Let's start this batch of comments from a well known voice of reason ion the board... Hasta

When did you first start supporting Bath Rugby?

September 1998, when I moved to Bath for University. Until the ECC 2 seasons ago I was beginning to think I was a curse to our chances of silverware!

What made you a supporter?

I just fell in love with Bath as a City, and to me the rugby was and is the beating heart of the City.

Can you remember anything about the first game you ever saw at the Rec?

Not a thing! I probably got in for £6 as a student though ;)

What has been your best moment as a supporter of Bath Rugby?

A tie between Elvis in the corner and Leicester in the HC QF (the time we won).

What has been your worst moment as a supporter of Bath Rugby?

Leeds in the Powergen final. Just utter utter rubbish and the final proof that John Connolly style rugby would never win us anything.

Who do you regard as the best player of all time for Bath?

I can only talk about since I've been watching really, so Adam Vander. Single handedly kept us in the Premiership despite a career-ending injury half way through the season.

Which players from the Golden Decade do you think would be a success in the modern game?

Unoriginal I know, but Jerry Guscott was a class above.

Which opposition player (from any era) would you like to have moved to Bath and why? Dallaglio. His passion and will to win are superb and we've really lacked that recently I feel (with a brief interlude under Jon Humphreys). Also, he has a superb first name.

How confident are you that Bath Rugby will be at the Rec in five years time?

More than I was 6 months ago!

Describe what Bath Rugby means to you in three words.

Heart of Bath. Or Expensive Train Tickets I guess ;)
 

And over to ....Weston Dave

When did you first start supporting Bath Rugby.

I was taken to a few games as a child, and also went with my Dad to the 1986 and 1987 cup final. I think after the 87 final I started going to games either on my own or with a school friend - in those days you could get in for next to nothing, and before long we were doing all the home games and a lot of the United games as well. From then on I was hooked, although it wasn't until I came back from Uni in 1992 that I became a member (forerunner to Season tickets).

What made you a supporter.

I suspect it was the big crowd experience. I was always the archetypal last kid to be picked for any playground game of football etc, my hand eye co-ordination is shocking, and I was a skinny slow little thing so sport was something totally alien to me. However my Dad had played junior level rugby until a while after I was born and so it was fairly natural for him to have an interest - hence the first view trips. After that I think I was hooked on it. I can remember sitting on a reasonably warm April day (the cup final always used to be the nearest weekend to my birthday so they were birthday treats) in the top tier of the old east stand at Twickenham literally shivering with anticipation. Clearly those were big occasions, but I quickly realised that it was worth watching - of course it helped that we won a lot in those days.

Can you remember anything about the first game you ever saw at the Rec.

This will make some laugh. I was taken as a primary school age kid to watch a Bath v Bristol game at the Rec. It was one of those typical filthy afternoons when visibility was a bit limited (and bear in mind that if you think the floodlights are bad now - they were worse around 1980!). Now I knew that Bath played in Blue, Black and White "stripes" (as I would have said then) and through the murk I could make out one team was wearing a "striped" top, and the other plain white shirts, so I decided that Bath must be the team in stripes and Bristol the team in white. Clearly my understanding of the game was limited (otherwise I'd have known about the tradition those days that the home team changed strip when they clashed) and it seemed very confusing to me that "Bristol" seemed to be doing lots of scoring but the scoreboard was clocking up points for Bath and vice versa. I seem to remember the penny dropping at some point and asking Dad for clarification after which it all made a lot more sense. The only other thing I can remember about that game is that it was one of only two I saw where John Horton was playing.

What has been your best moment as a supporter of Bath Rugby.

Strangely not the Gloucester final although that was great - brought a couple of Uni mates all the way down for that one. If I might be allowed to combine two games into one "event", there were two wins against Bristol that became almost omens for other things in life. The first one happened on the Saturday afternoon after I'd been on a date which ended with comments like "well maybe I'll see you again but I really need to think about my studies". I went to the game thinking I'd been blown out, and watched us really put Bristol to the sword - it was one of those games where every bounce went for us and against them. I came back feeling a bit better and found out that I hadn't been blown out - I'll have been married to that girl for 10 years come September! Almost exactly 2 years later I went to see a house on the morning of a Bristol v Bath game, put an offer in on it, and was told that one of the neighbours had also put in an identical offer for one of their children. The vendor was going to sleep on it over the weekend and decide who to go with on the Monday - again I thought I was out of it, but when the result came through as a win for Bath at the Mem, I thought back to the previous time and just had a bit more hope. We had 8 happy years in that house and when we did move - we moved to a bigger house in the same street.

Worst moment as a Bath Rugby supporter.

I'm afraid while the current mess is bad, I'm still going to have to say the 1988 Cup loss to Moseley. Me and my school mate had worked out that there was some deal going on rail fares that meant we could get train trips for virtually nothing, so we got some tickets for the Leicester game and enjoyed us winning. Off the back of that we worked out with a bit of effort we could do the same for the next round at Moseley so off we went again. The story of that game is probably well known, but Barnes had fractured his cheekbone earlier in the season so wasn't in - John Palmer I think was outside half and Phil Cue was kicking goals from full back. However it was one of those games where it just wouldn't go over. We kicked a penalty, they scored a try to make it 4-3 to them (old scoring!) and that was the way it stayed. Cue couldn't get another one over, Trick had a go and missed, Guscott had a go and missed and nothing would go over. The two of us made the entire journey back in virtual silence until the train was pulling back into Bath and the implications of what we had just been through dawned - Bath had lost in the cup. It was almost like coming home to tell the city the Abbey was being repossessed. As we got up to get off the train we both as one looked at each other and said "Sh!t" with a tone of menace.

