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Sit down and don't give abuse to other fans

Like many, I am proud to be a Wycombe supporter and, whilst disappointed with the result yesterday, I feel that the management and the team should be proud of what was achieved in the season.

However, I am angry about and frustrated with a small minority of Wycombe fans who spoil games for the majority.

I purchased expensive £60 tickets for a group of 10 friends and family to watch the match from the half-way line. I wanted to watch the match seated and I did not want to listen to people swearing all the time. Sadly my day was spoilt not just by the result but equally by a group of four late 20's to early 30's males in the row immediately in front who 1. jumped up every time something exciting happened thereby blocking the view of myself, my wife and others; and 2. took every opportunity to abuse the nearby Southend supporters with a limited vocabulary consisting disproportionately of f***, c***s and w*****s. I observe with some surprise that these were not adolescents but rather older men. I would have expected them to have grown out of such behaviour.

I both complained to the stewards and sent two texts to the anti-social help line but no action was taken. I suspect that only racist, homophobic or islamophobic comments would have resulted in official action to stop them. In fairness these were not uttered but in the future I would be tempted to claim that they were. Being antisocial and annoying to the majority didn't seem to be enough to warrant stopping the behaviour.

After the match, my guests spoke as much about the behaviour of this group as about the disappointing result. Persuading more people to attend league matches will be impossible based on this experience. Well done those four fans, you alienated at least 9 more.

Isn't it time that in addition to "the singing section" that an area is designated "the anti-social section"? I am sure that others can come up with a more appropriate name as I don't mean for the name to be pejorative. For all I care, people can stand and slag off the opposition all they like in these sections providing they are far enough away that they don't impact the rest of us. Stricter standards can then be enforced in the other areas. The majority should not have to put up with the anti-social behaviour of the minority. My request to all fans is that if you buy tickets anywhere other than the "anti-social section" then sit down and don't use foul language to abuse other fans (our's or the opposition).

Comments

  • How can you imply that the singing can be linked to anti social?

    This works both ways. I was in a singing section yesterday and some of those should clearly not of been in this section but for my continual chairboys and a mental guy chanting barmy army for ages people would not of got going!

    I agree anti social is not good but please do no link this to the singers, the torch pub was great with old and young, new and old fans enjoying the day.

  • Interesting to note though that the stewards did not intervene, if you breath at most grounds they sling you out.

  • I did not mean to link Singing with Anti-Social behaviour in the way that wycombelad seems to have taken it (I accept my wording may be ambiguous). Rather, the link is that there be designated areas where certain behaviour is "accepted" - I use the term loosely. In the same way that you can not complain about singing if you buy a ticket in the singing area, then one could not complain about standing and/or swearing in the "anti-social" area (to be renamed so as to not to be offensive in its own right). My point being that a greater clamp down on anti-social behaviour could then be enforced elsewhere. To the point on stewards, based on my experience, stewards to not sling people out for nothing. People have to misbehave badly for this to happen. IMHO the stewards were too lax yesterday. For clarity, I don't want to see other fans thrown out but I do want them to sit down (if in seats) and not to use continuous foul and abusive language. I can accept the odd expletive uttered in frustration. I can be as guilty of this as the next man. However, I do not stand gesticulating at opposition fans 30 or more times per match suggesting that they are masturbating whilst uttering a stream of foul language. Such behaviour is offensive to the majority and should be eradicated where possible.

  • @Older_and_Wiser, Yes I recall your main antagoniser in the front of section 102, next year at Wembley, he best get a ticket in the 'singing section' me too, as he wasn't get much change from our section.

    On a serious note, I agree the hand jesters and language was over the top and for the record the stewards did have a quick word him.

  • I was sitting in section 122 rather than section 102. Hence I suspect that this was a separate case. The stewards definitely did not speak to those in front of me. My reason for the post (other than to get it off my chest) was to highlight an issue that I suspect may be bigger than people think. The nature of the majority is that we don't complain often or loud enough about such behaviour but it may well put us off coming next time - to the detriment of the Club and team.

  • @Older_and_Wiser, Sorry to hear, but like I said the youthful male was spoken too. I found it funny as I couldn't see how the hell the opposition would have seen him making all his hand jestures and foul mouth miming.

  • The Southend fans could see the group in front of me. Section 122 was separated from Southend fans only by a section of netting running over the intervening seats. The point is, however, not the impact on the Southend fans, who may or may not have cared about the gestures and words (they may not have heard the words as the atmosphere was very noisy), but rather the impact on the Wycombe fans immediately around this group. Sadly the negative impact of the behaviour of this group will last with me longer than the disappointment over the result.

  • suck it up. watch at home if you want quietness.

  • I was in a block behind the "singers". I heard them but making out the words was almost impossible apart from "chartboys barmy army" and "blue army". One man started shouting "we are going up" a few seconds before the equalising goal was scored. Tempting fate? Perhaps an hour devoted to practice would be worthwhile. At the moment it is too uncoordinated to have the effect it deserves.
    In passing I thought that booing the Southend penalty takers was ugly and counter-productive as it seemed to inspire them rather than put them off.

  • We were in 102 at the bottom.I looked up and not one person singing or out of the chairs. We did try and lift things but it wasn't working. The singing was all behind the goal area.

