THE PLASTICS

For many years, from the ages of about 9 years old through until I was 17, I attended the games through thick and thin. During the likes of the Mike Lyons era when things were really dysmal, yet despite this I turned up every week. I used to say the same thing about fans only coming for the big fixtures etc, part time supporters. This was because I didn’t appreciate the complexities of a fan base. That said, I left Gy over 25 years ago and don’t get there half as much as I would love too. It still hurts just as much watching iFollow or Skysports news or the radio or whatever other means I can lay my hands on (Twitter, Telegraph etc etc)

You have to take a look at this Club on the whole and this includes all the different types of supporters. There are Season Ticket holders, regulars, fans that work most Saturdays, fans that are out of work and can’t afford it, fans that are in the Armed Forces and fans that are Exiles (whether in the UK or overseas). Some of these fans are unable to make it week in week out due to their circumstances but still have Black and White running though their veins.

The truth is that all these fans make a contribution to this Club one way or another, some big and some small but ALL of them contribute towards this Club and it’s success. The Fanbase is much bigger than JUST those that are there on a Saturday. We also have to bear in mind that it is an entertainment business so people will try that much harder to Travel, book a days holiday to attend some of the more attractive fixtures (this is just human nature).

One pleasing thing from all this is that the fans aren’t all kicking off when the team are defeated, more looking for another scapegoat.

Everyone has a part to play, wherever that is from.

This team is on the up, We’re all Town aren’t we??!! UTM

You have me baffled here. You slag off some fans with your title but then defend them in the thread. On a guilt trip?

And you've titled the thread 'THE PLASTICS' (in capitals). ???

Thought this was going to be a verbal assault on the multitude of fans who left their seats when Macclesfield scored their second goal which I found very disappointing.

To be fair the majority returned second half & got behind the team but personally thought the numbers that left their seats in the first half sent a very poor message out to the players. In reality the players need the support at these moments more than when we are 2-0 up so IMO not only the team failed to perform yesterday.

Quoted from realist

You have me baffled here. You slag off some fans with your title but then defend them in the thread. On a guilt trip?

Not at all!! Lost in translation. It seems to be the theme across Social Media at the moment about why we didn’t have 5,500 fans at BP on Saturday and those being called Part Time Supporters or Plastic fans. It was more of a reference to what people were intimating.

Quoted from chaos33

And you've titled the thread 'THE PLASTICS' (in capitals). ???

Maybe a bad choice of title I guess.

It’s frustrating that certain fans don’t get it!! That the revenue streams come from all over the country and world and across more than just the ST Sales (Granted, I would imagine that ST are the lions share of the revenue).

The most important person in the ground is the newcomer at his or her first game, or first game for a long time.

I bet that Lucy Worsley wasn't there yesterday. Flipping glory-hunting part-timer.  

Quoted from 1542

For many years, from the ages of about 9 years old through until I was 17, I attended the games through thick and thin. During the likes of the Mike Lyons era when things were really dysmal, yet despite this I turned up every week. I used to say the same thing about fans only coming for the big fixtures etc, part time supporters. This was because I didn’t appreciate the complexities of a fan base. That said, I left Gy over 25 years ago and don’t get there half as much as I would love too. It still hurts just as much watching iFollow or Skysports news or the radio or whatever other means I can lay my hands on (Twitter, Telegraph etc etc)

You have to take a look at this Club on the whole and this includes all the different types of supporters. There are Season Ticket holders, regulars, fans that work most Saturdays, fans that are out of work and can’t afford it, fans that are in the Armed Forces and fans that are Exiles (whether in the UK or overseas). Some of these fans are unable to make it week in week out due to their circumstances but still have Black and White running though their veins.

The truth is that all these fans make a contribution to this Club one way or another, some big and some small but ALL of them contribute towards this Club and it’s success. The Fanbase is much bigger than JUST those that are there on a Saturday. We also have to bear in mind that it is an entertainment business so people will try that much harder to Travel, book a days holiday to attend some of the more attractive fixtures (this is just human nature).

One pleasing thing from all this is that the fans aren’t all kicking off when the team are defeated, more looking for another scapegoat.

Everyone has a part to play, wherever that is from.

This team is on the up, We’re all Town aren’t we??!! UTM

I agree that all Town fans, part time, "plastic", exiles all have a part to play. However I  have been going for nigh on 60 years through thin and thin, and I think a certain amount of perspective is required.

People will naturally gravitate towards success, and success has not come our way for a long time.

