squirrel Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 Instead of going to watch City on saturday, I went to Germany to watch Bochum v Rostock, I know alot of you will say about missing our match, but a chance like that to me does not come often in a lifetime. The game it's self was average, but the passion of the fans was outstanding, especially the away fans, they sang from start to finish and beyond the end of the game. There was only about 200 to 300 of them, and they were caged into an area in the corner section of the stadium, but they produced a noise that would of made 12000 city fans sound quiet, I do go to our away games but have never heard anything like it, they were climbing on the fencing, waving their flags and scarves, and the security staff, due to the hight of the fencing could not reach them, yes there were police there, who had guns, but they, most of the time sat and watched the match in a section next to the away fans, there were roughly 15000 to 20000 home fans, they too were waving banners and singing all through the game. They are allowed to drink lager all the way through the match, they even had a person who came round with a barrel on his back doing refills Why can't we be like that? I know were not fenced in, but why can't we show the passion for the team like they do?. even if we show the passion that bochum fans had it would be better than anything we do is it due to to many silly rules? like you cant take a certain size flag in? or not being allowed to stand? do you feel able to show more passion when you stand at a game?. Bochums stadium is an all seater, but this in no way detered them from getting behind their team, as for the Rostock fans........ they did't sit once. It added so much to the atmosphere, and there was no crowd trouble before, during or after the match, so even all the drinking didn't fuel any trouble. Having now witnessed the difference between english fans and german fans in normal league games, it has left me asking the question why is there so much differece between the ways we get behind our team?. What ways could we improve, what would make you get behind them better than what you do now?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbored Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 One problem with English football is the yob culture.Can you imagine what would happen to any atmosphere if lager was topped up throughout the game? It would turn hostile and the fans would probably end up scrapping amongst themselves and then look for more trouble outside the stadium. Policing costs would soar and we'd be back in the dark days of the 70's. Its been well researched that alcohol is a major player in almost all British violence from street brawls to domestic violence.It would be a reckless and irresponsible act to allow booze to be drunk throughout a game. City away fans create good atmospheres at most away games and the question has asked any times on here why we can make so much noise away from home but not at AG. It has to be the acoustics at AG. Wide open faced stands like the Atyeo, Williams and the Dolman allow sound to escape upwards rather than outwards.The East End is lower,and sound generates outwards which is why just a few away fans make so much noise and part of the reason that there has been a campaign to re-open the East End to home fans. City fans don't lack passion - its just hard to make yourself heard at AG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted October 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 I have to correct myself on one point, it's not an all seater stadium, where the home fans were was terracing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathy33 Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 I went to Marseilles once, just for the crack. They were playing Lyon i think, and it was Ravanellis debut after he had ditched Boro. It was one of the most inredible experiences of my life. It was open air, and two sides were being refurbished but even so the noise they made was frightening. Flares, fireworks, men on step ladders ecouraging people through megaphones, huge flags showing the names of the different groups. Incredible. I'd really recommend a trip to a passionate euro game. Its a real eye opener, and something we could never hope to imitate. Oh, yeah, they were allowed to stand there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Blinkpip Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 Come on dude its german football, english league is well better to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cider head Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 well in other countries they are allowed to express their passionate support without being treated like football hooligans, this country now with all seater stadiums, wants you to sit on your butt and watch the game in a cinema fashion... a number of fans are trying to create passion and a atmosphere in the williams E-block but are getting misunderstood and being surronded by police and stewards, FOR A UPPER BLOCK is complete madness, i could understand it if it was the lower block (pitch side) but a the upper block?????????.... sod it why do we bother? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Maesknoll Red Posted October 18, 2004 Admin Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 well in other countries they are allowed to express their passionate support without being treated like football hooligans, this country now with all seater stadiums, wants you to sit on your butt and watch the game in a cinema fashion... ← Crowd trouble caused the abandonment of the match between ADO Den Haag and PSV Eindhoven. The match was overshadowed by the scenes at The Hague where referee Rene Timmink abandoned the match after racist chants by ADO Den Haag supporters. Teenage striker Johan Vonlanthen had given PSV a 2-0 lead before the match was abandoned. The potential for trouble seems to be getting worse in Europe, the Dutch have had to bring in a rule that allows for the abandonment of games where racist chanting (fairly commonplace) is happening. This is the second time this season that ADO Den Haag have had a match