What makes a 'real' or 'proper' football fan

[crieffhibee]

What makes you a real or proper fan? Is it staying till the I al whistle in a cup final when your team is 5-1 down? Is it only the guys who go week in week out thru hard times and good? Or can be as simple as wearing the top on the high street??

[The_Exile]

It's a myth all this "proper" fan stuff. Whether you stay til the final whistle, leave 10 minutes early or watch the match from an armchair, we're all fitba fans and want our respective teams to do well. All this uber fan stuff is a loada pish.

[Time For Heroes]

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It's a myth all this "proper" fan stuff. Whether you stay til the final whistle, leave 10 minutes early or watch the match from an armchair, we're all fitba fans and want our respective teams to do well. All this uber fan stuff is a loada pish.

Well said

[NAE NOOKIE]

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It's a myth all this "proper" fan stuff. Whether you stay til the final whistle, leave 10 minutes early or watch the match from an armchair, we're all fitba fans and want our respective teams to do well. All this uber fan stuff is a loada pish.

If you like to watch football and enjoy it you are a football fan ..... simple.

If you go along to watch your team a few times a season or more you are a football supporter I.E. you are 'supporting' your club. That's not an uber fan argument, its simple logic.

[The_Exile]

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If you like to watch football and enjoy it you are a football fan ..... simple.

If you go along to watch your team a few times a season or more you are a football supporter I.E. you are 'supporting' your club. That's not an uber fan argument, its simple logic.

Overcomplication of one of the simplest pleasures someone can have, supporting their team. Therefore, respectively, I disagree.

[lord bunberry]

Real or proper fan isn't how i would describe it but there's definitely some fans who are more dedicated to the cause than others. I would say that the guys who go home and away and go and watch the under 20s are more dedicated supporters than someone like me who only goes to home games and the occasional away game.

[HoboHarry]

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Real or proper fan isn't how i would describe it but there's definitely some fans who are more dedicated to the cause than others. I would say that the guys who go home and away and go and watch the under 20s are more dedicated supporters than someone like me who only goes to home games and the occasional away game.

What about the fans who cannot afford to go all games? Your statement is flawed in that the fan who goes to as many games as he can afford to is as dedicated as anyone could hope to be.

[Hibeesmad]

I agree that there is no such thing as a real or proper fan in such a way but what really pisses me off for example is when a fan talks about a club as if they are the best thing ever even though they have been to about 2 games in a year. Some Hearts fan I know talks about Hearts as if they are the greatest team on earth and all they do is slag hibs, even though they only saw hearts play about 5 times at the most last season.

Sorry for the rant but it's just those kind of supporters which annoy me

[Pete]

A "real" football fan or supporter is a guy who either supports his local team or the one that runs in his family. I'm struggling to include those who's dad supported one of the old firm because that's such an easy option.

I know plenty people who go to games involving either one of the Glasgow clubs and even English teams. They tick all the boxes regarding what a real supporter should be...they buy shirts, attend games and invest their emotions...but it counts for nothing as far as I'm concerned.

They have almost certainly chosen that team because there is either glory, the potential for glory or some sort of bragging right attached to that choice.

If you support Hibs, Hearts or any team in Scotland and you have good reason then you are "real" in my opinion. It doesn't really matter if you attend games as that isn't always possible.
Invest anything in a "glory" team and you then become part of the reason why football is so skewed and top-heavy.

[lucky]

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A "real" football fan or supporter is a guy who either supports his local team or the one that runs in his family. I'm struggling to include those who's dad supported one of the old firm because that's such an easy option.

I know plenty people who go to games involving either one of the Glasgow clubs and even English teams. They tick all the boxes regarding what a real supporter should be...they buy shirts, attend games and invest their emotions...but it counts for nothing as far as I'm concerned.

They have almost certainly chosen that team because there is either glory, the potential for glory or some sort of bragging right attached to that choice.

If you support Hibs, Hearts or any team in Scotland and you have good reason then you are "real" in my opinion. It doesn't really matter if you attend games as that isn't always possible.
Invest anything in a "glory" team and you then become part of the reason why football is so skewed and top-heavy.

Geography does not come into it. Many real or proper fans stay 1000s of miles away from their club but still support them. Tonight Real V Man Utd will be played in front of 109k fans in the US. We all support different teams for different reasons, without bigger clubs, rivals and minnows then football would die. Our game needs us all.

