I occasionally visit this Forum and noticed that there was a dispute about who are the best supporters of their club. Some seem to think it is decided by how loud they sing. I do not agree and have produced my list of things that makes a fanatical supporter. Score one point for every question you agree with (except number 6 where you score two). If you score a total of 10 you are in my opinion a top supporter. I scored 5 out of 10.


1. I go to almost every home game

2. I go to almost every away gave

3. I go occasionally to reserve or youth games

4. To help the club, I always buy a progamme and/or prize draw tickets

5. I am member of either the supporters club or trust

6. I help the club by selling programmes, working on the entrances, pie shop etc (score two points here)

7. When my team scores, if on the terracing I jump up and down, and if in the stand, I jump up and pump my hand up and down

8. I shout in support of the team more than 10 times a game

9. I sing in support of the club


Do you think this is a reasonable method and how would the so-called supporters in this forum score?

we are not allowed to make a noise at the rock

Anyone who follows their team week in, week out through the good and the bad is a real supporter. We dont need a quiz to determine if we are better than the rest of our support.

Such a stupid thread.

I agree with that, and by the way if its so offensive we are the most vocal support rather than the best but going on merit, lets say when Uefa are handing out European fans of year awards they dont give it to the quietest supporters do they? So instead of us being the best fans and other people taking it as we are saying that they are not fans or dont support their team, all we are saying is that on merit of fans awards at higher levels and such like we would have more of a chance as we are more vocal and the players always know we are right behind them.

More vocal or more pissed?

None are relevant. The only one that comes close is number one and that should be rehashed to read - "I go to every home game that i possibly can if there are no work/family commitments. Or "I would but i live abroad/miles way now".

I think everyone who uses this forum, regardless of how stupid they may come across, is a genuine supporter of their club.

Unfortunately, some people in here let their fellow supporters down with their actions...

Pish thread. Anyone that goes home and away is a true fan. Whether people sing or shout is irrelavant as everyone is different. As long as you are there for your team when the going gets tough then you are a true fan!!

Oh and tattoos should score extra points

I hope your tattoo's are a tad nicer than this lad's.




Leeds United and England badges on his forehead.

what a f*ckin muppet

Being a good supporter is all about following the team regardless of past performance or current form.

I remember going to Forthbank on the last day of the season to win promotion to Div1, but I also remember going to Stenny and getting horsed 5-0, or standing with 180 folk on a mid-week night in December at Boghead watching us lose and thinking "why do i bother". Then going straight back the following Saturday.

For me, all the bad times are completely overshadowed by that one good day. The last minute winner, promotion, cup runs etc etc.

I once got a night bus from Portsmouth on a friday. Travelled overnight and arrived in Glasgow at 7am. Train to Balloch, shower, breakfast and went to our promotion game against Queens Park. Had a few pints in the Stags then back to Buchanan Bus Station for the 12hr coach back to Pompey. I had work monday morning!!

Was 90mins of football worth a sleepless 24hr+ journey? Abso-fckin-lutely I maybe attended 3 or 4 games that season but I lived 400miles away! Think that makes me a real supporter?

Like C'way the Mo said previously, its about supporting the club as often as possible given your work/family commitments.

On the whole East Stirlingshire fans are the best, to still go to all the games after years of finishing bottom and having nothing to chirp about, world class guys. True fans follow through the very lean times, thats when they show their quality. It goes without saying you go along when you can afford the time and money and your songs should be to support your team, none of the religious dross that shames your club.

5 crammed in a Clio for a midweek cup tie away to Elgin - lost 2-0.

After that how anyone can doubt your dedication to the cause is beyond me.

If only we sang the same three songs over and over and had foam fingers....

My back still hurts.

