Our Fans

[Kmcalpin]

Every so often a post appears somewhere that grabs your attention and stands out from the morass. I've just read one such one on P & B.

Of late, there's been a lot of criticsm by some posters on P & B of our fanbase.  I'll park that. However yesterday AnderooMFC posted the following:

"Football crowds allow a release of the pent-up emotions and frustrations of everyday life, even the negative emotions. That scapegoat is a temporary stand-in for every asshole customer/boss/partner/child/parent/authority figure/system/patriarchy/nameless horror that they are not allowed or unable to express frustration at from Saturday 5pm-next Saturday at 2.59. So come 3pm kick-off there's a lot to be vented. Holding it in is not good for your health. We exist to improve people's lives. Even moaning-faced twunts."

That sums it up perfectly. Well done sir/madam.

Football is an emotional game and a safety valve for many

[StAndrew7]

47 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

Every so often a post appears somewhere that grabs your attention and stands out from the morass. I've just read one such one on P & B.

Of late, there's been a lot of criticsm by some posters on P & B of our fanbase.  I'll park that. However yesterday AnderooMFC posted the following:

"Football crowds allow a release of the pent-up emotions and frustrations of everyday life, even the negative emotions. That scapegoat is a temporary stand-in for every asshole customer/boss/partner/child/parent/authority figure/system/patriarchy/nameless horror that they are not allowed or unable to express frustration at from Saturday 5pm-next Saturday at 2.59. So come 3pm kick-off there's a lot to be vented. Holding it in is not good for your health. We exist to improve people's lives. Even moaning-faced twunts."

That sums it up perfectly. Well done sir/madam.

Football is an emotional game and a safety valve for many

... so the professional players, doing their job on the pitch, deserve/should be OK with being on the receiving end of all of that pent up rage?

As much as I agree with the sentiment (I lose my shit a fair bit at games, as we all do I guess) surely there's a line that needs careful consideration and we need to remember that the people on the pitch are every bit as human/vulnerable as we are.

[joewarkfanclub]

1 hour ago, Kmcalpin said:

Every so often a post appears somewhere that grabs your attention and stands out from the morass. I've just read one such one on P & B.

Of late, there's been a lot of criticsm by some posters on P & B of our fanbase.  I'll park that. However yesterday AnderooMFC posted the following:

"Football crowds allow a release of the pent-up emotions and frustrations of everyday life, even the negative emotions. That scapegoat is a temporary stand-in for every asshole customer/boss/partner/child/parent/authority figure/system/patriarchy/nameless horror that they are not allowed or unable to express frustration at from Saturday 5pm-next Saturday at 2.59. So come 3pm kick-off there's a lot to be vented. Holding it in is not good for your health. We exist to improve people's lives. Even moaning-faced twunts."

That sums it up perfectly. Well done sir/madam.

Football is an emotional game and a safety valve for many

I read that as well, and its a fair enough point.

Does it extend to message boards?

I will certainly try my best to consider that before responding to posts in the future.

 

[Kmcalpin]

1 hour ago, StAndrew7 said:

... so the professional players, doing their job on the pitch, deserve/should be OK with being on the receiving end of all of that pent up rage?

As much as I agree with the sentiment (I lose my shit a fair bit at games, as we all do I guess) surely there's a line that needs careful consideration and we need to remember that the people on the pitch are every bit as human/vulnerable as we are.

Absolutely. There's criticism and there's abuse. It's a fine line to tread. Downright abuse isn't acceptable. Footballers though aren't totally blameless. Quite a few behave in such a way that if they did so in the same way off the the pitch they'd be arrested and charged. Its about rough and tumble banter but with respect. 

[Kmcalpin]

35 minutes ago, joewarkfanclub said:

I read that as well, and its a fair enough point.

Does it extend to message boards?

I will certainly try my best to consider that before responding to posts in the future.

 

I would say it doesn't apply to messageboards, although the principle of respect certainly should. Shouting at a game tends to be more spur of the moment and impetuous, although there are exceptions. Posting on a message board is more of a detached, measured and thought out process. Again there are exceptions for example in terms  of personal and abusive posts. Robust debate is fine but abuse is not. The term "troll" is much misunderstood and misused though. 

[StAndrew7]

30 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

Absolutely. There's criticism and there's abuse. It's a fine line to tread. Downright abuse isn't acceptable. Footballers though aren't totally blameless. Quite a few behave in such a way that if they did so in the same way off the the pitch they'd be arrested and charged. Its about rough and tumble banter but with respect. 

