The Supporter/Fan Debate

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District Line

District Line

Well-Known Member
Forum Moderator
Apr 21, 2011
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Been to discussing this on the Arsenal board and it's been really interesting.

My view is that the two are very different. Supporters being either local, or match-go-ers that have embraced the history and culture of the club. I personally don't see how you can really "know" a club without having ever been to a game or living local enough to know about the players, club rivalries, fans etc.

I'd describe fans as people that just like the club, the players etc. This would apply mainly to oversea's fans or those that have never been.

In this day and age it's not affordable to attend that many football games, to me being a season ticket holder from Hammersmith doesn't make you any better than someone from Nigeria or whatever it's just a different way of rooting for your team.

I've had this discussion with my housemate who is an Irish Arsenal fan that only really started supporting them around the Invincibles era. He is constantly going on about "being London's top club" and hating Spurs, West Ham and Chelsea but I just can't see it. He doesn't know a Spurs fan yet says he hates them and describes them as cocky etc. (which is true) He bases this on Arsenal blogs and forums he reads. He wouldn't believe me when I said Arsenal have more Jewish fans than Spurs do. He genuinely believes all Spurs fans are Jewish hence the Y*d tag. This is what I mean though, from a distance you can never really understand the rivalry until you've lived it and breathed it.

Sky have made the footballing experience very superficial hence why London Derbies are not what they used to be.

West Ham, Spurs and Arsenal are huge rivals yet Sky only seem to show our games with Fulham and QPR, who never really have been our rivals for different reasons albeit.

I hate United and Liverpool but it annoys me when people say they hate them more than Spurs, West Ham, Millwall, Arsenal etc.

Supporters know the rivalries and club culture whereas fans don't, what are the views on this I'd love to hear from all fans if possible!
 
District Line said:
Been to discussing this on the Arsenal board and it's been really interesting.

My view is that the two are very different. Supporters being either local, or match-go-ers that have embraced the history and culture of the club. I personally don't see how you can really "know" a club without having ever been to a game or living local enough to know about the players, club rivalries, fans etc.

I'd describe fans as people that just like the club, the players etc. This would apply mainly to oversea's fans or those that have never been.

In this day and age it's not affordable to attend that many football games, to me being a season ticket holder from Hammersmith doesn't make you any better than someone from Nigeria or whatever it's just a different way of rooting for your team.

I've had this discussion with my housemate who is an Irish Arsenal fan that only really started supporting them around the Invincibles era. He is constantly going on about "being London's top club" and hating Spurs, West Ham and Chelsea but I just can't see it. He doesn't know a Spurs fan yet says he hates them and describes them as cocky etc. (which is true) He bases this on Arsenal blogs and forums he reads. He wouldn't believe me when I said Arsenal have more Jewish fans than Spurs do. He genuinely believes all Spurs fans are Jewish hence the Y*d tag. This is what I mean though, from a distance you can never really understand the rivalry until you've lived it and breathed it.

Sky have made the footballing experience very superficial hence why London Derbies are not what they used to be.

West Ham, Spurs and Arsenal are huge rivals yet Sky only seem to show our games with Fulham and QPR, who never really have been our rivals for different reasons albeit.

I hate United and Liverpool but it annoys me when people say they hate them more than Spurs, West Ham, Millwall, Arsenal etc.

Supporters know the rivalries and club culture whereas fans don't, what are the views on this I'd love to hear from all fans if possible!
Click to expand...

So close to being a decent article.
 
I have to agree, for me its not just the game and the points you are playing for, its the pride and the banter with your pals at work and in the pub.

Being from and living in London means that all the guys I work with are either Spurs, Arsenal or Chelsea fans, so these games have a bigger importance as monday morning after that loss to Arsenal was terrible at work. I agree that this wouldnt mean as much to someone that doesnt live around the area and doesnt know supporters of your rivals.
 
i would disagree tbh. I'm foreign but have lived in london for 8years and attend games regularly for over one and a half years now. I know a lot of arsenal and chelsea fans and a few spurs fans. However the fans i tend to well 'not like' the most are those who support the likes of manu or man city the reason being in my case because some of them used to support a london club but gave in to becoming glory hunting plastics. I dont like the spurs fans and especially the chelsea fans (they give me the most stick) and whenever i go to games though i tend to be very quiet by nature (believe it or not) i try to cheer my team as much as possible. Going by your article i should have developed hate for the likes of chelsea more than that for say manu supporters but because of the reasons they chose to support the manchester clubs i tend to hold more against them.
 
Cb said:
i would disagree tbh. I'm foreign but have lived in london for 8years and attend games regularly for over one and a half years now. I know a lot of arsenal and chelsea fans and a few spurs fans. However the fans i tend to well 'not like' the most are those who support the likes of manu or man city the reason being in my case because some of them used to support a london club but gave in to becoming glory hunting plastics. I dont like the spurs fans and especially the chelsea fans (they give me the most stick) and whenever i go to games though i tend to be very quiet by nature (believe it or not) i try to cheer my team as much as possible. Going by your article i should have developed hate for the likes of chelsea more than that for say manu supporters but because of the reasons they chose to support the manchester clubs i tend to hold more against them.
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I understand what you are saying about the glory hunters but it more about the importance of winning in a derby game knowing that you will have the bragging rights over pals and workmates for the rest of the year. If Spurs beat Man Utd or Liverpool, dont get me wrong it is a great feeling but nothing like the feeling when you know you can hold your head up high as youve just beaten one of your local rivals.

But hey thats just my opinion.
 
i guess you may be right theres certainly a lot more of an atmosphere when we play you guys though in my case i think i know waaayyyy too many plastics hence my opinion on this matter!
 
