Crystal Palace manager

[Minhosa]

I'm a born and bred Londoner  I said 'most' and I certainly stick by that- there's no way most Spurs fans travel from across the South to watch home games, most are from the N London area. Unfortunately I know and am friends with plenty of 'Yiddos' and have even done the matchday walk from Wood Green on many occasions.  Yes there are plenty of fans that live miles away (like all clubs), especially those from the 'white flight' phenomenon that live in Essex, M Keynes, East Anglia, Sussex, Surrey etc but they don't make up the majority of home fans whatsoever.

 

To think NUFC is a special case is a bit naive IMO, and I certainly wouldn't agree that we have fervent support anymore.

 

I'd say our support is still fervent to the extent that it's very much part of the weekly routine, discussed everywhere at length including by old grannys in the street and people still turn up in their tens of thousands to watch a team that's got fuck all chance of achieving anything under the current owner.

 

It might not be vocal but that's because they've got nothing to shout positively about. Easier to sit tight and do their 'duty' and then meet their mates in the pub afterwards before walking into the town to get lashed. The shit football was a minor inconvenience during a day/night out.

 

That's totally different to football and football fans in the south/south east imho.

 

Do they love their clubs any less? No. But the demographic is totally different in so much as the 'match' isn't woven into all elements of society in the way in the way it is in the NE, including Sunderland.

 

[Wullie]

Absolutely no doubt whatsoever in my mind that if the ground was, say, 2 miles out of the centre (like Aston Villa or Everton are) attendances would nosedive. It would instantly be far too much of an inconvenience to watch this fucking dross.

[Guest neesy111]

Absolutely no doubt whatsoever in my mind that if the ground was, say, 2 miles out of the centre (like Aston Villa or Everton are) attendances would nosedive. It would instantly be far too much of an inconvenience to watch this fucking dross.

 

[LFEE]

Absolutely no doubt whatsoever in my mind that if the ground was, say, 2 miles out of the centre (like Aston Villa or Everton are) attendances would nosedive. It would instantly be far too much of an inconvenience to watch this f***ing dross.

 

 

[Guest firetotheworks]

 

[Guest firetotheworks]

 

 

[Robster]

[mrmojorisin75]

I think a lot of it is to do with how much of a social occasion the match is. Almost every other set of PL fans have to go off the beaten track to get to the match. Loads of our fans aren't overly bothered about the result or performance as long as they can have a drink.

 

This. And I also have to say it's far easier for people on here who don't attend to call for mass vocal protests than it is for fans at the game itself to grasp the nettle.

Do people honestly expect all fans at the match - season ticket money spent, many of them accompanied by kid(s), others just glad to be out of the house and on the lash, many not naturally inclined to take an individual stand and draw attention to themselves - to actively celebrate opposition goals?

Depressing it may be that the ferocity of the anti-AP feeling on here - totally justified as it is - is not reflected in the matchday atmosphere. But life is far simpler online.

*fixes chinstrap on tin hat*

 

 

where has anyone ever called for fans at the match to "actively celebrate opposition goals"?  absolute bullshit

 

as for the bit in bold you'd imagine that all of expenditure is something that might drive people to wake up and realise the utter shit they're being served, we do it in all other walks of life, sadly we seem to have more "supporters of football" than "supporters of NUFC" these days or there'd be fucking hell on

[HawK]

I think that the problem is exactly that it is a one club city - there are so many more casual fans on tap that Mike Ashley can draw in that don't have another club to support reasonably locally, with cheap matchday tickets/season tickets to replace all the loyal, more knowledgeable support that have walked. If the fans had walked away at a club in say London or another area with lots of clubs (Yorkshire, Lancashire, Merseyside), there wouldn't have been the pool of untapped support to draw from to replace those walking away.

 

In hindsight, instead of all walking away, we'd have been better off staying involved in the matchdays and protesting as a unified force, not this smattering of people across thousands of don't-know-any-betters.

[Wullie]

Blaming the fans is no less pathetic and wrong as it is when Pardew does it. Can't believe I'm reading the fans being blamed for things they have zero control over (further back in this thread). Very easy for people on a forum, who don't go, to claim others should follow suit.