People also want a good day out, in a stadium fit for purpose and need to have a sense that we are trying to achieve something and that it is something they can buy into.

A lot of the ingredients for having better regular crowds are missing, and until some of the fundamentals change it will always be thus.

Until Mr. Fenty or AN Other can show the PUBLIC of the area that they mean business then attendances will be average at best.

I like the progress Jolley is trying to make, and wish him well, but the club itself doesn't seem to show any of the necessary qualities to get the public enthused which is a great shame.    

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

I agree that all Town fans, part time, "plastic", exiles all have a part to play. However I  have been going for nigh on 60 years through thin and thin, and I think a certain amount of perspective is required.

People will naturally gravitate towards success, and success has not come our way for a long time.

People also want a good day out, in a stadium fit for purpose and need to have a sense that we are trying to achieve something and that it is something they can buy into.

A lot of the ingredients for having better regular crowds are missing, and until some of the fundamentals change it will always be thus.

Until Mr. Fenty or AN Other can show the PUBLIC of the area that they mean business then attendances will be average at best.

I like the progress Jolley is trying to make, and wish him well, but the club itself doesn't seem to show any of the necessary qualities to get the public enthused which is a great shame.    

Spot on IMHO. It's a while ago but, I recall that once Huddersfield got planning permission for their new ground for the last two seasons at Leeds Road they offered cut-price season tickets, doubled their crowds and then saw them increase again once in their new home - they created exactly what you have said above. They've never really looked back since. Before that, one would have said they were a similar sized club to Town!

Huddersfield are a lot bigger club and have been for a long time . -take in the catchment area etc==not a very good comparison

Quoted from golfer

Huddersfield are a lot bigger club and have been for a long time . -take in the catchment area etc==not a very good comparison

Clearly, they are now and they have a splendid history. But in the mid 70s you couldn't really tell, they were getting 4k gates in Div 3 and 4. What if they hadn't moved from Leeds Road - still in a decaying "victorian" stadium totally unsuited for adaption to all-seater, booted out the league for 6 years and still no prospect of a new stadium...?

The John Smiths was built in an open area not in the centre of a dump- a lot of our problems lie with the "best council nomination" council so it's no good the USUAL people knocking JSF at every opportunity

Odd thread by the title of plastics..
No different to any other club.

Town support is pretty good really we could easily do a Barnsley. 10 -12000 at home and a big away end to capitalise on large away support.

The best way to increase support is a) bring a friend or family member who doesn't normally come, b) rather than slagging occasional supporters off for being plastics chat to them and try and make them welcome. Football support is a tribal thing and someone is more likely to come back as much for the rapport they feel with the people around them than for the results on the pitch.

Quoted from Limerick Mariner

Spot on IMHO. It's a while ago but, I recall that once Huddersfield got planning permission for their new ground for the last two seasons at Leeds Road they offered cut-price season tickets, doubled their crowds and then saw them increase again once in their new home - they created exactly what you have said above. They've never really looked back since. Before that, one would have said they were a similar sized club to Town!

Huddersfield are spending their 25th season at what is now called the John Smith's Stadium. Their first season there they were promoted from what is now League One to the Championship. Overall they have had:-

2 seasons in the Premier League
11 seasons in the Championship
11 season in League One
1 season in League Two

In 74 (completed) league seasons at Leeds Road they were only out of the top 2 divisions for 16 of those seasons. 11 season in the old old Division Three & 5 seasons in the old old Division Four. The remaining 57 seasons were split 30-27 in favour of top flight football.

Huddersfield aren't a great example of a new stadium having a clear impact on a football club.

Quoted from Yoda

Town support is pretty good really we could easily do a Barnsley. 10 -12000 at home and a big away end to capitalise on large away support.

Clubs that have done a new stadium right (Scunny are an exception), or impressively refurbished their existing one, have, with a bit on field success seen a return of support to a level not seen since the 60s - Hull, Rotherham, Donny and Barnsley. All of those experienced terrible attendances in their old or unrefurbed grounds in the last 30 years. In the mid to late 60s Town's gates were falling rapidly as the team were dropping down the leagues but looking in the History of GTFC at the early 60's, an average of 10-12k at Championship level would look achievable. OK the town is relatively less prosperous and the population is older and falling, but to counter that away support levels will be higher. At League 1 level - a 7-8k average should be the target, similar to 1964/5 when we finished 10th in Div 3. However, in those days there would have been good levels of support from the rural county areas, as I said on the Takeover thread, we cannot fall too far behind Lincoln otherwise there will be a permanent shift - they will be the big club in Lincs...

