The life of a plastic football fan

[bluebirdbaker]

Howdy ho Brighton fans. Long time no speak. Good to see your season still going so strongly since the last time I came on here for a chat!

I've written an article about those buggers that support all the big sides for no reason, I believe we call them "Plastics"

Hope you enjoy. It was quite fun to write.

wp.me/p1kRcy-9G

^^

Link

 

[bluebirdbaker]

can't post links sorry so you'll have to copy and paste it :'(

 

[Return of the Rev]

can't post links sorry so you'll have to copy and paste it :'(

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

it took me 30 seconds to find all of the hidden spaces in that link.

Here ya go..

The life of a plastic football fan. Ninian.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

The life of a plastic football fan

it took me 30 seconds to find all of the hidden spaces in that link.

Here ya go..

You and your lightning fingers across the iPad 2

 

[bluebirdbaker]

Thanks guys, appreciate that. You all done it for me last time as well. Top guys

 

[bluebirdbaker]

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

It's just a different sensibility. Nothing wrong with, say, being from Lichfield, Staffordshire, and being a fan of a big club such as Manchester United.

This example above is of Peter Ward and I don't think he deserves to be called a 'plastic fan'.

When most people like a band, they are attracted mainly by the quality of the music and they choose who is their favourite band based on whose music they think is the best. It would be ridiculous for others to say that people should only like music artists from their local area, or that you're not a real fan unless you watch your favourite band in person every time they play.

Some people just apply how they relate to music to how they relate to football teams. (Even as football supporters, most of us are likely to say that you can like any band you like, no matter where they come from, and you can stop being a fan of a band once their output is not so good).

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

But surely if someone is from Lich in Staffs, they could choose West Brom,Villa,Birmingham, Wolves,Walsall. Choosing Man Yoo is unnecessary shirley!

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

The Arsenal Collective - A Home for Memories of The Arsenal - The Memory Bank - Crystal Palace? f*** offmate

Plastic twat. Even if it is Palace.

 

[Gritt23]

It's just a different sensibility. Nothing wrong with, say, being from Lichfield, Staffordshire, and being a fan of a big club such as Manchester United.

This example above is of Peter Ward and I don't think he deserves to be called a 'plastic fan'.

When most people like a band, they are attracted mainly by the quality of the music and they choose who is their favourite band based on whose music they think is the best. It would be ridiculous for others to say that people should only like music artists from their local area, or that you're not a real fan unless you watch your favourite band in person every time they play.

Some people just apply how they relate to music to how they relate to football teams. (Even as football supporters, most of us are likely to say that you can like any band you like, no matter where they come from, and you can stop being a fan of a band once their output is not so good).

A very well made point.

Exactly right as well. Fans are so for many different reasons. Those of us who choose to attend matches, well, it's logical that we choose a team "local" to us, but that doesn't have to be the case for everyone. Why should our actions be the only correct ones?

I wonder how many Beatles fans were aghast that they didn't get tickets for the big venues, having been attending gigs all the way back to the Cavern? Did they call more recent fans "plastics" and chant at them "where were you when we were unknown?".

 

[Lord Bracknell]

But surely if someone is from Lich in Staffs, they could choose West Brom,Villa,Birmingham, Wolves,Walsall. Choosing Man Yoo is unnecessary shirley!

Exactly. My mate Kelvin, who lived in Lichfield, was a Wolves supporter. He went to Molineux for his football.

 

[NickBHAFC18]

My parents are not football fans, so when I was young I was not surrounded by the Albion or anything like that...

I was about 4 when I decided that David Beckham was my favourite player and I would support Manchester United. Then, when I grew a little older and realised there were teams outside of the Premiership, I thought it was only right to support Brighton, my own club as well.

Its not people just choosing the best/most successful teams to support...Manchester United was the first team I heard of and David Beckham played for them. I still have a soft spot for Manchester United and follow them regularly,

Obviously WHEN they face each other, I will be chanting for Brighton as loud as I possibly can, and when I have kids, they will be brought up in Brighton shirts.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

A very well made point.

Exactly right as well. Fans are so for many different reasons. Those of us who choose to attend matches, well, it's logical that we choose a team "local" to us, but that doesn't have to be the case for everyone. Why should our actions be the only correct ones?

I wonder how many Beatles fans were aghast that they didn't get tickets for the big venues, having been attending gigs all the way back to the Cavern? Did they call more recent fans "plastics" and chant at them "where were you when we were unknown?".

Music is a poor analogy as you could go to Beatles gigs, Stones gigs, Moody Blues, and buy albums by many artists. You didn't confine yourself to one band, although you may like that band's music slightly more than others.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

But surely if someone is from Lich in Staffs, they could choose West Brom,Villa,Birmingham, Wolves,Walsall. Choosing Man Yoo is unnecessary shirley!

Another way to look at it might be to consider that those of us born in Brighton (and I include myself in this) are being bloody unimaginative to support whoever happens to be closest to us. Using that logic, we only really support the Albion because we live there or were born there and it's all an accident because if we were born in Croydon we'd probably hate the Albion and support Crystal Palace.

