The Term "Bandwagoners"

[Northern Pie]

Hi Guys,

Not trying to be controversial or anything but i Kinda get the impression that we are using this term to freely....Sure there are alot of people joining the club as new members, I reakon we should be welcoming them in rather than labeling them. After all the people who are coming on board are making the club greater, regardless of the fact that they may be joining now rather than through the tough times.....Woewodin played for Melbourne, Williams for West Coast but now they wear the black and white, well I sure as hell give them my heart. Maybe, just maybe we should get behind these people and thank them for coming on board. Give them a pat on the back and say "you bloody beauty mate, bout time you joined us", even educate them on what a true Collingwood supporter is and if things go bad again they will know, you never ever give up on the Pies.

Let us not be too quick to judge them, or berate them...Welcome them, they are the ones who are pushing the membership numbers this year to record heights, and in 2 years time, when the G is at full Capacity and the boys run out on the field on that one day in september, well won't it be good to have them there with thier guarenteed tickets, right along side us cheering the boys to their second flag in a row. Let there be no talk of bandwagoners...Only Brother and Sister, one big happy family....

GO THE PIES!!!!

Cheers

[Nicholas]

Bandwagoners don't usually stick in the rough times. Let's see if they support us if we go down again. And I hope the johnny come lately types don't cost the old-timers a seat in the finals.

[Cam]

Bandwagoners:

- often leave before the game ends
- taunt, harass, abuse OUR players
- don't talk football if we lose 2 games in a row
- assume that they are the yardstick that collingwood supporters are judged by
- don't educate their kids about the greatness of collingwood
- don't educate their kids about seeing through hard times
- don't even know who is playing for us
- become the spokesperson at their work for collingwood in spite of all this
- don't bother to find out anything about the pie history

[swooper]

Good on you Northern Pie - couldnt agree with you more. I work with a few 'bandwagoners' - who have joined up for the first time - and good on em! I mean what would you say to them? No, p*** off we dont want your money,support etc? Thats just crazy...welcome them all on board, lets get record membership and hopefully they'll stick around and learn what it means to really support a great club.

[AnthonyC]

Good stuff NP, I too am sick of the petty bickering between ourselves. I don’t care if you’re a bandwagoner, I don’t care if you’re not a member, I don’t care if you don’t go to every game, we all love the Pies and that makes us the same.

[DaicosMagic]

I'm so sick of reading so much self-important garbage on this Board.

"I'm a real supporter because I've never left early in my life."

"Can't stand bandwagoners..." etc, etc, etc, blah, blah, bloody blah!!!

Time for my 2-bob's worth!

I've been a member since birth, stood in line at 6am as an 11 year old to get a good seat at the 1990 GF, went to the drunken after-party at Victoria Park (at age 11), juggle going to the footy with my own footballing commitments, spend in excess of $400 each year on memberships, 5 years ago (when Collingwood was an ambarrassment) told Noel Judkins when he asked of my team preference my desire to train with Collingwood even though chances elsewhere presented themself...and left at the 20 minute mark of the last quarter on Saturday. People have their reasons for leaving early, traffic, families, post-match engagments, etc. People can do as they bloody well like. "Oh, how terrible for the boys to see the crowd leave." Stop reading so much into every aspect of football - when all is said and done, the players do not care. Out of tens of thousands of supporters, I don't think a few thousand leaving will harm the fabric of their precious little mind!

If it takes so-called "bandwagoners" to reach record membership numbers, then welcome aboard. As long as you're happy with your own methods of support/barracking, who gives a rat's?

(and yes, I do see the irony in displaying my own self-importance to get my view across).

[Dr Alf Andrews]

[Lorelei]

from jlc

Bandwagoners are there to enjoy the good times but when the hard times are here desert the team so to speak.

A classic case is richmond when they are going well everything is happy at tigerland. Memberships and crowds are swelling and everything in the den is happy.

First sign of any trouble or poor perfromance the supporters drop off pretty quick and memberships go back down.

jlc

[DaicosMagic]

Dr Alf, at the end of the day, it all comes down to personal gain, whether we like it or not, and that doesn't make the majority of people any less of a supporter. Over the years, I've probably put more into the club than those who "have never left early, EVER!" lot. Granted, I rarely leave early, but the fact that I have at least once in my life forces me to argue for th eother side. Is watching the end of a bad loss worth more to someone than missing some of a friend's party - probably not. Is watching a nailbiting finish worth more to someone than missing some of that party - most likely. I'm sure there has been at least one occasion when I've left early when we've had a huge lead. I had to leave during the last quarter many years ago during a Carlton game at Waverly when the game was still in the balance (we ended up winning). You people can't just pigeonhole supporters. Soometimes the frustration just takes over in the form of a walk-out. Collingwood is a large part of my life - but it is not the only thing in my life. If it was, I would have been a miserable wreck during the last decade (and I'd remind myself to get a life). Yes, winners are grinners, but football isn't everything.

And the oft-given reason - "Players have to stay to the end, so should we!" can be rebuffed in a cynical, yet ultimately realstic way:

Players get paid to stay out on the ground, supporters don't!

[Northern Pie]

wasn't really my intention to turn this into a debate abotu leaving early or anything else. Just saying that even we should welcome all who join the club and are making themselves part of something special that is happening at the Collingwood Football Club.

Cheers

[MAGPIRA]

It's definitely a hard one to agree on! Firstly, nothing breeds like success, so it's only natural that the more success we get, the more people will want to come along for the ride, because let's face it, as Pants (RIP) once said "being at Collingwood is like being in Hollywood"! No other club generates as much enthusiasm as we do!

But is there any difference between these two types of people in terms of bandwagoners?

1. People who have just decided to become Collingwood supporters through our uprising of recent times?

or

2. Collingwood supporters who were always Collingwood Supporters but like Richmond supporters dropped off through the lean years and have just now decided to start going again?

It's interesting how one does determine a real 'bandwagoner', but I guess it's just something that happens to all clubs at various stages (except North Melbourne ), so at the end of the day I say "what the hell...the more the merrier", as long as the diehards, who go week in, week out, don't miss out when it comes finals time!

[JLC]

Let them join up and support the club. Thats fine the MCG hold 70,000 approx at the moment so there is room for everyone. Thats why a loyalty program is essential by the club. A lot of organisations are organising this !!

BUT GET IN THE QUEUE........lol

I hate it when the loyal supporters miss out

jlc

[nitric]

Mathew, Chapter 20, Verses 1 to 16

[Dr Alf Andrews]

[JLC]

Wow thats a very good analogy im very impressed

jlc