How much does success matter?

[SLA]

I've been going on a completely irregular basis since the late '80s, mainly to away games down South due to geography or whenever it happens to coincide with where I am. I try to get to Molineux at least once a season but that's not always possible.

How good/successful we are is irrelevant. Because I don't go very often, I get just as much of a buzz seeing us in L1 as I do in the Prem, though obviously much happier with us being where are at the moment.

 

[Deleted Cyber]

For me its about the effective managing of expectations and Fosun by and large have done that. They said where they wanted us to be and have backed us to do it with a revamp of the coaching and management team and the backing in the transfer market.

The stated aims realistically are not for us to bimble around in the lower reaches of the premier league. The first priority each season must be to stay in the premier league. The second is to be in the top half. The third is to win a cup the fourth is european qualification. We really want to be one of the top 9, the big six , Leicester Everton and us.

Personally I would love us to win something soon. A cup would be great. I really thought last year was the one! However , that said for all my graoning its only when the superb quality we do have fails to deliver that I am moaning and thats far better than I can remember in the last 35-40 years. Long may it continue.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

It’s a really interesting question. I have been attending pretty regularly since 1990 and have had a season ticket (with a short hiatus in the Lambert season) since 2006 ish. I love the success now. I love watching some of the great players gracing our shirt. I love watching them challenge themselves against the best in the country.

However, I also enjoyed watching what were often mediocre players in the old gold often challenging themselves against dreck. It’s a communal experience. Sharing the same love of a team with like minded people. Making life long friendships or just being able to chat with some random fan and his son as we get twatted away at Grimsby under Turner. Being a regular attendee is so much more than being an armchair fan, and that bit doesn’t change whether you are in the football wasteland or knee deep in trophies.

 

[Boozad]

I’ve been going since 1981 (don’t really remember anything before ‘86) and will always go. I had a stint for a few years where money didn’t allow but it was horrible not going. Success matters yes but not as to whether I attend or not.

 

[Jinky]

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.

It would be extremely harsh to class yourself (or be called) a "glory hunter" or whatever. You were a season ticket holder and then your circumstances changed and now you are not.

A "glory hunter" to me is someone who picks a team to follow - say Man Utd - when they are a kid, for literally no other reason than the fact they are winning everything. There were plenty of them around while I was at school and I was regularly the one that people took the piss out of for supporting Wolves! Funnily enough, I haven't heard or seen much recently on social media or elsewhere from my friends at school who were avid Man Utd fans back in the day...

 

[MARKakaJIM]

I was never particularly interested in success when I had my season ticket, first year I had one was following relegation from the Premier League under Jones as it just coincided with a time when me and few mates were able to go together regularly. Stuck that out a few years and gave it up for the year they were promoted under McCarthy as I hadn't got the money available that summer to renew it, ended up getting one again the following year with a different group of mates as I had the funds again and stuck that out until the ill-fated Solbakken campaign.

Ultimately the quality of football was what made my mind up for me, I just wasn't enjoying what I was paying to go and watch, the social side I could make up for by other means and I was never that invested as a supporter to feel a compulsion to go. Didn't take long to get out of the habit of every other Saturday being taken up by something and now I couldn't ever imagine making that sort of commitment, even though the product on offer is much more appealing. I'll go to the odd game as and when it's convenient for me at the moment, generally get to view a good standard of football with the current side so it makes it worthwhile when I happen to be in the area but I wouldn't make be making a 100 mile round trip purely for that purpose.

 

[Tyrannosaurus Dan]

It would be extremely harsh to class yourself (or be called) a "glory hunter" or whatever. You were a season ticket holder and then your circumstances changed and now you are not.

A "glory hunter" to me is someone who picks a team to follow - say Man Utd - when they are a kid, for literally no other reason than the fact they are winning everything. There were plenty of them around while I was at school and I was regularly the one that people took the piss out of for supporting Wolves! Funnily enough, I haven't heard or seen much recently on social media or elsewhere from my friends at school who were avid Man Utd fans back in the day...

Yeah, I wouldn't class myself as a glory hunter but I am sure there are probably current season ticket holders who would see me as that these days (not referring to anyone on here btw). It seems that going to matches in League One is the indicator of whether you are a 'proper' fan or not these days and I'm not sure I went to any! Nothing to do with us being in the 3rd tier, I would have quite enjoyed watching a few matches that season tbh. They would have been better than the shite I saw under Solbakken/Saunders the year before.

