[Football] What Constitutes A 'Plastic' Supporter ?

[Eeyore]

When I was kid I supported Aston Villa for a while. This was because, for some reason, my brother bought me an Aston Villa belt back from a school trip and I was Aston Villa in the St Luke’s School Subbuteo League. I also followed the Albion.

After Aston Villa won the league in 1981 I went off them. The European Cup win meant little to me and Albion were the only team I really cared for. After all, they were my local team. I was the original un-glory hunter. I viewed Liverpool fans with utter contempt, unless they were from Liverpool itself. There was an Everton fan in my class and I respected that as they were hardly setting the league alight pre-1985 and it was hardly jumping on the bandwagon.

These days I’m pretty much the same. Anyone who supports an inherently successful club that they have no locational/ancestry connection to, or their support has unusual origins like my liking for Villa did, I regard as an underclass of supporter. A plastic, so to speak.

But my question is: What do folk think constitutes a 'plastic' ?

 

[Baldseagull]

I think your Aston Villa subbuteo team were definitely plastic

 

[Popeye]

98 percent of Man City's fanbase

 

[GT49er]

What Constitutes A 'Plastic' Supporter ?

Polymers?

 

[Weststander]

When kids fall in love with clubs a long way away geographically, often without parental coercion, it’s only natural that it can be for life. Was always the way, when I was at school there were many Liverpool fans, my older brothers gen had Leeds and Chelsea fans, before that Manure.

This seems to increasingly wind up a few people round these parts if kids or former kids don’t support the Albion. An uncontrollable thing to get riled about.

The thing I take the p out of is folk who change clubs as grown-ups, chasing reflected glory in the newest trophy winners owned by the richest bloke. In my family someone followed Leeds, then age about 30 swapped to George Graham’s Arsenal and has been a Gooner ever since. We know a family of Gooners nearby to us where a guy openly said he fell in love with them when mates introduced him age 30 to Adams and Bould in a London park (born n bred in Hove, he really hates the Albion). I know a 1901 Club member who was a fan of Ipswich in the Robson era, switching to Arsenal age 25 ….. have a guess when …. when George Graham started winning trophies.

I expect to see Newcastle shirts popping up all over Sussex …. in about 3 seasons time. Strange that.

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.

 

[Stat Brother]

Armchairs.

 

[Icy Gull]

98 percent of Man City's fanbase

Not strictly true, they were very well supported before an oil producing state bought them

28261 average attendance in a stadium that held 30k when they were in the third tier

How many of those are still around is debatable. I know two long term City fans who gave up going a couple of years into the current ownership

But certainly a very large percentage of City fans are plastics today

For me Plastic fans are those that never go to games, follow a team they have no connection with and quickly lose interest or switch teams when their chosen glory team falls away. I think United have lost plenty of plastics over the last few seasons.

If Arsenal carry on in their current form, expect to see a resurgence of Gunners replica shirts shortly

In truth I don’t personally know a single person I’d call a plastic though

 

[BBassic]

I hate the term.

It's just another way for people to feel superior over other people.

 

[Icy Gull]

As a point of interest are foreign fans who live abroad and have never been to the town or City of the club they support considered plastics??

As someone who lived abroad and supported Spurs from age 8 to age 23 when I moved to Brighton and never once saw them play live I am living is a glass house here!

 

[The Maharajah Of Hockley]

Probably anyone that follows when success comes. Reading were accused of being plastics when success came following their move from Elm Park and you could argue the same here following Withdean

 

[Stat Brother]

I hate the term.

It's just another way for people to feel superior over other people.

Have you heard the new Sky Sports advert on national indie rock stations.

It's something along the lines of:-

'There's nothing more exciting than watching on TV'.

If ever a campaign was designed for The Plastics...

 

[Icy Gull]

Probably anyone that follows when success comes. Reading were accused of being plastics when success came following their move from Elm Park and you could argue the same here following Withdean

Re Albion, plastics or returning fans who’d deserted when we turned to shit and the Goldstone was sold? Same difference I guess

 

[DavePage]

You certainly need some form of plastic to be able to support any team.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Someone who supports a team but goes to every game that a different team plays (home and away) for a decade for work reasons? Plastic supporter of both teams then?

 

[wellquickwoody]

Young kids get a free hit, whatever they like, no consequences.

At a certain point things changes. Stay with that choice and fair enough, but swap to a glamour club and they need a ‘licence’, that could be geographical, or historical family links etc. Once mid to late teenage years are reached there is only one excuse, geography if you have moved to a new area, but you should never forget your roots.

Plastic? Claiming to be fanatical whilst having moved in later life, or rarely actually paying to go through the turnstile.

 

[southstandandy]

People who just turn up to 'support' their team when they are doing well. As soon as the going gets tough, they get going.

 

[DavePage]

Re Albion, plastics or returning fans who’d deserted when we turned to shit and the Goldstone was sold? Same difference I guess

Not all fans deserted them, If you truly support a team, it’s for life, no matter what division or how good they are at any time.

Having been a season ticket holder at both The Goldstone and Withdean with only a slight blip in attendance when the ran a pub for a couple of years (that said we did host the seagull lottery at the pub a couple of times). Charlotte our first child was/is the youngest junior seagull back in 1990.
2006 saw us move to Canada which our last Saturday in England being spent on a supporters coach going to QPR, which my Son being club mascot that day.
With only one live game at Withdean in the next 17 years, when I returned home for a funeral.
So this year we move again, to the warmer climate of Southern Spain.
To date only visit to Falmer, when it was a hole in the ground behind a mile of fencing.
So October 18th marks my first visit to the stadium for the Forest game, excited like a child again.
Premier League was a game changer in Canada, when we could watch every single game home or away, from an arm chair or bar.
Plastic? Not this one, logistics still mean a season ticket is unlikely especially with the frequency that the game days are changed.
But for now I look forward to the Forest game and getting the bug again, here’s to many more.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

Re Albion, plastics or returning fans who’d deserted when we turned to shit and the Goldstone was sold? Same difference I guess

Due to circumstances ie location I am the opposite, my going to matches peaked in 97 and rarely go now, maybe I'm a concrete supporter?

 

[Justice]

That knob at the fans forum Brighton is my second team ffs

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

One that if we got relegated back to the Championship they'd be off to some other PL team to watch games.