On another thread

[navypie]

I inherited my love for Notts from my dad and nothing gives me greater pride than seeing my lad with his Notts shirt on down Meadow Lane . I would hate to support one of the 'big teams'. Can you imagine being a Celtic supporter ! I remember being in a bar in Spain and they were playing Mothercare or someone like that. Every time Celtic scored ( I could have told them they would win before a ball was kicked ) they all started hugging and kissing ( yuk) each other , one of them even grabbed hold of me ! To get him of me I had to tell him I used to be in the Navy, works every time.

[countygump]

No family ties, in my case it was support for the underdog, and a bit of ****age rebellion where I didn't just follow the crowd.

Exactly my reason as well Eli. Supporting the underdog is just something I've always done, that takes a smidgen of character. Following Man U or Man C or whoever, when you're pretty much guaranteed a certain level of success is for wimps and peeps who wear the shirt but never attn the games.

[LaxtonLad]

Yeah, but why would that be? is it because you like the underdog, or you think that Forest are too "glossy," or that County are a proper Football team as against Forest, or because of your history, or because you think it's your turn for a place in the sun, or because you like your ground or your fellow supporters, or because your father always supported County?

What do you think is the big reason someone would choose to support County instead of Forest?

It's me dad's fault, and me grandson blames me.

[Airborn Pie]

I'm third gen, my daughter fourth.

I went to school with a rucksack that had the players names painted on it in their relevent positions, back in the day when, barring injuries, the starting eleven could be unchanged for two or three seasons.

[LaxtonLad]

It’s like falling in love - there’s a chemistry, sparks fly, etc. When I was 10 and first started going to games, I had a season when I would go to some Notts games and some Forest ones. Even though that season was 1977-78 (which I believe has some historical importance to those on the other side of the Trent), it was obvious to me that I was going to be a Notts fan. I preferred the atmosphere at Meadow Lane, I loved the smells (cigarettes, alcohol and lotion) and I just felt comfortable there, at home. Many years of frustration and disappointment may have followed, but never regret.

Don't forget the smell of old, damp overcoats and shapeless flat 'ats.

[ncfcog]

My first game at Notts was a County Cup final v Florist circa ‘74. Was taken by my red dog uncle and stood with all the other dogs on the Kop. I think they won 4-2. You’d have thunk I’d become one of them after that but for some reason it just didn’t feel right. Didn’t attend another game until ‘79 when I was old enough and had enough pocket money to go on my own with a couple of school mates. Was a wet drab 1-1 with Oldham and you know what, I absolutely loved it! Never missed a home game for remainder of that season and bought my first ST following season. My timing couldn’t have been better!

[Airborn Pie]

Notts County v Doncaster Rovers, 01 February 1969, finished 1-1

Went with Grandad, Dad and uncle.

[ancientpie]

My 1st ever game was 1968 Forest v some bugger, stood in the Trent End surrounded by very large & loud skinheads one of whom delighted in waving a Stanley knife around, very intimidating. My next game was the following season down the Lane with my dad, sat on the wooden seats in the Lane End surrounded by witty but fanatical pensioners the only thing that was waved about were bags of sweets, heaven! My family weren't all that interested if football so much like others I believe that refusing to follow the crowd had much to do with a decision that I have never regretted.

[slack_pie]

Someone said



I'm not here to praise Forest, but if all this is true then why would people (especially people choosing a team to support) choose to watch County.

Be positive, this is a chance to bring out your good points.

BTW, I think that both John Harvey and Nigel McCrery support County. What is it with you and crime writers?

It was me that said that! I can only speak for myself, but I started supporting Notts because my old man did, and he did because his old man did. But there's more to it than that. I've always loved supporting the underdog, so if Notts went out of business and I moved to a new city with two clubs, I'd naturally be drawn to the smaller one.

When I was at school in the early 90s, there were a handful of kids that supported Notts and the rest supported Forest fans. I remember getting laughed at for wearing my Notts kit on 'own-clothes day' (granted, it was the 'bar code' one). This cemented my resolve to stick with Notts no matter what. And also, one thing I always noticed was that every single Notts fan I knew went to watch them week in, week out; whereas only a fraction of the Forest fans ever went to the games. It was just the default position taken by armchair football fans at the time - I guess these types of kids would now support Man City or Barcelona.

I can also say that, on average, County and Forest fans have different attitudes to football and their respective clubs, and I feel much more comfortable with the County one. To me, Forest fans seem interminably arrogant about their place in the football hierarchy, despite years of relative underachievement - a bit like Coventry really. There's a sort of half aggro half arrogance - the sort of fans that won't hesitate to point out that they're bigger and better than you. County fans, on the other hand, seem to have a bit more of a sense of humour; we know our place in the world, and we generally expect the worst while hoping for the best. I think the Wheelbarrow Song perfectly reflects our club's ethos. A song like that would never happen at a club like Forest.

Apart from all that stuff, it's just a feeling that I can't describe. I love supporting Notts. Simple as that. The amount of times I've had Forest fans basically saying to me "we're a bigger club than you, with better players, more money, a more impressive history and a bigger stadium." I am absolutely aware of all that. It doesn't change a thing. If anything, it's that stuff that makes me love County more.

[countygump]

I've always said that if Notts had never existed, chances are I would have been a Stags fan.