 

[malta mick]

I think a lot of us have followed Wolves through our family. My grandfather, mother and father, and uncle all had season tickets for many years. My son followed me (without any pressure) and my grandson although born and being brought up in Sheffield, is proud to be wearing the old gold and black - 5 generations now !!

 

[North Shropshire Lad]

I will always go, as I have since the early 70's but the current success is fantastic and leaves me desperate for the next game. That said, and to contradict my previous sentence, some of my best away days were in the late 80's and I don't look forward to sitting with the support we get on European nights or cup games. These 'different' fans just want to moan/go downstairs/embarrass themselves with McManamanesque levels of knowledge about the way we play or allow their kids to repeatedly kick the seat in front. The last one is a little personal but you get my drift.

 

[The Bion]

Tbh I'm the opposite - only Wolves fan in my family (as they are all Villa or Blues) - I saw Bully banging goals in every week on Central News and thought this team looks great, the name sounds cool (no other team are named after an animal, it's all Town this or Rovers that) I'm going to follow them. So maybe that does make me a glory hunter, if we're counting success in ye old Div 4 :icon_biggrin: :icon_redface: Stuck with them ever since though.

Never managed to go on the regular as a kid as quite frankly no-one was interested in going with me, managed it a few times in my late teens but was never going to be in position to go on the regular. Then moved away to Uni and then down to London.

The last couple years my career's taken a dramatic upswing and put me in position to be able to make the trip up to Molineux more regularly than before - prior to that most of the time the best I could hope for was away games down south in the home end or something similar. Luckily for me this has coincided with a vast improvement in the team's fortunes as well. Even if it hadn't I'd like to think I would still be making a few games a year but there's no way to know really.

The advent of the internet and certain associated activities has made it a lot easier to follow the team from afar as well rather than just listening on the wireless hoping for a goal to go in - certainly being in the PL has helped this as well as coverage of the other leagues in this country is just so far detached.

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

Most know what us older fans have been through.
I was there in the true dark days, i dont mean Morgan.

I know what we went through in the 80's I was there for Bullys first game.
I did actually see the worst player ever to pull on a shirt for us even if it was a treble XL.
I dont give a fuck where we are I will support them

 

[pavlosmacwolf]

I've been a Wolves fan since 1957, when i was was taken by my baggies mad family to see them play Wolves and came away a diehard Wolf.
For me, whilst i accept there are plastics, being a Wolves supporter is in the blood, always has been and always will be.
When i came to live here 30 years ago they asked me which Greek team i supported, decision was simple...

Who's that team playing in black and yellow?
right then same colours as wolves so i am an AEK supporter, and still am though the Greek league doesn't do much for me.

What is happening now is brilliant but i have seen many brilliant games and seasons and some proper dross, but it makes no difference, I am a wolf!

 

[Norman Deeley]

In some ways the question of your loyalty to Wolves is irrelevant. Virtually all of us on this forum will have changed wives/girlfriends: I doubt that any of us have ever changed football teams. And for what it’s worth, Wolves – as someone who doesn’t live in Wolverhampton – strike me as having far fewer ‘plastics’ than most other teams.

 

[AndyWolves]

I watched wolves loads during the 90s (home season ticket and 5-10 away games per season)

I stopped going to due work, university, location and other commitments but have always followed wolves to a greater or lesser degree. They're my team, it's in my blood and one of the only constants I've had in my life - it's unconditional.

I will try to go to a couple of games per season if I can, but lately that's been the early league cup games and this season the Europa cup games.

Right now, it's hard for me to go due to life getting in the way but hopefully that will get less demanding.

I'd probably attend the same amount of games regardless of how well we're doing, I hope to get a season ticket again in the future but I'm not sure when that will be.

 

[Newbridge Wolf]

I pestered my Dad for ages to take me down, first game he relented we got beat at home 2-3 with Frank Stapleton scoring a hatrick for Blackburn. Pitch was about 30 yards from the stand with two of the other stands being derelict. I was hooked from there on in, and was mad on them until birds and clubs came on the scene.

When I started work it was a lot of weekends and then away alot, got out of the habit of going, but I was and always am a Wolves fan. I did call time early on a once in a lifetime holiday to New Zealand so I could see Wolves promoted to the Premier league, albeit it was 2002....

