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Lapsed Supporters

Libertine

Libertine

Thick Nomark
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Joined
May 23, 2005
Messages
7,157
Location
Anywhere but here
Don't want this thread to turn into a "better fan than you discussion."

I still go on home and quite a few away games and I really missed it during lockdown, despite the fact that what I was watching on ifollow was in the main dross. It made me realise that while when we lose I get really pissed off so I still have that passion for the club, it wasn't the football drawing me back every week, it was seeing my mates. Quite a few of the lads who I see every other week I probably wouldn't see if I stopped going on North End.

Things I've considered are, going on Brig, polishing off the golf bats, hanging around with the missus (this isn't a real consideration), going on Chorley, sitting in a pub drinking and watching Jeff Stelling, going for a walk in the lakes or buying some lego (which it turns out is dearer than watching football.)

My question is to the lapsed fans, some of whom probably jacked it in during the Westley era, what do you do with your Saturday's now? How has it been for you since you stopped going and would you ever be drawn back to Deepdale by anything other than premier league football?
 
I became a Dad during Lockdown, which has of course took a toll on my amount of free time.

That free time is now at a premium and I can’t really be arsed spending it on PNE to the same extent as prior to Lockdown / being a Dad.

I can’t say the general malaise of the club, nor the often dire football is doing much to usher me back in either.

For the time being, I am more interested in just going on 2/3 away days per season, specifically grounds I have not been too so my 92 list can keep creeping towards completion.

Maybe when my kid is of the right age I may take him on and get back into the swing of things that way, see what happens I guess.
 
Most fans aren’t seriously expecting PL football anytime soon. I’ve vowed to stop going on home games until the disease that is Ridsdale has gone. Ultimately, that is what it will take for me to go back. Not unrelated to PR, it would take the club showing that their is an actual strategy and developing a club culture that I was so proud of about the club growing up - fight, spirit and albeit underdogs, underdogs that believed. The apathy won’t go away whilst Ridsdale remains in place, and many fans won’t return as consistently as they were.
 
I just mooch about. I have found the build up and anticipation of going to the match is more-often-than-not better than the game itself. Shopping or watching another team just doesn't fill the gap but I find the entertainment value of modern football (however it is watched) just doesn't cut it anymore.

So mooching about or watching some old film it is then.
 
I worked on a Saturday and then 3 years ago I changed jobs so my Saturdays are now free.

Was going to get a season ticket like before but held back until I observed the summer new recruits but as for the last 3 years your summer recruitment has been poor and star players letting go for next to nothing I can't justify spending £500+ on a season ticket.

The lack of ambition by the club as left my money in my pocket. I feel a number of supporters feel the same that if we showed a bit more ambition then we would come back.

Saturdays are spent enjoying the match build up on this forum and then watching Soccer Saturday.

Does that make me a sh*t fan then yes but if the club showed some ambition then and I'll be back.
 
My Saturday is still consumed by PNE.
Get up take Meds.
Explain to the Partner why we don't need Primark AGAIN.
Go Primark to prove a point
Get home, Fire up the Computer, Slap it on its side.
Load software, sit back waiting for Team news.
-Bitch about said Team
--We underway
---read people bitching about the Performance, trying not to join in
----Half-time, run for a Piss, get out left over Buds/Vodka /Whisky
-----Enjoy the second half, even though we crap
------Full Time, Have a rant
-------5:45pm get a feeling of De-ja-Vu when the Manager Speaks
--------Explain to the Partner why ordering Pizza is a bad Idea
Order PIZZA
-Pizza arrives cold, Blame PNE
--Explain to Partner why we don't need to watch that movie again
---Watch Highlights repeated on Sky Sports news just to avoid said Movie.
----Fall a Sleep, Wake up with hot swets that the Shot in the First half is going to hit a meteor and knock in on course to hit earth.
Sunday
Has he gone? Nope, FFS
 
