

In the same way a non-native person identifying as ‘Irish’ would be considered a ‘Plastic Paddy’ by some English and Irish people, a plastic fan would be one who both long-standing, local fans of a club as well as opposition fans would consider inauthentic in their connection to the club.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Horrible term consistently touted by insecure, entitled narcissists.

Anyone who supports the Albion, pays towards its future or contributes to its growth (say an employee) is a friend of mine.

I don’t care if you watched us twice on the box last year or dragged yourself across the corners of the earth to drool over a pre-season friendly against AN Other Utd. Or seen everyone home and away game since 1972.

We are all the same - glued together by our passion for the Albion, however small or large.

Just enjoy and worry about yourself, not others.

This is a different answer, but it is also correct. And in the great scheme of things, there are people far more annoying than the the likes of Arsenal TV 'stars'. Blud.

For example, people who travel on public transport without having showered recently or brushed their teeth.
People who conduct loud conversations in public spaces as if they are addressing the annual conference of the TUC.
People who 'whoop' during the quiet bits at a gig (listen to any Nine Inch Nails live to hear some very special examples).

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

In the same way a non-native person identifying as ‘Irish’ would be considered a ‘Plastic Paddy’ by some English and Irish people, a plastic fan would be one who both long-standing, local fans of a club as well as opposition fans would consider inauthentic in their connection to the club.

But that's a bit unfair. The local connection bit....

There is a lad I met more than 20 years ago who, as a 15 year old, growing up and living near Chester, started following (and watching) the Albion during the battle against Archer. He still follows us today. He is entirely 'non-native' to Brighton.

To be fair, I don't think The Albion are big enough to have plastic fans. There, I said it

I rather like the idea that NSC has a couple of overseas supporters attracted to the club for different reasons. I have a pal who lives in California. I took him to an away game at Watford some years ago and gave him a home shirt (Molango's name on the back - probably worth a fortune now - ). He is primarily a Vancouver ice hockey supporter, but he looks up all our fixtures and results and always emails me to ask how the game went, and watches any game of ours shown on US TV. Plastic? Who cares! But I'd say not.

 

[Gabbafella]

I guess you could call me a plastic when it comes to England, don't watch them during friendlies but I'll show my support during Euros or World Cup, but even that's a bit half arsed if I'm honest. Probably more likely to follow Ecuador what with half our squad coming from there.

I try not to judge people too harshly on being a so called plastic or JCL. Because I started supporting the about 3 seasons before the Goldstone was sold, it would be very easy for me to fall into the "you weren't there man" kind of attitude and lord it over people who didn't support us through the worst of the bad times. These new supporters just happen to be joining us when we're on an upwards trajectory, I don't see that as a reason to mock them, they are still paying into the club by buying tickets, shirts and merchandise and hopefully finding that passion that I discovered 30 odd years ago.
People will drop in and out of football, not everybody's passion is the same, not everyone can invest the same amount of time or money into a hobby.
There are people on here who are massively into the club and go to every game, home and away. There are also others who have probably only ever been to a handful of games or possibly never been at all. Makes no odds to me, we all follow the Albion.

 

[Stat Brother]

Over the years I've known of 4 adult 'loyal supporters' who decorate their lounge with flags, scarfs, and all their shirts in readiness for every game.

At least one had never been the their home stadium.

P..p..p..p




lastic.

 

[maltaseagull]

98 percent of Man City's & Man Utd's fanbase

Added for you

 

[Happy Exile]

I'm fairly sure some on here would consider me a plastic. Grew up in Surrey in a family which on one side was first generation "southern" from Blaydon and avowed Newcastle fans, though my Dad was from Brighton and therefore I always had an affinity to the Albion, even more so after the cup final. He just preferred rugby so the Newcastle side of my Mum swayed my thinking more. Did the usual kid thing when you like football and there's no local team near you of supporting Man United for a bit, but had closest allegiance to Newcastle and went to their games in London and to St James's Park when up in that part of the world but never called myself a fan. Went to Arsenal, Spurs, Fulham, Woking, QPR, Charlton and others growing up - wherever my mates or older brother were going basically. Moved to Brighton in the early 90s and started going to the Goldstone a few times a season, was out of the country most of 1996-2000, never went to Gillingham, went to the Withdean as many times as I could a season - 8-10 maybe - while still heading up to London, mostly for Spurs games with mates, but increasingly prioritised Brighton games over others. People who only knew me at that time would probably think I was a Spurs fan I guess just because that's where I was getting a lot of my football fix but I never supported them, and by the midway point of the Withdean era I considered myself a Brighton fan for sure. Start of the Amex era coincided with major change in circumstances and I missed the first couple of Amex seasons and gradually started going back after that whenever I could, handful of games a season when circumstances allowed, gradually building up year by year. Got my season ticket the year before COVID as I finally have mostly free weekends. Getting to some away games too (including this afternoon) but made a few more distant ones last season as well up in the midlands - I totally own I'm a JCL who "chose" to support Brighton as an adult having had a nomadic football supporting upbringing which may make me a plastic, but equally I'd hope that's not held against me and I'm slowly making up for it!