Best player of all time.

I've been very fortunate to see a lot of great players - some very talented, some very interesting and some very committed to the Bath cause. If I had to choose one then it would probably be Stuart Barnes. I always liked the playmakers who could make the ball dance - the likes of Wilkinson and Andrew bored me to tears although I appreciated their abilities to kick as a talent. It was players like John Horton, John Palmer and Barnes that just had that bit extra brain as well as the mechanical abilities, and their ability to kick and handle just in my view gives them the edge over players like Guscott.

Which players from the Golden Decade do you think would be a success in the modern game? 
Graham Dawe has proven his ability to continue in the modern game despite his age, and I suspect that given similar full time preparation and fitness training a lot of them could have made the grade (if they could give up the fags!). But I don't think I could wish that on them. They played in a time when the game was primarily about enjoyment - sure in some cases it helped get them into jobs that kept food on the table etc, but I think they probably had a more rounded life than players now and I don't think we'd do them any favours time warping them forward to this modern game where everything is so full on, the toll on bodies is so much worse and where everything has to be taken so seriously.

Which opposition player (from any era) would you like to have moved to Bath and why? 
I think any club supporter would have had Martin Johnson in their team - the fact that during most of his prime we were short of quality second row players would only have added to that. I'd only qualify that by saying I'd not have had him if it had meant Danny hadn't been signed.

How confidant are you that Bath Rugby will still be at the Rec in 5 years.

I've lived in Bath nearly all my life (barring 3 years away at Uni). The fact that any development will take years of toil and struggle is part of a Bathonian's genetic make up. I was still in school when the first plans came out to redevelop Southgate and look how long that has taken to actually get going. Ditto Lambridge (now Batheaston) park and Ride, the Batheaston bypass etc etc. I'm not going to be daft enough to name a date for a new arena at the Rec, but unless we actually permanently move somewhere else I won't give up hope.

Describe what Bath Rugby means to you in three words.

Bathonians life support! (although on occasion it does work in reverse!)

One of the driving forces behind "The Real Friends of the Rec" is Peter Downey

When did you first start supporting Bath Rugby.

Went only sometimes to the Rec in the 70's, but really regularly in the 80's Took about four seasons to get a Season Ticket!

What made you a supporter.

The brilliance of the backs, camaraderie at the ground and after in the bars.

Can you remember anything about the first game you ever saw at the Rec.

Can't remember the first game, but the catch of Peter Sibley that as I remember won us a match remains in my memory as everyone seemed to think it amazing and funny !

What has been your best moment as a supporter of Bath Rugby.

Ed Morrison explaining to someone near me that he was sorry for a duff decision, "but I only have one eye!" being rather sharply to "bloody well use it then!" seemed to me to epitomise the openness and banter that is Rugby, besides that; when the Brive fly half  failed to get a match winning penalty in Bordeaux or Barnes' drop goal at Twickenham against Quins.

Worst moment as a Bath Rugby supporter.

When the Council blocked the sale of Lambridge which our secretary Clive Howard had negotiated with Tesco that would have ensured the Club to have been able to build the infrastructure to be the best in the Northern Hemisphere in every way.

Best player of all time.

I will cheat here, but Jack Rowell is the "best of all time" His vision, determination and skill in management. A major problem currently.

Which players from the Golden Decade do you think would be a success in the modern game? 

I think nearly all of them, but my fear would be that most would be bored out of their minds and would have gone off to have careers and not wanted to be professional

Which opposition player (from any era) would you like to have moved to Bath and why?  Brian Moore because he brought out the best in Graham Dawe!

How confidant are you that Bath Rugby will still be at the Rec in 5 years.

Bath Rugby will leave the "Rec" over my dead body!

Describe what Bath Rugby means to you in three words.

Excellence, Vision, Friendship

Let's finish this batch with the comments of....Aladinsane

When did you first start supporting Bath Rugby?
1995

What made you a supporter?
Went along with a friend from work & my Brother-in-law

Can you remember anything about the first game you ever saw at the Rec?
Nothing

What has been your best moment as a supporter of Bath Rugby?
First trip to H.Q. it was the last Pilkington Cup Final when we beat the Tiggers with a penalty try & of course wining the Heiniken Cup Final.

What has been your worst moment as a supporter of Bath Rugby?
Having some self-centred idiots who thought they were bigger than the club, don't they know there's no "I" in team.

Who do you regard as the best player of all time for Bath?
Jerry Guscott.

Which players from the Golden Decade do you think would be a success in the modern game?
Victor, Jerry, Olly Redman & Haggy. If they could prove there fitness for the modern game!

Which opposition player (from any era) would you like to have moved to Bath and why?
Joost Van Der Westhassin. Do I really need to explain why?

How confident are you that Bath Rugby will be at the Rec in five years time?
Totally.

Describe what Bath Rugby means to you in three words.
Life and Death!