Why are there so many plastic fans around?

[Sheebo]

I was born in the West Country, and followed Villa as a kid (only saw them twice). When I moved to Sussex 20 years ago, I felt it really important to support the local team, and spending many years since going to watch Brighton (mainly strugging) has been fantastic!

I'm not sure it matters where you are from originally, but more about building a bond with the local team!

Yes I know what you mean. My dad is from the midlands and used to watch Cov a lot as a teen. He went to uni in Brighton and met my Mum and stayed in Sussex since and got watching the Albion back then (maybe 40 yrs ago now). But he loves the Albion as much as anyone really so fair play.

 

[liam82]

I have to agree with sheebo mostly on this subject as I feel preety much the saem.

Also I had an old friend who supports spurs he posted pictures on facebook when he made a visit to White Hart Lane like it was a once in a lifetime treat.

Nothing wrong about that but what I love about supporting my local club is the fact that I go every week and I dont have to travel miles to do it.

watching Brighton is ingrained into my life, it's as normal as putting my socks on in the morning and the club feels part of me and my life.

I can't imagine being a plastic fan can ever give you that sense of belonging.

On another note part of supporting Brighton is being proud about my town and county and wanting it to beat the next, why would I want to associate or bat for a town which I have never been or spent any great amount of time ? its almost like being tribal or being terratorial.

Can you imagine we treated international football the same ? there wouldn't be anyone left supporting England ! it's ok to abandon or ridicule your local side but you would be treated loke a traitor in this instance and have the piss ripped out of you.

 

[Sheebo]

Can you imagine we treated international football the same ? there wouldn't be anyone left supporting England ! it's ok to abandon or ridicule your local side but you would be treated loke a traitor in this instance and have the piss ripped out of you.

This is it though, half the Albion fans on here do ridicule England in a way that they wouldn't the Albion. Personally I see no difference in supporting England and Albion...

 

[Beach Hut]

Unfortunately Sky has spawned a generation of plastic fans

 

[Tomnorthi]

i can remember at school (half a mile from the goldstone) in the 1970's...all the kids taking the piss out of me cos i supported brighton.

Still happens, but I just reply with "At least I go watch my team every other week". I'm now in sixth form, but every non uniform day the chelsea, man utd, liverpool and arsenal shirt brigade was out.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

We've all gone through the "why do you support Brighton, they're shit" phase... so what? Just give it back when their team loses! That's football, there will always be banter for supporting different clubs. I was one of the few people in my year at school who actually went to see football at the weekend (granted, had the Albion still been playing at the Goldstone it would have been different) and one of only 2 people I know who went to see the Albion, the other is a poster on here.

 

[Spicy]

I regularly went to Loftus Road to watch QPR when I first moved to London mainly because I lived near there. I think that equates to being a plastic fan and was before I saw the error of my ways.

 

[Napper]

I have to agree with sheebo mostly on this subject as I feel preety much the saem.

Also I had an old friend who supports spurs he posted pictures on facebook when he made a visit to White Hart Lane like it was a once in a lifetime treat.

Nothing wrong about that but what I love about supporting my local club is the fact that I go every week and I dont have to travel miles to do it.

watching Brighton is ingrained into my life, it's as normal as putting my socks on in the morning and the club feels part of me and my life.

I can't imagine being a plastic fan can ever give you that sense of belonging.

On another note part of supporting Brighton is being proud about my town and county and wanting it to beat the next, why would I want to associate or bat for a town which I have never been or spent any great amount of time ? its almost like being tribal or being terratorial.

Can you imagine we treated international football the same ? there wouldn't be anyone left supporting England ! it's ok to abandon or ridicule your local side but you would be treated loke a traitor in this instance and have the piss ripped out of you.

Sums it up although the local thing gets used as a stick to beat you sometimes ie

"its good to support the local team"

I feel like saying "Yes but it is so much f***ing more than that "

 

[Meade's Ball]

I deride my friends who "love" Utd and Liverpool and Arsenal despite very rarely seeing them (i had to convince the Arsenal fan he should go to his first game last week in the 6-0 euro-drubbing), yet i'd welcome anyone from anywhere to jump on the Gusbus and really enjoy the journey no matter how geograpically affiliated they are with Brighton.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I have NEVER understood this pluralism in reference to teams:

'Let's see how Blackpool get on when they play the Chelseas, Arsenals and Liverpools of this world'

What the f*** are you on about you MOUTH SPASTIC?

