Loyalty night/ Fan hierarchy

[Carshalton R]

I've been meaning to post this for a long time but had to re-register as I haven't posted since the old messageboard but...

I've been dying to ask the fan who went to the loyalty night (hopefully he posts on here) who asked the question right at the end...why he felt he had to ask that question, accusing the other fans in the room of not being "as loyal"

1. Why did you have lower the tone of what was a really enjoyable night?

2. There are over 500 hardcore fans who follow rangers home and away...do you really think you know every single one of them?

3. There are some fans on here (and rangers fans in general who think just because they have the free time/income that they can afford to go home and away why they think they are any better fans then anyone else. Obviously there are various different dedication levels (due to time/income/the place they live (e.g. America!) but I think you can tell that anyone in that room breathes, eats, sleeps, Q.P.R. but why do some fans (including you) feel like they need to create this sort of fan hierarchy?

This may have been brought up before, soon after the event and if it has then sorry, but it really did gripe me, and brought down the tone of what was an enjoyable evening.

Don't get me wrong this is not an aggressive attack/post, just a genuine curiosity of the answers, to those 3 questions

[IsleworthRanger]

What question did he ask and to whom?

[ScottJones]

Hi Carshalton.

Good first post - welcome to the new board!
I wasnt at the loyalty night (not enough points, can rarely afford away games) So do you know who the guy was who asked the question?

[Carshalton R]

cheers.

I don't know his name....Pete will definitely know who he is when he reads this post, and others at the meeting will know what I'm talking about, if they don't obviously didn't wind them up as much as it did me!.

It's not a witch-hunt, just want to understand why fans feel like him, want to build this hierarchy, create status amongst themselves, when it's evident there are so many fans that dedicate themselves to rangers and are in love with the club.

[ScottJones]

Fair enough fella.

Agree on your point 3. I cant afford to go away and some "loyal super fans" or whatever they bill themselves as do like to look down on me sometimes for it! Does my head in, if i could afford to go away I would do - doesnt make me any less of a fan

[Gtleighsr3]

Ive never really gave a toss what others think.Ive done my H/Aevery where seasons,ive give blood literaly watching the Rs.Now idont have the money/time/and sometimes be arsed to go and watch the Rs.Im looking forward to Southend next season as new/local/and cheaper and like you local Rs boys dont take me long to get home.Prob only keep season tckt for a year though as i like buying stuff i can keep /use play etc with my money again and again and not spunk up the wall up the pub and the like.God im getting old,40 next week and miserable by the day.

[IsleworthRanger]

Hi Carshalton.

Good first post - welcome to the new board!
I wasnt at the loyalty night (not enough points, can rarely afford away games) So do you know who the guy was who asked the question?

I went to the vast majority of away games last season including all thiose Northern midweek trips and the Burnley replay plus Cardiff midweek and have a season ticket and still did not get an invite so I doubt it really was the so called super fans who were at that event and more of a random draw.

Many fans deserved an invite more then me and I possibly deserved one more then some who did go but dont think it really matters in the end as its what you feel for the club inside that matters and not what another fan presumes and judges what you feel.

[qblockpete]

I know who he was, but to be fair not for me to broadcast on the web-site. He has been following Rangers before me

He does go all the away games and it was a silly question.

" looking around, I've never seen half these people at any away games, whats this all about?"

Hands up, I looked around and didn;t reconise everyone. Just goes to show, you will never know everyone. I've been accused of only starting to support the club away in the last 3 years, thats because suddenly here is a web-site, you hear the drum and more people know you. It does not mean you've not been going for years.

Some people get a bee in their bonnet about an evening like that, what they fail to realise is that they may not go on the same coach, they might drive, go by train or by other means to games.

Funny how you chat to someone for the first time, then you keep bumping into them though. That always happens to me, yet I never saw their faces before that.

[Carshalton R]

Does he post on here by any chance?

[swanleyhoop]

I didn't recognise everyone, but that means nothing -- given that the person in question looked in my direction when he said it (and I only miss around 4 games a season, home and away!), what it shows that we don't all know everyone who goes to away games-- we have a big away support, after all!
Many people turned up in suits straight from work -- and people do look different like that -- I often have to look twice to recognise people I know at evening games in those circumstances.
Personally, I felt really uncomfortable when he stood up and said it -- until then it had been a good evening and it did take the shine off it for me, personally.
I wish he hadn't done it.

[qblockpete]

no mate.

He does not go on messageboards.

[qprsuttz]

yea i agree on the point that we wont know everyone who goes to games away. i have only started to use the coach to go away but that doesnt mean i didnt go before, i just use to go with my dad and his mate and use to keep myself to myself and now i have been on the coach i have met some lot i use to see at games but never talked to

[stan_bowles]

I go on the train as i live next door almost to the main line.Sometimes it is cheaper than the coach.Know very few people to say hello to.Usually manage around half a dozen away games a season and all the homes.

Just because i am not in with the 'it crowd' don't make me any less loyal.

[PeterG]

If I was to have a guess I would say it was someone with a surname the same as a london bridge

Would I be close?

[IsleworthRanger]

If I was to have a guess I would say it was someone with a surname the same as a london bridge

Would I be close?

Waterloo?