Quoted from GollyGTFC

Huddersfield are spending their 25th season at what is now called the John Smith's Stadium. Their first season there they were promoted from what is now League One to the Championship. Overall they have had:-

2 seasons in the Premier League
11 seasons in the Championship
11 season in League One
1 season in League Two

In 74 (completed) league seasons at Leeds Road they were only out of the top 2 divisions for 16 of those seasons. 11 season in the old old Division Three & 5 seasons in the old old Division Four. The remaining 57 seasons were split 30-27 in favour of top flight football.

Huddersfield aren't a great example of a new stadium having a clear impact on a football club.

Thanks for the research, but don't agree with your conclusion. The key question is where would they be if they hadn't got a new stadium. One could equally argue the new stadium has helped maintain their historic status within the football hierarchy. Leeds Road was a bigger version of Blundell Park -  a very large proportion of the capacity was terracing. The away end was a crumbling terrace similar to Bloomfield Road. How it would have converted to all-seater - with difficulty and probably... with a huge % cut in capacity - like Blundell Park.

Quoted from Lincoln Mariner 56

Thought this was going to be a verbal assault on the multitude of fans who left their seats when Macclesfield scored their second goal which I found very disappointing.

To be fair the majority returned second half & got behind the team but personally thought the numbers that left their seats in the first half sent a very poor message out to the players. In reality the players need the support at these moments more than when we are 2-0 up so IMO not only the team failed to perform yesterday.

In my defence i always go down to the catering on 33 mins to avoid the queues....whilst stood there yesterday Mitch gave the 2nd goal away.
I imagine quite a few in the Upper Smiths do similar as they can glimpse the game on the monitors downstairs whilst also trying to avoid the ridiculous queues that build up.

Quoted from moosey_club

In my defence i always go down to the catering on 33 mins to avoid the queues....whilst stood there yesterday Mitch gave the 2nd goal away.
I imagine quite a few in the Upper Smiths do similar as they can glimpse the game on the monitors downstairs whilst also trying to avoid the ridiculous queues that build up.

I fully agree that the only way you can get “refreshments” at BP is to miss a proportion of the game. As you t looks like we are staying for a while there has to be a better way.

Re the OP I fail to see how you can “contribute” if you never go to games or buy the odd bit of tat fro the shop.

The away fans coming to BP over the years has always been in the bottom 3 of what ever league we are in unless the away team has a chance or is in the promotion spots.

Then you have to look at the ambition of the board, and how that reflects on the team and football on offer. We do quite well considering the Fenty football fortune we have had since he has been either in the hot seat or major share holder.

Huddersfield have obviously done worse since they moved to their new stadium. They've not won the League Championship once since then. They won it 3 years in a row when playing at Leeds Road!

Quoted from Maringer

Huddersfield have obviously done worse since they moved to their new stadium. They've not won the League Championship once since then. They won it 3 years in a row when playing at Leeds Road!

Hah hah! Lies, damned lies and statistics eh?!

[for the avoidance of doubt, yes I know Huddersfield did win the League 3 seasons in a row]

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Hah hah! Lies, damned lies and statistics eh?!

[for the avoidance of doubt, yes I know Huddersfield did win the League 3 seasons in a row]

But Leeds Road was a new stadium - only 15 years old when they started their 3 year run...

Hadn't appreciated that HTFC are Johnny Come Latelys - founded in 1908! Thirty years after Town. Also looking at the attendances for fixtures between the clubs in the 30's - they aren't a bigger club at all!

HTFC are the only club to have played in every division at two different grounds...get a new stadium and Town could be the second club - that is your objective JF...

Quoted from Limerick Mariner

But Leeds Road was a new stadium - only 15 years old when they started their 3 year run...

Hadn't appreciated that HTFC are Johnny Come Latelys - founded in 1908! Thirty years after Town. Also looking at the attendances for fixtures between the clubs in the 30's - they aren't a bigger club at all!

HTFC are the only club to have played in every division at two different grounds...get a new stadium and Town could be the second club - that is your objective JF...

See that's why I love history. The deeper you dig, the more you find.  

Most of the big city clubs were Johnnie Come-Latelys. In many of them the senior 'football' clubs were of the Rugby variety (League or Union). The Football League bent over backwards to get 'soccer' clubs from the cities into the League.