Fans

[BiggerBladeThanThou]

It's a lot of numbers, but the SKY TV microphones were clearly closer to the Boro fans as that's who you heard most.

Either that, or the home fans sang more

Quite often the case with red button games. Lack of cameras and mics, possibly only the commentators mics in some cases.

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

It's a lot of numbers, but the SKY TV microphones were clearly closer to the Boro fans as that's who you heard most.

Either that, or the home fans sang more

(I'm a keen student of Terrace Culture)
Middlesbrough have an Ultra style group of fans - Red Faction. They're more prominent on the left hand side of the South Stand. That's the bit that was furthest away from the away stand/section we were in. Sure, there was the usual collection of pointers, throat cutters and christ the redeemers on the segregation line. But, the Red Faction were much further over - with the flags and banners.
I quite like the modern, cosmopolitan, English Ultra style of support - loud n proud n visual.
But, one of the things I really like is that the vast majority of chanting is FOR something (not against), in support of YOUR team (not slagging off the opposition), positive about YOUR team (not negative about the opposition or your local rivals). They naturally managed to make me look a fool with - we all hate Leeds scum. But, otherwise I thought Boro were loud and positive all match.
There was a lot of Copy Cat chanting from the away end. Boro would start a chant, the away end would join in with our version.

 

[Alan Birchenall's hair]

Usually a bit of a library at Boro. The transporter bridge up the road has much more character

 

[Grappler]

Seen it mentioned they took 4000

Mentioned by them, I assume.

The new one from them seems to be "yeah I was there, but I was ....er.....sat in the home section" Yeah, course you were......

We took over 4,100 to Hull a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Bladeloyal]

Numbers who the f..k gives a flying how many is there ,all I know I was ,and that's all I need to know .on to Bournemouth utb

 

[FATTYFOULKE]

Must be a pig cos im telling ya a few facts. Ffs ive watched blades home n away and been in lots of shit over years doing it if you knew me or any of my mates from 70s 80s youd understand how much i hate em but all this bollox reminding em they took 3k to qpr when we cant sell another london club day after on a fucking saturday is ridiclous

They didn’t take 3k to QPR but then you probably already know that…

 

[Tezza1889]

Not one to care about numbers, but I'm sure the club can predict the popularity of certain aways and lower the point threshold accordingly.. (wet Tuesday night at middlesboro springs to mind)

I don't think there'll be a clamour for tickets to Bournemouth this weekend, and if we get 4000 allocated we might not have fans beating the door down for more, set the points low enough for these long trips and midweek games, give the younger fans with 0 points a shot at getting a few aways under thier belt..

Me, I'm not going to Bournemouth for 90 minutes of football it's too far and I've done my miles on the road over the years, next one I'm really up for will be forest, so long as the kick off isn't moved, and if it is, I'm not going.

 

[ghandi]

Nice one. You have my blessing to keep going to whichever games suit you & your career & your lifestyle. (I'm joking about my Blessing, which you don't need & means fuck all anyway, but I hope you get the general idea....)

FFS sake Phil for years you've been telling me your blessing is better than Nirvana and Utopia rolled into one

 

[HighfieldBlade]

The only way to solve the problem is to set the bar for getting tickets at 25,000 or whatever and sell the fuckers.
If somebody with 50,000 misses out because he's pissing about, well then it's their own fault. But at least a second allocation has time to arrive.

If the club doesn't want to change the system, they could make the high-end points eligibility windows smaller & have bigger windows for low-end points/general sale. That should help sell tickets quicker.

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

Not one to care about numbers, but I'm sure the club can predict the popularity of certain aways and lower the point threshold accordingly.. (wet Tuesday night at middlesboro springs to mind)

I don't think there'll be a clamour for tickets to Bournemouth this weekend, and if we get 4000 allocated we might not have fans beating the door down for more, set the points low enough for these long trips and midweek games, give the younger fans with 0 points a shot at getting a few aways under thier belt..

Me, I'm not going to Bournemouth for 90 minutes of football it's too far and I've done my miles on the road over the years, next one I'm really up for will be forest, so long as the kick off isn't moved, and if it is, I'm not going.

We were given the full away allocation for Bournemouth - 1,318
Tickets sold out on Day 2 at 40k points
(Although there was also the Ballot & a few returns put back on sale)

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

I'll take people's word for it. But I'll admit to being amazed. I've never heard of this phenomenon of higher points holders not buying tickets until a complicated chain of lower points holders have "committed". Usually, high points holders are criticised for buying up all the tickets - now they're criticised for NOT buying them.