 

The shit on the pitch is Pardew's fault. The classless and crass club is Ashley's fault. Before MA bought us we were a classy outfit and had been through some highflying times.

 

Depends which posts you're referring to. The fans that still go certainly have 100% control over whether they give Mike Ashley £500+ a season. I say that as somebody who packed in at the end of last season and lost a sizable amount that I'd already paid. Worth every penny to no longer be contributing to Alan Pardew's existence.

[Disco]

I hold myself personally responsible for the current woes of NUFC. Feel free to do likewise.

[mrmojorisin75]

i seriously think it's the "fans of football" thing that's taken hold, football has become ultra-fashionable so having a season ticket and going to the match is the thing to do for a lot of new fans and these are the ones sitting there in silence while we scrape wins against the worst teams in the league

 

combine that with our supafan element and we're basically fucked

[Guest thenorthumbrian]

It is of course a lot to do with the match going fans.  I have been away 20 years, and wanted a ST my whole life. Been back here a year and not bought one. It's not easy and of course I'm gutted but it's for the greater good. He changed the stadium name and 50k plus still turned up. You have fans screaming at Ashley in wonga tops.

 

Ashley has won.

The fans who go to the game are happy that Ashley will continue to use and abuse a once proud football club and use it as a cash cow and oversized advertising hoarding. And nothing else.

 

[TRon]

I'm a born and bred Londoner  I said 'most' and I certainly stick by that- there's no way most Spurs fans travel from across the South to watch home games, most are from the N London area. Unfortunately I know and am friends with plenty of 'Yiddos' and have even done the matchday walk from Wood Green on many occasions.  Yes there are plenty of fans that live miles away (like all clubs), especially those from the 'white flight' phenomenon that live in Essex, M Keynes, East Anglia, Sussex, Surrey etc but they don't make up the majority of home fans whatsoever.

 

To think NUFC is a special case is a bit naive IMO, and I certainly wouldn't agree that we have fervent support anymore.

 

I'd say our support is still fervent to the extent that it's very much part of the weekly routine, discussed everywhere at length including by old grannys in the street and people still turn up in their tens of thousands to watch a team that's got fuck all chance of achieving anything under the current owner.

 

It might not be vocal but that's because they've got nothing to shout positively about. Easier to sit tight and do their 'duty' and then meet their mates in the pub afterwards before walking into the town to get lashed. The shit football was a minor inconvenience during a day/night out.

 

That's totally different to football and football fans in the south/south east imho.

 

Do they love their clubs any less? No. But the demographic is totally different in so much as the 'match' isn't woven into all elements of society in the way in the way it is in the NE, including Sunderland.

 

 

Maybe it's just me looking through rose tinted specs then but I remember when the St James crowd was a lot more vocal and didn't sit there like gimps watching shit football and thinking they've had a decent return for their money. Mind that's going back to the days when there was terraces and it didn't take much to get the crowd jumping. It's totally different set of supporters now with a lot more families and kids. That's great in a lot of ways but the atmosphere is dead in large parts of the ground and far too many are pleased just to be there and do the happy clappy act.

[Minhosa]

I'm a born and bred Londoner  I said 'most' and I certainly stick by that- there's no way most Spurs fans travel from across the South to watch home games, most are from the N London area. Unfortunately I know and am friends with plenty of 'Yiddos' and have even done the matchday walk from Wood Green on many occasions.  Yes there are plenty of fans that live miles away (like all clubs), especially those from the 'white flight' phenomenon that live in Essex, M Keynes, East Anglia, Sussex, Surrey etc but they don't make up the majority of home fans whatsoever.

 

To think NUFC is a special case is a bit naive IMO, and I certainly wouldn't agree that we have fervent support anymore.

 

I'd say our support is still fervent to the extent that it's very much part of the weekly routine, discussed everywhere at length including by old grannys in the street and people still turn up in their tens of thousands to watch a team that's got fuck all chance of achieving anything under the current owner.

 

It might not be vocal but that's because they've got nothing to shout positively about. Easier to sit tight and do their 'duty' and then meet their mates in the pub afterwards before walking into the town to get lashed. The shit football was a minor inconvenience during a day/night out.

