[Archived] Supporting Half A Club

[blueboy3333]

In the days of the old BBE if you wanted to sing you'd go and stand at the back with the rest of the singers. I wouldn't know where to go now. There's only about 200 left on the Darwen End that sing and they were drowned out by the Wimbledon lot. On the BBE now there are no obvious groups that stand up and try to get the singing going. There's nothing to get behind either. The football is dull. People just sit there bored. Football culture has also changed in this country over the last 20 years. There's very few young blokes go anymore. Everybody seems to be in their forties and above.

I'd get the DE'ers back to the BBE and reserve a few blocks and call it the 'singing area'. Everybody knows where to go then if they want to sing.

[Skiptonrover]

I think they could do with cutting back on the stewards I'm not sure how many I saw yesterday it will be getting to the stage where they outnumber the fans on the RS, some cheerleaders on could improve the gates like palace but not necessarily improve the fortunes on the pitch.

[mhead]

Ewood does need a safe standing area where a %age of the 'away fans' could stand eg the Riverside side of the Blackburn End.

Its never been discussed by the Trust Board but this is the kind of thing we might sponsor for the long-term future of OUR Club.

I must stress there is NO appetite amongst the Trust members to directly support the Venkys.

Respect to all Rovers supporters(whether attending or staying away) - they have gone thru so much.

[rigger]

I honestly think a safe standing area, in the Blackburn end, with prices to get people on, would help. A lot of atmosphere is created by people being in the comfort zone of being in groups of their mates. Not just singing, but banter and general talking about the team and the game, it becomes infectious when you feel at ease with your surroundings. After that you may end up with competition between different areas, again this creates atmosphere, and sometimes ends with everyone singing from the same proverbial hymn-sheet.  

[tomphil]

5 minutes ago, Bluebarley said:

I think they could do with cutting back on the stewards I'm not sure how many I saw yesterday it will be getting to the stage where they outnumber the fans on the RS, some cheerleaders on could improve the gates like palace but not necessarily improve the fortunes on the pitch.

I've mentioned this before but the number of stewards at Ewood has always seemed way over the top although there was probably a bit of a reaction to the events v Burnley in Riverside in typical modern day British fashion, do nothing then posture after a preventable incident hasn't been prevented.

Cheerleaders ?  lol  They'd have to be over 18 and naked to draw more lads into Ewood I think.

[Skiptonrover]

Now there's food for thought.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

You could have accommodated nearly the whole of yesterday's attendance in the JW stand,our home support is now like a pea in a drum!

Why not open the top tier of the BBE as a singing section?.The shutting of over a third of the most popular home stand was quite frankly a ridiculous decision.

[Stuart]

Some interesting points being made.

The respondent view seems to be that although there are some NAPM fans at away games only, most of the away fans are also at home games but are all split up and therefore find it hard to get songs going because of the gaps in the crowd.

Like tea lights on a blue table cloth rather than a roaring fire in a hearth.

So either these small pockets need to somehow group together - by choice (moving seats), by encouragement (creating singing areas - upper tier BBE is a good shout but probably too far away from the pitch), or by coercion (closing stands) - OR these tea lights need to somehow bridge the gaps vocally.

Granted, I'm probably overthinking this. Because in reality, there are not huge gaps in the BBE. It's the edges that are frayed but there is a reasonable mass of fans. If the vocal groups of away fans really are in the BBE/Riverside/DE then they are still surrounded by random other fans as they would be at away grounds. But at away games those random fans join in.

Ergo, I believe that the main vocalists are NOT in the ground at Ewood - whether NAPM or have just changed their buying habits to be able to afford to add more to their 92 lists (or whatever the technical number is); despite STs still being very affordable.

It looks as though, unless they can be enticed back (before Venkys go) then we have to accept that the onus is ALL on the players to perform, without fan encouragement at Ewood.

Otherwise, the only way we get the home atmosphere to the heights of away matches is when Venkys go and NAPM stops being a thing.

Let's hope we are still a league club by then.

[47er]

25 minutes ago, Stuart said:

26 minutes ago, Stuart said:

It looks as though, unless they can be enticed back (before Venkys go)

Not going to happen is it?

 

[Stuart]

Don't remember saying that  but no probably not.

What will be interesting however will be the situation come the end of the season.

Glass half full, play off semi finals, first leg away, the NAPM fans cheer in the team over at Blackpool, having a craic and it being a 1-1 draw. Are they really going to then sit watching a Facebook stream of a tense, frustrated Ewood Park home leg? They will have done their bit and will have to hand the baton over to their quieter counterparts because, despite supporting the lads over thousands of miles all season, they aren't giving Venkys another penny.

Just seems daft.

(Glass half empty: will these same fans feel better if we don't reach the play-offs because we couldn't get enough home points to go with the away ones that they roared us on to? Or will they feel even more bitter towards those fans who they see, maybe, as scabs?)

[tomphil]

Some players not as fit as they could be, raw youngsters, journeymen, knackered former decent pros, non league refereeing standards, even sparser crowds and zero enthusiasm or atmosphere, complete lack of zip on the pitch and not much clever direction off it  ?

Welcome to English Football League 1

It is what it is.

 

[Hasta]

Away fans more vocal than home fans. Shock horror.