Some footballers, yes.

Bair and SODs have probably had the worst of it from our support this season in my experience; they're model citizens on and off the park. Georgie Gent another one. The kid's what, 19/20? How does he warrant the abuse and vitriol he's had at points.

People had made up their mind about Bair before he'd kicked a ball and based on what, exactly? In depth analysis of his time at St Johnstone, watching every minute he'd played? Nah. They saw an easy target and went for him.

[StAndrew7]

6 minutes ago, wellgirl said:

SOD has had it for a couple of seasons in my view 

Yeah, agreed.

[grizzlyg]

Halliday now seems to be top of list for abuse. Will fall on deaf ears but you may find the more encouragement he gets the less mistakes he will make.

All clubs are the same and always have a scapegoat but I am only interested in our support.....COYW

[mio]

5 hours ago, Kmcalpin said:

Every so often a post appears somewhere that grabs your attention and stands out from the morass. I've just read one such one on P & B.

Of late, there's been a lot of criticsm by some posters on P & B of our fanbase.  I'll park that. However yesterday AnderooMFC posted the following:

"Football crowds allow a release of the pent-up emotions and frustrations of everyday life, even the negative emotions. That scapegoat is a temporary stand-in for every asshole customer/boss/partner/child/parent/authority figure/system/patriarchy/nameless horror that they are not allowed or unable to express frustration at from Saturday 5pm-next Saturday at 2.59. So come 3pm kick-off there's a lot to be vented. Holding it in is not good for your health. We exist to improve people's lives. Even moaning-faced twunts."

That sums it up perfectly. Well done sir/madam.

Football is an emotional game and a safety valve for many

I don’t think I agree. I think that’s just an excuse for people to act like bellends. 

the loudest most annoying fans in my opinion are big attention seeking tosspots with a massive opinion of themselves.
I know quite a few.
They are annoying mostly every day never mind a Saturday.

[David]

57 minutes ago, mio said:

I don’t think I agree. I think that’s just an excuse for people to act like bellends.

100%

It's a chance for usually grown adult men to act in a manner they never would be allowed to outside a stadium. I think it's more a reflection on them than anything else.

[wellsince75]

In my younger days I certainly vented at the ref - a lot.  Probably made me feel better, none of us like losing but being a Well supporter - well we lost a fair percentage of games. 

It was more the manager who used to get dogs abuse - during Mcleans games he'd get pelters. 

I can also remember Kirk getting abuse from our terrace and vividly remember his response when he stuck the ball in the net, his gesture back to said fans (in a get it right up you manner ) was a moment of pure joy. 

All in all most fans are well intended but can get incredibly frustrated.   Back in the day I think more of it got lost as there were a lot more fans in FP to drown out the nonsense. 

Bring back the masses
 

[Kmcalpin]

51 minutes ago, wellgirl said:

 I don't go to Fir Park and boo players to try and make me feel better. 

That's not how it works. Yes, there are a few fans who go along and spout constant abuse. I'm not referring to those. I doubt there are many who go along with the premeditated intention of mouthing off to make themselves feel better. As the original poster wrote, for some it's a way of relieving the pressure of everyday lives. As you'll know very well, people handle such situations very differently. Everyone is an individual. 

I'm not saying it's right, just that it's a fact of life. 

[Kmcalpin]

46 minutes ago, wellgirl said:

No one in the spl would be arrested and charged for anything they do on the pitch. Even a horrible tackle won't get someone arrested. And I seriously think no one should be apportioning blame.

Of course. Football is is a physical contact sport and injuries and emotions are only to be expected. However, some players go into challenges with the express intention of harming and injuring an opponent, sometimes under instruction from a manager. I do apportion blame for that kind of incident. 

[Kmcalpin]

As I wrote, I don't say that it's right but it's a fact. It's OK to disagree and we'll do that. 

[Kmcalpin]

2 minutes ago, wellgirl said:

I get your point but that still doesn't make it a crime in the eyes of the law. I personally don't condone anyone being deliberately injured by another player 

Agreed. 

[David]

1 hour ago, Kmcalpin said:

Yes, there are a few fans who go along and spout constant abuse.

Abuse, constant or otherwise, shouldn't be condoned. 

Of course, we shouldn't expect fans to just sit there and applaud politely. It's an emotional sport, and fans make it what it is, but there's a line that shouldn't be crossed, and for me, that line is asking myself, "Would I be happy to see a 19- or 20-year-old in my family treated that way by an adult?"

