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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2012 7:10:08 GMT
Hope the season is good for you and that you don't have a dilemma about what part of Plainmoor to stand in on 19 January 2013  That really is a dilemma, Stefano. Obviously as a lifelong Chesterfield fan I should stand on the Babbacombe end but the club's followers embarrass me so much I think I'll feel happier sitting amongst the more polite and well-behaved Torquinians. I wasn't there last time the two sides met at Plainmoor but we all know what went on before the kick-off. I'm referring to this, of course: www.stophateuk.org/2011/06/20/two-football-fans-banned-for-racially-abusing-steward/Now, that is really shameful. At Hillsborough last season I was offered out by a bloke with a child sitting in his lap, after asking him to move from my seat. This is considered acceptable behaviour by travelling fans. The heated argument that followed was broken up by some hooligans, not for United Nations-type reasons but on the grounds that the loudmouth and I should have been smacking the Wednesday fans rather than each other. How sweet! In fact, Saturday afternoons when the team is playing away are the best time to visit our lovely market town since it means that the dregs of the local population are away insulting and making silly threats of violence against the citizens of Shrewsbury, Bradford, Crewe etc. So I think I'll plump for Bristow's Bench in January. Warm a seat up for me! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2012 12:30:05 GMT
The heated argument that followed was broken up by some hooligans, not for United Nations-type reasons but on the grounds that the loudmouth and I should have been smacking the Wednesday fans rather than each other. How sweet! I go to a lot of our away games and wouldn’t expect to hear this too often. “Smacking the opposition” - whoever they may be - isn’t really part of our culture. Calling the opposition's town a "shithole" most definitely is and, in my opinion anyway, has become totally bloody boorish to a fault. At Hillsborough last season I was offered out by a bloke with a child sitting in his lap, after asking him to move from my seat. This is considered acceptable behaviour by travelling fans. Again the threat of physical violence is less likely amongst our support but I do take your point about what constitutes “acceptable behaviour by travelling fans”. It’s often more edgy, boisterous, clannish and territorial than when at home with the assumption that - just because you’re there - you should behaving in a certain way yourself. Curious. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2012 16:25:38 GMT
At the risk of sounding like an old fart, to some extent I blame the internet. Go onto You Tube, for example, and enter Chesterfield FC or Torquay United FC or Exeter or Swindon or Barnsley or any other FC and you are more than likely to be offered phone footage of a bunch of show-offs singing that very song about some other town being a shit hole. Underneath there will be comments from the cream of the towns involved, none of it fit to be reproduced on a forum like this one.
When it stops being fun and becomes an ordeal to follow your team away then it's time to find something better to do, I reckon. The most disappointing thing is that the match day experience had been improving and fans becoming more likely to mingle with each other in friendship, but now we seem to be heading back to the bad old days.
Since Mansfield dropped out of the League some of our local dunderheads have been trying to stir up hatred towards Rotherham instead, encouraged by Rotherham's own equivalent twerps. This means that instead of looking forward with pleasure to a local derby next season we can expect the occasion to be heavily policed and played in a nasty and oppressive atmosphere. I'm not sure I can be bothered with it, to be honest. There is some great countryside in Derbyshire and I'd rather be out there than spending an afternoon with people I'd cross the road to avoid.
It's a great shame because when the ground is full the atmosphere can be tremendous. My friend Clive is a Geordie, and when his mate comes down from Newcastle to see him he loves going to see the Spireites. Mind you, he saw 31 goals in a week in 2010 (a 5-5 draw with Crewe and a 2-2 draw at Hillsborough which went to penalties and a 9-8 Wednesday win) so I suppose that's not surprising, really.
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Post by ohtobeatplainmoor on Jul 10, 2012 18:02:56 GMT
Aye. Singing that ghastly take on the "Sloop John B" song is cringeworthy in the extreme - as is the ubiquitous "Your just a bus stop near.......". The support at Plymouth that day was brilliant - and didn't need any of the identikit songs that get thrown-in by the kiddies - we don't need to copy any other clubs.
Personally, I watch the game in a rather detached way these days - I rarely raise my voice towards the referee accept for the odd shocking challenge that goes unpunished and don't get too overexcited when we score / win, although it gives me just as much pleasure when we do. However, I do enjoy our away support when it is good and gets behind the team, the Tuesday night away at Swindon comes to mind as the last time.
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Jul 10, 2012 19:10:39 GMT
the club's followers embarrass me so much I think I'll feel happier sitting amongst the more polite and well-behaved Torquinians. It's strange how we notice dickheads far more among our own support as we fear being tainted by association. Every club has a minority of knobheads in amongst a majority of good people - the proportions may vary a little from club to club. There is a little clique of London-based TUFC supporters who are totally convinced that Torquay United is the only club in the entire world that has any unreasonable and pig-headed supporters. "You wouldn't find fans slagging off the players or the manager anywhere else than at Plainmoor". Really? Try listening to 606 for more than five minutes! Our first game back in the league in 2009 was against Chesterfield. I chatted to quite a few of their fans before and after the game. Nice people - no problems at all. |
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Post by Jon on Jul 10, 2012 19:23:53 GMT
Calling the opposition's town a "shithole" most definitely is and, in my opinion anyway, has become totally bloody boorish to a fault. I'd imagine that someone first came up with that one at an actual shithole and it probably was extremely funny at the time. The place I can think of that most matches the description would be the area around the Don Valley Stadium. But you can't sing "Rotherham's a shithole" because it isn't in Rotherham and you can't sing "Sheffield's a shithole" as people have been known to voluntarily vacate Wellswood addresses to go to live there. When you stroll round lovely places like Shrewsbury and Cheltenham and then hear the old "I want to go home" you doubt the mentality of the singers. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2012 19:42:18 GMT
I'd imagine that someone first came up with that one at an actual shithole and it probably was extremely funny at the time. I first heard it sung by Wolves fans at the Reebok. They lost that evening and the retort was: "Bolton's a shithole
You should have stayed home!" When you stroll round lovely places like Shrewsbury and Cheltenham and then hear the old "I want to go home" you doubt the mentality of the singers. Indeed. On one of our visits to Cheltenham there were a couple of songs that suggested the town was full of poor, unemployed people who lived in terrible conditions and were born because of a liaison within the family. Of course, silly me, Cheltenham has a reputation for it. Hasn't it? |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2012 19:53:09 GMT
Our first game back in the league in 2009 was against Chesterfield. I chatted to quite a few of their fans before and after the game. Nice people - no problems at all. I feel better already! |
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