FootballcrazyP_ said:
My Saturday is still consumed by PNE.
Get up take Meds.
Explain to the Partner why we don't need Primark AGAIN.
Go Primark to prove a point
Get home, Fire up the Computer, Slap it on its side.
Load software, sit back waiting for Team news.
-Bitch about said Team
--We underway
---read people bitching about the Performance, trying not to join in
----Half-time, run for a Piss, get out left over Buds/Vodka /Whisky
-----Enjoy the second half, even though we crap
------Full Time, Have a rant
-------5:45pm get a feeling of De-ja-Vu when the Manager Speaks
--------Explain to the Partner why ordering Pizza is a bad Idea
Order PIZZA
-Pizza arrives cold, Blame PNE
--Explain to Partner why we don't need to watch that movie again
---Watch Highlights repeated on Sky Sports news just to avoid said Movie.
----Fall a Sleep, Wake up with hot swets that the Shot in the First half is going to hit a meteor and knock in on course to hit earth.
Sunday
Has he gone? Nope, FFS
Click to expand...
That actually sounds more painful and potentially expensive than being at the game. :ROFLMAO:
 
As an exile, I used to go to a lot of away games, and would travel back up north for certain fixtures. But now I wouldn't travel to the end of the road to watch Frankie's brand of football.

Thankfully with a bit of tech savvy, it's now possible to catch games on iFollow, contribute to the MDT (which is much more fun than the football), and cut out all the travel and a lot of the expense.

I doubt I could ever be tempted back into following the club around for real, and certainly not while PR is involved. Following the team was always with the hope that things could get better, starting today - but under PR, it's clear that's no longer a club objective.

So following a club that's devoted to stasis by staying at home seems very appropriate to me.
 
Thracia said:
As an exile, I used to go to a lot of away games, and would travel back up north for certain fixtures. But now I wouldn't travel to the end of the road to watch Frankie's brand of football.

Thankfully with a bit of tech savvy, it's now possible to catch games on iFollow, contribute to the MDT (which is much more fun than the football), and cut out all the travel and a lot of the expense.

I doubt I could ever be tempted back into following the club around for real, and certainly not while PR is involved. Following the team was always with the hope that things could get better, starting today - but under PR, it's clear that's no longer a club objective.

So following a club that's devoted to stasis by staying at home seems very appropriate to me.
Click to expand...

Out of interest when did you stop Thracia? Was it a Covid thing or did it happen before that even?
 
Tbh I couldn’t care less what division we’re playing in etc I’ll still go and I’ll still get pissed off at how shit we are. Obviously I’d rather we were good and playing at the highest level possible but it’s never really been about that for me, some of the best memories I have following North End are from the Westley era when we were utterly dogshit.
 
Libertine said:
Don't want this thread to turn into a "better fan than you discussion."

I still go on home and quite a few away games and I really missed it during lockdown, despite the fact that what I was watching on ifollow was in the main dross. It made me realise that while when we lose I get really pissed off so I still have that passion for the club, it wasn't the football drawing me back every week, it was seeing my mates. Quite a few of the lads who I see every other week I probably wouldn't see if I stopped going on North End.

Things I've considered are, going on Brig, polishing off the golf bats, hanging around with the missus (this isn't a real consideration), going on Chorley, sitting in a pub drinking and watching Jeff Stelling, going for a walk in the lakes or buying some lego (which it turns out is dearer than watching football.)

My question is to the lapsed fans, some of whom probably jacked it in during the Westley era, what do you do with your Saturday's now? How has it been for you since you stopped going and would you ever be drawn back to Deepdale by anything other than premier league football?
Click to expand...
I look after the children, keep an eye on my phone and wait for the sky highlights video to be posted.
 
I've watched North End for 50 years, the majority with a season ticket. This season I didn't get one for the first time in in probably 20 years. I was still buzzing for the start of the season and bought a ticket for every home game including the cup up to and including Derby.

I left that game dismayed at the performance and have not returned since. I just didn't enjoy it, not just the crap performance, but a lot of other things at the club which just aren't right. I was more aligned to crap managers like Tommy Doc, Gordon Lee, Tommy Booth etc than I am to FM, he can't wait to have a pop at the fans and the same obviously goes for PR and the bitching captain. I feel there is a contempt at the club, that we should just hand over our money and put up with the shit show on offer and listen to bullshit press conferences like we are stupid and didn't even watch the game. For the foreseeable, I'm not parting with my cash.

So what do I do, I still watch every game and I want us to win, because although in some ways it no longer feels like my club, it is my club. I know a couple of lads who play league 1 & 2 football, so I sit with North End on the TV and a lower league random game on my laptop, dog at my feet, food and drink on tap. I'll be honest I'm loving it and it's going to take a big change to shift my arse off that settee.
 