  • Too many day trippers even in the singing sections to get much in the way of atmosphere going. A real shame as there were pockets of people who clearly wanted to sing but were lone voices even when 1-0 up!

  • I thought the noise from behind the goal was really good, sadly I was sat adjacent to the penalty area and the atmosphere there struggled to get going. Too many spaces, too many kids more interested in throwing paper aeroplanes and too many folk there just for the day out (which is fair enough).

    I do agree about the complaints about people standing up without any consideration of the people behind them. Very selfish behaviour and it really can spoil things for youngsters, people less able and people who just want to sit and enjoy the match.

  • we really do have so many drips following wycombe. It's football not croquet, get a life

  • I agree with showing some consideration but basically it's football not a night at the opera. And I agree that bringing back terraces would solve a lot of these problems, not least that you can stand somewhere different if the people around are not to your liking.

  • We need to separate singing from abusive behavior.

    This was not just a Wembley problem. It happened at Northampton too when all our supporters were in the sold out area behind the goal. We got there early but were then invaded by this group who took over some of our seats and packed into the rows behind us. They were determined to stand and they ignored the seat numbers on their tickets. Throughout the game some of them swore and hurled abuse at Northampton supporters in the main stand. They appeared to hate them. I had to listen to the rant as well as be pushed as they jumped up and down behind me. I talked to the worst offender who seemed surprised at my reaction. The terrace seats around this small group were full of families and older supporters who were uncomfortable at being put in this situation. We came to support our team in a football match and ended up spending valuable time trying to deal with our own 'supporters' who think they are a law unto themselves.

    The week before Wembley I watched Wolfsburg play Borussia Dortmund in Germany. The atmosphere was electric. Lots of singing, huge flags, lots of standing in the seated areas and on the staircases. I went with my wife who enjoyed the visit and never felt threatened. We were in the Dortmund away end and the singing was loud, non-stop, communal and obviously enjoyed. It was part of the experience. They had a conductor with a megaphone and a drummer to lead into the songs. Every one of the 10 or so songs were in praise of Dortmund and there was no gratuitous abuse of the Wolfsburg team and supporters. They all came to enjoy and support their own team. Dortmund lost but they sang to the end. Everyone walked back to the car parks together.

    Singing good songs in support of your team can add to the atmosphere. Abusive behavior towards other supporters doesn't. We need to make people welcome if we want gates to rise. This should not be a stewarding issue. We need to set our own standards. We are all supposed to be supporters.

  • I keep reading that attendances should improve but it is clear that not everyone is welcome. "Drips" and "day trippers" we might be but surely there should be a welcome for all who want to come along.

  • @Gopher, I'm not defending the behaviour of the small sad section of 'supporters' you were stuck with at Northampton, sadly every club has them, in England anyway. But anyone that goes to away matches regularly would know that everyone sits where they like (there's usually plenty of room!) When I travel away I just avoid sitting ( or in some cases standing) anywhere near them.

  • I started watching football in the 60s on the North bank at Upton Park and despite now qualifying for a much appreciated senior concession on my ST and using my senior railcard for cheap fares to get to away games, I like to watch foot ball standing up. and will continue to do so till my knees stop working.

    I just want to to stand on a proper terrace. I get that at AP - just wish they had that everywhere.

    Also, the cynic in me wonders whether Northampton insisted on sitting in allocated seats in order to fragment the singing contingent and dilute their effect on the game. I hate it when they try to enforce seat numbers

  • The situation is a bit different when it's a sell-out - fine to sit wherever when there's plenty of space, but when every seat is taken then if people don't stick to their seat numbers then groups might end up having to split up etc.

  • There were a good twenty parents around me who are very unlikely to bring their kids to a Wycombe match again thanks to two middle aged brothers and their IQ challenged pet/friend. Anyone with half a brain could have thought through the implications and seen that these are potentially new fans for years to come. It's damaging to the future of the club. But as I say, it requires at least half a brain.

  • M3GM3G
    edited May 2015

    I must say I didn't particularly see and hear any really bad behaviour, or really bad language, but then again in was into the match and had had plenty of liquid lunch anyway. We had about thirty in our group, spread over three rows at the back of 103, all very long watching fans and our bairns were with us. I don't know how some of the lads i saw lunchtime even managed the game they were that pissed! But that's what happens with 17.30 kick off and 6 hours of drinking before hand! I still bet we were the best behaved fans over the weekend though by a country mile.

  • Must say I just don't get the mentality of the kind of people that know a match doesn't kick off until 5.30 but still rush to get to the pub at midday, and chuck lager down their necks like it's going out of fashion. One of the most biggest games in their lives and they will hardly remember it.

  • My two cents is when you go to a stadium without family areas you have to expect bad language.
    When my daughter is a bit older I will take her to Adams park and go into the family stand instead of terrace.
    I, along with my friends stood up when things got excited, used occasional bad language but that's football for most men.
    Just my humble opinion, and if those guys were genuinely that bad, I feel sorry for you.

  • I must admit that i barely remember the first half, but i enjoyed the pub alot

  • Wycombe's biggest game for years and you can't remember much of the first half because of drink. Dickhead.

  • Yeah, but let's be honest, he didn't miss much

  • @MBS said:
    Wycombe's biggest game for years and you can't remember much of the first half because of drink. Dickhead.

    If something had happened i would of remembered, i had a great day, did u?

    Might want to lay off the insults

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