Does it matter?

[Izzy]

I should clarify that i'm not casting judgement on anyone.

 

But personally i've always liked the fact that previously no one would question my allegiance to leicester, and if I ever met another fan it was something a bit special. 

 

Currently it feels like we've got the best of both worlds, relative success without sacrificing our character. We haven't splashed the cash, and everyone at the club is really likeable. I hope it carries on this way, but if I had to choose between financial success and trophies, or authenticity and club character, I'd take the latter.

Hand in glove, the sun shines out of our behinds..

[My Nads]

I am a plastic ..... from 1973.

I knew it! :xmasdry:

[st albans fox]

I expect most foxes outside of the East Midlands were born and raised there or are second generation pushed into it by their father.

I can think of too many who would have chosen to support LCFC without a strong connection to the county.

[Captain...]

Does it matter? No the more the merrier, it all goes to making the club bigger and better.

On an individual basis there will be some fans that piss you off because they are nobs, be they part time Petes or fanatical Franks, it's just easier to take the piss out of someone who is late to the party and ha never been forced to cheer a successful Alan Maybury tackle as the highlight of a match.

[Bluetintedspecs]

I expect most foxes outside of the East Midlands were born and raised there or are second generation pushed into it by their father.

I can think of too many who would have chosen to support LCFC without a strong connection to the county.

Totally St Albans, however, based on a season like this it's a different kettle of fish! Just look at the 5 million where will we finish threads and we're just in uncharted territory. It's wonderful to see the joy and interest and from all over the world. We all also know how things can change, I don't think it will dramatically for the foreseeable but let's not forget the roots and history.

[Foxxed]

Seems to be people wanting to proove their in a certain group by excluding others, or at least ranking themselves higher, which is fairly normal, but goes contrary to wanting to have a "bigger" club, in terms of support, and therefore reputation. "I wish city had the exposure of a big club. But damn these new supporters, the ones who weren't with us in league one, and the potential demand for coverage they may bring!"

[Guest]

Nothing makes me cringe more than the topic of plastic fans, mainly because I'm not really sure what it means.

 

At Swansea I was at the front next to a guy that was calling all our fans boring and plastic (we'd just driven 150 miles) as we basically weren't being as loud as he wanted.

 

FFS stop moaning. I've been a season ticket holder since 2003 -  Just because they weren't there when we were in league 1 doesn't mean they can't support our team. Would you rather a ground full or one which only had real hardcore nutty fans in there.... who were then complaining because the ground wasn't full. Just be happy that we're top have a great atmosphere and have a growing fan base

I'm not knocking anyone (after all, I'm a foreigner and have never even been to leicester) Just interesting to think that for years the default criticism of United, Chelsea, Man City etc was that half their fans are from Essex and only support them coz they're successful; we could be crap and lose week in and week out, but at least we were a 'proper club' with 'proper fans' and not a brand. There's loads of reasons for choosing who you support (location, family ties, style of play, favourite colour, picked at random etc etc) but as silly as they might be, they all seem more legit than 'coz they're the best'.

 

If any of us ever felt a moral superiority over other clubs for that fact (i know i have, to some extent), are we then going to feel self-conscious if we develop that reputation? 

Dunno, it's just kinda strange to picture myself in that sort of situation.

[Chairman of the Bored]

It's a bit like your favourite indie band, who you saw first at The Charlotte when there was just you and the doorman there, going to number one in the charts and the whole world now liking them. Do we still have 'charts' in the UK? Anyhow, I call them 'happy clappers' and occasionally I'm heard to ask "where were you when we were shit?"

[maddog]

The issue of 'plastic fans' keeps cropping up in other topics, so I'll give it its own thread.

 

Assuming our fine run of success continues, how would you feel about new fans joining the ranks? Especially non-leicester based fans?

 

How do you currently view the big clubs with their 'glory hunters', and would your view of them change if we gained the same reputation?

 

How would you feel if the club started to market itself in a similar way as Utd, City, Chelsea etc? 

 

 

Just why why why.

 

Its Christmas, we are top of the league and just enjoy it.

 

These types of questions you ask are completely pointless. As are any answers to them at this great time.

[Guest]

Just why why why.

 

Its Christmas, we are top of the league and just enjoy it.

 

These types of questions you ask are completely pointless. As are any answers to them at this great time.

I always at these sorts of comments, which are made by someone on every single thread started since the beginning of time.

 

I'm not campaigning for a change, just interested on exchanging views on the topic - either for or against it.

 

One wonders what qualifies as a suitably profound topic these days. It's internet forum, if you can't have a pointless discussion here, where can you? 

[maddog]

I always at these sorts of comments, which are made by someone on every single thread started since the beginning of time.

 

I'm not campaigning for a change, just interested on exchanging views on the topic - either for or against it.

 

One wonders what qualifies as a suitably profound topic these days. It's internet forum, if you can't have a pointless discussion here, where can you? 

 

I'm a little tipsy (being Christmas) and not particularly taking this internet forum seriously really.

 

Apologies for my earlier remarks, have a great Christmas and lets hope the mighty Leicester City remain top of the league come 2016

[Livid]

Simply no!

I know a ST holder who comes up from Essex for every home game and goes to near enough every away game. He has no ties to Leicester at all other than he chose us as his team 45-50 years ago and stuck with us.

[Grewks]

Personally thought most of the 'plastic fan' talk was tongue in cheek.

 

 

Also, i've never really understood the argument of what a 'real fan' is. If you cannot get a ticket because of a 'plastic', im afraid you clearly are not enough of a fan yourself.