Libertine said:
My question is to the lapsed fans, some of whom probably jacked it in during the Westley era, what do you do with your Saturday's now? How has it been for you since you stopped going and would you ever be drawn back to Deepdale by anything other than premier league football?
Click to expand...
TBH, having been an exile for some years, I possibly don't have the same depth of malaise as many but, if I had the time and lived a bit nearer then I'm pretty sure i'd still be going.

There's nothing like live football, you don't really realise until you've not been for a while.
 
Libertine said:
Out of interest when did you stop Thracia? Was it a Covid thing or did it happen before that even?
Click to expand...
It was way before Covid - whenever iFollow got started. I was there from the beginning, when it really was shit! We didn't even get a clock or score on the screen for the first few years - you'd use a stopwatch to have some basic idea of timekeeping, and you'd come back from the bog with no idea what the score was.

Started out as a mix of going to some live games plus watching iFollow games, then gradually the live games gave way to "what's the point?"
 
Libertine said:
Don't want this thread to turn into a "better fan than you discussion."

I still go on home and quite a few away games and I really missed it during lockdown, despite the fact that what I was watching on ifollow was in the main dross. It made me realise that while when we lose I get really pissed off so I still have that passion for the club, it wasn't the football drawing me back every week, it was seeing my mates. Quite a few of the lads who I see every other week I probably wouldn't see if I stopped going on North End.

Things I've considered are, going on Brig, polishing off the golf bats, hanging around with the missus (this isn't a real consideration), going on Chorley, sitting in a pub drinking and watching Jeff Stelling, going for a walk in the lakes or buying some lego (which it turns out is dearer than watching football.)

My question is to the lapsed fans, some of whom probably jacked it in during the Westley era, what do you do with your Saturday's now? How has it been for you since you stopped going and would you ever be drawn back to Deepdale by anything other than premier league football?
Click to expand...
First of all Libertine , I love the bit we’re you say “ hanging around with the missus ( this isn’t a real consideration ) “ - brilliant.

I stopped going on in 2012/2013 during the Graham Westley era when I realised that I was missing matches even though I had a season ticket. This also coincided with the time when I moved to Euxton from Ribbleton - not a million miles away but enough to make getting to Deepdale a bit more awkward..

On Saturdays now we go to Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and we also take in lots of theatre shows…. One thing I would say is that I check my phone constantly on a Saturday afternoon , so the interest is still there…

I will be drawn back to Deepdale in the future providing the club show a bit of ambition - When I turn 65 ( in 4 years ) I will definitely buy a Senior Citizens ST and going to Deepdale will become part of my retirement plan !!
 
Ando60 said:
First of all Libertine , I love the bit we’re you say “ hanging around with the missus ( this isn’t a real consideration ) “ - brilliant.

I stopped going on in 2012/2013 during the Graham Westley era when I realised that I was missing matches even though I had a season ticket. This also coincided with the time when I moved to Euxton from Ribbleton - not a million miles away but enough to make getting to Deepdale a bit more awkward..

On Saturdays now we go to Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and we also take in lots of theatre shows…. One thing I would say is that I check my phone constantly on a Saturday afternoon , so the interest is still there…

I will be drawn back to Deepdale in the future providing the club show a bit of ambition - When I turn 65 ( in 4 years ) I will definitely buy a Senior Citizens ST and going to Deepdale will become part of my retirement plan !!
Click to expand...
I think this reflects that a lot of the so called "lapsed fans" aren't necessarily lapsed entirely because of what is going on at the club. As we age we naturally have other demands on our time, or the will to freeze your nuts off diminshes or we find other hobbies or pastimes. Good to hear you'll be back!

That all said, the atmosphere at present certainly sounds darker than its been for a long time. Hopefully the hierarchy can be kicked up the arse and realise how close to the wind they're currently sailing.
 
Thracia said:
As an exile, I used to go to a lot of away games, and would travel back up north for certain fixtures. But now I wouldn't travel to the end of the road to watch Frankie's brand of football.

Thankfully with a bit of tech savvy, it's now possible to catch games on iFollow, contribute to the MDT (which is much more fun than the football), and cut out all the travel and a lot of the expense.

I doubt I could ever be tempted back into following the club around for real, and certainly not while PR is involved. Following the team was always with the hope that things could get better, starting today - but under PR, it's clear that's no longer a club objective.

So following a club that's devoted to stasis by staying at home seems very appropriate to me.
Click to expand...
You are a real bundle of joy!
 
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