[Archived] Race To The Premiership

[ihtd]

Ended as far as i am concerned 1864roverite

[they_think_its_all_rover]

I have nothing particularly against or for Hull, despite the fact that most of the natives I’ve attempted to communicate with, when asked where they come from, utter with a one-syllable three lettered ape like grunt, 'ull. This simian like form of communication has the unfortunate corollary of conjuring in my mind P.J O’Rourke’s description of “…a smallish, monkey-looking bunch and not dressed any better …”

It's called an accent... just as most in London have a cockney accent... doesn't mean they're all Del Boy replicas! I say "ULL" because of my accent... I'm not the brightest spark, but I do consider myself to be quite decently educated and I'm also at university studying for a degree... everyone just uses the media persception of Hull as one big council estate, of which it is far from!

Hull however is not a proper football area, nor is it a proper football club.

I would compare it to the likes of Milton Keynes or Reading; whereas once there was indifference or local disdain, suddenly they are gifted a gleaming new stadium, a whiff of success and lo and behold a whole new generation of nouveaux fans appear.

You mean like what happened when the Premiership came along? Offer a kid some chocolate... they're going to take it.

Places like Sunderland and Wolverhampton are no doubt equal if not more degenerative areas. What they have however is respect in the football community for the fact that that these fans are steeped in the tradition of supporting their team, despite aberrational troughs. Also these clubs have a history of achievement, even though those may be fading in to the mists of time.

One could similarly place Blackburn in to this latter category; even Burnley.

Hull City A.F.C is only 29 years younger than Blackburn Rovers F.C. ..so you can't say it doesn't have much history as a club. Just because it has never had a top flight football team, doesn't mean it has no history! Just because the city has 2 Super League teams, doesn't mean it isn't a footballing city... the football attendances have always been greater than those at the rugby.. and 100,000 people in the city centre today welcoming the team home shows that.

Attendances come from success! ...look at Rovers' attendances...in decline since the days of 94/95.

...as the Hull City chant goes; "No silverware, but we don't care! we follow City everywhere!"

Look at Newcastle's attendances when they wasn't a top flight team... now all of a sudden 50+ thousand each week... are they not a proper club either?

Apart from the latter, I wouldn’t expect fans of the above clubs to come on here peddling the civic delights of their respective towns or cities, as they don’t have to. They already have a tradition of following their team and probably don’t have such a huge chip on their collective shoulder, as it appears people from Hull have.

I think the people of Hull deserve to be allowed a huge chip on their shoulder with the amount of s**t Hull get's thrown at it and the amount the city has been through!

Hull got bombed to shreds during the 2nd world war (the 2nd most bombed city after London!) yet got NO FUNDING to rebuild! the people of Hull rebuilt the city and it makes it what it is today...

Hitler's bombs didn't stop Hull, nor did the industrial decline, nor did the floods... and neither will a "crap town" tag given by a biased southern media.

...all that and it's still in better shape than a lot of places in this country are.

Personally I think you'll be very suprised once you've visited.

[they_think_its_all_rover]

Leftfooter, ever heard of quality over quantity? Hull might average less fans but it doesn't make them worse fans does it? I'd love to be able to say us Rovers fans are better, but in terms of atmosphere inside a ground generated by us fans, we are not. I'm sure TTIAR would agree with me when i say Hull aren't that good at it either, but they damn sure make a better atmosphere than we do.

Hull City's attendances have gone from averaging between 16-18/19k to 21-23k+ by the end of the season. I havn't been to as many Rovers games this season as I'd have liked to, but last season went to about 7 Rovers games and about 8 Hull City games...

in comparison Hull City do have louder/livlier crowds... where-as Ewood can be loud when it wants to be... the problem is that the BBE is the only stand that seems to want to sing... and thats usually mainly when the dummer starts beating (note; not ALL the time though) and the Riverside join in very now and again.

Where-as at the KC it's very rare the East stand stop singing and the South stand can be just as loud, but sing less often... the only quiet stand is the West Stand... but you get occasional join in's from them similar to the Riverside at Rovers.

even on a quiet day at the KC it gets livened up by one simple song... the east stand sing a song to the tune of "Champianos", it goes; "We're the EAAAAAAAST stand, we're the East stand, we're the East stand Hull City" and it's directed at the South stand and bullies the stand into a reply of which the South stand replies "We're the South stand, we're the south stand, we're the south stand Hull City" ...and so on, back and forth until it becomes deafening.

[philipl]

I think you would find that Ewood would be bouncing all the way round the ground every game if we come 3rd next season and that the Hull crowds will have quietened down if the Tigers survive a couple of seasons of relegation near misses.

It would be a poor do if Hull crowds weren't noisy given they have had three recent promotions to celebrate.

[they_think_its_all_rover]

True. lol.

John Terry said earlier in the season when Hull played Chelsea in the Carling Cup that he found it a very hard game to play in, because of the atmosphere.

for the Hull knockers... read this to the bottom and you'll see it's not all that bad

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/20...89520-20429810/

[Exiled in Toronto]

I don;t know about anyone else, but I really enjoyed all three play-off finals. Mostly good English blokes (Windass looked like he'd wandered in from a pub team, until his volley that is) getting on with it. All good, exciting, close games. No rolling around, no diving, no ref-baiting, no Ronaldo-style flouncing when touched - all in complete contrast to the Champions League Final. Despite the difference in skill level, I know which I would rather watch.

[they_think_its_all_rover]

Well put Toronto!

I've often thought the same. I think it was in the Champs League Semi's were Drogba dived and Dean Windass was in Nuts magazine a few days later with the quote; "If I ever saw anyone doing that on a footie field, I'd kick 'em from a**hole to breakfast" [caption; Windass makes it known Didier Drogba isn't very welcome in Hull]

I can only imagine more comments from him next season regarding the diving and what football has become... maybe then more people will also come out and join in with what he's saying and maybe then people will stand up and take notice and we'll get the old style of play back?

...y'know the one were you could jump in the air for the ball without the ref blowing his whistle because the two players are too close together. The one were a shoulder barge is legal & one were those who go down clutching their heads like they've been shot (a la Makelele Champs league final?) would be named & shamed.

[Hasta]

You disputed whether Hull would fill the Darwen End if Ewood is their first away game and I simply made the point that Hull, Stoke, Rovers and in fact probably any of about 60 clubs would sell 8,000 tickets for their first game in the Premiership at an away ground less than 100 miles from home.

Obviously not.

[philipl]

Obviously not.

I hadn't reckoned on the Hull ticketing system being completely up the spout all week- sorry.

[Hasta]

I hadn't reckoned on the Hull ticketing system being completely up the spout all week- sorry.

Aye all right.

[rover6]

Southampton's new star striker, David McGoldrick, was being chased by Rovers a few years back.

I think we missed out big time.