abandoned, they are facing a long spell of playing games behind closed doors. I'm all for freedom of expression and having the craic at football, also despairing at some of the sanitisation of our game, but it cannot be allowed to return to the dark days when trouble was threatening the whole of the game as we know it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Casio Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 Simply and i hate to say it but it's down to cultures. For some reason in football in this country we cant hsve fans of opposite teams side by side and this is, as Robbored said a yob issue. Rugby and football is like that over here no problems at rugby but pleanty at football. The truth hurts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesco Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 I've been to a few games abroad and also a few games with watching England and I must say the fans do seem very passionate and they like there flairs and flags etc to make everything very colourful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swindlered Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 Atmosphere has to be a collective thing. Some games the whole crowd has been up for it and the atmosphere has been electric for ninety minutes, games like Oldham two seasons ago spring to mind. On Saturday no-one home or away seemed bothered first half when at times you could here a pin drop. As a happy resident of the Atyeo I have no desire to switch the home end but agree that having home fans in the Wedlock definitely helps generate atmosphere and applaud the subbers for their efforts in helping to generate some noise in new areas of the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atyeomatt Posted October 19, 2004 Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 Wouldn't be so bad if everyone in the Atyeo sang, last Saturday I had to sit in block B as I was to late to get a ticket in my usual position, I was looked and frowned at like I was a social outcast for making to much noise. I sang my heart out though There is passion at different levels in various areas of Ashton Gate, if all the singers could only get together then we would be the loudest fans in the div. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E Block Posted October 19, 2004 Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_C Posted October 19, 2004 Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 I'm not sure about racist chanting at the the then haag vs psv, all the tv and press here in the netherlands are saying it was to do with the ref taking exception to what the the the then haag fans were calling him. in England no way would the game be stopped for what was chanted at the ref, it was an eye opener to see a game abandoned in this way. the chant was along the lines of "you're a whore of psv" hardly racist. At psv games the atmosphere is also amazing especially in the champions league, beer is freely available and the fans run and climb the fences when a goal is scored, or the ref makes debatable decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Harry May Posted October 19, 2004 Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 Also worth pointing out that Armenia Bochum play in the German " premier " league , so it's 2 divisions higher than the standard we play at. And if I remember correctly the tickets are much cheaper. That must have something to do with it. Caldicot Red. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Maesknoll Red Posted October 19, 2004 Admin Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 I'm not sure about racist chanting at the the then haag vs psv, all the tv and press here in the netherlands are saying it was to do with the ref taking exception to what the the the then haag fans were calling him. in England no way would the game be stopped for what was chanted at the ref, it was an eye opener to see a game abandoned in this way. the chant was along the lines of "you're a whore of psv" hardly racist. At psv games the atmosphere is also amazing especially in the champions league, beer is freely available and the fans run and climb the fences when a goal is scored, or the ref makes debatable decisions. ← Cheers for clearing it up, the BBC acted as censor (as usual) and wouldn't repeat the chants during the report - quite how we are supposed to judge the severity of the incident without the facts is beyond me. The BBC and sportinglife.com definitely report the chanting as racist - sounds like we are only told what they want us to hear, George Orwell was 20 years out with the title of his novel................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted October 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 Also worth pointing out that Armenia Bochum play in the German " premier " league , so it's 2 divisions higher than the standard we play at. And if I remember correctly the tickets are much cheaper. That must have something to do with it. Caldicot Red. ← Train travel and bus travel to and from the games is included in the price of their season tickets, but anyone could use these services as no one was prepared to check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
054123 Posted October 20, 2004 Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 Policing costs would soar and we'd be back in the dark days of the 70's. ← I love the way people constantly refer to the 70's and 80's as the dark days, why? I missed the 70's but wactched alot in the eighties and can honestly say that it was much better then than what it is now. If you weren't there then you missed alot. Don't get sucked in about with people telling that every saturday was a battle and people feared for their safety. It was much better then watching football today. Dark days? I think not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUERNSEY TAFFY RED Posted October 20, 2004 Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 We can match anyone for atmosphere when we want to. How many remember that LDV area final against Cambridge away. 700 of us singing RED ARMY for the last half an hour non-stop was a moment i'll never forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.