It reads like - we didn't sell out, because we put the tickets on sale.

I've never heard that explained before

 

[ghandi]

I love a loyalty points thread I do, so I can have another game of loyalty points bingo. I'll start the ball rolling with all points before 2016 should expunged.

 

[JJBlade]

If the club doesn't want to change the system, they could make the high-end points eligibility windows smaller & have bigger windows for low-end points/general sale. That should help sell tickets quicker.

All good ideas HB
I just think, don't complicate things too much
Just set an amount of points at which anybody is eligible to buy....say 25,000 and then have a first come first served

I bet we'd get more second and even third allocations if fans could buy quickly

And it will still be the most loyal fans that get the tickets

 

[west_yorks_blade]

I love a loyalty points thread I do, so I can have another game of loyalty points bingo. I'll start the ball rolling with all points before 2016 should expunged.

I’ll raise you - All points from the two recent PL seasons should be expunged as it was just glory plastic fans.

 

[ancientblade]

Why? My dad and I are both season ticket holders, but we don't go to away matches as we have work and you know... A life away from football as well?

wasnt having a dig at any individuals just seems strange that with that many season ticket holders we dont always sell out and without bigging the pigs up theyve far less season ticket holders than us and their fans must work as well and they more or less sell out every away game they would have sold the 1900 for middlesbro in a day

 

[SRA76]

They didn’t take 3k to QPR but then you probably already know that…

Ffs who giz a fuck ? Fact is we got 20 odd thousand ST holders and we still struggle to fill away ends.

 

[Wandsworth Blade]

We've regularly sold out when we play at QPR. Millwall league games under Wilder we had 1800 there. Last night's game was on Sky wasn't it? I imagine that had some impact along with the train situation and the club's obstructive ticketing policy. Around 300 unsold tickets.

I’m not sure Millwall is a great example for any away following. I’ve done it maybe 3 times but that’s enough. It’s just unpleasant from the moment you get on at London Bridge to when you finally breathe a sigh of relief you are back. As for last night, train tickets were implausibly expensive and nigh on impossible to get home with on the same night. I think we had a good following given logistics. I didn’t see any Blades at Middlesbrough station.

 

[HOT CURRIE 10]

The facts more or less say that they have better away support and we have better home support,as said times many with unbiased opinions ,even though many deluded Wednesday supporters make excuses for their lower home attendance eg ticket prices,chansiri,rather go away,etc.
Both clubs under the circumstances over the years have great support from a figure of 1 trophy between them in how many years and yo-yoing up and down the divisions,shite football and mismanagement.

 

[ancientblade]

The facts more or less say that they have better away support and we have better home support,as said times many with unbiased opinions ,even though many deluded Wednesday supporters make excuses for their lower home attendance eg ticket prices,chansiri,rather go away,etc.
Both clubs under the circumstances over the years have great support from a figure of 1 trophy between them in how many years and yo-yoing up and down the divisions,shite football and mismanagement.

spot on just think pigs away support is more of a cult thing for them to keep the myth up that there a massive club and wouldnt mind betting theres plenty of em that dont attend games at the sty but go to every away game

 

[Tezza1889]

We were given the full away allocation for Bournemouth - 1,318
Tickets sold out on Day 2 at 40k points
(Although there was also the Ballot & a few returns put back on sale)

Shows what I know doesnt it... In your opinion, cause you know your onions, would we have sold 4000 being so far away, if we would have, then we deserve a pat on the back..

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

Shows what I know doesnt it... In your opinion, cause you know your onions, would we have sold 4000 being so far away, if we would have, then we deserve a pat on the back..

I think it's very difficult to call that sort of thing. But, 4k, on an October Saturday, to Bournemouth, with a few poor results & little momentum. That sounds a stretch to me.

 

[Jolly Buffer]

We had 1700 at Boro.
Pigs had 3,500 at Wigan.
Their home support doesn't match their away support, it's out of balance. The away support thing is something they cling to as they have little else. It's the first thing pigs talk about. It's all about their insecurity. They think it makes them a "Big club" so they try to keep it going so they can shout about it. Some of them now think their fan base is as big as Leeds ffs. So deluded.

Remember the 3 thou to QPR game was only a tenner for a ticket! Still a good following granted.

