Never saw Saints lift the cup in 1976, left 5 minutes early to beat the rush. Never saw Le Tiss's last ever goal at the Dell, left 5 minutes early to beat the rush. Never saw the end of any films at the Cinema, left 5 minutes early to beat the rush. Ran the London Marathon last year, well, almost, ran 26 miles, but quit 5 minutes from the line, so I could beat the rush. Had sex with the most beautiful woman in the world, our bodies were as one, it was the most incredible night of my life as we pounded away... but pulled out before the climax, thought it best to avoid the rush. Seriously, we have to make it uncool to leave early. Yes, there will be some with genuine reasons, but come on, frigging thousands of you just piss off for what reason? To get home an extra 5 minutes early? Are your lives that exciting you must fill up those 5 minutes instead of supporting the team right to the end??? And if you are a "lad" and think it makes you a "bit hard" to get to the pub and have yet another pint instead of staying to end "with the scarfers", well you are not hard, you are a ****er if having a pint is more important than supporting your team. STAY TO THE END.
I was amazed at how many people were leaving from about 85 minutes onwards - how? HOW?!!! The name was nail-biting, in no way did we have the 3 points in the bag, how were so many people leaving? I couldn't move a single muscle, let alone manage to get up and walk off. Leaving at 85 minutes when 3-0 up is one thing (and something which I personally don't have any opinion on), but leaving when 1-0 up and clinging onto 2nd place is another.
Even more annoying is people rushing to get drinks at half-time. Is SMS the only place you can buy alcohol. I'm sure there are a few people with good reasons but thousands no. Someone on another thread talked about the Island ferry..I live there and there is a ferry every thirty minutes..rather see the end of the match.
You've got a (slightly overstressed?) point. I've never left a game early in my life and hope I never will do. I think it's completely pointless as well as disrespectful and bad value for money! Today especially shocked me. We were winning and it was still full of action. Oh well.
Were these comments on BBC606, you would now be on a one way trip to Palookaville, but, as they aren't, I shall dive in and agree with the lot! Leaving early is a crime, with the worst perpetrator being the person, who shuffles up your row, then pauses right in front of you for one last lingering look as an attack builds (which you don't see of course) then shuffles on, after it has broken down, without so much as a by your leave. GRRR! CBK, is that Elliot Gould in your avatar?
It really does annoy me, and me and my mate call them the plastics, because they don't want to suport their club (supposedly) untill the end
Yes I hate the impromptu mexican wave at half time too, but when you gotta go I guess you just gotta go!
I was absolutely perplexed as to why these people feel they have to leave 5 minutes before the whistle for a game that was on edge. I couldn't spend the next 15 minutes walking to the car wondering if we'd won such a massive game. Absolutely deluded.
We'll have to get a Saints player to say something along the lines of "it bothers us and it's a bit sad at the final whistle to look at the stands half empty". We would all be furious if the team switched off for the last few minutes! But its ok for some fans. It's distracting and I get annoyed when some slowly leave, getting in the way of those wanting to watch the game. pompeymeowth, yep, the mighty Trapper John
Haha. A thread that made me smile. I think people leave early for their half time beer as the service at St Marys is so ****ing slow! I have left early once. It was the millwall game a couple of years back. We wanted to avoid the Millwall fans and get to the pubs before they closed to stop fans in. If you were at the game and got into the pub after the game you were lucky like me. As the whole city centre was closed down. Lunch time kick offs. grrr.
For me the Northam doesn't make the noise it use to. For most of the game the atmosphere was very flat. ( and being nervous isn't an excuse ). When we play the smaller teams their fans always seem to make more noise than us. We need to sort it out, be louder for the whole game and stay till the end. For me today OWTS was sang wayyyyy to often, got very boring. Shall we try a few different songs????
It is getting noisier in the Kingsland these days, the noise when Guly scored was unbelievable, my right ear is still ringing, good stuff indeed.
Lot more noise coming from the Kingsland but I still think the core is in the Northam, we're in the corner and the banter is good. The nerves got everybody today, sometimes you just don't know what to sing when it's so bl00dy important! I know I struggled today! On the leaving early note - really p1sses me off! Support them to the end please! What's worse is I sit on the aisle and everyone walks down and stops in my view!!
What I don't get at games is the amount of people that: Arrive late cuz they've been busy at the bar. Leave before the end of the half to get to the bar. Arrive late in the second half cuz they've been busy at the bar. Leave early. What is the point of going to the football.
I have to say that for a cup match we went down to the corner between Kingsland and Northam. Never again......From start to finish of the game there was people back and forth down the exit for what ever reason! There where a group of lads in particular that must have been up and down the whole match every 15 minutes or so. As a consequence we probably missed 25% of the game as we could not see past these morons up and down the cause way. I exaggerate not a constant queue!!! Guess who were the ones who to go down the exit 10 minutes before the game ended and not seen again!!! Why pay ã20 odd pound a ticket and then not see the game? Why oh why spend any money just to stand at a bar or what ever you do down there in the concourse.
I have never left early, and yes it is annoying when you miss part of the action because someone is stood up in front of you. I don't recognise "half empty stands" as a fair description though! Some may have good reason to leave early with a good reason. The traffic means that slipping out early by 5 minutes would probably save 20 minutes if you have another commitment, but there are 2 things which might help reduce the numbers. Firstly, do they have match on the monitors in the concourse? I suspect that those who leave don't miss the last 5 minutes, but simply watch it on tv and then make a hasty retreat after the final whistle. Maybe these could be switched off? Secondly, I bring my own "fodder" to the match as I can't be doing with queues and missing the restart. If the club allowed you to prepay for a pint, giving you a beer token, which could be handed over in exchange for a pint of gassy lager which the staff had poured as the halftime whistle approached, it would speed the whole process up. They could even install machines to give the tokens. In the theatre, all the drinks can be prepaid and they are just left on a shelf for you in the bar. I don't think that would work at the footy.
I have only left early once. MK Dons in the JPT semi. Half a minute made a half hour difference on a 2 hour commute and got me home before midnight, which, when the alarm goes off at 6.30 am, is important. For some people, the football is only part of the experience and beer forms a part too. I, too, prefer a match that includes a beer. For me, however, the football comes first. For others, well, you pays your money and you makes your choice. I would rather they were there for most of the match than not there at all.
As the drinks choice is very limited, prepaid drinks sound like a good idea. I doubt that it being poured early will make much difference to the 'quality'.
