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How blue are you?

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 5:44 pm
by Dinksy
Picking up on a couple of comments from others about how 'hardcore' we are as fans, I wonder what we think makes a fan a true blue. Invicta reckons it's a 3 1/2 hr trip to home games - not going to argue with that - while PompeyGunner reckons it's being a fan for 50 years.
There's different criteria, isn't there? For example, I don't get to a lot of games these days but went to them all some twenty years ago. I think my hardcore claim would be travelling up to Barnsley with barely 200 other fans on the most miserable, grey Yorkshire days on New Year's Day in 1994 and watching us lose 2-0 while not even mustering a shot on target.
What is anyone else's hardcore claim?

Re: How blue are you?

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 6:00 pm
by Mr Dee
If you walked down the lane behind the North terrace anytime before the 2000s and never once stepped in dogs mess I think that makes you pretty hardcore or at least a dogs mess ninja

Re: How blue are you?

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 6:39 pm
by PakefieldBlue
I'm "lifelong" rather than "hardcore" and been regularly going to games since 1981.
Dinksy wrote: Thu Oct 17, 2019 5:44 pm I think my hardcore claim would be travelling up to Barnsley with barely 200 other fans on the most miserable, grey Yorkshire days on New Year's Day in 1994 and watching us lose 2-0 while not even mustering a shot on target.
What is anyone else's hardcore claim?
Was that the game when Gerry Creaney broke his jaw the night before in a nightclub and therefore didn't play? If so then I was there as well! Absolutely terrible game!

Re: How blue are you?

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 6:46 pm
by richisbradders
I’m sure people have better than me, but I’ve had a season ticket for 21 years, and even went to pretty much every game whilst i lived in Chester for 2 years.

Re: How blue are you?

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 6:51 pm
by PakefieldBlue
richisbradders wrote: Thu Oct 17, 2019 6:46 pm I’m sure people have better than me, but I’ve had a season ticket for 21 years, and even went to pretty much every game whilst i lived in Chester for 2 years.
That is good going! I've never had a season ticket - that always feels like it is the "tumbleweed" moment when discussing these matters....

Re: How blue are you?

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 7:49 pm
by rumourmonger
I once went on a minibus to see us play Wrexham away. The minibus was oversubscribed and so I sat on the floor all the way to Wrexham and most of the way back. And we lost 2-0 and played awful. Don't get to as many games as i usedto but been supporting Pompey since 1965.

Re: How blue are you?

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 8:48 pm
by eltorrro
My first visit to FP was 1950 at the age of 5. I had the privilege of watching the likes of Dickinson, Reid, Harris, Gordon, Upritchard, Mansell, etc for a number of years until family moved 'oop north' and not able to watch live anymore but, with Pompey running through my veins, was always a supporter. Marriage kept me away from Blighty apart from the odd game being played when visiting relatives... and then we moved to Spain so live games dried up...until iFollow happened and now I watch every game available.
I may not be a ST holder or go to many matches. Nor do I have copious stories to tell of away days, long journeys or rubbish games..but a Blues supporter I will always be!! 8)

Re: How blue are you?

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 8:52 pm
by Dinksy
PakefieldBlue wrote:I'm "lifelong" rather than "hardcore" and been regularly going to games since 1981.
Dinksy wrote: Thu Oct 17, 2019 5:44 pm I think my hardcore claim would be travelling up to Barnsley with barely 200 other fans on the most miserable, grey Yorkshire days on New Year's Day in 1994 and watching us lose 2-0 while not even mustering a shot on target.
What is anyone else's hardcore claim?
Was that the game when Gerry Creaney broke his jaw the night before in a nightclub and therefore didn't play? If so then I was there as well! Absolutely terrible game!
I don't remember that Parkfield. But the misery I felt about the long journey up there, the awful 90 minutes and the even longer journey back has stayed with me to this day. Broke, depressed and shattered before the first day of the new year was out. I guess that's one hallmark of 'hardcore' - how much have you suffered!

Re: How blue are you?

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 9:22 pm
by New Forester
eltorrro wrote: Thu Oct 17, 2019 8:48 pm My first visit to FP was 1950 at the age of 5. I had the privilege of watching the likes of Dickinson, Reid, Harris, Gordon, Upritchard, Mansell, etc for a number of years until family moved 'oop north' and not able to watch live anymore but, with Pompey running through my veins, was always a supporter. Marriage kept me away from Blighty apart from the odd game being played when visiting relatives... and then we moved to Spain so live games dried up...until iFollow happened and now I watch every game available.
I may not be a ST holder or go to many matches. Nor do I have copious stories to tell of away days, long journeys or rubbish games..but a Blues supporter I will always be!! 8)
Well, well.

Very close. First match in 1949. Aged 6. Never forgotten the first goal. The explosion of sound made me a lifelong sports addict. Powerful memories of the 1950s as we gradually slipped down and out of Division 1. Used to go by train from Bedhampton. Lived for a while in Farlington in the 60s. Able to leave home at 2.30. Moved to the New Forest in the 70s. To get parked I now leave here mid morning on Saturdays. I live among Bournemouth and Saints fans. So I delight in flying my Pompey flag in the front garden. Soon to be joined by three gnomes from the Pompey store. True blue. Absolutely. But I confess. I went once to watch Saints with one of my daughters. A dull 0-0 draw against West Brom. Never been to St Mary’s.

Re: How blue are you?

