Find it very strange that there seems to be a clique on here who regard themselves as the only true supporters & through their ignorant eyes think others don't qualify for such self appointed elite status, continually poking abuse at them

Support for a club can be for a multitude of reasons but each supporter has an equal right to air their views as any other. Surely the club needs all supporters however they themselves choose to express it.

So the next question is how do you define a supporter? Anyone?

Bonson&Hunt wrote: November 17th, 2022, 10:40 am how do you define a supporter?

To me, it's anyone who pays money to come and cheer on Newport County AFC.

It doesn't matter whether they've been doing it for sixty years or six minutes.
It doesn't matter whether they come once a season for a big cup game or are there home and away every week
It doesn't matter whether they're in there singing with the Amber Army or sat quietly at the back of the Bisley with a thermos and a bag of toffees.

We all have this one thing in common, all are welcome and all are equal.

EDIT: I dimly recalled writing a post before about 'plastics' and why it's arrant bollocks because ultimately everyone's money is worth the same. Found it here.

Also we can't all afford to go to 4 matches in 4 weeks. Money is very tight especially with prices for energy, fuel and food sky high.

Firstly I agree entirely with all the above.

I must have paid to watch Newport County over a thousand times since the mid 1960s, but I agree absolutely that anyone who supports County whether it be for 56 years or 56 minutes is a supporter and we are all equally so. This nonsense of those who endevour to make out that they can decide who is and who isn't a real supporter is really damaging. If we are to progress we need to welcome potential supporters. There are those who come maybe once or twice a season. In my case it's because I live abroad, in the case of others it's because they are not as fanatical/stupid. (delete as appropriate) For me the trick would be to encourage those who attend once or twice a season to attend three or four times, for those who attend four or five times a season to come along eight or nine times.

If you instead use terms like plastics or 'not real supporters in my book' then you run the risk of driving potential supporters away.

Stan, I also agree with all the above including your post.

Kairdiff Exile wrote:-

or sat quietly at the back of the Bisley with a thermos and a bag of toffees.

Trouble is the stewards now take the tops off our Thermos flasks. so it's cold before we drink it.

Never had that problem in the Hazells, if it helps!

Stan A. Einstein wrote: November 17th, 2022, 12:22 pm Firstly I agree entirely with all the above.

I must have paid to watch Newport County over a thousand times since the mid 1960s, but I agree absolutely that anyone who supports County whether it be for 56 years or 56 minutes is a supporter and we are all equally so. This nonsense of those who endevour to make out that they can decide who is and who isn't a real supporter is really damaging. If we are to progress we need to welcome potential supporters. There are those who come maybe once or twice a season. In my case it's because I live abroad, in the case of others it's because they are not as fanatical/stupid. (delete as appropriate) For me the trick would be to encourage those who attend once or twice a season to attend three or four times, for those who attend four or five times a season to come along eight or nine times.

If you instead use terms like plastics or 'not real supporters in my book' then you run the risk of driving potential supporters away.

As someone who is (quite rightly) a stickler for reading that which people have written, it's disappointing to see you using selective quotes in this way. What I actually wrote a couple of days ago was "if you turn up for your first match of the season & then say you can’t face going again then you're not a real supporter in my book".

I'll stand by that. Others will disagree, as is their right.

Some people like to be elitist. It's these people that possibly label those without a season ticket, or who go to the wrong part of the stadium, or attend things like "Meet the Manager" as not being real supporters. It's probably best not to let these things bother you. These are not "real people". They are plastic people, interested in image, how other perceive them and other general irrelevancies...

A few years ago,we loaned Touray to Barry.They were playing away to Cardiff Met over the Christmas,I went as a neutral ,mainly to see how Touray was getting on.As their Cyncoed campus is only a 15 minute drive for me,I went to watch them again,I have continued to watch them ever since but,only if we aren’t playing.I would call myself a semi fan and the stewards give me a nod and a smile as they recognise me as a occasional spectator.They have very small crowds made up of family and friends of the players,groundhoppers and,a small number of regular fans.They have a former Cardiff City fan who gave up on them some years ago,a Kev Ellison lookalike and a few others.Those few go to all home games and most of the away so,these guys are the loyal fans.I would hope the club appreciate the likes of me who go now and again but,I wouldn’t expect to be viewed as equal or as important as those guys.How could I be,they spend more on their replica shirt than I give the club in any season.Yes,my occasional entrance fee helps but,these guys are the lifeblood of the club so,how could I be as important as them.Imagine there were two seats on the team bus for a cup final,the Kev lookalike,the ex City fan and me.I wouldn’t expect to get the seat ahead of those guys and,I wouldn’t be offended if someone said that they were more important than me.I would still go next time there was a home game when we weren’t playing.