 

That's totally different to football and football fans in the south/south east imho.

 

Do they love their clubs any less? No. But the demographic is totally different in so much as the 'match' isn't woven into all elements of society in the way in the way it is in the NE, including Sunderland.

 

 

Maybe it's just me looking through rose tinted specs then but I remember when the St James crowd was a lot more vocal and didn't sit there like gimps watching shit football and thinking they've had a decent return for their money. Mind that's going back to the days when there was terraces and it didn't take much to get the crowd jumping. It's totally different set of supporters now with a lot more families and kids. That's great in a lot of ways but the atmosphere is dead in large parts of the ground and far too many are pleased just to be there and do the happy clappy act.

 

I totally agree what you're saying, I used to have a season ticket in the Milburn paddock, getting pushed in the rush towards the pitch when we scored and shouting abuse at Kevin Sheedy etc.

 

The atmosphere/craic then was superb but football was a different game.

 

Back in those days, blokes where we stood would whip out their cocks and piss on the floor. You'd get arrested for that now .

 

The match going public has changed. All seaters, the subsequent rise in costs, the change in the 'premier league' via Sky etc changed football for society. The football crowds these days are the equivalent of the rugby spectator set from 20 years ago.

 

I read earlier today that it's 18 years to the day when Albert chipped Schmeical. I was at that game. Best atmosphere I've ever seen at St James's.

[Wallace]

I'm a born and bred Londoner  I said 'most' and I certainly stick by that- there's no way most Spurs fans travel from across the South to watch home games, most are from the N London area. Unfortunately I know and am friends with plenty of 'Yiddos' and have even done the matchday walk from Wood Green on many occasions.  Yes there are plenty of fans that live miles away (like all clubs), especially those from the 'white flight' phenomenon that live in Essex, M Keynes, East Anglia, Sussex, Surrey etc but they don't make up the majority of home fans whatsoever.

 

To think NUFC is a special case is a bit naive IMO, and I certainly wouldn't agree that we have fervent support anymore.

 

I'd say our support is still fervent to the extent that it's very much part of the weekly routine, discussed everywhere at length including by old grannys in the street and people still turn up in their tens of thousands to watch a team that's got f*** all chance of achieving anything under the current owner.

 

It might not be vocal but that's because they've got nothing to shout positively about. Easier to sit tight and do their 'duty' and then meet their mates in the pub afterwards before walking into the town to get lashed. The s*** football was a minor inconvenience during a day/night out.

 

That's totally different to football and football fans in the south/south east imho.

 

Do they love their clubs any less? No. But the demographic is totally different in so much as the 'match' isn't woven into all elements of society in the way in the way it is in the NE, including Sunderland.

 

 

I think there is a common misconception when pundits etc refer to our "fanatical" support and other fans take exception to that label.  As you say, it is not that we as individuals love the club more but it is the intensity and fervour created when virtually every one in this city supports one team.  Whether people like football or not, they are still aware of everything that is going on related to NUFC and it will probably affect their lives in some way whether they personally like football or not.  (I remember years ago, a girlfriend of my brother who was not interested in football would always check the score before deciding whether to come around on a Saturday night because if we lost, my Dad would be in a bad mood).

 

I like it when you overhear conversations in a shop talking about the football and you know they are talking about Newcastle or when an old lady will come up to you after a match and ask how "the lads" got on as will all the shop assistants.  No need to ask "which team".  That doesn't happen elsewhere.  When I worked in London, everyone in the office interested in football supported a different team.  That meant that the limited football conversation was very different from up here where so much of it is based around NUFC.  I would say that during every conversation I have with an acquaintance up here, there will be a point when the latest goings on at Newcastle will be brought up.

 

When the team does well, local businesses benefit from that and productivity improves.  On a Saturday night if the team has played well, there will be a great vibe in town and people stay out and drink longer whereas if it is another defeat, people tend to go straight home.

 

This is why it is different up here.  Do I support Newcastle more than another club's supporter?  No.  But having lived all over the country including cities like Manchester and London, I have never experienced anything like how the performance of a football team affects the rhythm of a city and the people that live in it as much as Newcastle United does.

