Is someone who attends every game more of a fan than those who don't? Should fans who only watch on TV be labelled as "plastics"? Sam Boroudjou weighs in on this age-old debate.
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For me you become a "supporter" rather than a "fan" when it all becomes a bit of a chore but you stick with it. Honestly there have been games I've been to where I would have perhaps preferred not to. Meaningless Sunday matches when it's cold and the trains are shit and the atmosphere is dead. Early cup rounds against lower league opposition etc. But I stick with it, almost as a duty.
Many people will say flippantly that they would go to every game if they could afford it but would they really?
Many people will say flippantly that they would go to every game if they could afford it but would they really?
If you are still at University and you think you have been supporting a "bang average mediocre team" then fuck me I feel sorry for you. To put that into perspective the period you speak of is our most constant for the past 30yrs! Yes, we have "only" won 2 trophies in this time, but fuck me.
:avbfacepalm:
I do however get pissed off with glory hunters, fans that only want to watch a winning side, I've given up applying for away games now as the points required I don't have. This has only been the case for the past couple of years, odd it coincides with our best performances. Another thing that pisses me off is those that pay (+)£1,000 per year for a BT/Sky subscription but then sight reason for not going to games a it costs too much, cancel the fucking subscription then!!!
I don't disagree with the sentiment in the article too much though. A real test of support however will be when we are at Wembley and New Stadium, if games are priced correctly and there are still empty seats then I will be at the front of the queue calling out sections. So there.
:avbfacepalm:
I do however get pissed off with glory hunters, fans that only want to watch a winning side, I've given up applying for away games now as the points required I don't have. This has only been the case for the past couple of years, odd it coincides with our best performances. Another thing that pisses me off is those that pay (+)£1,000 per year for a BT/Sky subscription but then sight reason for not going to games a it costs too much, cancel the fucking subscription then!!!
I don't disagree with the sentiment in the article too much though. A real test of support however will be when we are at Wembley and New Stadium, if games are priced correctly and there are still empty seats then I will be at the front of the queue calling out sections. So there.
Not sure about the maths, as my BT TV subscription is, annually, less than one trip to WHL
(£10 pcm x 12 = £120. Train = £60-70, ticket via ScumHub is roughly the same again, then you have food/drink on top)
I can only imagine that is a fully loaded Sky package with phone, fibre and BT on top.
I live quite frugally and often wonder how much you have to earn in order to be and to travel abroad for away games too
I love the fact that Spurs have a global fan base and i do regard those fans as Yids.
But for the majority of them it is a trendy (fairly recent) hobby, for most of us it has been a lifestyle choice for years/decades.
But for the majority of them it is a trendy (fairly recent) hobby, for most of us it has been a lifestyle choice for years/decades.
Guido 🇺🇦
Agreed. I have several mates who have the full Sky/BT packages but complain they can't afford to attend games.
It is an excuse. In a nutshell they can't be bothered to make the effort.
I don't think it is, but guessing here.
Yep European away days can be a lot. Haven't done one in a couple of seasons for that reason. With a bit of planning however it isn't as bad (depends on where of course). if you take the plunge early on flights the costs can be kept down. Last few I have done I spent more money on booze than I did on flight, ticket, food and accommodation combined. This is the European away day challenge, well for me at least.
Oh, and another thing, my non-attending mates can amazingly always seem to find the time and money when it comes to the big games. Funny that.
For me there is nothing on earth that comes close to replacing a live football match, even a shit one! I still love everything about it. It is my theatre, my cinema, my fancy restaurant, my concert, my golf club membership. All these things at various times in my life I have dropped with no problem in order that I can afford to go to football.
Agreed. I have several mates who have the full Sky/BT packages but complain they can't afford to attend games.
It is an excuse. In a nutshell they can't be bothered to make the effort.
I like to see it as a calling.