Down the years and history of both Sheffield clubs, the attendance figures aren't too far apart. Pigs have a few more but it could be argued that they have always had a bigger away end (lepps) and therefore, at times, had more away fans which boosted their average attendances at the Sty. I remember in the mid 70s in the old second division (championship) they had some crowds of 8 and 10 thousand. Relegated to the old third division (league one) and crowds were still low and that was after giving away hundreds of free tickets to school children for home games (save our owls campaign)

They still haven't averaged 30,000 gates at home in the last 70 years or so.

Yes they have good away support. Let's see if they still go if they get stuck in league one one for 4 or 5 years. I thought our support home and away was fantastic in league one considering the crap we were watching under Weir & Atkins etc. Certainly that last season in league one with huge away followings to places like Bury and Rochdale etc.

UTB

 

[AWetFlannel]

Minimum wage, zero hours contract etc etc.

I live in Donny, so would've needed to get a taxi to Darlington after the game to make it back on the train. Can't afford it on top of the expensive ticket prices.

 

[Jon Bon II]

FFS sake Phil for years you've been telling me your blessing is better than Nirvana and Utopia rolled into one

Kirk Cobain AND Todd Rundgren. Interesting concept.

 

[Cheets]

(I'm a keen student of Terrace Culture)
Middlesbrough have an Ultra style group of fans - Red Faction. They're more prominent on the left hand side of the South Stand. That's the bit that was furthest away from the away stand/section we were in. Sure, there was the usual collection of pointers, throat cutters and christ the redeemers on the segregation line. But, the Red Faction were much further over - with the flags and banners.
I quite like the modern, cosmopolitan, English Ultra style of support - loud n proud n visual.
But, one of the things I really like is that the vast majority of chanting is FOR something (not against), in support of YOUR team (not slagging off the opposition), positive about YOUR team (not negative about the opposition or your local rivals). They naturally managed to make me look a fool with - we all hate Leeds scum. But, otherwise I thought Boro were loud and positive all match.
There was a lot of Copy Cat chanting from the away end. Boro would start a chant, the away end would join in with our version.

The revival of the Diego de Giralamo song was highly amusing though.

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

The revival of the Diego de Giralamo song was highly amusing though.

Indeed. Happy to belt that one out myself. Of course, that chant is an indictment of modern football. Where you have to, you just have to, completely reassemble your squad during every transfer window.

 

[Cheets]

Indeed. Happy to belt that one out myself. Of course, that chant is an indictment of modern football. Where you have to, you just have to, completely reassemble your squad during every transfer window.

Ironic we were singing "Che and McNulty" exactly one week after booing Che!

 

[JJBlade]

wasnt having a dig at any individuals just seems strange that with that many season ticket holders we dont always sell out and without bigging the pigs up theyve far less season ticket holders than us and their fans must work as well and they more or less sell out every away game they would have sold the 1900 for middlesbro in a day

Yes, they do a free for all

And anybody that thinks our loyalty points system has not decreased our away attendances must be sniffing something

In 2006-07 I was at our two first away games in the Prem, at Spurs and Fulham.

Not as a loyalty points holder, I was on a corporate beano

Our support for both games was shyte, bearing in mind the games immediately followed our promotion to the Prem.

The reason......... the way our loyalty points system is administered, not the loyalty points system itself

 

[Edgar Allan Poo]

(I'm a keen student of Terrace Culture)
Middlesbrough have an Ultra style group of fans - Red Faction. They're more prominent on the left hand side of the South Stand. That's the bit that was furthest away from the away stand/section we were in. Sure, there was the usual collection of pointers, throat cutters and christ the redeemers on the segregation line. But, the Red Faction were much further over - with the flags and banners.
I quite like the modern, cosmopolitan, English Ultra style of support - loud n proud n visual.
But, one of the things I really like is that the vast majority of chanting is FOR something (not against), in support of YOUR team (not slagging off the opposition), positive about YOUR team (not negative about the opposition or your local rivals). They naturally managed to make me look a fool with - we all hate Leeds scum. But, otherwise I thought Boro were loud and positive all match.
There was a lot of Copy Cat chanting from the away end. Boro would start a chant, the away end would join in with our version.

We also have our own badass south stand ultras - the Werthers Originales.

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

We also have our own badass south stand ultras - the Werthers Originales.

I've been to football all around the world. There is something emotive & spine tingling about well organised & co-ordinated chanting/singing, either Ultra style or organised in another way.

Unorganised Organic Chanting, where one person starts & others nearby gradually join in, plays a big part in English fan culture.

But, if you want to know the real power of everyone knows what to sing, and when, and there's a cue, look no further than the organised & co-ordinated renditions of "You fill up my senses" (Magnet Edition) at The Lane.