Are you a "supporter?

[SwedishBaggie]

Although I normally agree with quite a lot of what you say, Whicka_Mon, I have to disagree here. I don't go to away matches, and select the home games which I think might just be entertaining; those I don't go to plus the away games, I watch on either TV or Stream, which may well just follow the ball but you do get the action replays that show you the build up to a score, etc.. you don't get that when in attendance. You can't get any real picture of the game if all you do is listen on the radio, as I know some on here do! There you are completely in the hands of the commentary.

But what an interesting question - fan or supporter.

To my mind, a fan ( a derivative from the word fanatic) is someone who goes to games and dependant upon the outcome will either be happy if the result is what they want - i.e a win - or have a very short temper that they unleash upon others. They may well not have a long standing relationship with the club - even having given their attentions to other clubs in the past.
However, a supporter has a lifetime association with the one club and is there whether the club is successful or not.

Now, having said that, I ask myself the question - fan or supporter?

Having first witnessed Albion as a young 9 year old in the mid 70's, up to quite recently I would say "Supporter". However, since the coming of a certain fellow mid-way through the 2014/15 season, if I'm honest with myself, I have to say that I am now a "Fan" but purely for the type of football that is offered up, not for any other reason and will remain so until a change is upon us, at which time I will consider myself back as a Supporter. Perhaps the same applies to others who post here.

Auf Wiedersehen

Well, a supporter can be, and quite often is probably, quite fanatic too. I'm probably, if you ask my wife anyway, a fanatic Albion supporter.

To be a supporter imo, to some extent, is to be biased, have rose tinted spectacles and to "stand up for your club". A half full glass is recommended over a half empty one too.

Therefore it makes perfect sense to me (well, then taking into account that supporting a club often defies the laws of logic ) to support Pulis, while I am previous "guilty of" complaining about the "boring football of his Stoke City" (though I was admittedly also partly impressed by them, and loved it when they drove Wenger and Arsenal insane on many occasions). To not back a member of my club, someone must have behaved really badly, eg Berahino. When Pulis leaves (and, yes, he will eventually do so) I'm not "on his side".

It is also very important to stay in the PL, and so far Pulis has guaranteed that (we can never know about the future), and we don't want to be where our neighbours are, do we... If this continues, we will be in the PL when someone else takes over, and possibly changes the style of play too.

To change from being a supporter of the Albion to become a fan (of football, presumably played by other clubs?) because of the football style, is for me, unthinkable. What comes next, start supporting another club? You stand by your club, no matter what, Albion forever for me!

Und Auf Wiedersehen, oder vielleicht lieber, ein bisschen Widerstand gegen den Pulis Negativismus!

And of course, COYB!!!