[Minhosa]

I'm a born and bred Londoner  I said 'most' and I certainly stick by that- there's no way most Spurs fans travel from across the South to watch home games, most are from the N London area. Unfortunately I know and am friends with plenty of 'Yiddos' and have even done the matchday walk from Wood Green on many occasions.  Yes there are plenty of fans that live miles away (like all clubs), especially those from the 'white flight' phenomenon that live in Essex, M Keynes, East Anglia, Sussex, Surrey etc but they don't make up the majority of home fans whatsoever.

 

To think NUFC is a special case is a bit naive IMO, and I certainly wouldn't agree that we have fervent support anymore.

 

I'd say our support is still fervent to the extent that it's very much part of the weekly routine, discussed everywhere at length including by old grannys in the street and people still turn up in their tens of thousands to watch a team that's got f*** all chance of achieving anything under the current owner.

 

It might not be vocal but that's because they've got nothing to shout positively about. Easier to sit tight and do their 'duty' and then meet their mates in the pub afterwards before walking into the town to get lashed. The s*** football was a minor inconvenience during a day/night out.

 

That's totally different to football and football fans in the south/south east imho.

 

Do they love their clubs any less? No. But the demographic is totally different in so much as the 'match' isn't woven into all elements of society in the way in the way it is in the NE, including Sunderland.

 

 

I think there is a common misconception when pundits etc refer to our "fanatical" support and other fans take exception to that label.  As you say, it is not that we as individuals love the club more but it is the intensity and fervour created when virtually every one in this city supports one team.  Whether people like football or not, they are still aware of everything that is going on related to NUFC and it will probably affect their lives in some way whether they personally like football or not.  (I remember years ago, a girlfriend of my brother who was not interested in football would always check the score before deciding whether to come around on a Saturday night because if we lost, my Dad would be in a bad mood).

 

I like it when you overhear conversations in a shop talking about the football and you know they are talking about Newcastle or when an old lady will come up to you after a match and ask how "the lads" got on as will all the shop assistants.  No need to ask "which team".  That doesn't happen elsewhere.  When I worked in London, everyone in the office interested in football supported a different team.  That meant that the limited football conversation was very different from up here where so much of it is based around NUFC.  I would say that during every conversation I have with an acquaintance up here, there will be a point when the latest goings on at Newcastle will be brought up.

 

When the team does well, local businesses benefit from that and productivity improves.  On a Saturday night if the team has played well, there will be a great vibe in town and people stay out and drink longer whereas if it is another defeat, people tend to go straight home.

 

This is why it is different up here.  Do I support Newcastle more than another club's supporter?  No.  But having lived all over the country including cities like Manchester and London, I have never experienced anything like how the performance of a football team affects the rhythm of a city and the people that live in it as much as Newcastle United does.

 

Great post Wallace and I totally concur.

 

I've lived all over the UK and abroad but there's no City quite impacted by its football teams performance in respect of its 'vibe'.

 

Under KK, the atmosphere around the place was unbelievable. I mean, literally, unbelievable. I've said it before but we would turn up to games wondering how many goals we'd win by.

 

I remember the days of leaving the ground having drawn with Arsenal or Spurs and being absolutely gutted. I mean, like shocked that some other team could come to what was a fortress and have the audacity to take a share of the points.

 

The evening chronicle was filled with player interviews, as a supporter you could sense the banter between the players, you could watch the players train - the club was as open as you could get, there was a hugely positive feeling everywhere and that transcended itself to the stadium come match day.

 

That's one of the elements of the Ashley reign that fucks me off the most, if he threw less than 2% of his wealth at the club we could be incredible. He could lift a whole region, he could create more wealth, he could immerse himself into the club in the way that he initially wanted to and he could have become a god, genuinely.

[Wullie]

It's like a social experiment into loyalty.  If NUFC under Ashley was your child, you'd have disowned the fucker.

[Wullie]

Good posts Minhosa and Wallace.

 

It annoys me when I see the sort of shit Man City do, the tunnel cam, all that. Their PR is superb. Give people an NUFC to be proud of, a nice shirt and put all that shit on top and you've got a licence to print money. So fucking easy.