 

[Eeyore]

Interesting responses because my definition of a plastic does not depend on whether they go to games or not.

Many folk cannot go to games for a whole host of reasons, and this will increase due to affordability.

If someone lives in Brighton and supports Liverpool or Manchester United and I cannot indulge their happiness at that clubs success if they have no connection. I just don't see them as proper fans of that club. Choosing a team because they are famous might be something kids do, but I would hope by the time they grow up that may have passed. That's just the way I see it and was my experience.

Why do I think that's important ? It's because if football tradition and clubs are to survive they need local supporters to get behind them. So a Liverpool southerner to me is anti-football.

I once asked a Manchester United fan from Brighton why they supported them and not Brighton 'because Brighton are shit' came the answer as they goaded us (there's an irony there now). I announced I was now a Manchester City fan and goaded them. On what basis could they challenge me ? None.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Sadly this all stems back from the WWF (WWE) era

Davey Boy Smith (British Bulldog) used to hail from a Manchester until for a period of 12 months he hailed from “Blackburn, Manchester”

The Iron Sheik used to also hail from whatever country America was at war with.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Stat Brother]

I guess you could call me a plastic when it comes to England

You can call me:-

'A hostile witness'.

 

[Stat Brother]

Interesting responses because my definition of a plastic does not depend on whether they go to games or not.

Many folk cannot go to games for a whole host of reasons, and this will increase due to affordability.

If someone lives in Brighton and supports Liverpool or Manchester United and I cannot indulge their happiness at that clubs success if they have no connection. I just don't see them as proper fans of that club. Choosing a team because they are famous might be something kids do, but I would hope by the time they grow up that may have passed. That's just the way I see it and was my experience.

Why do I think that's important ? It's because if football tradition and clubs are to survive they need local supporters to get behind them. So a Liverpool southerner to me is anti-football.

I once asked a Manchester United fan from Brighton why they supported them and not Brighton 'because Brighton are shit' came the answer as they goaded us (there's an irony there now). I announced I was now a Manchester City fan and goaded them. On what basis could they challenge me ? None.

I don't see it as going to games or not, as you say circumstances change.

For me the definition is someone who's never been to a game.

 

[The Clamp]

Anyone who spends more on merchandise than match tickets*




*unless abroad or other legit reason they can’t get to matches.

 

[herecomesaregular]

Never given it a moments thought tbf, couldn't care less whether someone is a plastic fan or not or their degrees of plasticity. Someone will always be a better fan and been to more games than me but there will always be plenty who haven't? Who has put more money into the club or hasn't? Pfft, get a life.

When the Amex opened I had no intention of committing to a season ticket until after I'd tried seats in different areas of the ground. I was really looking forward to it.... until Plan A was ruined because I'd misread the room (I was still thinking of Withdean sized crowds and the last few seasons at the Goldstone). Then as we watched more and more tickets sold, ffriends and I had to get a season ticket because of that bloody thing... fomo .

In the end I bought two seats (I was still in shock from the suicide of a best pal and in a feck it put it on the credit card moment. A great decision it turned out to be too). For numerous seasons I took along (liquorice) allsorts of people, whom many of you would consider "plastics". But they and I had a great time (thanks to Poyet, Garcia et al) and you know, that's kinda the point moreso than who is The Best Proper Old Skool Fan.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

The term really annoys me , when it is aired by Palace fans who explain away our 30k+ attendances on "Plastic" fans who really support other clubs.
There is certainly an element of truth to this, but it is equally true of most Premier League clubs and particularly true of themselves.

Personally if people are coming along every other week to cheer us on (bar one game when they are conflicted), that really isn't a plastic fan for me.