How much does success matter?

[Deutsch Wolf]

Following on from something in the General thread (which is now basically everyone calling Jinkletron a dick, which is fair enough).

Clearly we have a large section of support who only watch us if we're any good. 17k or so vs Colchester in 2014. 31k+ every week now.

The question really is do you support Wolves unreservedly, or only if they happen to have a load of top players? And at what point would that drop off, if we *just* finished 7th every year, would that be enough?

 

[Deano]

I've been going since the mid 90's and can't see myself ever stopping. I haven't always had season tickets every season during that time but have always had them on and off.

In the seasons where I haven't had a Season Ticket I have always been able to get to the majority of games, so I am glad I decided to get one before our promotion season. I can't see me ever giving it up now as I love going to the games, love the view from my seat, have decent people around me and it's a good day out for me and my brother to have a few beers and watch other games before and after.

Success matters as I am delighted with the progress we've made - Fosun bought us for 30m and the club is now worth over 10 times that, but if we were a bit shit again in the future it wouldn't stop me attending as theres too many other factors that I enjoy aside from the football.

 

[Jinky]

Supported them through thick and thin and will continue to do so. If we happen to be successful at the same time, even better!

I guess I do have an issue with "glory hunters" or whatever you want to call them. Or fans that only now go because we are good. But I suspect that stems from growing up in rural Shropshire surrounded by Manchester United "fans", who literally only supported them because they were winning everything.

Unfortunately that is part and parcel of becoming a successful football team and Wolves aren't the only side that has been affected by this.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I guess I do have an issue with "glory hunters" or whatever you want to call them. Or fans that only now go because we are good. But I suspect that stems from growing up in rural Shropshire surrounded by Manchester United "fans", who literally only supported them because they were winning everything.

Was Liverpool back in my day (though not rural Shropshire). Delighted they had largely 30 years of nothing although unfortunately they are quite good again now.

 

[Tredman]

I agree a little with Jinky in the general thread, occasionally life does get in the way of Wolves. I started watching Wolves on the way down to Div 4, but my early memories are really 86-88 - if I hadn't had this it might have been more of a challenge keeping on through the 90s (which despite people romanticising them were shite). Had a season ticket from 87 to 97, then uni, travel and kids got in the way. Always managed to get to a fair amount of games though.

In a nice bit of symmetry, and actually partly as a result of comments on here, I took a flyer on a season ticket for me and my twins in 2017 - possibly one of the best decisions of my life and certainly up there with putting £20 on us to win the championship on the same day.

Ultimately being succesfull has nothing to do with a being a Wolves fan now, but it certainly would've helped when surrounded by Liverpool/Utd fans at school. I definitely see loads more Wolves fans in Stafford now than I did pre-Nuno.

 

[Tom Hark]

I'm not sure this forum is the place to get representative answers to those questions; there hasn't been a sudden increase in membership since we got good, has there? If you're trying to discover whether we're attracting plastics, though, I suspect the answer is no - ours just isn't that sort of club at the moment; our previous glory days are too far gone. Of course, there is a spectrum from fanatical to fairweather, but I think most Wolves fans are Wolves fans all the time, just rather more enthusiastic about it when we're doing well than when we're away at Grimsby on a wet Tuesday, and imo understandably so.

 

[jlo]

It's annoying the times I lived in the area I was broke and only once managed to get a season ticket, but managed with 6 or 7 games a season as plenty of tickets were always available. Now I could afford it (just), I live 100 miles away with a train that would cost an arm and a leg. I'd love a season ticket, but honestly wouldn't be able to make it to enough games. Expanding the stadium is something I want, but honestly right now it wouldn't help me much anyway. A stadium of 35-40k seems a good place to be, perhaps with easy ways to expand another 10k if say we become title contenders hypothetically.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I'm not sure this forum is the place to get representative answers to those questions; there hasn't been a sudden increase in membership since we got good, has there? If you're trying to discover whether we're attracting plastics, though, I suspect the answer is no - ours just isn't that sort of club at the moment; our previous glory days are too far gone. Of course, there is a spectrum from fanatical to fairweather, but I think most Wolves fans are Wolves fans all the time, just rather more enthusiastic about it when we're doing well than when we're away at Grimsby on a wet Tuesday, and imo understandably so.