There are only a few of them that are actual fans though, many of them just go because its the Shire and they are mad. Cowden had a worse record in the past, im sure it was 2 whole seasons without winning a home game. Although i am too young to remember this the fans that stuck it out and still go home and away should be commended. As far as i am concerned if you follow your local team home and away you are a true fan

What about the ones who feel the team is pish and is considering playing football instead?

im one of the "real fans" that can go play saturday footy but choose to play in the sunday league whilst watching the cowden week in week out. Sometimes I wonder why I do it but like someone said earlier it only takes that one great day and your hooked for loads of games to come. (sat being an instance where it was a great day)

I would stick in mate, ur team will get better. Dont pack it in yet

Bollocks! Shire fans are the best because their team have been shit?! There would be fans at other clubs who would stick by their clubs in a similar situation, its just that they havent been in that situation.

I actually concur with that statement.

Spot on as every team has a hardcore support who will continue to support their team through thick and thin. The rest of us have just been fortunate not to of been in the position East Stirling have been in.

But Berwick will have this situation this year

Nah a dono Elgin are a poor team aswell so its an out and out battle between the 2 to be in the bottom spot this year i think,

I don`t think its vital that you go through a check list to see if your a `real supporter` - all you have to do is follow your team in whatever fashion suits you. And no, you don`t have to sing, dance and be insane to be a supporter but some find this makes it a better experience for them. At 3rd division level I certainly wouldn`t slag anyone off for not doing this or that - just being at the game is bucking the `glory hunter` trend. In the last 6 years the Shire support have experienced a lot hard times and I believe the current exuberance is a sort of delayed reaction to our recent release from total crapness. Perhaps we will become an ordinary `middle of the table` club in a while and the current `high spirits` will fade to more `ordinary` fan behavior - time will tell!

Here's my check list to find if you're a true supporter,

1/ Does it feel fantastic when your team wins, (regardless if you managed the game or not)

2/ Does it f**k up your weekend if your team gets a doin, (regardless if you managed the game or not)

The way you're going just now, Gull, you'll have loads of glory hunters turning up soon!!
You might indeed have a point about the high spirits fading, but it would be a real shame not to see your band of, ahem, singers, just going though the motions. I mean, can you actually imagine Mad Bill quietly chanting along, and becoming known as something like "Singalong Bill" or "Bill the Chorister"? Thankfully, guys like him they break the mould when they make them, and he'll be the way he is till they lower him six feet under!!

Yes, some people won`t change! As for the glory hunters we will see - 1 good run doesn`t make a season (as we demonstrated last season) and I`ll only believe we might have some fans like this if we finish in the top half of the table (otherwise there wouldn`t be any glory!).

a seen mad bill doon at annan and up at stenny and he is nuts,
but in a good way... after he got kicked oot... we could still see his
green placcy bag bouncin up and doon at the other side of the ground..
'they dae make them like they used too' do they

NO.
It's a percentage kind of thing, only the diehard, true, loyal fans were still going to east Stirlinshire games, that's what makes them on the whole best. All clubs have a genuine hard core of top class fans but there is always some fair weather fans but there are almost none at East Stirlingshire due to their dire record over a number of years. All clubs attract more fans when they are winning but they are not of the quality of the fans that will follow even during dire times. You should be able to see it at Berwick, as you have slipped downward the percentage of quality fans rises as the numbers decrease, the hard core support is always quality at any club and that's all East Stirlingshire was left with which supports my view. At Berwick you have had a number of fans coming on here moaning about your club and some of them don't even go to your games now (if they ever did), they are not of the calibre of the East Stirlinshire fans.

You again talk shite! People don't rise in quality as their team gets shite! And you have got a clue about the Berwick situation.

It's almsot like saying 'oh that person's a spazstick, it must mean he is a better person than a non-spazstick'

Eh?

Did you read my post?
The general quality of the fans rises because the fair weather duffers stop going.

Im sure he did but your point is complete nonesense.

How can you compare the 'quality' of any given supporter based on the football teams performance against anothers?

I kind of see where your coming from, just dont agree!