[tartanhibee]

I'm just a football fan cause I love the game and its not for anyone else to decide whether I'm a proper fan or not.

[DH1875]

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Geography does not come into it. Many real or proper fans stay 1000s of miles away from their club but still support them. Tonight Real V Man Utd will be played in front of 109k fans in the US. We all support different teams for different reasons, without bigger clubs, rivals and minnows then football would die. Our game needs us all.

Have to agree with this. We might not have the same as the ugly sisters but we do have a large section of support that dont come from our home town i.e. Edinburgh.

[#FromTheCapital]

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If you like to watch football and enjoy it you are a football fan ..... simple.
.

And if you don't enjoy it then you're a hibs fan ;-)

[Keith_M]

I only started going to matches when I was 13 but had always considered myself a Hibs Supporter (nobody ever used the term 'fan').

I would have loved to have gone to games long before then but lived too far from ER to travel on my own... and had no money anyway. I was still a Hibby.

[Ronniekirk]

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What makes you a real or proper fan? Is it staying till the I al whistle in a cup final when your team is 5-1 down? Is it only the guys who go week in week out thru hard times and good? Or can be as simple as wearing the top on the high street??

Nae idea ,but Hibs are indelibly imprinted in my heart and soul .Even if not at a game I still listen out for score and derive pleasure when we score and win and am gutted when we lose . They have been a big part of my life and always will be .I would never turn my back on them and not go and watch them ,but equally I don't go week in week out .

[HibsNutter]

If you want anything to do with hibs after the crap we've had to put up with for years, then you're a real fan.

[LancashireHibby]

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I only started going to matches when I was 13 but had always considered myself a Hibs Supporter (nobody ever used the term 'fan').

I would have loved to have gone to games long before then but lived too far from ER to travel on my own... and had no money anyway. I was still a Hibby.

Same here. My first game wasn't until I was 16, and even then it was only at Preston under Williamson. Had watched the games on TV, bought the shirts etc long before then though.

Personally I'd say a proper fan is simply somebody who is emotionally invested in their team and goes to watch them whenever circumstances allow. I'm basically discounting the types who don't go "because it's too expensive"...and then watch their team's games in the pub and spend £40 behind the bar rather than getting off their backside and going to the game instead.

[lord bunberry]

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What about the fans who cannot afford to go all games? Your statement is flawed in that the fan who goes to as many games as he can afford to is as dedicated as anyone could hope to be.

I was talking about people who could go but don't

[happiehibbie]

Ok here goes ! From 2009 Up until October 2013 I went to ER one week tynecastle the next towards the 2012 I was helping behind the scene at Tynie I even ended up commentator on there TV Chanel I am a Hibs fan but I love watching football October last year I got a snidey remark from one of the commentary team I have not went back to Tynie since. I offered Hibs my labours but they choose someone else fair enough. Since October last year I got my passion back for Hibs and I am really looking forward to this year. Days that Hibs are not at home I now watch Spartans EOS. I am a Hibs Supporter but a football fan.

[Weir7]

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Ok here goes ! From 2009 Up until October 2013 I went to ER one week tynecastle the next towards the 2012 I was helping behind the scene at Tynie I even ended up commentator on there TV Chanel I am a Hibs fan but I love watching football October last year I got a snidey remark from one of the commentary team I have not went back to Tynie since. I offered Hibs my labours but they choose someone else fair enough. Since October last year I got my passion back for Hibs and I am really looking forward to this year. Days that Hibs are not at home I now watch Spartans EOS. I am a Hibs Supporter but a football fan.

Can't believe any hibby would go or work for that vermin

[snooky]

"Fan" is short for "fanatic".
That being the case, I suppose I'm no longer a bona fide 'fan'.
Seen the day though.

[happiehibbie]

Weir7 That's the difference between you and me then !

[NAE NOOKIE]

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What about the fans who cannot afford to go all games? Your statement is flawed in that the fan who goes to as many games as he can afford to is as dedicated as anyone could hope to be.

This for me too. In spite of my previous post, which I stand by, there is no doubt that there are fans out there who would love to go to games but just cant for economic or geographical reasons .... I wouldn't dream of questioning their dedication to the cause. Theres nothing worse than wanting to go but not being able to .... been there, done that.

[bandylegs_jLeighton]

If I were asked for a definition I would give the following:

Fan - someone that has an interest in a certain club. This interest can vary from having a small soft spot to be completely obsessed.