It's more whether our existing fanbase are intrinsically a bit plastic tbh.

I say yes, to an extent.

 

[YoungWolf]

I’m not really fussed by it but then I’m a fan who’s never had a season ticket, always lived in the South etc So I’ve always quite liked the novelty of seeing a Wolves shirt or meeting a Wolves fan round where I am. Wouldn’t expect that to change majorly even if we did start winning trophies, not in the near future anyway.

As I mentioned the other day, the bit that baffles me is people turning the tv off or leaving a game early because of a bad performance/result, I’ve never at any point watched or gone to a game because of that factor (though it’s obviously more enjoyable if it’s a positive). I remember being sat watching us get thrashed by United with ten men under Connor and me, my brother and my Dad all commenting on how this is the bit we have to suffer and deal with ( must have been worse for people actually there!)

 

[Tredman]

I'm not sure this forum is the place to get representative answers to those questions; there hasn't been a sudden increase in membership since we got good, has there? If you're trying to discover whether we're attracting plastics, though, I suspect the answer is no - ours just isn't that sort of club at the moment; our previous glory days are too far gone. Of course, there is a spectrum from fanatical to fairweather, but I think most Wolves fans are Wolves fans all the time, just rather more enthusiastic about it when we're doing well than when we're away at Grimsby on a wet Tuesday, and imo understandably so.

Not so sure on the plastics - we are in the BW lower and the amount of half/half scarves is an utter disgrace on cup nights, plus there are loads of people who have an inability to look at row letters or entrance signs.

 

[Langers]

Personally, I don't view football in the same way as attenting a gig, going to the cinema etc. If Wolves are shit (which let's face it - they have been in the majority of games I've seen) I'm still going to return to Molineux as soon as I'm able to. If I go to a Kasabian gig, I'm not going to return when they inevitably churn out a load of dreck. If my daughter drags me to see Frozen 2, I won't be counting down the days until the release of Frozen 3.

Supporting a team is a very odd thing. I'm in it through thick and thin. I went to more games in L1 than I have done in the PL (more personal circumstances as opposed to mere ease of buying tickets via general sale). I've never understood the point of staying away when we're not having on-field success. I don't support the club more now we're good than I did when we were struggling. Same club. My support is unconditional.

I dont go to every game. My family's circumstances mean that I probably never will have a ST again. But that's fine, I enjoy it when I go, I'll never stop going altogether, I'll always be a Wolves fan.

Coincidentally, it was great taking Mini Langers to the Newcastle game because it was his first ever PL game, but he already seems prouder of the fact he went to several games in the 3rd tier - he tells his school friends that that's what support really is, and asks how many others have seen a team in 3 different divisions. I'm really proud of the fact he's got that mindset about football and isn't led by his Man City/Liverpool/Yernited 'supporting' peers.

 

[YoungWolf]

It's more whether our existing fanbase are intrinsically a bit plastic tbh.

I say yes, to an extent.

I guess so. There’s still a pretty solid base of support and we are a fairly big enough club that we have fans spread out around the country I always feel like.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I remember being sat watching us get thrashed by United with ten men under Connor and me, my brother and my Dad all commenting on how this is the bit we have to suffer and deal with ( must have been worse for people actually there!)

Zubar got cheered off that day after the stupidest red card in the world. Livid at that.

 

[Trips]

I got my first season ticket in the mid 90s and went until around 2011 when I moved to Oxford and couldn't commit to attending every week. Still came up for a few games each season, and then when I moved back to the Midlands in 2017 got my ticket again.

Don't think it would matter too much to me what league we are in, I would have my ticket.

Issue I currently have is my son getting into football and wanting to come now, so ideally in the next few years would like to be able to get him one. If that means moving seat then so be it

 

[Tom Hark]

It's more whether our existing fanbase are intrinsically a bit plastic tbh.

I say yes, to an extent.

Isn't every club's? (Well, I suppose not, to answer my own question - Sunderland, for example - but I'd imagine most are. Human nature.)