Ditto. It's a real bug bear with me. This and players talking about themselves in the third person.

 

[Paxton Dazo]

Supporting a PREMIERSHIP team is SO fun .

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

In this instant success society its no wonder Plastic fans support Plastic clubs, which are funded by plastic chairmen........

 

[SussexHoop]

I regularly went to Loftus Road to watch QPR when I first moved to London mainly because I lived near there. I think that equates to being a plastic fan and was before I saw the error of my ways.

Depends on your definition of 'plastic'. I very occasionally go to the Withdean and providing QPR aren't the visitors, want Brighton to win. Does that make me a 'plastic' fan? I'm just supporting my local team ... and yes I did get a Spurs ticket!

 

[Kent Seagull]

as much as I dislike the plastic fan culture, the plus side is that if they did all follow local teams and go to games the demand for tickets would be so high the rest of us could never go! Every cloud and all that!

 

[adrian29uk]

My relative is 10 years old. About 6 months ago, he showed up in a Chelsea shirt. I said to him, why don't you support Brighton. His answer was because they are rubbish and everyone at his school supports Liverpool, Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea because they always win. I can understand the pressure these kids are under.

For his birthday I am taking him to the Bournemouth match. I am hoping this will change his view on Brighton, because lets face he never ever be able to watch Chelsea or get near the so called superstars. He has never ever been to football match before, so I am hoping for a good match.

I am also doing this in principle. I don't want another person to become a Chelsea supporter later on in life and become ignorant of the local team.

 

[WhingForPresident]

I was bought up supporting Liverpool by my old man (from Reading), stopped when I was 14 and realised I could think for myself when choosing a team. Well, I hate Southampton, Pompey, Reading and Swindon so I randomly chose Brighton, despite having no links and no reason to. If this makes me a plastic, so be it, but i really do not give a f*** what anyone thinks, because I love my club to death.
Supporting teams in the big four is what kids do to not get bullied at school or do because their families have bought them up to.
Think of yourself as lucky that you have a local football team on the up, with a superb new stadium on the way, with a vast history and a magnificent set of supporters to follow, and pity those that don't take advantage of this.

 

[bhaexpress]

Rubbish - It doesn't matter what league a team plays, you should support your local team to where you're born / family is from - It shouldn't be a choice in my opinion.

Really ? That would have made me a Palace fan.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Really ? That would have made me a Palace fan.

In which case then, be away with you. You are not allowed to think for yourself, and are not allowed to support who you want to. If you were born in Palace territory, you have to support them. It's as simple as that.


People can support whoever they want to. All this "plastic" fan nonsense is just overimportant people thinking them supporting a lower league team is any different to supporting a Premier League team. Alot of people seem to have a chip on their shoulder about it.

 

[Billy the Fish]

At the end of the day not everyone likes football enough to bother going to games. These are the sort of people who end up supporting whoever is winning everything at the time because they can read about them in the news everyday like we do in the Argus, they can talk to people about them like we do on here and they can watch them on telly like we go to games/listen to the radio. It's easy.

On the other hand I know a Utd supporter who goes to about 10 games a year and a few Chelsea fans who've had STs before the russian got involved, and a few spurs fans who are ex STH but still go to alot of games home and away, we're all mates from school. They all know about brighton and take an interest in the football league and other countries leagues.

It's not about who you support, it just depends how much you love football.

 

[KZNSeagull]

An interesting debate. Is everyone feeling OK?

There are plastic fans everywhere. The locals here are all fans of one of the "big 4", even though they have never and most likely never will see them in the flesh. They are also usually fans of Kaiser Chiefs or Orlando Pirates, even though they are Jo'burg based clubs. I have yet to meet a Pietermaritzburg United supporter!! I can understand it over here to an extent, because most locals lives are pretty shitty and following a successful club gives them something to cheer about. But a 40 year old living in Brighton, for example, who says he is a ManUre supporter but has never been to a game, is clearly a sad case with nothing interesting in his life. He should be pitied.

But I would never criticise anyone who actively supports a team, be they local or otherwise. If someone from Brighton goes up to Arsenal every other week to support them, then fair enough - that's their choice. Plenty of people on NSC support Brighton whilst living in other parts of the country and we would not want to turn them away.

Supporting a team is definately about paying your money and watching the games at the ground. I was a Brighton supporter as that is what I used to do, but now I am only a fan as I obviously cannot actively go to games anymore. So yes, I could be called a plastic Brighton fan, but that makes me pretty much unique in this part of the world!!