Despite the usual bit of vitriol one to another on here, (lets face ot it wouldn’t be this board without it ) this set off as a really interesting thread about something that is endemic across our game and from what I hear from loads of my FC pals is particularly relevant at our club. For me, we have a lot of fans at different places on the scale of ‘adoration' for their club. Whatever some say for me at least, going to every game home and away isn't the only 'badge' that dictates that you’re a true fan supporter or whatever for over the years we have all been through the wringer and again looking round the terraces its plain to see that days like today certainly focus the mind a bit about exactly what we are doing here.
Life is a moving feast and People relocate change their circumstances, get ill, and lose their incomes they might not attend, but they still passionately care for the club they and often generations of their family support. While others drift away for one reason or another and are amazed and I guess often bemused by how easy it is after decades to do other things rather than religiously treking around the north chasing a dream. Like it or not for many of those folks 27th August 2016 changed things forever maybe because that was the dream the holy grail or the gold at the end of their particular rainbow and on that sunny London afternoon it all became a reality. Generations and generations never saw it but we were the chosen ones and we did, we were all that afternoon supporters till we die but in reality for many what else was there to top that moment!!
I’ve learned that fandom for your club comes out in so many different ways. We are all on here (by and large) because we love our club, and I would never dream of setting a scale of behaviour that dictates who is a better fan or supporter than anyone else anyone who has the slightest inclination towards my club is a kindred spirit.
On a personal note for a minute, I’ve been to every final we have played in since 1960 had a pass for over 60 years written three books about the club, chaired the supporter’s group for 7 years spent 13 years week in week out writing a blog about them (with enough words to fill three bibles), yet now through family circumstances and changes in my health although I'm a season ticket holder and always will be, (so apparently I’m a supporter at least) I don't get to every game anymore and haven't been away for around three years. So, I’m not a fan then?
I’m not being billy big balls about all that but after my life changed, I'm still passionate about the club and I guess l always will be. There’s another guy who is now in hospital who probably won’t come out whose bed is surrounded by FC pictures and who idolises the club and hangs on every word on Radio Humberside in the Mail and on sky TV. he’s still paying for his pass but I won’t be telling him he’s not a fan anymore. You just can’t put people into nice tidy ‘niches because our circumstances and motivations are all so different yet we all love the club they are part of our lives they run through our families, our colleagues, our friends networks and indeed our very DNA and no one will take that away from us.
But as I said I’ve really enjoyed most of this thread and its certainly good to hear of folks feelings rationale’s and demeanours and how their love of the club or indeed their distancing themselves from it manifests itself. It’s our club it belongs to us all if we care and, if you like, really love them then were all stakeholders and fans and we will all in our separate ways continue to ‘support’ it. And should the day ever come when we have to rally round it to make it survive, just as we did in 1999, I’m sure we’ll all be there to do just that again.