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 9:38 pm
by pompeygunner
Dinksy wrote: Thu Oct 17, 2019 5:44 pm Picking up on a couple of comments from others about how 'hardcore' we are as fans, I wonder what we think makes a fan a true blue. Invicta reckons it's a 3 1/2 hr trip to home games - not going to argue with that - while PompeyGunner reckons it's being a fan for 50 years.
There's different criteria, isn't there? For example, I don't get to a lot of games these days but went to them all some twenty years ago. I think my hardcore claim would be travelling up to Barnsley with barely 200 other fans on the most miserable, grey Yorkshire days on New Year's Day in 1994 and watching us lose 2-0 while not even mustering a shot on target.
What is anyone else's hardcore claim?
I don't consider myself hardcore, that was down to Invicta. However as stated I've been going to FP for 50yrs now. TBH a todger waving contest aint my thing.
I was there through the downward spiral to Div 4 both times, although missed a fair bit of the 2nd part of 1977/1978 because of being abroad in the RN. Seen the good times & the bad, the bad for me was summed up by the Charlton FA Cup replay @ home in 1976 in ft of 31k (official gate but shedloads more there ) We lost 0-3. Interestingly for me the PL years I couldn't afford a ST but got tickets to the lesser games like Middlesborough, Villa, Brum etc etc. Saw the scum games. For me it was never about Utd or Arsenal etc. I don't go to see the opposition I go to see Pompey.

Re: How blue are you?

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 10:37 pm
by The Cincinnati Kid
Being 8000 miles away, I don't go these days and have been relegated to Armchair Moaner. I guess my hardcore moment was aged around 18ish and going alone (without chums, not without other fans) by train to Lincoln city on a chilly rainy night midweek back sometime in the early 80's.
No roof in the away corner of course. I think we won 0-3 but not certain.
Also there was a minor scuffle with constable Plod, League cup away to QPR....they wanted to take everyones bootlaces in my group and we weren't keen on giving them up.
Oh yeah....came to the rescue of a chum being beat up on the streets of Cardiff....might have been Newport....2 against 4....I'd say we got a score draw.

Re: How blue are you?

Posted: Fri Oct 18, 2019 5:34 am
by BlueinPLtwenty
This month will herald 60 years since I first watched a match at Fratton Park. I was hooked. Since that first game I have endured a 5-0 defeat at Sheffield United on a bleak mid-week evening, various 4 goal thrashings at different grounds over the Country and come back for more. However I have visited Wembley six times to see two Cup winning experiences & two Semi Final victories. Been at Plymouth in 1983, Notts County & Fratton for the Cheltenham 2017 promotions, Bradford twice one to stay up the other to go up!. I do not live as far away as some listed above but I have lived amongst the "Pastie Munchers" for 45 years, 180 miles from Portsmouth. I am gradually weaning one of my Grandsons away from his leaning to Spurs. He was at Wembley this year and I took him to Fratton in august. The atmosphere has almost converted him, he admits that the Spurs experience runs a poor second to the Fratton one. Therefore I believe my Blue credentials stand up tall against many of our number!

Re: How blue are you?

Posted: Fri Oct 18, 2019 9:15 am
by Berkshire Blue
I would say that I am lifelong rather than hardcore, whatever that means. I was born in the last few months of the war, and my father and grandfather started taking me to FP around 1950ish. In the mid and late 50s my brother and I used to cycle to the games and leave our bikes in the back yard of friends of my grandparents who lived just around the corner from FP. When I grew up I moved away and ended up in Berkshire, and one of my great joys has been going with my son to FP when he was young ( and ever since), and latterly taking one or other of my grandchildren along, which makes at least five generations of my family who have been to FP. As is stated elsewhere on this board, you can take the man out of Pompey, but you can't take Pompey out of the man!

Re: How blue are you?

Posted: Fri Oct 18, 2019 12:32 pm
by Locky_McLockface
I'm sure that the purpose of the thread was more to learn about people's histories, rather than a todger-waving competition, and on that basis, it's very interesting.

My first Fratton experience was in the late 70s, aged about 7 or 8. My Mum's cousin was a Plymouth fan, stationed at Tidworth, and it was Pompey v Plymouth on Tuesday night, he suggested we all go. We were sat high up in the south stand (back in the days when away fans could safely mingle). If I remember correctly, Leigh Barnard scored the winner, but I may have made that up completely.

I remember also making en entire student union bar in Bangor, North Wales, turn to look at me when we beat Forest in the cup run of 1992. I also went to the play-off games against Leicester, away and home in 1993. Never did like Julian Joachim. Or Ian Ormondroyd, the offside git.

Does that make me hardcore? No, probably not, but my money's just as useful to the club as anyone else's, so I'll give it when I can. I am pleased, though, that my sons are all fans too, in spite of all the pressure to support a so-called big Prem club. No.2 son had a ST for several years before going to uni. I'm quite certain that he'll get one again when he graduates. Oldest son wavered a bit (he's more a cricket fan) but we went to the Peterborough CAT Trophy game in January, and that and the CAT final has seen him re-bitten by the bug.

Re: How blue are you?

Posted: Fri Oct 18, 2019 12:51 pm
by Pompey Penguin
I am by no means hardcore, but if people are interested in histories, then here is mine.

I have been going to Fratton Park for nearly 50 years (yikes!), although I have missed part-seasons and some whole seasons due to education and work commitments. I was at a lot of "classic Pompey games", both home and away, during that period, but have also missed a few along the way. I have been to away games at 93 different clubs, including a lot of northern clubs during the 80s (now that was hardcore!), and would like to get up to 100 before I stop away games. I have been a season ticket holder for 17 years (and a shareholder when that was necessary), but am actually going to fewer home games as the 100 mile each way journey becomes more of a trial.

Over that time, I have seen everything that I could reasonably wish for: Premier League, FA Cup Finals, Europe, Checkatrade Trophy win, ups, downs and in-betweens. Pompey has been a big part of my life, probably bigger than it should have been, and has given me some top memories, both good and bad, and allowed me to meet some great people. I suppose that I have reached the stage where I can put football into better perspective than I could in the past.