Its not a new phenomenon for Rovers Stuart. The only difference now is that we've won a couple, are going to n grounds and are expected to win, so away followings are naturally bigger.

[Mattyblue]

Our away support is a bit like England's, a good number of dyed in the wool fans in there, but plenty largely going for the craic and a good booze up, who wouldn't been seen dead at Wembley (Ewood).

Nowt wrong with that, particularly as it all adds to the superb atmosphere and drives the team on, but I doubt many see themselves as NAPM, just think the whole Ewood experience is sh*te.

 

[Stuart]

2 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Our away support is a bit like England's, a good number of dyed in the wool fans in there, but plenty largely going for the craic and a good booze up, who wouldn't been seen dead at Wembley (Ewood).

Nowt wrong with that, particularly as it all adds to the superb atmosphere and drives the team on, but I doubt many see themselves as NAPM, just think the whole Ewood experience is sh*te.

 

Again, again, this is self-fulfilling.

Why don't fans want to drive the team forward at home as much as they do away? They do but they don't want to give their money to Venkys just makes the whole following Rovers at all pretty pointless.

We either want Rovers to succeed or we don't. There is no sense in only wanting the team to succeed away.

[rigger]

3 minutes ago, Stuart said:

Again, again, this is self-fulfilling.

Why don't fans want to drive the team forward at home as much as they do away? They do but they don't want to give their money to Venkys just makes the whole following Rovers at all pretty pointless.

We either want Rovers to succeed or we don't. There is no sense in only wanting the team to succeed away.

Are you going to Shrewsbury?

[Mattyblue]

You are not grasping who's at these games Stuart. There many be some NAPM-ers in there, that 'won't give Venky's a penny'.

But they are vastly outnumbered by other non Ewood attendees that just want a good day out. Train/booze/new town or city/booze/game/sing song/more booze/train.

Said fans many come to Ewood for a Dingles match or other big occasion but as much as I wish they were they just won't be at Rovers V AFC Wimbledon.

[Stuart]

3 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

You are not grasping who's at these games Stuart. There many be some NAPM-ers in there, that 'won't give Venky's a penny'.

But they are vastly outnumbered by other non Ewood attendees that just want a good day out. Train/booze/new town or city/booze/game/sing song/more booze/train.

Said fans many come to Ewood for a Dingles match or other big occasion but as much as I wish they were they just won't be at Rovers V AFC Wimbledon.

You've missed the point.

What I'm not grasping is: why?

[rigger]

Just now, Stuart said:

What I'm not grasping is: why?

Are you saying that you cannot grasp that some fans enjoy a good day out at a football match? 

[rigger]

8 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

You are not grasping who's at these games Stuart. There many be some NAPM-ers in there, that 'won't give Venky's a penny'.

But they are vastly outnumbered by other non Ewood attendees that just want a good day out. Train/booze/new town or city/booze/game/sing song/more booze/train.

Said fans many come to Ewood for a Dingles match or other big occasion but as much as I wish they were they just won't be at Rovers V AFC Wimbledon.

It maybe helpful if there was a break-down of who buys the away tickets. Are they season ticket holders, 1875 club members, or just people with a buying history.

[Mattyblue]

Why?

Because they aren't committed fans like me and you. 

They aren't bitter (like me), don't obsess about the state of the club, the owners etc. I doubt they've ever heard of brfcs.com.

They aren't a big enough fan to want to spend every weekend watching Rovers, just the one's they can have a good day out.

[rigger]

4 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Why?

Because they aren't committed fans like me and you. 

They aren't bitter (like me), don't obsess about the state of the club, the owners etc. I doubt they've ever heard of brfcs.com.

They aren't a big enough fan to want to spend every weekend watching Rovers, just the one's they can have a good day out.

No, but it might clarify the myth of our away fans not attending home games. If I am wrong, I am not afraid to admit it.

[Mattyblue]

My 'why?' was answering Stuart's 'why?' rigger!

[Athlete]

37 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

 

But they are vastly outnumbered by other non Ewood attendees that just want a good day out. Train/booze/new town or city/booze/game/sing song/more booze/train.

Said fans many come to Ewood for a Dingles match or other big occasion but as much as I wish they were they just won't be at Rovers V AFC Wimbledon.

The fact that these fans/people don't turn up at Ewood for AFC Wimbledon is it's just not attractive enough we are in league one with some very unattractive fixtures..the local derby games apart non of the visiting clubs have any appeal for a lot of people

[Stuart]

29 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Why?

Because they aren't committed fans like me and you. 

They aren't bitter (like me), don't obsess about the state of the club, the owners etc. I doubt they've ever heard of brfcs.com.

They aren't a big enough fan to want to spend every weekend watching Rovers, just the one's they can have a good day out.

But that doesn't really address the atmosphere... does it?

Unless those who pick and chose their games, e.g. Rochdale (away), Burnley (home) are the ones who generate all the noise and passion?

If they do then how on earth can the most passionate fans be the most casual? Why bother bouncing around singing "Rovers til I die" or about inventing songs players if they really only mean "Rovers as long as it's a good day out"?

[MarkBRFC]

Stuart, is there any jealousy on your part that all these fans are having a great time supporting Rovers away when by your own admission you find it hard to get to away games? Genuine question,  no offence intended at all its just that's how it seems to come accross?