This Ultras thing.......

[beightonblade]

I find it a bit patronising too......having supported United since the late 60's, hardly missing an home match, including friendlies and testimonials. Also all the away matches over the years and I'm still pretty vocal as anyone who has been to a match with me will agree.

Do us old gits need telling how to support our team?

Not that i'm an owd git............ but our gert is and she don't need tellin how to support the Blades.

she's like a whirling dervish when she's at a game.

 

[GC88]

I have no problem at all with people supporting united however they choose - for this to work we have to.

I honestly felt as though a lot of people were looking to us yesterday especially the first half as they knew where we would be to see what would happen - and responded to us as though we were lesser and as though were doing something wrong by vocally supporting united.

 

[Linz]

I honestly felt as though a lot of people were looking to us yesterday especially the first half as they knew where we would be to see what would happen - and responded to us as though we were lesser and as though were doing something wrong by vocally supporting united.

You don't get chucked out for singing.

You get chucked out for causing hassle to the stewards when they tell you to ge'or.

I know I'd rather support United by actually being in the ground and watching the game.

Simples

 

[Foxy]

I think you're totally wrong.

Uniteds away support is mainly families and 50+ along with the odd group of 40+ who have been drinking.

I beg to differ on that one. I've been going away pretty regularly since I was old enough to. Normally in a group of lads, occaisonally just me and a mate (when the bulk of the group wouldn't go), more recently in a group of lads and Linz.

Week in, week out, there are a number of faces who you recognise and talk to. The majority of these do not fit into the groupings you have used. A number of them are 50+, some of them are families yes, but flask and sandwiches? I don't think so.

The stereotyping works both ways, some people think certain groups are a bunch of kids/chavs, some people think the older blades or blades supporting families are there to spoil their fun and don't support.

The best examples I've seen of this in action are a young lad and his older mate, taking the piss out of and abusing one of the most travelled older blades (I'm not going to mention him, but everyone knows him ) who merely asked them to cut out the racist abuse towards Michael Ballack. Absolutely no respect whatsoever for others and had the audacity to assume quite vocally that the bloke in question was one of the quiet killjoys.

United's away support isnt vocal at all - and most would be happy to sit down, stay quiet and enjoy whatever they have in their flask and the sandwiches that they have fetched along and would be happy to sit quietly and watch the game.

United's away support can and has been as vocal as anyone on their day. You are right in saying that it has been quieter in recent years, but having been there every single week, I don't think it is the usually blamed family influence or the less vocal supporters that have necessarily caused it.

One major difference these days is, and I suppose it probably always was a part consideration, the crowd seem to think on the whole that it is the team that should spark them into supporting. If we aren't in front before five minutes in, someone starts shouting "sort it out for f*cks sake", people start groaning, sighing and then booing.

McCabe was right in the Q&A, we used to love football more, we care more now.

In the past, win or lose, we used to have a laugh and get behind the team whatever. Yes it hurt to lose, but we could laugh at ourselves. These days more and more it is a case of either sitting quiet with your head in your hands or screaming and abusing anyone you can think of to blame.

We are a separate group to these people and don't want to support united like these people and want to vocally support united together within the "away support" as you call it.

You are only a separate group if you make yourself a seperate group. We are all blades, all there to support their club in their own ways.

I call it the "away support" because that is what it is. People who regularly travel these shores and beyond following the Blades. Many of whom have spent the majority of their lives shouting themselves horse long before a "seperate group" came along.

It seems as though the first group of people I mentioned do not respect our right to support united how we want and are in fact worse than the people who they give negative reactions to inside the ground and criticise on the internet for wanting to support united vocally.

So anyone over 50 or that goes to the match with family members doesn't respect you and are worse?

There are a number of points within this post itself, that hinder you achieving what you wish to achieve.

You mention people thinking you are lesser, in the same breath as stereotyping anyone in the ground who isn't in your group. Continue to do that, and you will get a negative reaction.

 

[silverfox]

I can't see any Blade having a problem with people singing.....if you say that happened I'd be interested to see what others would say.

 

[Linz]

I can't see any Blade having a problem with people singing.....if you say that happened I'd be interested to see what others would say.

I'd say that towards the front yesterday, there were an awful lot of young lads more interested in what the crowd was doing behind them than actually watching the match. If there were young kids near, they wouldn't have seen a bloody thing.

When United scored, the stewards were scared that the lads at the front were going to jump/fall over the barriers and on to the pitch... so decided to start checking tickets to break the group up a little and if people weren't supposed to be at the front, put them back in their seats.

People started arguing so they got asked to leave. Apparently standing up with your mates is more important than watching the game.