[mrmojorisin75]

we should get this thread back to pardew, i just hate that cunt, this other shit is starting to depress me

[Minhosa]

Good posts Minhosa and Wallace.

 

It annoys me when I see the sort of shit Man City do, the tunnel cam, all that. Their PR is superb. Give people an NUFC to be proud of, a nice shirt and put all that shit on top and you've got a licence to print money. So fucking easy.

 

What the owners of City have done is nothing short of superb. They've put down sustainable roots. Their investment outside of the football pitch is something else. Their impact on the community is unreal. They've even put an Etihad call centre inside its own custom built office block just off Manchester Airport. They've built a private hanger etc at Manchester Airport just for their guests.

 

They've created an incredible amount of jobs just through their involvement.

 

On the other hand, our tight bastard, has put more people on the dole than he has created new jobs.

 

How can you miss the point so badly and still expect to control everything about the club. He doesn't own its fucking soul but we've let him think he does. That's shameful when you think about it. We've given up.

[The College Dropout]

Nah. Their fans are far more likely to come from far and wide. There's no way Spurs fans would usually drink in that dump.

 

I disagree with that sorry. Most London clubs' fans are from the local areas and will drink/socialise around them (they have a sense of pride for their postcode), hence why we have so many bloody clubs in the big smoke. Spurs fans are a good example actually, they normally come from Tottenham/Wood Green/Barnet/Seven Sisters etc all of which are very close to WHL and with plenty of run down boozers to choose from

 

I live near Selhurst Park - which has a tremendous atmosphere these days but that's mostly down to being grateful for being in the  PL, a small stadium with a section that will sing & make noise no matter the result. Most of the home fans come from within 4 miles of the stadium, i'm certain of that. You won't find many Palace fans from North London.

 

Apart from Arsenal & Chelsea and perhaps to a lesser extent Spurs - most London clubs have very local support primarily. I've never met a Spurs fan who wasn't from North London.

 

I think our problem at NUFC is that we've gone stale as a fanbase. We never got overly excited, we never get too down - except for Derbies. Mission completed Mike.

[ben-nufc]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p028zk9f

 

Possibly a giggs but this is unbelievable. How someone can be so stupid I really don't know.

[The College Dropout]

i seriously think it's the "fans of football" thing that's taken hold, football has become ultra-fashionable so having a season ticket and going to the match is the thing to do for a lot of new fans and these are the ones sitting there in silence while we scrape wins against the worst teams in the league

 

combine that with our supafan element and we're basically f***ed

This. This is what I think it is. It's just something to do. For me going to a NUFC game is an event. Now it's just not worth the trip but it's still an event. Sometimes when i'm bored and can find a spare ticket i'll watch Palace at Selhurst Park casually. Never upset, sometimes pretty happy. Often i'm just there to see "the stars" in action. I reckon that's how a lot of the SJP attendees are like these days. I know a few people who have just gotten into football in the least 3 years (as adults) and have bought Arsenal season-tickets.

 

It's just a thing to do these days. Casual fans. Crap atmospheres. It still looks good for Sky having the full stadiums.

 

 

 

[TRon]

Good posts Minhosa and Wallace.

 

It annoys me when I see the sort of shit Man City do, the tunnel cam, all that. Their PR is superb. Give people an NUFC to be proud of, a nice shirt and put all that shit on top and you've got a licence to print money. So fucking easy.

 

What the owners of City have done is nothing short of superb. They've put down sustainable roots. Their investment outside of the football pitch is something else. Their impact on the community is unreal. They've even put an Etihad call centre inside its own custom built office block just off Manchester Airport. They've built a private hanger etc at Manchester Airport just for their guests.

 

They've created an incredible amount of jobs just through their involvement.

 

On the other hand, our tight bastard, has put more people on the dole than he has created new jobs.

 

How can you miss the point so badly and still expect to control everything about the club. He doesn't own its fucking soul but we've let him think he does. That's shameful when you think about it. We've given up.

 

Our owner won't even spend the money we make never mind invest any of his own, but then he's only a billionaire.