The mentality of football supporters.

[WBA1955]

Football is the only game that causes such aggression between rival fan's. You don't see it at Cricket, Rugby or even Boxing.
Why are football fans so unsporting and nasty? I can only put it down to lack of brain cells. Some of the players are as bad. Thick people following thick people.
When you see grown men calling people they have never met six fingered inbreds, it really is a sad state of affairs, they need to grow up.
P iss taking and banter is fine, anything else is out of order, there are far more things to get upset about than a bunch of overpaid footballers.
People need to grow up.

[baggieal]

Football is the only game that causes such aggression between rival fan's. You don't see it at Cricket, Rugby or even Boxing.
Why are football fans so unsporting and nasty? I can only put it down to lack of brain cells. Some of the players are as bad. Thick people following thick people.
When you see grown men calling people they have never met six fingered inbreds, it really is a sad state of affairs, they need to grow up.
P iss taking and banter is fine, anything else is out of order, there are far more things to get upset about than a bunch of overpaid footballers.
People need to grow up.

Demographics Des!! Sad but true!! You don’t get many rough people going to cricket or rugby as you do football!

[mickd1961]

Football is tribal more than any other sport on the planet.

A lot of clubs originally had a religious side to them as well.

Look at Scotland,

Dundee - Protestant

Dundee United - Catholic

Hearts - Protestant

Hibs - Catholic

Rangers - Protestant

Celtic - Catholic


Six teams who are cheek by jowl alongside each other in three cities.

What do you expect?

[baggieal]

Football is tribal more than any other sport on the planet.

A lot of clubs originally had a religious side to them as well.

Look at Scotland,

Dundee - Protestant

Dundee United - Catholic

Hearts - Protestant

Hibs - Catholic

Rangers - Protestant

Celtic - Catholic


Six teams who are cheek by jowl alongside each other in three cities.

What do you expect?

Tribal is another excuse for rough! You don’t get yobs who go to tennis or rugby like you do football. There’s more shop lifting in Asda than say Waitrose. There’s more crime in rougher areas than affluent areas. Schools will be better and self selecting in affluent areas than rougher areas.

Don’t mean to sound a snob but it’s true. Demographics are what makes marketing go round. Respect comes from the parents or should do!!

[mickd1961]

Tribal is another excuse for rough! You don’t get yobs who go to tennis or rugby like you do football. There’s more shop lifting in Asda than say Waitrose. There’s more crime in rougher areas than affluent areas. Schools will be better and self selecting in affluent areas than rougher areas.

Don’t mean to sound a snob but it’s true. Demographics are what makes marketing go round. Respect comes from the parents or should do!!

That’s a 70’s view of football.

A large majority of fans are now from middle class backgrounds and have been badly parented and think they can do what they want and act like louts.

Not many Chelsea slums is there!?

The vast majority of fans no longer live by their teams ground anyway, most Villa, Albion and Wolves fans live miles from their stadiums.

[baggieal]

That’s a 70’s view of football.

A large majority of fans are now from middle class backgrounds and have been badly parented and think they can do what they want and act like louts.

Not many Chelsea slums is there!?

The vast majority of fans no longer live by their teams ground anyway, most Villa, Albion and Wolves fans live miles from their stadiums.

You can't tell me Mick that the people who go to Wimbledon or Rugby are anything like some that go to football games. You don't get tennis supporters ripping seats out like West Brom supporters did at Millwall. Some of the away games I have been to this season have been frightening if you are a woman or child! Stoke, Huddersfield, Preston are three examples where some West Brom fans just went for trouble and smashed things in sight and lobbed smoke bombs!

Bit like saying there's just as much trouble or crime in Harrogate than Bradford. Opposite ends of the spectrum for crime. Sad but true rougher areas have more crime than affluent areas. Take Leeds - parents are desperate to bus their kids into Harrogate state schools! Why? Because they are self selecting with professional parents ie doctors, dentists etc and parents in Leeds are desperate to get their kids in. Bit like a football academy - kids get better playing with other kids of similar talent so a selective club takes and spits out who they want. Fact of life.

