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Are Our Fans Too Polite?

antman

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Apr 1, 2004
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Lisbon
We went to Port Vale and lost a game we shouldn't have done a couple of weeks back, as I wasn't that impressed by Vale, although we of course made some stupid mistakes second half and lost control of a game we looked like coasting to victory in, in the first half anyway.

One thing impressed me about the opposition though: their fans, who made a noisy racket, even when they were 1-0 down. Most of their noise was directed at the referee and Ryan Bowman, who they claimed had elbowed one of their players, but they certainly let Ryan and the ref know about it at any given opportunity after that. That pressure on the game they created continued second half and I sensed both teams were affected by the crowd in the second half as they wrestled the game from our hands. These are supporters who haven't had much to shout about this season and could have easily have expected to get turned over given our league position and their first half display.

On Saturday against Stevenage a very similar incident occurred, when Nicky Law was kneed in the head by a visiting player. To me it looked a straight red, a yellow at the very least and the resulting injury to our most creative midfield player made a huge difference to the pattern of the game for about ten minutes or so as Law played on with the injury. Instead of a foul given against the Stevenage player, the ref gave a free kick to them, a decision that had me screaming at my TV here in Spain. I was expecting a big reaction from the crowd too at that point, to really let the ref and player know about the injustice that had just gone down. Now it may be the way the microphones are at SJP compared to Vale Park, and forgive me if that is the case, but it seemed to me there was some anger when it happened but after there was nothing more than that. For me, these are moments to really bump up the pressure on the ref and the opposition and give our own players a boost with some extra noise.

I know I am miles and miles away and in no position to criticise those who attend, but I would love to see a bit more passion at our home ground sometimes, not just when we are playing Argyle. I think we have some of the best away fans in the division and it has been proved time and time again, but at home we can be too insipid at times, in my opinion.

Any thoughts?
 

DB9

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Jun 19, 2005
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Hampshire. Heart's in N Devon
We went to Port Vale and lost a game we shouldn't have done a couple of weeks back, as I wasn't that impressed by Vale, although we of course made some stupid mistakes second half and lost control of a game we looked like coasting to victory in, in the first half anyway.

One thing impressed me about the opposition though: their fans, who made a noisy racket, even when they were 1-0 down. Most of their noise was directed at the referee and Ryan Bowman, who they claimed had elbowed one of their players, but they certainly let Ryan and the ref know about it at any given opportunity after that. That pressure on the game they created continued second half and I sensed both teams were affected by the crowd in the second half as they wrestled the game from our hands. These are supporters who haven't had much to shout about this season and could have easily have expected to get turned over given our league position and their first half display.

On Saturday against Stevenage a very similar incident occurred, when Nicky Law was kneed in the head by a visiting player. To me it looked a straight red, a yellow at the very least and the resulting injury to our most creative midfield player made a huge difference to the pattern of the game for about ten minutes or so as Law played on with the injury. Instead of a foul given against the Stevenage player, the ref gave a free kick to them, a decision that had me screaming at my TV here in Spain. I was expecting a big reaction from the crowd too at that point, to really let the ref and player know about the injustice that had just gone down. Now it may be the way the microphones are at SJP compared to Vale Park, and forgive me if that is the case, but it seemed to me there was some anger when it happened but after there was nothing more than that. For me, these are moments to really bump up the pressure on the ref and the opposition and give our own players a boost with some extra noise.

I know I am miles and miles away and in no position to criticise those who attend, but I would love to see a bit more passion at our home ground sometimes, not just when we are playing Argyle. I think we have some of the best away fans in the division and it has been proved time and time again, but at home we can be too insipid at times, in my opinion.

Any thoughts?
Think you'll find that most away fans always seem noiser than home ones, You've travelled miles, All cramped into a small section and TBH an away win is not as common as winning at home (Excluding us for a few seasons under Tisdale) and i think the players really appreciate the fans for travelling so far to support them (Not that they don't the home fans either) But we're not too polite, Watch TV and hear the silence at Old Trafford, Emirates when they're losing or not playing well, It gets very quiet
 

Rosencrantz

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Jul 12, 2019
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Tiverton
Regarding the Nicky Law incident, I think everyone went quiet to see how he was and was probably in shock at the ref's decision! The crowd often get on the ref's and lino's backs and give any oppo grief for a while if they're getting away with something. I guess the noise you pick up varies from ground to ground. If you're getting Radio Devon's comms, they are in the Flybe near the away seats, although they might have moved up into the gantry.
 

manc grecian

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Jun 24, 2004
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following through
A decade of brainwashing from Tisdale
 

ex_user1234

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Oct 16, 2019
Messages
678
We went to Port Vale and lost a game we shouldn't have done a couple of weeks back, as I wasn't that impressed by Vale, although we of course made some stupid mistakes second half and lost control of a game we looked like coasting to victory in, in the first half anyway.

