Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Supporters' today
When you get a crowd of several thousands it is difficult to generalise but put them in a football, should I say footy(?!) stadium and the herd mentality takes over and zero sum opinions become a little easier.
As I watch games these days, and listen to what mates have to say who still can afford to go, it does seem that as the fan gets richer they get more obnoxious and less tolerant of what goes on around them.
Jamie Carragher is a cheating scouse git and I would have no compunction calling him that on the football pitch. But if what happened at Luton is true then a line has been crossed. Apparently after the game he went to some Luton fans to sign some autographs and was greeted by a cacophany of abuse and beer. I've never liked Luton and do hope they can't find a buyer and as I said have little time for JC on the pitch. But to throw beer and abuse him after the game 'cos he want's to sign a few autographs for kids is oafish, moronic behaviour and no one deserves that.
It is possible to loathe a player of course. Perhaps because he plays for a rival, used to play for your team or was involved in some incident in the past against your lot. Take Graham Roberts. A player more at home at Twickenham, he was positively loathed by Arsenal fans and for good reason. Not only did he play for that lot up the road, he also famously kicked Charlie Nicholas into the terracing at the front of the East Stand at Highbury. We had plenty of reason to hate him and hate him we did. But what the hell are Luton fans on about with Carragher?
Now Arsenal's loathing is directed towards Ashley Cole. Sure, call him a greedy little shit but some of the rest of the stuff sounds just a bit obsessive. The other lot went through that shit when Campbell signed for us. Calling him Judas and hanging an effigy from a lamp post outside their tin pot stadium but we're supposed to be Arsenal and above that. Calling someone Judas just 'cos he moves to your bitterest rivals is pathetic. Did an earlier generation treat Pat Jennings so badly when he made the same move?
In English football today we have got some real quality players strutting their stuff week in, week out yet to read and hear some comments in the press and on the web we're actually worse off than 30 years ago.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a dirty, cheating diver.
Fabregas is a whiny Spanish git.
Thierry Henry was arrogant! In fact one comment I saw recently on the Guardian had me in stitches. He said Arsenal as a team were arrogant because they had a huddle after the game and didn't shake hands with their opponents!
One thing I always remember from my days on the Clock End or North Bank was how we always gave a reception, sometimes warm, sometimes frigid, to visiting keepers. Does that happen these days? In fact is there any respect for anybody who doesn't wear your shirt?
I like Arteta, I like Cahill at Everton. Perhaps if they moved to a bigger club, one of our rivals I would hate them. Maybe not. I respect Drogba at Chelsea but not Lumparse. I always thought Ivan Campo looked like the guy in the Marx Brothers but now, as a player, I like him. Vidic at United, Torres at Liverpool, even Savage at Blackburn who I hate but is the kind of player you can jeer mercilessly then celebrate when he signs for you. I even, whisper it eh, rate Berbatov and I sincerely hopes an anvil falls on his feet today.
Then you get the fans who come out with surely one of the most moronic chants I've ever heard. 'Who are ya?' If they don't know why don't they read the match programme? It sounds dumb but once people start everyone joins in. Well, everyone who wants to feel as they belong, joins in.
I read somewhere recently the average age of Premier League supporters is about 43. So am I and if I was sill going to games I wouldn't sing much. Fergie hit the headlines recently when he said against Birmingham City the atmosphere was like a funeral. Maybe but many stadiums are like that and the reason is obvious.
The lads who used to make the noise back in the 70's and 80's were young lads, possibly mostly working class. These guys have gotten older and lost the desire to sing so much but no one has replaced them. Ticket prices are so frigging high these days kids can't afford to go to games to create the atmosphere. And there's more. Back in the day you could roll up match day, pay at the gate then you knew where your mates would be on the terraces and the crack would begin.
Not today. Now you book a ticket weeks in advance and it's pot luck where you sit. If you're lucky you're with some like minded souls. If you're unlucky you're with some pink hat flask carrying Fanny come lately who knows squat about the terrace passion that made the game, in the dark days, so vital for so many.
At least Liverpool are considering keeping a Kop end, a large single tier bank, for fans to try and generate some noise. Not Arsenal. There's money in corporate bums behind the goal and sod the noise.
Odd, isn't it? The game has gentrified itself, it's priced out the riff raff and replaced them with intolerant toffs. No guessing which version I prefered.
Yours,
Sad Old Fart
Jakarta
As I watch games these days, and listen to what mates have to say who still can afford to go, it does seem that as the fan gets richer they get more obnoxious and less tolerant of what goes on around them.
Jamie Carragher is a cheating scouse git and I would have no compunction calling him that on the football pitch. But if what happened at Luton is true then a line has been crossed. Apparently after the game he went to some Luton fans to sign some autographs and was greeted by a cacophany of abuse and beer. I've never liked Luton and do hope they can't find a buyer and as I said have little time for JC on the pitch. But to throw beer and abuse him after the game 'cos he want's to sign a few autographs for kids is oafish, moronic behaviour and no one deserves that.