Coastal resorts are the same in terms of nice or rough as f uck! Take Filey - it's mainly full of nice people as very few pubs, no amusements and accommodation more pricey so no yobs. Go down the road to Bridlington and it's full of rough yobs because it's tacky and full of amusements, pubs and litter! It's quite frankly a s hit pit! The difference is staggering.

Demographics again! Sadly you don't often find M&S Food Shops or Waitrose in some places because quite simply they don't suit the profile. The M&S in Bridlington closed down as too expensive!

As Des has mentioned though and it's true - a lot of footballers are yobs too like Rooney, Ferdinand etc. You don't see many Rugby and Cricket players who are as thick as a plank and setting a bad example to those who follow them!

Don't get me wrong - I go to football and a damn sight more kids would go too if there was not racist behaviour, filth, disgusting language, and people going to batter others. I have been to quite a few other sporting events and never heard like at football thousands singing - get your t its out for the lads to a referee/lines person/umpire etc as supporters have sang to Sian Massey the lines woman who does Premier matches.

[Dubbag]

Football is the only game that causes such aggression between rival fan's. You don't see it at Cricket, Rugby or even Boxing.
Why are football fans so unsporting and nasty? I can only put it down to lack of brain cells. Some of the players are as bad. Thick people following thick people.
When you see grown men calling people they have never met six fingered inbreds, it really is a sad state of affairs, they need to grow up.
P iss taking and banter is fine, anything else is out of order, there are far more things to get upset about than a bunch of overpaid footballers.
People need to grow up.

Were you not in this category yourself back in the 70's......?

[mickd1961]

I know a lot of lads who are “handy” and from across various clubs.

Most are middle class, weekend hobos not rough necks off council estates like back in the day.

Poor people can’t afford football in general and they’ve been priced out.

Clubs like Millwall you’re right about but they’re now an anomaly.

How can you class tennis in the same bracket?

There’s nothing to support other than an individual player, there’s no passion involved.

With Rugby the violence has always been on the pitch rather than off, Rugby attracts the “Hoooray Henry” set.

Football is the only truly tribal sport that induces moronic behaviour from all classes of people.

[baggieal]

I know a lot of lads who are “handy” and from across various clubs.

Most are middle class, weekend hobos not rough necks off council estates like back in the day.

Poor people can’t afford football in general and they’ve been priced out.

Clubs like Millwall you’re right about but they’re now an anomaly.

How can you class tennis in the same bracket?

There’s nothing to support other than an individual player, there’s no passion involved.

With Rugby the violence has always been on the pitch rather than off, Rugby attracts the “Hoooray Henry” set.

Football is the only truly tribal sport that induces moronic behaviour from all classes of people.

I wouldn’t call many West Brom supporters at Preston middle class - on mass wrecking a pub and throwing smoke bombs inside. Complete yobs! I can go on. Sorry Mick but the violence I have seen at away games this year was not caused by all classes - just thick loutish yobs with no respect for anyone or anybody!

I would take my younger child to Wimbledon ( all classes there ) but not to a West Brom away game. Don’t think you have been to an away game this year so you can’t really comment! Even the Police at Sheffield who come up from Brum said trouble this season was worst seen for many many years.

Huddersfield - no different there either with some of our supporters charging at the police!

You can’t compare morons at football matches to other sporting events. Des is right! Even I have questioned whether this is worth going!

[westcountryvillain]

I totally get the tribalism of football, your club, your colours, sing your hearts out and the sense of belonging - AVFC is in my blood, I can't fully explain why, it just is and the emotion that football generates is like no other sport. All of that said, I just don't see the point in turning up to an away game, drunk as a skunk and looking to punch someone who you don't even know & acting with menace, scaring women & kids. It's pointless, expensive and unnecessary as well as criminal.