[Football] What Constitutes A 'Plastic' Supporter ?

[Doonhamer7]

Who cares - as long as a person gets some love or enjoyment of following a team then so be it. I had zero affinity or affection to the Albion until my mate suggested attending when the Amex was opened and have had a season ticket for 10years and I do care now. But and it’s a big but Albion still not my main club - am I a plastic? as I’ve seen QoS play once in last 5 years but I do buy merch so the club gets some money from me.

 

[faoileán]

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

During the wilderness years much of the fanbase became disillusioned with The Albion and stopped going, Let's face it, The Goldstone was a decrepit dump, the board were crooks, the football was awful, then Gilingham was a 150 mile round trip. Withdean stabilised the core of our support at between 6 - 8,000, with the addition of probably the same number again who went to the occasional game (like me). With Falmer a lot of occasional fans became committed and we had no problem selling our season tickets. Others, particularly the older generation, rediscovered their Albion habit that they had lost for 15 years. And then there were new fans, particularly among dads who had moved to Brighton and wanted to share the football going experience with their kids who they were raising as Albion fans. I don't rate any of the above as "plastics"; it's just the story of a football club that nearly died and then re-built itself.

 

[faoileán]

Who cares - as long as a person gets some love or enjoyment of following a team then so be it. I had zero affinity or affection to the Albion until my mate suggested attending when the Amex was opened and have had a season ticket for 10years and I do care now. But and it’s a big but Albion still not my main club - am I a plastic? as I’ve seen QoS play once in last 5 years but I do buy merch so the club gets some money from me.

Completely fair enough. Brighton has had a large inward migration of people during the last 20 years and I'm only too happy if many of them get into the local club. And even better if they encourage their kids to follow the Albion.

 

[faoileán]

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.

I'm afraid that analogy doesn't stand-up; a non-native person identifying as Irish has probably got Irish parents and therefore a totally authentic connection to the country.

 

[Stat Brother]

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.

Oh and only ever refers to the team as 'we'.

 

[TugWilson]

I have always believed the definition of a "Supporter" was someone who pays money at the gate,stands in the rain and feels gutted after a loss until the next game. Someone who buys the occasional shirt and will watch his team if on tv and only if it doesn`t get in the way of Coronation street or Eastender`s is a "follower" at best .

I have a friend of nearly 40 years who swears he is a Leeds Supporter,he was born in Yorkshire but has been to ER once,and turned down repeated opportunities to come to The Amex to watch us batter them.He has never been to any other game. He once heard on SSN round my house one day a bit about the Pozzo family and the connection with Udinese,and turned to me straight faced and asked Udinese who does he play for these days .As much as i love the guy that is a PLASTIC fan.

 

[Official Old Man]

I sell on Brighton seafront, items with Man Utd, Liverpool, Spurs etc on them (all legal). Families come in and kids buy the 'big' northern teams even though most have no idea where the club are in the country.
But I'm not sure that's a plastic. More likely someone who supports their local team, know everything about them, can name the entire squad but only go to watch when they play a big club.

 

[AmexRuislip]

All of the Palarse fans, as they're all melts.

 

[fly high]

This.

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.

Work with a bloke who supports Spurs, loved to be the big I am when they beat us, when we started winning he wasn't interested, it's just a game, not important, toss pot.

 

[Wealden Seagull]

New member on here and an interesting suject, location wise Brighton is the closest but being brought up in north east sussex never felt like home as such and had been a lifelong man utd supporter from childhood and travelled/ attended occasionally, last 10/ 15 years Brighton has become my dominant support, attended occasionally and this season have gone in with my first season ticket, as someone said above if your gutted when your team lose no matter how affilliated over your life you have been that should make you a decent supporter, not really sure how I would describe myself?