Fan is short for fanatic, meaning mentally ill.

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'Supporter' and 'fan' are used pretty interchangably these days so I don't think there's any point trying to give them different meanings. There are varying degrees fans/supporters and we all become fans for different reasons. I find there's a lot of fakeness amongst fans on the internet, on Facebook I see guys I know from school who never gave a **** about football writing bragging messages when Spurs lose or taking delight in their replica, replica 95 United "Cantona 7" shirt that just arrived. Some on here are exaggerated too, the only thing that upsets them about their team losing is that they can't troll other teams so much, or they'd rather argue about whether Wilshere or Modric is better, than talk about the last game.

I don't buy the excuse that people can't afford it either. I used to save up pocket money and ask for a ticket for my birthday when I was a kid. When I used to do shop work and was on £15k I could still afford it and working weekends I usually went to midweek games or took a day's holiday/switched my rota to get to games on the weekend. I'm not trying to claim I'm a perfect fan, I could go to more games if I really wanted but some months I'd rather spend my excess money on other things. I love going to football though and I think anyone else that does finds the time/money to go regardless of how difficult you think it is.

I couldn't imagine being a football fan and without the buzz I get going to games, I had a Brentford season ticket at one point when I was younger so I could go to more games and in my short lived stint at uni I went to go to Exeter games. They were poor substitutes, if I'm honest. I'm not trying to be elitist about this, you can support your team however you want but just be honest about it rather than making excuses, not going to games because you think it's too expensive is different to not being able to afford it.
 
Its a bit like falling in love! If when they lose you cant eat your dinner! You wake up the next day, and dont want to get up! On the days they win you're on cloud nine and everyone, including your worst enemys get a smile! I've always felt like that about CFC! You can call me a fan, you can call me a supporter! A rose by any other name etc, etc!
 
bluemoon2 said:
Its a bit like falling in love! If when they lose you cant eat your dinner! You wake up the next day, and dont want to get up! On the days they win you're on cloud nine and everyone, including your worst enemys get a smile! I've always felt like that about CFC! You can call me a fan, you can call me a supporter! A rose by any other name etc, etc!
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This <ok>
 
Yid Vicious said:
Fan is short for fanatic, meaning mentally ill.

You must log in or register to see images



'Supporter' and 'fan' are used pretty interchangably these days so I don't think there's any point trying to give them different meanings. There are varying degrees fans/supporters and we all become fans for different reasons. I find there's a lot of fakeness amongst fans on the internet, on Facebook I see guys I know from school who never gave a **** about football writing bragging messages when Spurs lose or taking delight in their replica, replica 95 United "Cantona 7" shirt that just arrived. Some on here are exaggerated too, the only thing that upsets them about their team losing is that they can't troll other teams so much, or they'd rather argue about whether Wilshere or Modric is better, than talk about the last game.

I don't buy the excuse that people can't afford it either. I used to save up pocket money and ask for a ticket for my birthday when I was a kid. When I used to do shop work and was on £15k I could still afford it and working weekends I usually went to midweek games or took a day's holiday/switched my rota to get to games on the weekend. I'm not trying to claim I'm a perfect fan, I could go to more games if I really wanted but some months I'd rather spend my excess money on other things. I love going to football though and I think anyone else that does finds the time/money to go regardless of how difficult you think it is.

I couldn't imagine being a football fan and without the buzz I get going to games, I had a Brentford season ticket at one point when I was younger so I could go to more games and in my short lived stint at uni I went to go to Exeter games. They were poor substitutes, if I'm honest. I'm not trying to be elitist about this, you can support your team however you want but just be honest about it rather than making excuses, not going to games because you think it's too expensive is different to not being able to afford it.
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Your single and childless I'm guessing......
 
bluemoon2 said:
Its a bit like falling in love! If when they lose you cant eat your dinner! You wake up the next day, and dont want to get up! On the days they win you're on cloud nine and everyone, including your worst enemys get a smile! I've always felt like that about CFC! You can call me a fan, you can call me a supporter! A rose by any other name etc, etc!
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This is just what it is <ok>
 
HarrysDisciple said:
I think his comment was based on your view that money can always be found to go to the match. With a family, sadly not always true.
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I knew that! :D

I would've thought most people can spare £40 a year to go to a football match if they really want to though. Just don't get your wife an Anniversary present, or something there's always corners to be cut <whistle>
 
Yid Vicious said:
I knew that! :D

I would've thought most people can spare £40 a year to go to a football match if they really want to though. Just don't get your wife an Anniversary present, or something there's always corners to be cut <whistle>
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Exactly my point YV <ok>

I was just saying on the gooners board that you don't have to go to every game to be a through and through fan, but people should be watching their team once or twice a year - because they actually want to more than anything else!
 
bluemoon2 said:
Its a bit like falling in love! If when they lose you cant eat your dinner! You wake up the next day, and dont want to get up! On the days they win you're on cloud nine and everyone, including your worst enemys get a smile! I've always felt like that about CFC! You can call me a fan, you can call me a supporter! A rose by any other name etc, etc!
Click to expand...
Superbly put Blue!
 
bluemoon2 said:
Its a bit like falling in love! If when they lose you cant eat your dinner! You wake up the next day, and dont want to get up! On the days they win you're on cloud nine and everyone, including your worst enemys get a smile! I've always felt like that about CFC! You can call me a fan, you can call me a supporter! A rose by any other name etc, etc!
Click to expand...
that is so true, chelsea losing ruins my week or weekend, within 10 mins of the game ending, "chelsea lose did they" is what i get thrown at me from the misses :angry:
 
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