Somewhat tangential, but how are West Ham getting 60k a week watching that bollocks since they moved? Did they have a massive S/T waiting list like we do or is it just a case of 'If you build it, they will come (out of the woodwork)'?

 

[White Wolf]

The season in which I went to the most games is still the League One season, for some reason. Football was poor but it never stopped me going and supporting the team. I go to the same number of games now as I did in the Championship.

There have been a couple of times when watching Wolves has been a bit too painful and I have to an extent switched off (Saunders, latter half of 15/16) and stopped going to games consistently for a while, but even then I went to watch Stourbridge instead so it's not specifically about the quality of the football for me. I like going to live football matches so as long as it is at least a somewhat enjoyable experience I will go.

Didn't start supporting Wolves because they were successful, my dad just told me I had to support them. Success doesn't change me supporting them, just determines whether I am going to the game with excitement or begrudingly.

 

[ndorsetwolf]

I've been attending since 1967. Haven't ever been able to attend every game. Haven't missed attending any season since 1972. Have only lived in the area between 1979 -1987, I attended a lot of games then, though many of them I was on duty. Since 1987 when I moved away, for work purposes I attend as often as I can. This varies season by season, anywhere between 8 and 20 games, driven entirely by work commitments (stupid enough to have had a career path where I always worked weekends.)

Always been surrounded by fans of other clubs, West Ham and Derby as a kid (lived in Burton, West Ham was a weird one), nowadays Saints, Buffmuff and the usual top 6 glory hunters. Very lucky to have met Peter so that I have someone to attend with, helps the long day (14/15 hours if on train), go quicker.

There has always been one constant about my attendance though. I don't give a toss who we are playing, I follow Wolves. If I have the time and the finance, I will be there. Unfortuately, as a full time carer, I need to plan my attendance a long way in advance, have to get respite cover organised etc etc. Makes it impossible to take up the offer of tickets at short notice.

I think there are several types of fan, I have a cousin who has attended home and away for nearly 50 years, the club is nearly his whole life. At the other end of the scale are the so called glory hunters who only come out of the woodwork when success beckons. Don't like 'em but guess I understand them to an extent, there is nothing like attractive football to pull people back.

Anyhoo, enough of my rambling. I will always attend, just not as often as I would like./

 

[Tredman]

Didn't start supporting Wolves because they were successful, my dad just told me I had to support them.

Think that goes for a lot of us, my kids are 5th generation wolves fans and definitely had no choice about it.

 

[Paul]

It's more whether our existing fanbase are intrinsically a bit plastic tbh.

I say yes, to an extent.

Is that a bad thing from the clubs point of view, it's still bums on seats ?

 

[Tyrannosaurus Dan]

I would say success matters in so much as it makes supporting Wolves a more enjoyable experience when we are doing well, but I care just as much about the team no matter what division we are in. I've invested so much time and effort in to supporting Wolves that I don't have much choice in the matter now, I don't think I'd be able to stop caring even if I wanted to.

Personally, I guess I would be classed as a 'glory hunter' these days as since 2012 my attendance at matches dropped off and this season is probably the first time I have been to 5 or more games since giving up my season ticket 8 years ago. However, that is down to the fact that my daughter was born in March 2012 and I made the decision to spend my weekends with my family rather than go to watch Wolves every other weekend (plus starting a family left us pretty much broke!). My son then came along and I just didn't have the time or money to go to many matches. Now, fortunately, I can get to a few more matches but still nowhere near as many as I used to go to.

I'd still support the team no matter what, though and I feel that I have put the time in previously. I went to my first game in 1989 and went to games fairly regularly during the whole of the 1990s. I then went off to Uni in Preston so didn't see too many home games but went to whatever northern away games I could get to and when I came back home and got a job, I immediately got myself a season ticket as I was able to afford one for the first time and kept it for 10 years until my daughter came along. I've certainly seen my fair share of shite during that time!

If the time and money allowed, I would have a season ticket no matter what division we were in. Hopefully, in the future I'll be back as a season ticket holder again along with one or both of my kids.