Yes, although you rarely read anyone elses. Shires attendences were sub-200 most of the time (take away travelling support). Who's to say that would be any better than any other club if they found themselves in a similar situation?

I'm sure there are people who go to the Shire games for the kudos of being a Shire fan, how many times have they been praised on here and in the media for their undying support.
The worst team in Brittan and a book of the dire season attracted a sponsor and I'm sure some fans.

What you say is a possibility and the one thing that our descent to incredible lows did was attract attention to the club and its fans and this may have been useful in recent times. Personally I would rather our fall into total rubbishness had never happened but it did whether we wanted it to or not. As I have speculated this might all work itself out over a few years if we can stay away from the bottom end of the table for a while and some sort of normality will resume (which was suspended from the 2002/03 season onwards). I don`t think our supporters deserve praise just for supporting their club - you have to expect that from any club`s support. I do think that they have helped the club through times that were unusually bad though - seasons like 2002/03 and 2003/04 (the 8 point season) are thankfully very unlikely to be experienced by any other fans of a league club - and if others want to praise them for that then I think its fair enough.

Nonsense. Yes there are 'diehard' Shire fans, there always has and always will be. But the support they have just now is probably triple if not more than what they used to get. A lot of the Shire fans that go now, just went, or go, for the sheer novelty of going to see the worst team in Britain. Fair enough if they got into it from then on and became one the members of the church of Mad Bill, but the club will always have the stigma of being the diddiest diddy team (unless they have a couple of storming seasons and get some more media coverage from it).

As said previously, if your spending your money going up and down the country to watch your team, come rain or shine, thick or thin, then your a true fan. If you can watch your team get pumped then go back the next week then your a 'real' fan.

Ive never been able to fathom out why fans who go to home AND away games are any more TRUE fans than the ones who only go to home games
I get the jist from some of the posts that its generally younger fans who seem to think this,ie.guys who may have fewer commitments
I class myself as a TRUE fan but due to work/home commitments only get to home games
I also spend money in the wee bar,buy 50 50 tickets,play fives at our pitches,give up my own time to help the club,
go to hospitality,buy goldline tickets and am as vocal as the next man when watching us play
All things that create income for the club I love.
So does that make me less of a TRUE fan than the guys who go to away games.

In a word, no. I agree with what your saying. When I lived down south I obviously couldnt make many games, but every Saturday was spent glued to sky sports waiting for goal updates from our games. The whole weekend was based around whether Dumbarton won or lost. Most weekends were crap

Obviously family and work commitments have to come first and I certainly wouldnt discredit supporters based on how many games they attended over a given period.

Not neccessarily. I'm sure many supporters have missed family occasions or dogged off work to go to a game

And how execatly would that make someone more of a supporter than someone who hasn't skipped work to go to a game?

For example, if I worked Saturdays but decided to go to Dingwall this week and pull a sickie, but you also worked Saturdays and went to your work, would that mean that I'm more of a Dumbarton fan than you?

I bet there are loads of people who go for jobs which don't involve working on Saturdays because of the football, and loads of people who lay down the law with their family that they will always go to the footy on a Saturday. Depends how much it means to you.

Yes I appreciate that BM, I'm a season ticket holder and made it quite clear a long time ago to my fiancee and my boss that Saturday's were mine, but, that doesn't mean to say that I'm any more of a "real" supporter than someone who works saturdays or spends time with their family. Some folk have no choice but to work Saturdays, they shouldn't be branded fairweather fans as a result.

Being a "true supporter" is a state of mind, as well as actions, IE how much the club means to you personally regardless of whether you're at the game or not. Obviously the vast majority of supporters of clubs at our level will attend games, perhaps not all games mind you as finances, lifestyle, circumstances vary, but fans who don't go to as many games as others shouldn't be stigmatised for it, particularly not at division 3 level as I'm sure all clubs at this level would agree that turning away fans, or making them feel uncomfortable and thus less likely to go to games, would be a bad idea.