Just who is better off?

There has been a fair bit of chatter this season regarding the increased crowds, especially at home and the question of would they start to drift off from attending if results took a downward turn.

Some people have perhaps slightly resented these ‘new fans’ as they see them as jumping on the bandwagon of positivity from the takeover, but were nowhere to be seen, even remotely close to Blundell Park during the barren latter years in the football league and then the National League and I ask, who is in the better position here as a ‘fan’

The takeover and subsequent removal of Me Fenton poisoned a fair few pistols to attend at the beginning of the season and, in my opinion, we’re carried on a wave of optimism following early season victories, atmosphere and match day experience… regularly seeing whole families together to watch the Mariners, which was fantastic to see, and that experience and winning environment brought them back game after game, to the point where, for the first time in 34-years of supporting Town, tickets in the days running up to a league have been very hard to come by. I don’t think I can ever remember a time where we couldn’t walk the ticket office and 14:45 on a match day and not be able to purchase a seat. I worry these fans will not be so keen to shell out for tickets to see us lose/draw regularly and we will be down to the remaining hardcore of fans who are there through thick and thin, to their detriment sometimes even.

Hopefully, enough of them have been bitten by the bug anyway and are hooked in already to resist the temptation to walk away.

I’m not for a second here downplaying the ‘casual fan’ here or suggesting they are more at fault than those that who go home and away most weeks, each fan is important as the next…

Who is in the in the better position here? This casual fan who can walk away quite comfortably without giving it too much though and return at some point in the future, be that months or year down the line, but doesn’t perhaps get to experience the beautiful thrilling ups and downs of being a match-going fan week in week out.

Or the die-hard, who is there week in week out, rain or shine, good form or bad paying their money and backing the team on a match day, but who cannot possibly walk away and are in a weird sort of way imprisoned to following their team regardless of the financial, emotional, even physical toll it, regardless of team performances, personnel changes or the internal goings-on in the dugout, boardroom, offices or occasionally the pontoon stand pitch-side, arguing with fans who dared to question poor performances of a certain previous joint-manager.

So, who has the better deal here? Be interested to know your thoughts.

Firstly has anyone "resented" these so called new fans.

Secondly you are describing fans of just about every club there is. If a team is winning attendances will be bigger, if the team is losing attendances will fall.

Maybe some of these "Resented" fans had good reason not to attend for the last few seasons, from my own experience i had a season ticket for over 20 years was there week in week out and got to as many away games as i could but the way we just imploded and went down the leagues for me was too much, it was ruining my weekends, my relationship and even my mental health was suffering so i had to stop going things really did get that bad. I have always been a one team man and still supported the team but only from a distance. Then the takeover happened and i had renewed optimism so ventured back, living out of town and working away means i cant get to every game but i will always be black n white even if resented by the new generation of town fan

I can’t say I understand what you’ve posted to be honest.

Good question Mighty. Not really sure of an answer. The casual fan (who hasn’t yet caught the bug/illness fully) who can walk away maybe isn’t so wounded when things don’t go well. But then they probably don’t get the same relief/joy when things do go well.

Also as Simon wrote, there’s only so much a person can put up with before the tank is empty and choices have to be made.

Anyone who suggests that they haven’t had second thoughts about renewing season tickets over the past few years is, frankly lying.

What’s happened this season is a big ramping up of expectations. Hurst gets uncomfortable with that as he clearly said in 2016 but it’s part of the territory at any club operating at ‘levels’ below what they expect. Sunderland and Portsmouth being good examples.

What happens on the pitch will always be the primary factor in our house. It’s the hope that kills you.

Over the years I can't count the number of times I've said  "That's your lot " but I turn up as usual at the next match under the pretence that I've paid for my season ticket so I might as well go ( telling myself that that is the only reason )  Last week I was isolating and sat there with DAB radio, FN radio and TV tuned to Freeview waiting to see which frequency will feature Town's game panicking in case I couldn't listen.   I sit through nearly 2 hours of utter shite unable to turn off in case  I miss a goal (knowing full well we wont score)  At the end I decide "That's your lot"      I've forgotten what the question was but I know it's a lot harder being a TRUE fan than a CASUAL one.

TBH I wish I could be more fickle.  Then again I wish I could care more about money and have invested it more wisely when I were younger (sometimes) but then I wouldn't be me.  I'm proud to be a Mariners fan and most real fans from other clubs nod their approval when I say who I support.  I do get respect for it but it seems to be getting harder to hold my head up high when I'm asked who I support.

Quoted from Mighty_Mariner

There has been a fair bit of chatter this season regarding the increased crowds, especially at home and the question of would they start to drift off from attending if results took a downward turn.

