[Archived] Serious Question

[LDRover]

What with the cost, lack of entertainment on show, lack of player's committment, spiralling wages and general apathy around the place what keeps YOU at Ewood week after week?

I only ask because I sense a huge downturn in season ticket renewals regardless of how the season pans out.

[Blueboy Downunder]

if i was in england, it would be because i am a rovers fan!!

[Paul]

I'm Rovers till I die simple as that.

No matter how much I rant and rail against the Premier League, Sky, the media hype, players wages etc I'll always be a Rover. I can't imagine what would stop me going, though there are more occassions when I don't want to go but still do........but I'm no longer prepared to pay PL prices for away trips.

I only ask because I sense a huge downturn in season ticket renewals regardless of how the season pans out.

I'll be renewing.

[AggyBlue]

Loyalty.

Through thick and thin, to the club as I see as extended family.

Being at Ewood feels like being at home.

And to ensure my lads support the club and keep up our families support, they are fourth generation fans from our clan.

Cost will be the only thing that stops us attending, although I'm getting brassed off with all the cynicism and cheating that is blighting the game.

[Martin]

I cannot answer that question in a rational or logical manner to be honest. It is something very subtle or perhaps subconscious that keeps me attending. I really can't explain it.

I do feel guilty when I don't attend - actually I think I may have some sort of psychological disorder when it comes to supporting Rovers. I mean who in their right mind would travel 200 miles to see 90 minutes of something that most weeks isn't any good for 60 minutes of it?!! It doesn't add up.

[LDRover]

I suppose I should answer my own question.

There's probably two things for me, loyalty being the first although even that is being stretched by my apathy towards the game in general and Rovers to some extent.

The second is the alternative of what I'd be doing if I wasn't at Ewood, namely shopping with the missus, although there have been occasions this season when even that has been preferable to watching the bilge on show.

[rover_groo]

Dedicated to the cause with extreme loyalty.

I first came over in 1994 as a 13 yr old on a trip with my local football club in Northern Ireland. In a few years before hand I was pushed into supporting Liverpool, but Rovers beat the Scousers 2-0 on 5th March 1994 with Wilcox and Sherwood scoring the goals.

In 2001, along with a few other heads we formed a supporters club in Northern Ireland NIBRSA web-site and have a target of attending at least four games a season. So far this season our members have been to Portsmouth (a), Everton, Chelsea, Middlesbrough (a), Liverpool (a), FC Basel, Feyenoord (a) and Newcastle.

This Wednesday there is 14 of us heading over for the Nancy game and looking forward to a few Christmas drinks!! Plans are already in place for our last branch trip of the season against Reading at home on Sunday 13th May.

Onward and Upward!

Edited December 11, 2006 by rover_groo

[Wolverine]

Because they are my team and I have faith.

[cloggyjimmybrfc]

before i moved to holland in 1998,i was at the homes games, and half - majority of away games,since i moved here i try to make it quite regular..there was two particular seasons when i went to all the home games(apart from saints of that sesason)and 50% of away games.i even finished nightshift one fri,woke my lad up(who was 2years old then),went straight up to schiphol airport got a flight over to speke airport,landed in the morning,got to my mates house,had to get the wifes some stuff(typical).got about 4 hours kip(lad got around 6 hours).up that morning at 4am to get the away travel coach down to cardiff!..great day out!lad was famous around the town centre as a lot of rovers lads recognised him in the let from this particular story...but shame about the result!...gotta be mad sometimes to support rovers..but i when its in your blood it stays..lad is 4 now and hes beginin to get right in the football now..happy dayz

[ihtd]

Up until this season when i moved to Bolton, i rarely ever got chance to go to Ewood Park, now i'm a ST holder and i'll be renewing it next season even if we get relegated, i'm follow a team not the results. Yes, it would be nice to win every week but thats not going to happen with us, i go to Ewood to get behind the lads and the fact that a Rovers win guarentees a good mood for me for the rest of the week. I'd still turn up to Ewood everyweek even if we were playing in the conference and i'd hope every other fan would too. Its the club we love, thats why we turn up LDRover!

[baldybobbo]

good question, in my case simple answer, It's in my blood

[No Nay Never]

I think the first 5 mins of the second half on Saturday sums up why i go. I was never intending to go on Wednesday V Nancy, but a mate rang me from the ticket office this morning asking if i fancied it, just can't say no!!

[mjs]

even that is being stretched by my apathy towards the game in general and Rovers to some extent.

My apathy towards the game in general grows each season. I am not sure whether that will have an effect on my apathy towards Rovers in the long-term, although I am sometimes concerned about the feeling of an air of inevitablility about where we are going.