By not choosing one club out of whoever is in the geographical vicinity, such as West Brom, Villa, Birmingham, Wolves and Walsall as you mention, and making an active choice out of all 92 League clubs, Ward's eventual choice of Manchester United could, from one perspective, count for more.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Music is a poor analogy as you could go to Beatles gigs, Stones gigs, Moody Blues, and buy albums by many artists. You didn't confine yourself to one band, although you may like that band's music slightly more than others.

What you are saying is exactly what I'm agreeing with. It's almost universally considered to be fine to be fluid in your likes and dislikes around music. And wouldn't have it any other way. What I'm adding is that some people are applying this approach to football.

 

[Aadam]

Don't really agree with this. People tend to support the team they've ALWAYS supported throughout life, not just switch teams when they feel like it (as you did) and then berate anyone that supports a team that's better than theirs.

Just because you decided to swap teams you supported, it doesn't mean loyal supporters to the so called 'big clubs' should do too. I've supported Manchester United since I was about 11 years old, that's almost twenty years now. I have as much support for them now as I have always had. I understand more now than I did when I was younger, but I've never once thought about switching my affiliation just because of where I live.

Why should my postal adress decide on what team I support? I currently live in Hove, but if I move to Birmingham, should I change team? What has location to do with support?

There are a plethora of reasons for following a big club: you follow the same team as your father, as your friends, they were the first team you saw on TV (which happened a lot when it used to just be the FA Cup final on the TV), your favorite England player plays for them (as happened with Liverpool and John Barnes). Just because you're not supporting the team from where you grew up, or were born, does not make you a plastic fan.

You see, watching a game with my father when I was a nipper when we were in League One with the likes of Andy Campbell and Rhys Weston in the side, I was captivated by the passion of the fans. It was breathtaking

Yet you still decided to support Manchester United?

You’re part of something special, and maybe one day it will reach the heights of the glory team you used to support, but at least you can say I was there from the start.

When you switch teams part way through life, how can you say you were there from the start? You didn't change teams you supported until your teens, so you were not always there.

Stage 2 plastic fan: Now committed, does relevant research to back up his now awful excuse for a life.

This is just moronic.

To me this is just a rant, maybe because you lost the Carling Cup final to Liverpool, so it's a side swipe at the Liverpool fans that do not come from Liverpool, who knows. But I know this much ~ all the Liverpool fans that started supporting them in the 80's still do, despite their drop in dominance. When United went three seasons without the league title, I didn't change my team to Chelsea. People support teams because they do, not because you tell them too. What should it matter to anyone who supports what team?

 

[NickBHAFC18]

Don't really agree with this. People tend to support the team they've ALWAYS supported throughout life, not just switch teams when they feel like it (as you did) and then berate anyone that supports a team that's better than theirs.

Just because you decided to swap teams you supported, it doesn't mean loyal supporters to the so called 'big clubs' should do too. I've supported Manchester United since I was about 11 years old, that's almost twenty years now. I have as much support for them now as I have always had. I understand more now than I did when I was younger, but I've never once thought about switching my affiliation just because of where I live.

Why should my postal adress decide on what team I support? I currently live in Hove, but if I move to Birmingham, should I change team? What has location to do with support?

There are a plethora of reasons for following a big club: you follow the same team as your father, as your friends, they were the first team you saw on TV (which happened a lot when it used to just be the FA Cup final on the TV), your favorite England player plays for them (as happened with Liverpool and John Barnes). Just because you're not supporting the team from where you grew up, or were born, does not make you a plastic fan.



Yet you still decided to support Manchester United?



When you switch teams part way through life, how can you say you were there from the start? You didn't change teams you supported until your teens, so you were not always there.



This is just moronic.

To me this is just a rant, maybe because you lost the Carling Cup final to Liverpool, so it's a side swipe at the Liverpool fans that do not come from Liverpool, who knows. But I know this much ~ all the Liverpool fans that started supporting them in the 80's still do, despite their drop in dominance. When United went three seasons without the league title, I didn't change my team to Chelsea. People support teams because they do, not because you tell them too. What should it matter to anyone who supports what team?

exactly.

 

[Gritt23]

Music is a poor analogy as you could go to Beatles gigs, Stones gigs, Moody Blues, and buy albums by many artists. You didn't confine yourself to one band, although you may like that band's music slightly more than others.

Do you "confine yourself" to just watching one team, Brighton? I don't, whether it's live or on television, I watch games that don't involve Brighton and have a preference for one team over the other, because I like (or dislike) one side more than the other.

 

[OSRGull]

I don't really have a footballing family, I'm the only one who really follows it except from my brother in law who's a Manchester City fan but he's family are all based in Manchester so I couldn't really call him a plastic. Any way I grew up looking up to the likes of Beckham, Owen, Cantona, Zola and so on, I never really supported anyone until I was 7/8 and that was Brighton. Use to collect football shirts when I was younger, Zola at Chelsea, Gerrard at Liverpool, Becks at United, Del Piero at Juve, Figo at Madrid and so on which I got a bit of stick of my mates as when you're that age to them if you had a shirt of a team it means you support them when you quite clearly don't Supported Brighton since I was 7/8 and 10/11 years on I know I've made a great choice supporting my local club, follow them all over the country, I could never be more proud to be an Albion fan !