The Reading stewards actually tolerated a lot yesterday... but it's more than their job's worth to risk a pitch invasion.

 

[GC88]

I can't see any Blade having a problem with people singing.....if you say that happened I'd be interested to see what others would say.

To put it simply - the main points for us are:-

1.vocally support united
2.together

they may not have a problem with no.1 but no.2 is scary it seems because instead of being in groups of 2-5 spread all over the stand we all want be together so because of this suddenly we are a mob, chavs, hooligans etc. looking for trouble - when the people up there yesterday were clearly not.

 

[Linz]

...we all want be together so because of this suddenly we are a mob, chavs, hooligans etc. looking for trouble - when the people up there yesterday were clearly not.

And you see what we were saying before.

Whether you were looking for trouble, you got trouble, because some of you were thrown out.

 

[silverfox]

To put it simply - the main points for us are:-

1.vocally support united
2.together

they may not have a problem with no.1 but no.2 is scary it seems because instead of being in groups of 2-5 spread all over the stand we all want be together so because of this suddenly we are a mob, chavs, hooligans etc. looking for trouble - when the people up there yesterday were clearly not.

Who are us?

I'm a Blade since the 60's.....will be till I die!

You say you are different?

I honestly don't get it!

 

[shorehamview]

If you want to be in a big group together then get your tickets together.

It's all very well to moan about not being in the same part of the away stand as your mates but there is a way round it. Just don't complain if you get your tickets at different times and therefore are allocated seats apart from each other. The stewards are not telling you to go to your seats just because they like to be twats, although there are certainly some who enjoy it. They are asking or telling you to go to your seat and sit down in it because they are the rules.

If you want, say, ten seats together then buy ten tickets at the same time.

 

[Linz]

They're talking about flares now, which is damned irresponsible considering the huge fine United got for launching one at the Pig fans a few years ago and the fact that they are on the list of things you most definitely will not get into a ground carrying if you're found with them.

Like I said, your intentions might not be to cause trouble, but start bringing fireworks in and getting thrown out will be the least of your worries.

 

[silverfox]

Do flares make the team play better?

 

[Stafford Blade]

They're talking about flares now, which is damned irresponsible considering the huge fine United got for launching one at the Pig fans a few years ago and the fact that they are on the list of things you most definitely will not get into a ground carrying if you're found with them.

Like I said, your intentions might not be to cause trouble, but start bringing fireworks in and getting thrown out will be the least of your worries.

whilst i think this ultras thing sounds a bit silly. Surely they can wear flares if they want to? :thumbup:

 

[happyhippy]

Do flares make the team play better?

No, but they keep their ankles cool ....

 

[silverfox]

No, but they keep their ankles cool ....

I had to laugh at that!

 

[shorehamview]

Like I said, your intentions might not be to cause trouble, but start bringing fireworks in and getting thrown out will be the least of your worries.

I was at the match when the flare hit the girl in the Wendy away support. If that had been my daughter hit by a flare then I'd seriously maim the bastard that fired it.
Any fool who thinks that flares, fireworks and smoke canisters help the atmosphere at a football match is plainly in need of psychiatric help.
If anybody does it again at Bramall Lane or an away ground then they need to be locked up and banned from football grounds for life.

 

[Linz]

Do flares make the team play better?

No, but they provide a shining beacon for the Police so they know who to chuck out

No problem with singing at the match at all... no problem with standing up if you can get away with it. But if a steward tells you that you can't, you aren't a martyr for getting yourself thrown out - you aren't exactly supporting your team stood outside the stadium and you aren't doing yourself any favours by making enemies of the stewards.

The best ones are the ones you have a bit of cheek with... like at Plymouth away last season. One steward ended up catching Keenzy as he was celebrating If you're not being an obnoxious nob, it takes a lot to be thrown out. You know that some places are notorious for having jobsworths, so don't push your luck.

It seems that some people just haven't been to away matches before if they don't realise this!

 

[Foxy]

The best ones are the ones you have a bit of cheek with... like at Plymouth away last season. One steward ended up catching Keenzy as he was celebrating

That's because for once, he didn't use my shoulders to stop him falling onto the pitch.

To be fair to Plymouth, the stewards were spot on that day even after the one supervisor had come round with his obsession about footprints on seats

They had no problems what so ever with us vaulting over the first two rows and joining the players celebration. Mainly because we had a laugh with them instead of abusing them.

Think Ross dropped his flask and sarnies though

 

[shorehamview]

I know the strictest coppers I've come across away are Manchester's. The nicest were at Scunny, especially the simply gorgeous lady plods.