Some people have perhaps slightly resented these ‘new fans’ as they see them as jumping on the bandwagon of positivity from the takeover, but were nowhere to be seen, even remotely close to Blundell Park during the barren latter years in the football league and then the National League and I ask, who is in the better position here as a ‘fan’

The takeover and subsequent removal of Me Fenton poisoned a fair few pistols to attend at the beginning of the season and, in my opinion, we’re carried on a wave of optimism following early season victories, atmosphere and match day experience… regularly seeing whole families together to watch the Mariners, which was fantastic to see, and that experience and winning environment brought them back game after game, to the point where, for the first time in 34-years of supporting Town, tickets in the days running up to a league have been very hard to come by. I don’t think I can ever remember a time where we couldn’t walk the ticket office and 14:45 on a match day and not be able to purchase a seat. I worry these fans will not be so keen to shell out for tickets to see us lose/draw regularly and we will be down to the remaining hardcore of fans who are there through thick and thin, to their detriment sometimes even.

Hopefully, enough of them have been bitten by the bug anyway and are hooked in already to resist the temptation to walk away.

I’m not for a second here downplaying the ‘casual fan’ here or suggesting they are more at fault than those that who go home and away most weeks, each fan is important as the next…

Who is in the in the better position here? This casual fan who can walk away quite comfortably without giving it too much though and return at some point in the future, be that months or year down the line, but doesn’t perhaps get to experience the beautiful thrilling ups and downs of being a match-going fan week in week out.

Or the die-hard, who is there week in week out, rain or shine, good form or bad paying their money and backing the team on a match day, but who cannot possibly walk away and are in a weird sort of way imprisoned to following their team regardless of the financial, emotional, even physical toll it, regardless of team performances, personnel changes or the internal goings-on in the dugout, boardroom, offices or occasionally the pontoon stand pitch-side, arguing with fans who dared to question poor performances of a certain previous joint-manager.

So, who has the better deal here? Be interested to know your thoughts.

What on earth are you talking about?

I’ve no idea ??

Quoted from arryarryarry

Firstly has anyone "resented" these so called new fans.

Secondly you are describing fans of just about every club there is. If a team is winning attendances will be bigger, if the team is losing attendances will fall.

Resented was a poor choice of word to use, I accept that. And you’re right, this isn’t exclusive to GTFC at all.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Anyone who suggests that they haven’t had second thoughts about renewing season tickets over the past few years is, frankly lying.

What’s happened this season is a big ramping up of expectations. Hurst gets uncomfortable with that as he clearly said in 2016 but it’s part of the territory at any club operating at ‘levels’ below what they expect. Sunderland and Portsmouth being good examples.

What happens on the pitch will always be the primary factor in our house. It’s the hope that kills you.

Well I must be a bigger liar than Tom Pepper because I have not questioned my decision to get a ST for even a nanosecond. Even if The Leech had still been running the club I would  have got one. Deride me as much as you like but this is my club, the only club I support (none of this pseudo second Premiersh*t club bollox either). I am 73 and seen a lot of rough and smooth supporting GTFC but they are my club and I will continue to attend BP until I am physically unable.

Quoted from barralad

There are literally hundreds of Town fans for whom not buying a S/T is unthinkable. We have fans who have bought season tickets for years without coming to any games. I'd be lying if I said there weren't times when I have backed out of getting on a bus to go to a night game at Yeovil.
You are probably partly right but lighten up a bit eh?

I thought it was a decent topic and dilemma to ponder to be honest, is it better to be that invested (time, money, emotion) as someone who's gone through the mill or the casual fan who has a fleeting interest but will come when times are good?

As someone in the former category, there are moments and emotional ties that you just can't replicate in an instant.  It isn't about how many games you saw or how many miles you travelled, but for those fans who had felt every painful inch of the decline since the early 2000's, that moment when Nathan Arnold made it 3-1 on that glorious day in 2016 will have meant so much more than to someone who occasionally glanced over the Saturday scores and thought 'Oh, Town are still excrement I see', even if they were sat next to each other their view on it would have been completely different.

But was it really worth it?  Was it worth feeling in a excrement mood for so many Saturday evenings for that single moment of joy?  I dread to think of the time and money I've spent on this football club, the sacrifices I've made and given up simply doing other stuff that I get more enjoyment out of.

8 defeats out of 9. 9 defeats out of 10. 10 out of 11. 11 out of.... regardless of the form or the division we're in, I'll always be there (be it in mind or person), but I can't deny that I don't enviously glance at those who are able to not really give a excrement.   My love of the so called beautiful game is dwindling at a rapid pace.  I can't remember the last time I watched a full domestic game live on TV (Town in the FA Cup earlier this season aside), most definitely can't remember the last time I was looking forward to a TV game as a neutral.  

Since football shut down in March 2020 I've discovered that there's other things that give me greater enjoyment, or should I say it's hammered home what I really knew anyway - that Saturday afternoons can be spent much better than watching sub-standard football. I've got to admit I actually started to enjoy the freedom that came with not having my Saturday dominated by the football.  The beginning of this season gave me some fleeting hope and I started to enjoy going to BP again.  But with the turn in form and results, I can't say I was particularly disappointed that tonight's game was called off.

I had other commitments for the Chesterfield game so didn't make it (previously something that would be unheard of for me to even consider), which meant my last game was Southend on 19th November.  Can't say I've really missed it to be honest...

No idea what this is about???????