The rich getting richer is spoiling the competition in the top level of English football these days, the same few teams are winning everything. This plus the greed, over-hype, absurd wages and general poor conduct of players, managers and media is gradually turning me off football.

I imagine I will still be watching Rovers regardless of where we end up though.

[3rdpillar]

From an entertainment point of view. Now being a season ticket holder ( again ), I Attend Ewood to "experience" the effort, blood and guts fo the likes of Savage, and the Master that is Tugay. A pleasure to see with my own eyes.

No HD/5.1 Broadcast will ever come close to that experience.

Whats would stop me from going. The cost , thats a no brainer, you can afford or you can't.

And Seeing a performance without passion and skil. If the players cant show 100% for 90 mins, It leaves me with a sence of being cheated, and I dont have to pay money to feel cheated.

[pleasure]

Loyalty.

Through thick and thin, to the club as I see as extended family.

Being at Ewood feels like being at home.

And to ensure my lads support the club and keep up our families support, they are fourth generation fans from our clan.

sums up my feelings perfectly.

i also go because watching rovers is always unpredictable and i love football in gerneral.

[OhmiBRFC]

As most people have said its in my now

I missing games, this season as been the first where I can fully pay to go away games and i've been to a few this season and i'll be carrying on next season.

Footballs a also a good excuse to go to the pub for a couple of hours in the afternoon and just to get away from everything.

[sleepyjack]

I don't like being calm and happy. Watching us makes me angry and depressed.

[stuwilky]

I have little or no idea why I go anymore.

I think sleepy got it right, I like being angry and depressed.

[Wild Irish Rover]

We all go because of a phenomenon called Intermittent reinforcement schedule - THE most psychologically addictive behaviour modification pattern.

Basically, we go because we are addicted to the thrill of winning occasionally - there will be no Chelski fans who feel quite as passionate about their current club, basically because they are always positively reinforced (by the team winning), whereas we just cant predict who is going to turn up on any given match day (no pun intended for those traumatised by Saturday's goalkeeping display). Same thing for Scumchester at the moment. If you win all the time, the thrill extinguishes so you have to go to greater and greater lengths in order to achieve the same level of excitement.

At the moment, if there was a league for the most passionate fans, we would be close to the top, although much of the passion is manifesting as despair.

Oh, by the way, I go to Ewood because I love the Rovers.

[RevidgeBlue]

I know where you're coming from, how many players appear as if they give two hoots about our present predicament and might dig in to get us out of trouble?

Friedel, Todd (can't even get in the side) Savage, Tugay plus hopefully the injured triumvirate of Roberts Nelsen and Reid. Plus even our so called captain wants away in January. How can you realistically expect people to shell out money and come down in those circumstances?

Add in the unsavoury aspects of the modern game such as the grandly named simulation (ie cheating) and the increasing concerning practice of players feigning serious injury to get play stopped wheen the opponents have the ball in a dangerous area and on one level it's a conundrum. Especially when you can watch it in the Pub for a fraction of the price.

In reality though it's a no brainer. The answer is loyalty to your Club, top players (some anyway), terrific view and facilities, (Walkersteel excepted) a realistic chance of winning the UEFA Cup this season and slugging it out in the League with the best teams in the land. Even a relegation scrap is in many ways more exciting than mid table mediocrity.

I guess the real question should be what kept you going down to Ewood c 1971 -73 when there genuinely did appear to be no hope, it really was poor fare, facilities were appalling and gates dipped on occasion below the 4,000 mark?

No matter how poor the fare has been on occasion post Jack it can't even begin to compare with Rovers v Southport c 1972. Tony Field was a darn sight better than those two puddings we have up front at the moment though!

Edited December 11, 2006 by RevidgeBlue

[cravenblue]

would carry on going irrelevant of which division. its in your blood, and has been in mine since watching my dad and his mates fighting with the dingles on cats whiskers car park in late 70's.

[Presty On Tour]

it's loyalty, in my blood, heart, faith, history, love for the club through thick and thin, division whatever.

we have more bad days than most, but the good days are so, so much sweeter!!

the bottom line is rovers are my team, it's what i've been given and i make the most of it and to be honest i wouldn't change them for the world!!

[mjs]

I guess the real question should be what kept you going down to Ewood c 1971 -73 when there genuinely did appear to be no hope

Mi dad's car.

[pksrover]

I moved to England last year because I love Rovers and I wanted to fulfil my dream of being a season ticket holder.

I'm actually thinking of keeping my season ticket even if/when I move back to Norway after I finish my studies in Manchester.

[Darwen_Blue]

Loyalty and at the mo CARLING!!! Thank god for CARLING!!!