I was browsing through some videos lately (not porn related for a change) when a thought occurred to me that football support in England seems to be just about the meekest in Europe. I will never condone violence in football but the showing of support through massive banners/Flares/Choreography/Songs etc seems wide spread and popular and I'm wondering why those things don't seem to happen in the EPL anymore. Even once renowned ultra zones such as the kop (Liverpool) or any part of the Den (Millwall) are being homogenized so i wanted to ask if you think that's a good thing or does it detract from the 'spectacle' that is football. I'll link some things from the Bundesliga as i feel they're the closest to the EPL in footballing philosophy of Fair Play and competitiveness while still retaining that independence. All the while dodging the homophobia/racism/xenomorphia that can be prevalent in certain areas. [video=youtube;3Otsx-RHeis]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Otsx-RHeis[/video] [video=youtube;Lp22ziCYqfU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp22ziCYqfU[/video]
There's plenty of singing at most EPL grounds. As for the other stuff, you don't pay 40 quid to watch Saints play Stoke, only to have a banner or flares obscure your view.
The uh... Germans are always quite keen to unite behind a banner. OK, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. Couldn't resist a bit of a leg pull. It's the age group I come from. Blah, blah, excuses..!
To be honest, the premier league can learn a lot from the Bundesliga in just about every respect. Except fan ownership. PL fan ownership is just silly, a Skate's masturbatory fantasy.
Ve Germanz demand not to be shrouded in the cloth as our predecesors as ve are both a fun loving and pork resembling people who just happen to be extremely punctual every single time by sheer coincidence.
Singing isn't any better in Europe from what I've seen. Most of our songs are pretty crap, but at least we don't just bounce along to that one bar of Seven Nation Army for 90 minutes. Flares - not a good idea. Genuinely dangerous and we always see them disrupting European fixtures, which is annoying. If we want the atmosphere of Westfalenstadion in the UK (and we definitely do) then maybe we should be letting people go to games and stand for a tenner. It's got to the point where the passionate working classes just can't afford to attend.
The Westfalenstadion is famous for its songs and atmosphere so for me the questions are is it so unique? Why couldn't EPL clubs wave flags or such to recreate a similar atmosphere? Why not allow unique and original means of expression?
Flares are insanely stupid. It really annoys me when people advocate them. The smoke in itself is a danger hazard let alone the idea of a flaming hot projectile.
I take it you haven't noticed the attendances in Serie A. The grounds look half full unless it's 2 big teams playing each other.
Absolutely...we pay to watch a match. Flares etc also makes a game less family and female friendly....a step back in my opinion. Flares are also extremely dangerous...too many people think they are like little sparklers...you can get extremely hurt and can cause panic. Casting my mind back...wasn't a fan killed in Wales when some idiot fired a rocket across the pitch?
Because the majority of English people are dull and reserved. "Oh no, we can't show any emotion or have any fun because we're British and don't do things like that"
Palace are pretty good! So are quite a lot of away fans. Tickets just too expensive at SMS to get the most passionate fans. I worked at the docks all summer and the amount of them who gave up attending football matches due to cost about 10-15 years ago was insane! For a family of say 4 in the city costs about £120+ per game, now that's a lot if your weekly wage is only double that!
I agree that prices are high, especially if you need several tickets, but not sure you can equate being well off with lack of passion.
Maybe not a lack of passion, but there is no doubt that a lot of vocal fans have stopped attending games. A day out including pub is just too much! Our club is becoming out of reach for many locals, there is no two ways about it!
The atmosphere at St Mary's can be dire, although was improved by our 8-0 victory. One thing that bugs me- people leaving 3 mins early WHEN WE'RE 8-0 UP AND COULD GO 9 OR 10 UP. WHY? WHY ON EARTH? Do that many people really have to leave and be somewhere approximately 5 minutes earlier than if they had left at 90mins? It pisses me off.