Basically, if it's something someone would get into trouble for saying outside the confines of a football stadium, or something they wouldn't say to another guy in a different setting, it probably shouldn't be said at all.

Voice frustration, anger, elation, whatever. But buying a ticket for a game doesn't come with the right to be a tosspot. Luckily, most people aren't like that. But the few who are should be ejected from stadiums and told to spend their weekends doing something else.

[Well Well]

15 hours ago, wellgirl said:

I get your point but that still doesn't make it a crime in the eyes of the law. I personally don't condone anyone being deliberately injured by another player 

actually you are wrong, however good luck trying to find a Procurator Fiscal who will take a case on. Usually confined to Old Firm games that boil over. Duncan Ferguson? Chris Kamara?

https://crime.scot/assault/

[star sail]

I am not 100% sure exactly what side of the fence the original pie and Bovril poster is landing on but certainly the notion that it is not possible to realise emotions of anger and frustration out with 90 mins of a football match suggests a laziness of thought and a lack of willingness to take responsibility for our own lives.

There are other ways to tackle these emotions that do not involve abusing other human beings at a football match.

I don't doubt that many of us live our lives under significant stress. The figures for male suicide in particular is staggering and ofcourse football is a fantastic way to escape from the stresses and strains of our daily life. However football cannot be used as an excuse for intimidating and aggressive behaviour.

I have watched Motherwell fans over the years hiding behind the claret and amber flag to excuse behaviours that would not be accepted in any other walk of life.

What about the players suffering with mental illness? What about the steward that has dragged him/ herself to work after a family bereavement? What about the policeman/ policewoman gripped by anxiety? What about the football manager who's life is falling apart because he/ she is spending all their time trying to keep a job that is always only potentially a few weeks from ending?

Do these people stop being human beings from 3pm till 445pm on a Saturday so that the rest of us can vent our frustration? Are we really that selfish?

[grizzlyg]

Think basically what today should be about is 100% encouragement behind the players today.  I really can't be bothered with a sat evening moanfest so here's hoping for 3 points.....COYW

[Kmcalpin]

1 minute ago, grizzlyg said:

Think basically what today should be about is 100% encouragement behind the players today.  I really can't be bothered with a sat evening moanfest so here's hoping for 3 points.....COYW

Seconded Grizzly. Lets get behind the team 100% today, ignore any mistakes, and encourage them. 

[SteelmaninOZ]

9 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

Think basically what today should be about is 100% encouragement behind the players today.  I really can't be bothered with a sat evening moanfest so here's hoping for 3 points.....COYW

Here here.

COYW

[ropy]

What about the opposite side of the coin, with all the banners and choreographed displays in the corner of Hunter stand will any of our young bois go on to a career in art and design?

[Kmcalpin]

31 minutes ago, ropy said:

What about the opposite side of the coin, with all the banners and choreographed displays in the corner of Hunter stand will any of our young bois go on to a career in art and design?

The Bois did themselves proud yesterday -  a lot of thought and effort went into that display and it added to the atmosphere. Generally I'm not a fan of pyros due to the effect smoke can have on those nearby. However yesterday, it was confined to one corner of the East Stand, with no-one affected in the South Stand. I am still of the view that we need to take a consistent view pyros, whether they are in a football stadium or on a protest march.  Football fans shouldn't be singled out unless there's a serious incident.

Fireworks over the East Stand! Thats a first.

[Spiderpig]

40 minutes ago, wellgirl said:

There was no one in the south stand wasn't there? Because the Livi support was just over 200 fans they were in the main stand. 

There is no excuse at all for having these pyros and / or Fireworks at a football match someone is going to get badly injured one day. The SFA / SPFL have already fined clubs for using them etc so I won't be surprised if they do the same to Motherwell after yesterday.

It's against the law to bring them into grounds , but we have the alleged stewards who do feck all to stop people bringing them into the stadium and then just stand and watch people setting them off and again do feck all, not to mention the police in the control room who no doubt have good CCTV coverage of it.

Would people tolerate it if they were standing outside your house with a dozen or so lit flares etc no I think not so why should it be tolerated in a football ground.

[Spiderpig]

29 minutes ago, wellgirl said:

I didn't say there was - I was just saying that the south stand wasn't open yesterday because of the small number of Livi fans that were at the game. I used to steward and we are supposed to bag search everyone coming into the ground although in practice that doesn't always happen - I've been through without people looking in my bag. 

I knew you never said anything, your post was the one I used to reply thats all 😀