One thing impressed me about the opposition though: their fans, who made a noisy racket, even when they were 1-0 down. Most of their noise was directed at the referee and Ryan Bowman, who they claimed had elbowed one of their players, but they certainly let Ryan and the ref know about it at any given opportunity after that. That pressure on the game they created continued second half and I sensed both teams were affected by the crowd in the second half as they wrestled the game from our hands. These are supporters who haven't had much to shout about this season and could have easily have expected to get turned over given our league position and their first half display.

On Saturday against Stevenage a very similar incident occurred, when Nicky Law was kneed in the head by a visiting player. To me it looked a straight red, a yellow at the very least and the resulting injury to our most creative midfield player made a huge difference to the pattern of the game for about ten minutes or so as Law played on with the injury. Instead of a foul given against the Stevenage player, the ref gave a free kick to them, a decision that had me screaming at my TV here in Spain. I was expecting a big reaction from the crowd too at that point, to really let the ref and player know about the injustice that had just gone down. Now it may be the way the microphones are at SJP compared to Vale Park, and forgive me if that is the case, but it seemed to me there was some anger when it happened but after there was nothing more than that. For me, these are moments to really bump up the pressure on the ref and the opposition and give our own players a boost with some extra noise.

I know I am miles and miles away and in no position to criticise those who attend, but I would love to see a bit more passion at our home ground sometimes, not just when we are playing Argyle. I think we have some of the best away fans in the division and it has been proved time and time again, but at home we can be too insipid at times, in my opinion.

Any thoughts?
I agree. Which is why the Red Legion were so important to get the crowd going. The way football is going it'll end up like rugby with fans politely clapping their team when they score.
 

ex_user1234

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Think you'll find that most away fans always seem noiser than home ones, You've travelled miles, All cramped into a small section and TBH an away win is not as common as winning at home (Excluding us for a few seasons under Tisdale) and i think the players really appreciate the fans for travelling so far to support them (Not that they don't the home fans either) But we're not too polite, Watch TV and hear the silence at Old Trafford, Emirates when they're losing or not playing well, It gets very quiet
Many reasons why Old Trafford, the Emirates and many Prem clubs are quiet: priority tickets given to prawn sandwich corporates; working class fans increasingly priced out of attending matches; all-seater stadiums; infantilisation of adults - no swearing or passion please; and so on.
 

antman

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Think you'll find that most away fans always seem noiser than home ones,
This has been the case since I started following football in the 70s. I was more interested in the difference in noise generated (especially when losing a game) between our fans and those at Port Vale.
 

ex_user1234

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This has been the case since I started following football in the 70s. I was more interested in the difference in noise generated (especially when losing a game) between our fans and those at Port Vale.
As a Devonian myself, I suspect part of it might be our somewhat chilled out nature. Slower pace of life, nice city to live in etc. If I lived in Stoke I'd be pretty worked up most of the time!
 

i8cornwall

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Jul 2, 2006
Messages
2,745
For the most part the fans and club are to polite.

Took so much abuse during the Legion days for the apparent amount of swearing in songs.

Even Grant and Wheeler got a pretty easy rides when they came back to SJP.
 

Legohead

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As a Devonian myself, I suspect part of it might be our somewhat chilled out nature. Slower pace of life, nice city to live in etc. If I lived in Stoke I'd be pretty worked up most of the time!
As someone who has spent all of my life in the congested M1 corridor of South Yorkshire and the midlands, other than a brief time living in the North York Moors which wasn't that much better, I believe Ed has a point here. I've always said that life is too frenetic up here. Cars, traffic, motorists tailgating every 2 minutes, speeding, people in a rush etc. It's all very aggressive. Also you always seem to leave a town in the car and no sooner than you've left you are entering anothers outskirts. It's like you are hemmed in.

You are so lucky to live in Exeter.
 
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