How do you cope with the highs and lows of being a Notts County fan?

[AmericanPie]

How do you cope with the highs and lows of being a Notts County fan? How do you celebrate the wins and deal with the losses?

Being a Notts County fan is not easy. We have experienced some of the most glorious and most painful moments in football history. We have seen our club rise and fall, win and lose, survive and struggle. We have been through promotions and relegations, trophies and scandals, joys and sorrows.

But we have never given up on our club. We have always stuck by them, through thick and thin. We have always supported them, with our hearts and souls. We have always loved them, no matter what.

How about you? How do you cope with the highs and lows of being a Notts County fan? How do you celebrate the wins and deal with the losses? Do you have any tips or tricks or advice for other fans? Share your stories and experiences here and let’s support each other!

[Fan of Big Tone]

Having been a fan for over 60 years I think I’ve just about seen the highest and and the lowest low. I’ve seen them play Man Utd in the top division and also seen them hours from extinction in the basement.
 

The highs are a lot easier than the lows obviously but I tend to be pragmatic being a Notts fan it comes with the territory.

[Piethagoram]

On one of the old message boards, maybe Rivals, there was a guy "Brooklyn Pie" who posted something like Buddhism, life is meant to be painful. One can then draw the comparison of being a Notts County fan. Also in those old days, there was another NYC Notts forums resident, Big Apple Pie too

My first match I attended 25/March/1967, lost 0-1 to Exeter, to be 20th position in Div 4; Rochdale, Lincoln, Bradford Park Avenue, York City were just below us... roll on exactly 50 years later, we win 0-1 away at Wycombe, our position 20th in League 2 (Division 4 in old money) but what a journey in between

Seeing Notts play in Italy , in the Anglo Italian Cup was a highlight. Brescia and Ascoli visited. 2 Wembley visits, losing the first final to Brescia where Hagi the Romanian Maradona showed his class..to winning it the following year against Ascoli, who had Oliver Bierhoff in their team

[CountyFan2105]

Valium mostly!! I couldn't watch last week's penalty shootout. Hid my head under a pillow & blocked my ears. For once, in all the 54 years I've followed Notts, circumstances (a brave decision by super Luke, the great skill + agility of Archie Mair)- combined together to create, an almost unbelievable 2 penalties, saved. I heard my husband's cheering through all the soundproofing & knew we'd won our rightful place, back in the EFL. Think it felt even better than that end of season, away trip, to Chelsea, back in 1981-when we won promotion back into the top flight, for the first time in 55 years....

[liampie]

i take it as it comes, i do find it disappointing but i am not one to dwell. i would rather put my focus into supporting the club so it can move forward. it really hurt when we got relegated to league two and the trews went on the war path blaming our support. i did not think it was fair, maybe some fans were causing trouble but i dont think excusing all the fans was really that fair. likewise when ah came in, it lifted my hopes and i thought he marketed the club well.

it soon got to his head and became all about him, the season when kevin nolan almost got us promoted it was a great ride but the following season just deflated you. i have seen such a poor squad representing a club that deserves better.

thankfully relegation has lead to better things, the reedtz have done well to transform the club and under luke williams i am encouraged more to give my full support.

i just feel once the hurt and upset subsides, you have to go again. no point in dwelling, you have to support the players who remain and hope for better times. i think we have had a wonderful time in the national league, i know we didn't want to be there but we did not deserve our league status. now we finally do and its brilliant.

[Chris]

People often tell me I am too positive, that it's scary, and I just think why wouldn't I be?

This is when it comes to Notts County, I realise that after the hurt we still need to get on with it. When I went to Swindon, I didn't feel angry. I walked to the coach filled with memories in my mind, thoughts of my grandfather and the happier times I had shared with Jake, plus since Cal started coming. I didn't want it to be the end of that, so I digged deep and tried to continue encouraging support.

The Pride of Nottingham has thrived despite the falls and downtimes. I think it sort of reflects on my attitude and approach to supporting a football team.

I still remember when I first started, and I had a fan verbally abuse me. Going off on one after Jake had given him a flyer, complaining that all fan sites are the same and that he was a supporter not a fan. It's something I sort of get now, but if I ever bumped into that person again, I think I would love to say I told you so to him. Very rarely have I come home from a game in an angry mood, so I think I am quite adapted to handling the disappointment. As a county fan, I just feel used to it.

Oddly, I struggle with happier times because I don't know how to curve my excitement.

[CliftonMagpie]

Being part of something like The Pride of Nottingham makes it easier. I used to get disheartened, but it never tested my faith. In my younger teens, I was frustrated that the club was being poorly managed. Being part of this community helps - you read what others say and try to cheer each other up. Thankfully, the past four seasons have been quite enjoyable.

[Countyman]

Drinking can help at times. I don’t have many drinks, but there have been times when I needed a swift one just to get by. The highs are easier because you just ride the wave until it crashes. The lows are harder because you never know what to expect with this club.

[allardyces tash]

Being a Notts County fan is a roller coaster ride. We’ve seen it all: glory and pain, trophies and scandals, promotions and relegations. But we never give up on our club. We always support them, with humour and patience, through thick and thin.

We celebrate the wins by singing and dancing and cheering. We enjoy every moment of success, because they are rare and precious. We deal with the losses by shrugging and smiling and moving on. We don’t let them ruin our mood or our day, because they are part of the game. That’s how I cope.

[RetroPie]

As a long-time Notts fan, I’ve grown accustomed to the lows. They just become normal after a while. I don’t get upset about results that don’t go our way because we’ve had more seasons like this than I care to remember. The highs, on the other hand, are something to embrace. Those are the moments you want to remember and they don’t come around that often for us. Right now, we’re in a sort of golden age for the club. We need to buckle up and go with the flow, enjoying it while we can.