I've had a half dozen season tickets, but then I've gone a couple of seasons without going, its no biggie to me and not connected to success as such - theres just other things in life that take priority over it. I was really tempted by the half season ticket in the championship when it was clear we were going up, but I just couldn't justify it at the time, as I can't make more than half the games.

Its been great seeing this team the past couple of seasons, and I think that it doesn't matter how often you go, no one chooses to be a Wolves fan because they are glory hunters.

 

[sycophantia]

Interesting discussion this, guess I'm a bit plastic, started supporting Wolves as soon as I discovered football at about 8 years old, dad and big brother hated football so it wasn't till I was about 11-12 that I started going, taken by some of dads drinking buddies. Late 70's when I was an older teenager my interest waned a bit (although I still counted myself a fan) due to other things taking my interest. During the dark days of the 80's, unemployment then kids and mortgage made it difficult.
When my eldest was about 8 he wanted to go to a match and it was only ever going to be Wolves. He loved it despite only 2 sides of the ground open with the Waterloo Road and North Bank condemned ( there was actual tumble weed). From then me and my two boys have managed to get to 5/6 games a season, not as many as we'd like but its all we can manage. We've not managed to get to a league game yet this season, although we been to all the EL games. Its got nothing to do with success for me (although I'm loving the last 3 seasons) if it all goes pear shaped and we end up in the 2nd division, I'll still go 5/6 games. TBH half the pleasure for me is going and spending that time with my two lads.
So am I a plastic? maybe, do I care? do I fuck

 

[t3ch]

I mean keeping up through double relegation, I can't imagine finishing 7th consistently would really be super disappointing. :icon_lol: It would be a shame if the team stays that way due to ownership not committing resources, but I suppose not everyone can be City. top half with consistent europa appearances is still pretty nice.

a bit different for me across the pond, but I've watched almost every game I've been able to (work, travel, etc. notwithstanding) for a decade at this point. granted, it was hard to follow during the relegation years because there simply wasn't much available on this end. I obviously can't speak to attendance numbers or anything though. I'd probably be similarly be unable to afford most games regardless of performance. :icon_lol:

 

[Derby Wolf]

Had season tickets throughout childhood, away season tickets for a few too. As an adult (2003 onwards) I gave up my season ticket when we won promotion. I had a Rover ticket at the time and it shot up to £425 upon promotion so that was me done. Started attending again in the Championship but stopped altogether under Hoddle it was that bad for me and the only time I got zero enjoyment out of going.

Started going again when Mick took over and attended most home and away 06-08, went traveling and stopped for 08/09. Went to sporadic Prem games coinciding with me being a duty manager at the Royal during that time and working matchdays. Bought a season ticket again in 2016.

 

[NE66Wolf]

I have been a Wolves fan since the mid 1960s when I first understood football enough for my mother to take me on a Happy Days coach to watch them. I have always attended as often as I can, some seasons in my youth home and away. As I gained a demanding career and family my attendance dropped as I simply could not get the time to go every game. When my life took me to the North East I have remained a committed fan, but the occasions that I could travel down got very limited. Despite being bought up in the North East through many of their formative years, my children are staunch Wolves fans and like me go when they can. I do not remotely consider myself or my children to be plastic fans, just fans who cannot attend as regularly as we would like.
The thing I find hard to take is that I am now pretty much retired, but I am finding it impossible to get tickets as my points are too low. But I see that as a bi product of our success and it is what it is and is necessary is we are to continue to grow as a club and build on our success thus far.
Success is not a factor for me as I attend as often as I can just as I always have, but I am loving our success so far and long may it continue, after all it’s what I have wanted for all these years. In order for us to continue to grow on the pitch and overall as a club we need to grow our fan base, starting with increasing our share of local support and eventually attracting support more globally.
Yes, even the plastics!

 

[Premier Quality]

I pestered my Dad for ages to take me down, first game he relented we got beat at home 2-3 with Frank Stapleton scoring a hatrick for Blackburn. Pitch was about 30 yards from the stand with two of the other stands being derelict. I was hooked from there on in, and was mad on them until birds and clubs came on the scene.

Massive coincidence - that was my first game too! My dad said we could go anywhere for my birthday, assumed it would be Alton towers or similar, but had to be Molineux!