In my opinion we're not a big enough club to have plastic fans. If someone comes to RP to watch us play Man City or Spurs etc then I hope they get the bug but if not then they've contributed to the coffers. Plastic fans are the prawn sandwich eating day-trippers that United and Liverpool get who should be supporting their local clubs in my humble opinion.

Jonesy3 wrote: November 17th, 2022, 2:29 pm

Stan A. Einstein wrote: November 17th, 2022, 12:22 pm Firstly I agree entirely with all the above.

I must have paid to watch Newport County over a thousand times since the mid 1960s, but I agree absolutely that anyone who supports County whether it be for 56 years or 56 minutes is a supporter and we are all equally so. This nonsense of those who endevour to make out that they can decide who is and who isn't a real supporter is really damaging. If we are to progress we need to welcome potential supporters. There are those who come maybe once or twice a season. In my case it's because I live abroad, in the case of others it's because they are not as fanatical/stupid. (delete as appropriate) For me the trick would be to encourage those who attend once or twice a season to attend three or four times, for those who attend four or five times a season to come along eight or nine times.

If you instead use terms like plastics or 'not real supporters in my book' then you run the risk of driving potential supporters away.

As someone who is (quite rightly) a stickler for reading that which people have written, it's disappointing to see you using selective quotes in this way. What I actually wrote a couple of days ago was "if you turn up for your first match of the season & then say you can’t face going again then you're not a real supporter in my book".

I'll stand by that. Others will disagree, as is their right.

Looks like you're in a minority of 1.

Jonesy3 wrote: November 17th, 2022, 2:29 pm

Stan A. Einstein wrote: November 17th, 2022, 12:22 pm Firstly I agree entirely with all the above.

I must have paid to watch Newport County over a thousand times since the mid 1960s, but I agree absolutely that anyone who supports County whether it be for 56 years or 56 minutes is a supporter and we are all equally so. This nonsense of those who endevour to make out that they can decide who is and who isn't a real supporter is really damaging. If we are to progress we need to welcome potential supporters. There are those who come maybe once or twice a season. In my case it's because I live abroad, in the case of others it's because they are not as fanatical/stupid. (delete as appropriate) For me the trick would be to encourage those who attend once or twice a season to attend three or four times, for those who attend four or five times a season to come along eight or nine times.

If you instead use terms like plastics or 'not real supporters in my book' then you run the risk of driving potential supporters away.

As someone who is (quite rightly) a stickler for reading that which people have written, it's disappointing to see you using selective quotes in this way. What I actually wrote a couple of days ago was "if you turn up for your first match of the season & then say you can’t face going again then you're not a real supporter in my book".

I'll stand by that. Others will disagree, as is their right.

You can be as critical as you wish about what B&H said. Where I take issue with you is by thinking that someone who holds a different view to yourself is somehow not a real supporter. There's nothing selective in that which I quote.

To be clear. I think you're wrong. I think that you and others who argue that some people are not real supporters damages our club. However I wouldn't suggest that you are not a real supporter.

I’d say a plastic fan in the case of County would be the likes of those who literally said [when we started our first magical cup run] “I never knew County had reformed” and for bigger clubs those who have made no attempt to watch “their” club live - even in a friendly (Manchester or Leeds isn’t that far away and travel and tickets to a league cup game wouldn’t be a huge amount)

On my return trip from Northampton, the train was packed with Bristol Rovers supporters, mostly the worse for wear. The two sitting behind me got into a protracted discussion about the merits of Chelsea and Arsenal. Each describing 'his team' as 'We'. I'd call them Rovers fans and 'plastic' supporters of their chosen other team.