Supporters get letters about swearing at games
I generally try and avoid even seeing the discussions on the Facebook supporters' page but noticed a long thread about selected fans getting letters from Thames valley Police and the club warning them about their language and behaviour. I imagine people who go to more away games than I can know more about said individuals. Are such letters warranted? Excessive swearing makes people sound like morons but swearing at football goes with the territory. Or is it the bunch who sing cringeworthy songs about certain former players with liberal use of the c-word? As for aggressive behaviour - really? Compared to a far larger contingent of Rovers, Oxford, Luton etc fans, Wycombe fans are pretty harmless, aren't they?
0
Comments
Thinking back about the behaviour of the vocal supporters at Portsmouth on Saturday I would describe it more as moronic rather than aggresive or abusive.
I found it pretty amusing to watch certain drones directing abuse at the family stand and the language was immature rather than abusive.
I don't like the abuse directed at certain Wycombe supporters and considered this to be bullying that in any other environment would be treated more seriously. The chants around this were horrible and should stop. The content was not a laughing matter however those chanting might tart it up.
The biggest thing I often think about with the vocal Wycombe supporters is how little time they actually spend cheering the team on. The abuse of other clubs, the teams we play, other supporters and more recently the team itself all takes away from what could be an impressive noise created for the benefit of our team. The irony of some of the inbred abuse does make me laugh though.
I think many Wycombe fans could behave better when at games. If these letters are true then I hope they help this. I want to be proud to be a Wycombe fan but to be honest I distance myself from the drones at the moment if I can.
There are plenty of cretins at football matches, make no mistake. But I for one personally enjoy a bit of abusive language on the terrace, providing it is witty in some way.
I don't want sanitised football, and if you do, the family stand should be a 'safe area'.
Remember when Ivor Beeks introduced a swearing ban at Adams Park back in the late 90s I think, followed by the next home match with the terracing singing "We'll f*@king swear if we want to....." for almost the entire game.
I guess everyone has their own line to be crossed when it comes to swearing and abuse. The chants against Beavon and Easter were well over that line for me and were simply moronic, not to say embarrassing for most Wycombe fans. Having had the pleasure of standing in front of two of Wycombe's finest specimens away at oxford a couple of years ago whose entire vocabulary consisted of the c word, the f word and `paedo', I can sort of see where TVP and the club are coming from if they want - particularly away - games to be more pleasurable for other fans, especially with kids - but I wonder where it all stops? Singing "F--- the five year plan" seemed harmless enough, and plenty of the old classics have swearing in them.
As I say, I don't know any of the fans concerned and don't go to enough away games to see how bad or otherwise the situation is. I've never really seen what I'd consider outright aggressive behaviour from Wycombe fans in recent years (decades).
@Right_in_the_Middle Your last sentence rings true with me. I am proud to support Wycombe Wanderers, but find there are an increasing number of occasions when I don't feel comfortable with being associated with a section of the Wycombe support that acts in an unnecessarily abusive and moronic manner.
I was very glad at Portsmouth to be far enough away from the morons that my 9 year old son couldn't see most of their antics (partly because of the people stood up in front of him, but standing in seated areas is a topic I will leave for another day) or hear most of what they were shouting. That didn't stop him taking an interest, though, and telling me about the Wycombe supporter (who he assumed must have been the person who let off the smoke bomb at the start, but may not have been) who he saw being talked to by the police at half-time.
I am not advocating a zero tolerance policy on swearing, except in designated family areas, and don't have a problem with the traditional "You're s**t" chant at opposition goal kicks, for example. Recently, though, there does seem to have been an increase within the Wycombe support of mindless abuse aimed not only at the opposition, but also at their own team and fellow supporters.
'Remember when Ivor Beeks introduced a swearing ban at Adams Park back in the late 90s I think, followed by the next home match with the terracing singing "We'll f*@king swear if we want to....." for almost the entire game.'
They also wanted to ban smoking on the terrace at the same time. My wife who was a season ticket holder at the time and liked to let off a bit of steam wrote to the club threatening to sponsor the home end and call it the "smoking and swearing stand". I don't know how but next thing she knew it had been picked up by the Midweek and plastered across the back page! Unfortunately I threw out the original copy, I must nip down to the BFP and see if they have a copy on file I can get printed up for her.
That swearing thing was misinterpreted at the time. I know this as I know the person who wrote the letter to Ivor Beeks in the first place.
The complaint concerned the abuse dished out to Mickey Bell, calling him amongst other things a paedophile (we've always had Oscar Wilde-esque terrace wits at Wycombe you see) and the lack of action from stewards/police
Between this and subsequent reporting in the BFP it somehow became about swearing, which it never was.
It'd be interesting how the police went about issuing letters to the supposed sweary gang.
Did they film our main singing gang/terrace, and then go to the club/one of our fans to get details on who they are? Seems a surprising amount of effort, when you see the ferocious amounts of abuse the Premier league players get at some stadiums. So the odd "we all effin hate Slough" etc, isn't any different from any stadium. It must go beyond that.
One big problem, is that probably our "worst" lot for the moronic/sweary stuff, is a group who also do most of the games. Now the latter doesn't allow the first necessarily, but you don't want to put off loyal fans.
Personally, I hate being anywhere near them at away games. I remember last season, some of them would ferociously spit "sing up gasroom" from the back, and GLARE down at the stand in case a single brave/stupid person wanted to take them on.