[Sleepy Fox]

I am a proud plastic fan here who had never heard of Leicester City until last year when I gained access to every PL game via NBC.  You are gaining a fine plastic following in the states.  Don't fret though, we have $$ and like to buy stuff.  

[EverybodyDannsNow]

Leicester fans who have never really been to many games until now are tolerable, granted they weren't there when times were bad, but I can cope with them.

The one thing I can't cope with, is people who change their teams to support us now we are good. I spent my school years being laughed at by Man Utd/Arsenal/Chelsea fans for being "sh1t". If those people become Leicester 'fans' now that we are good, I will find that completely unacceptable and wrong.

[desertfox2]

Someone posted earlier 1st place problems and that's exactly it.

Success creates more fans especially young fans. "Plastic fans" at teams like Man U etc tend to still buy shirts etc so can only be a good thing for the club which really is all that matters. It only becomes a problem if it's at the expense of those that have been through thick and thin and with our owners they seem to get that.

[bigbiff]

For me a plastick fan is last year they follow chelski then change to say foxes this year. Other than that any new fans are welcome wherever there from.

I know a couple of lads from wigan that have only just got into football after joining pub teams for a giggle and started to be lcfc fans. They realy could not name a player from any team last year, but cos of new found love of the sport they have become addicted. Just want to know what people think are my mates plastic fans or not

[Guest]

I guess it really depends on what your definition of a plastic fan is. I probably have more of an issue with glory hunters per se; if the only reason you support a club is coz they're successful then that's unfortunate and you're missing the whole point of sport.

 

On the other hand I don't have any real problem with fair-weather fans, ones who always identify themselves to one club, but understandably are more involved during the good times, and less so when the results are always bad. So long as they never switched clubs.

 

Though I think we could do with spending a few years in the Championship every now and then, just to filter out the turncoats from the true believers.  

[Guest]

It's a bit like your favourite indie band, who you saw first at The Charlotte when there was just you and the doorman there, going to number one in the charts and the whole world now liking them. Do we still have 'charts' in the UK? Anyhow, I call them 'happy clappers' and occasionally I'm heard to ask "where were you when we were shit?"

I get what you're saying, though music is a little different from football. You're allowed to follow as many bands as you want, and it's okay to only love their good songs ...and then hate them when they starting doing soft rock ballads. But Your Club is your club for life, no matter how Bon Jovi they go.

[Mainlander]

Its a fact of life that people jump on bandwagons when they perceive them to be going well and leap off when they arent. Currenty they are leaping on. I met a fellow Englishman here at a Christmas work do and I was wearing a City polo. His first question was 'is this a new thing' which I must admit insulted me but there will be those that are. these new fans will help fund the club which in turn will (hopefully) continue to lift the profile and success of the club. Hate the term plastic though. Different for us that live in other parts of the world and anyone that shells out for a shirt or says they are a fan is fine by me.

[Swiper]

This whole topic is a double edged sword. Nobody wants fake, fair-weather "fans" supporting their club, but if the club is going to grow, developing a worldwide fanbase is surely a key aspect. Most of us foreign fans have no way of measuring up if the only way to not be considered a plastic fan is to be a lifelong STH who is from Leicester. I go to bed on Friday nights and wake up on Saturday mornings with as much excitement for the Foxes as I do for the American sports teams I've supported my whole life. If the team marches into Anfield Saturday and gets crushed by 5 goals and subsequently loses this spectacular form and falls back into the same funk we saw a year ago, I'll still wake up feeling the same way on match day. If this team gets relegated again, whether it's next year or in 5 years, I'll be supporting them. I'd hope this kind of stuff is what matters, from a fan's perspective. 

[Sir Shep]

Yeah well I for one will now be checking the new fans thread at the top in order to root out and shame any plastics who try to join our bandwagon!

Actually who cares, the more the merrier, I want us to be as big as Man U. Merry Christmas to real and plastics alike x

[Crinklyfox]

My life as a fan started when I was very young, growing up in Leicester.  My parents often spoke about the club (my father and mother grew up a few streets away from Filbert Street) so I started to take notice of results.  This developed until I was older and started going to games.  By that time the club was in my heart, for life, and cared about all matters LCFC.

 

The point I'm trying to make is that I didn't start as a passionate fan but became one, and I imagine that it's the same journey for others.  Some 'plastic fans' may find that the club isn't for them and go elsewhere, others however may take LCFC to their hearts and become 'true fans'.  So I wouldn't want to disrespect the 'plastic fans' of this world, some are just at the start of that journey.

 

I no longer live in Leicester and rarely get to games, but City are my club for life, so consider myself a true fan.

[foxfanazer]

All the non plastics should wear old city shirts to the next home game. You know you're not a plastic when you have names like Sylla, Wellens and Hellings on the back

[Carl the Llama]

Gonna be seeing my 2 glory hunting cousins tomorrow.  Sons of a Villa dad and a City mum and brought up in Birmingham yet somehow they've been allowed to pick Man Utd and Liverpool as their teams.  Last time I saw them was in our promotion season and having to listen to an 11 year old Liverpool fan go on and on and on about Leicester being rubbish (because we're in the Ch'ship obviously) as we followed the hearse of my then recently deceased Grandfather who lived, breathed, and slept Leicester was absolutely sickening. Going to be interesting to hear what the little scrote has to say these days.  (It bloody well better not be "I support Leicester now"!!! :xmaslaugh: - I'm picturing that smiley face wielding an axe a la Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.)