Haven't been to anywhere near enough games in the past 25 years if I'm honest, but went through marriage, kids, living 220 miles away & many other reasons- Sky being one of them.
Now my lad is well into watching (rather than playing) football, we are trying to make as many games as we can. But time stands still for no man & building up these loyalty points is a task. I'm hoping the year at Wembley will make getting tickets easy & praying to get lucky for a couple of season tickets in the new stadium. May not be able to make every game, but that's part of the deal really. I'd rather be able to go when I can, than not be able to go at all, and relying on a lottery like it is now.
There's been years in my life where I've manged to attend 60+ games per season, and there's been years when I've managed to attend 5-10 games per season.
My love and passion for Spurs have been pretty equal throughout those years.
My love and passion for Spurs have been pretty equal throughout those years.
If the question was do non-attending or overseas fans LOVE Tottenham as much as attendees, then the answer could well be/probably is yes.
If the question is 'is an armchair fan as good a SUPPORTER as a regular attendee' then it has to be no.
If the question is 'is an armchair fan as good a SUPPORTER as a regular attendee' then it has to be no.
Anderlecht away last season using Thomas Cook coach £120 all in.......(food and drink? - take a bottle of squash and get the Mrs/mum to make some sandwiches lol)
I once wrote an article for TFC on the same topic, as i am for most of the times an armchair fan. Living abroad plays a role, the budget plays a role but also the prioritization in your life plays a huge part. And you could argue that the fact that you have other priorities over going to see Spurs is a measure of how much of a fan you are.
If you analyse this argument it's bollocks because you compare people with different backgrounds, families, income etc purely on one simple metric : do you attend yes or no. But the fact that you put Spurs in front of everything else does however indicate how much you are willing to endure and invest in your relationship with that football love of your life.
Live games are better then televised ones, no doubt about it, the experience is better, the feeling of belonging and uniting is a lot more present etc. However, analyzing games and performances is a lot easier and more objective from behind the screens. As you can scrap the influence of the people and atmosphere around you.
If you analyse this argument it's bollocks because you compare people with different backgrounds, families, income etc purely on one simple metric : do you attend yes or no. But the fact that you put Spurs in front of everything else does however indicate how much you are willing to endure and invest in your relationship with that football love of your life.
Live games are better then televised ones, no doubt about it, the experience is better, the feeling of belonging and uniting is a lot more present etc. However, analyzing games and performances is a lot easier and more objective from behind the screens. As you can scrap the influence of the people and atmosphere around you.
For me that's not the case, i've missed spurs games that were on television quite regularly for reasons that weren't even that important. But when i do go regularly, the hunger to go more, the attachment with the team and so on is a lot stronger. I am a ST holder at Gent, and the fact that it almost obliges me to go has the effect of having a stronger link with the team. And the other way around, the seasons that i did not go to games i've found myself detaching easier. Switching of the telly is easy, going away from a game is something i almost cannot perceive as an option.
Being a fan compares a lot to being in a relationship with someone, the proximity and physical presence of that love is an important factor to nurture it. Not saying long distance doesnt work for some, but most need to feel a day to day involvement. Hence the role this place plays as a sort of surrogate for live games and proximity
Thing is, i am not trying to belittle other fans in the slightest.
In the (hopefully) not too distant future when i retire/semi-retire i am probably going to move west (Devon?) & will obviously not get to attend anything like the amount of games i do now (i'm thinking 5 homes/1 or 2 aways area).
Will i still LOVE the club & be Spurs to the bone? Most definitely. Will i be as good of a supporter as i once was & as thousands of other will remain? Absolutely not.
In the (hopefully) not too distant future when i retire/semi-retire i am probably going to move west (Devon?) & will obviously not get to attend anything like the amount of games i do now (i'm thinking 5 homes/1 or 2 aways area).
Will i still LOVE the club & be Spurs to the bone? Most definitely. Will i be as good of a supporter as i once was & as thousands of other will remain? Absolutely not.