It is possible to loathe a player of course. Perhaps because he plays for a rival, used to play for your team or was involved in some incident in the past against your lot. Take Graham Roberts. A player more at home at Twickenham, he was positively loathed by Arsenal fans and for good reason. Not only did he play for that lot up the road, he also famously kicked Charlie Nicholas into the terracing at the front of the East Stand at Highbury. We had plenty of reason to hate him and hate him we did. But what the hell are Luton fans on about with Carragher?
Now Arsenal's loathing is directed towards Ashley Cole. Sure, call him a greedy little shit but some of the rest of the stuff sounds just a bit obsessive. The other lot went through that shit when Campbell signed for us. Calling him Judas and hanging an effigy from a lamp post outside their tin pot stadium but we're supposed to be Arsenal and above that. Calling someone Judas just 'cos he moves to your bitterest rivals is pathetic. Did an earlier generation treat Pat Jennings so badly when he made the same move?
In English football today we have got some real quality players strutting their stuff week in, week out yet to read and hear some comments in the press and on the web we're actually worse off than 30 years ago.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a dirty, cheating diver.
Fabregas is a whiny Spanish git.
Thierry Henry was arrogant! In fact one comment I saw recently on the Guardian had me in stitches. He said Arsenal as a team were arrogant because they had a huddle after the game and didn't shake hands with their opponents!
One thing I always remember from my days on the Clock End or North Bank was how we always gave a reception, sometimes warm, sometimes frigid, to visiting keepers. Does that happen these days? In fact is there any respect for anybody who doesn't wear your shirt?
I like Arteta, I like Cahill at Everton. Perhaps if they moved to a bigger club, one of our rivals I would hate them. Maybe not. I respect Drogba at Chelsea but not Lumparse. I always thought Ivan Campo looked like the guy in the Marx Brothers but now, as a player, I like him. Vidic at United, Torres at Liverpool, even Savage at Blackburn who I hate but is the kind of player you can jeer mercilessly then celebrate when he signs for you. I even, whisper it eh, rate Berbatov and I sincerely hopes an anvil falls on his feet today.
Then you get the fans who come out with surely one of the most moronic chants I've ever heard. 'Who are ya?' If they don't know why don't they read the match programme? It sounds dumb but once people start everyone joins in. Well, everyone who wants to feel as they belong, joins in.
I read somewhere recently the average age of Premier League supporters is about 43. So am I and if I was sill going to games I wouldn't sing much. Fergie hit the headlines recently when he said against Birmingham City the atmosphere was like a funeral. Maybe but many stadiums are like that and the reason is obvious.
The lads who used to make the noise back in the 70's and 80's were young lads, possibly mostly working class. These guys have gotten older and lost the desire to sing so much but no one has replaced them. Ticket prices are so frigging high these days kids can't afford to go to games to create the atmosphere. And there's more. Back in the day you could roll up match day, pay at the gate then you knew where your mates would be on the terraces and the crack would begin.
Not today. Now you book a ticket weeks in advance and it's pot luck where you sit. If you're lucky you're with some like minded souls. If you're unlucky you're with some pink hat flask carrying Fanny come lately who knows squat about the terrace passion that made the game, in the dark days, so vital for so many.
At least Liverpool are considering keeping a Kop end, a large single tier bank, for fans to try and generate some noise. Not Arsenal. There's money in corporate bums behind the goal and sod the noise.
Odd, isn't it? The game has gentrified itself, it's priced out the riff raff and replaced them with intolerant toffs. No guessing which version I prefered.
Yours,
Sad Old Fart
Jakarta
# posted by Me @ 12:01 PM 
Comments:
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Very interesting piece. I'm wrapped up in the supporter culture in Australia, and at the moment we're having a hard time getting the stadium to understand what we're doing.
Personally, I don't understand alot of abuse that's thrown around to players, but then I hate Clint Bolton (Sydney Keeper) with a passion. He turned around and had a go at us at one game. SO I guess that goes across to other people and other players.
The 'Who are ya?' chant I like, because it's telling the player that it doesn't matter who they are, we don't care.
Btw, if you have any interest in the A-League scene, check out my blog Melbourne Terrace It's mainly from the Melbourne perspective, but give it a look if you want.
Personally, I don't understand alot of abuse that's thrown around to players, but then I hate Clint Bolton (Sydney Keeper) with a passion. He turned around and had a go at us at one game. SO I guess that goes across to other people and other players.
The 'Who are ya?' chant I like, because it's telling the player that it doesn't matter who they are, we don't care.
Btw, if you have any interest in the A-League scene, check out my blog Melbourne Terrace It's mainly from the Melbourne perspective, but give it a look if you want.
i used to go to see st george in the old nsl and we used to have about 5 in the seats and three behind the goal. we would then chant frankie aroks red and white army, alternating between each 'mob'!
great days
remember another time down at sutherland a mate was giving kosmina grief and he turned round with some comment about my mates girlfirend which cracked us up
instilling a terrace culture takes time.
good luck with the blog
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great days
remember another time down at sutherland a mate was giving kosmina grief and he turned round with some comment about my mates girlfirend which cracked us up
instilling a terrace culture takes time.
good luck with the blog
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