A couple would always say "come and talk to us" if you have a problem.
The idea of an individual trying to reason with a gang of 20-30 abusive "yoofs" really is an idea.
Alan Parry tries it, and also the Trustman (sorry, temporarily my old mind has forgotten his surname), and I really applaud their patience. Anyone else would have sacked it off and said "you know what, I don't care anymore"
Facebook in particular is an echo chamber for some pretty deluded thinking, especially when it comes to excessive and mindless bad language somehow counting as 'atmosphere' and 'support'.
I'm hardly in a position to criticise anyone for letting the odd expletive slip out during a game, though songs about perfectly respectful ex-players a being see you next Tuesdays, and the slightest error by lino resulting him being called the same is pathetic (for just two examples). Aside from offending more sensitive souls than myself, there's no humour or originality in a lot of the foul-mouthed 'songs' coming from them.
I would imagine that the letter that was sent out would be regarding excessive and particularly mindless language used by some individuals, and I would like to think it has nothing to do with that catchy 'f*ck the 5 year plan' ditty (which I would say is within the boundaries of what is acceptable to sing at a football game), but more general gratuitous bad language.
The supposedly respectable Thames Valley Police referred to our home ground as "Adam's Park" on the screenshot of the letter which was uploaded to the Facebook group.
Makes me doubt the validity of the whole thing. Surely the co-signee of the letter, Stadium Manager Gordon Reilly, should actually know the name of the Stadium he is employed to manage.
Blimey - and they call me pedantic!
What a pathetic comment Croider. Next you will be suggesting that we sack the Stadium Manager for this gross oversight!
Croider, are you Chairman of the Pedant Society, or Vice-Chairman?
I tend not to comment on the Facebook page there's a bit of a pack mentality amongst the yoofs. I notice Mr Parry is currently on the receiving end.
It really does show the Gasroom up as a relative haven of civility and constructive, reasoned debate.
@MindlessDrugHoover bit dull as well though isn't it?
Whilst the 'youfs' barely muster a brain cell between them most of what they do is harmless. They cross the line with some of the language used at times and I agree with the comments above re; the Beavon & Easter chants. They could also spend more time supporting the team rather than focusing on what the other clubs supports are doing, but they are entitled to do this.
My big gripe comes from the 5 or 6 (2 in particular) old drunkards that stand with them and take pleasure in swearing and complaining at what other supporters around them are doing. I've confronted them a couple of times, which quickly shuts them up, but without fail they're there doing it again the next week.
Forget swearing, it's football, it happens. Focus should be on identifying those who purposely try to make others around them enjoy their afternoon a lot less. As far as I can tell they don't even known there's a game going on most weeks.
Wearing at football matches is like living next to a railway track. You don't notice the trains rattlng past after a while.
I imagine we'd soon notice if people stopped wearing.
Boobs as shinpads, if ever a points deduction is warranted, this would be it.
Must have been Frank's mate Adam who donated Loakes Park to the club then, my mistake.
The main thing the FB group has over this site is the quick turnover, and debate.
I think we miss the old style gasroom's turnover a bit. yes it was getting hijacked a bit towards the end, but at least the flow was frequent. On here it's very sedentary pace, though obviously much better organised. Shame there isn't a perfect mix of the two.
And those older fans who seem to only have much younger mates. Bit dodgy.
I think the chants to the tune of 'Hey baby' aimed at the likes of John Akinde/Matt McClure etc are pretty unwarranted and no need for the 'c bomb'.
We all like a bit of witty swearing but would agree that a constant stream is pretty moronic, especially if spewed in particularly aggressive tones.
It's a funny one. When a lot of these 'yoofs' as they've been called had to drink in my usual pre-match haunt of The Half Moon for the Rovers game I got chatting to them as individuals and they voiced pretty articulate and reasonable opinions about the club and how we were doing on and off the pitch.
It was only when they were shepherded to the ground by police escort that the mob mentality took hold and a few fruity words came out as the pack formed, doubtless fuelled by strength in numbers and a few shandies.
Yes, they can overstep the line and I can see how some may see them negatively impacting their own matchday experience but these letters do seem a little OTT. They're just kids looking for kicks.
Not been on here for a while but feel compelled to comment. The behaviour of the group of "fans" at the front behind the goal at Pompey was nothing short of disgraceful and I for one am glad the the club and the Police are clamping down. Where did these "fans" come from? Some spent the entire 90 mins not watching the game but shouting abuse and making threatening gestures to what is, I understand, part of their family stand! one even tried to get in to have a go.. We all like a bit of banter but this was not banter and they will drag the once good name of our club down.
Rarely get to away games these days but sad to hear that there appears to be a growing (?) element which risks bringing this great club into disrepute.
Please tell me Matt McClure wasn't on the receiving end of abusive chants?
Dagenham at home...'we wanna know why you're such a...'. Didn't join in personally, too busy remembering his finest moments at Gillingham and Torquay...
@eric_plant he was eating a full roast at 7.40 at the carvery down the road at Dagenham. That might need a chant.
Gravy on his tracksuit
And Tranmere?
The abuse of Matt McClure was only a very small number, trying so start the 'Hey Baby' chant. Winfield and Easter on the other hand received the full brunt. All three seemed unwarranted.