Supporter - someone who actively aids the club. The could be by buying tickets and merchandise, or voluntary work, or publicising, or simply shouting encouragement at games. Obviously the level of support offered depends on how big a fan they are, i.e. how interested they are in the club, but also depends on each persons personal circumstances. Do they have means to offer support in terms of money, time, location etc.

I would therefore say that a real fan is somebody that holds enough interest in their team to offer a level of support relative to their circumstances over a long period of time.

[wookie70]

I don't think there will ever be a definitive definition. I like football but over the years my interest in the sport has died off due to diving players, cheating and the way the big clubs have been given every advantage possible through seeding and TV deals etc. I hardly ever watch a game now unless it involves Hibs.

Watching Hibs though is the same as it has always been. The best way I can describe it is Hibs are a close family member. I have always loved them and always will. They are in the blood and have been passed down like genes through the family. If they are hurting so am I and if the club is happy so am I.

I have always wondered how fans who weren't born with a predetermined team through family or location got the bug and does it feel the same. I will never know as I was born a Hibby, thankfully, and had no choice in the matter.

It would be interesting to hear about Fans who have a second team, usually a local Juniors team or an English one. Does it feel the same when your second teams gets beat. Does it hurt as much. Are you a Fan of Hibs and a Supporter of your other team.

[Pretty Boy]

I don't think there's anything controversial in saying there are different level of supporters.

Is anyone really going to claim someone who has the time and money to go to games but never bothers unless it's a final or a derby is as good a supporter as the guys who run buses to every away game includong freezing January nights in Aberdeen, Inverness etc?

Or is the guy who 'still likes Hibs but I'm more a United fan now because Scottish football is a bit pish' the same as the guys on here to travel to games every week from Lancashire, Yorkshire, Aberdeen, Dundee...? Not in my book.

For me a 'proper' football fan is one who supports their team in the best way they can. That applies acrosd the board from Man City to East Stirling. I'm sure all of us know a guy in the pub who hasn't been near a football stadium since 1954 but pontificates on everything and anything to do with ehat's wrong with 'their team' or the game. They are the guys I really can't stand.

[emerald green]

It's hard to define a "real" or "proper" football fan.

One thing I'm in no doubt about though is that I simply detest glory hunters. Just think of the larger attendances Hibs, and other clubs throughout Scotland, could enjoy if the glory hunters supported their local clubs. It's very easy to "support" a team that is expected to win most weeks, and collect trophies every season.

[hail1875hail]

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Ok here goes ! From 2009 Up until October 2013 I went to ER one week tynecastle the next towards the 2012 I was helping behind the scene at Tynie I even ended up commentator on there TV Chanel I am a Hibs fan but I love watching football October last year I got a snidey remark from one of the commentary team I have not went back to Tynie since. I offered Hibs my labours but they choose someone else fair enough. Since October last year I got my passion back for Hibs and I am really looking forward to this year. Days that Hibs are not at home I now watch Spartans EOS. I am a Hibs Supporter but a football fan.

My grandpa always tells me stories of how he used to go to hibs games one week and hearts games the next with a group of his friends who were mixed supporters of the two teams as it wasnt that uncommon back then due to travel being more difficult, the rivalries not being as big with no segregation also and not having as much money to do so. Just so they could see a game every Saturday close by. He was a jobs supporter then and it didn't make him any less of one by going to tynie with his mates every fortnight rather than just staying at home or going to the pub instead of watching a game between two teams he didn't really care about.

[theonlywayisup]

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vermin

Hate the use of that word when describing a fellow football supporter. Just because they support a different team!

[cleanyman]

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A "real" football fan or supporter is a guy who either supports his local team or the one that runs in his family. I'm struggling to include those who's dad supported one of the old firm because that's such an easy option.

I know plenty people who go to games involving either one of the Glasgow clubs and even English teams. They tick all the boxes regarding what a real supporter should be...they buy shirts, attend games and invest their emotions...but it counts for nothing as far as I'm concerned.

They have almost certainly chosen that team because there is either glory, the potential for glory or some sort of bragging right attached to that choice.

If you support Hibs, Hearts or any team in Scotland and you have good reason then you are "real" in my opinion. It doesn't really matter if you attend games as that isn't always possible.
Invest anything in a "glory" team and you then become part of the reason why football is so skewed and top-heavy.

I'm a Hibs fan but a born and bred West coaster

Only Hibs fan in my family as well, actually the only football fan in my family.

Natural selection and all