I'm giving up on football

It’s not what it used to be!

Firstly, tacking has been banned from the game (without an official announcement been made). The slightest touch is now a foul, ridiculous!

Secondly, I sit in the middle tier and was warned by a steward for my “excessive hand signals” because someone had complained their child was seeing it. I SIT BEHIND THE GOAL AT A FOOTBALL LEAGUE GROUND FFS! If you’re that offended by these things then I respectively suggest the family stand is more to your taste. Don’t get me wrong, I understand there’s a time and a place for swearing etc and can turn it completely off when required, but a football league game, behind the goal???

It’s no longer the game I fell in love with.

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The game is the one place to completely divest the shackles of normalised society and have a good shout. It’s massively useful and helpful to release all that at 22 players and attendent officials.

It’s not a library and should never become one.

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To be fair, I spoke to the two stewards after the game and they both agreed with me. I appreciate they had their job to do (and I followed their requests) but they both admitted that the complainants were in the wrong area of the ground.

You should of told them to ■■■■ off

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Spot on TINNED…your point on tackling is well made. As for your gestures/words keep doing it. The ground was so quiet tonight the Charlton fans chant of “is this a library” was accurate.

Interestingly, Tinned, from the one and only game my wife has ever attended at the Banks’s’s, her lasting memory is of your rather animated ‘support’… :grinning:

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If I remember correctly it was in the middle of the Colin Lee debacle stage? I did well to keep it as restrained as I did :slight_smile:

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Sorry to read that Tinned.

It is something else the club fails to get. I’ve read some of our directors describing the magnificent atmosphere at Portsmouth.

Last time I looked, there is a warning on the Pompey website that says something like “ this is a football match and at times there might be language and chanting that reflects the emotional nature of the game”. I think it then goes on to say that this isn’t true of the family section where there is a zero tolerance approach. It’s a very similar approach at edgbaston for big internationals. More or less stating that the Eric Hollies stand is a party stand where virtually anything goes.

It’s actually not that hard. Yet at Walsall we over think everything. What if this, what if that. It’s absolute nonsense.

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I’m surprised at your comment Bob. My hand gestures were of a “certain” type (i.e. I wasn’t waving at the ref). I do get animated but I’d rather be like that than like a mouse.

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If I was in the family section I would be like a born again monk. I wouldn’t say anything worse than “damn”. That’s fair enough, set your behaviour to the surroundings.

I took both my kids in the middle tier when they were younger and accepted by doing such they would be exposed to more industrial language/gestures. I ain’t saying either of them are angels and I’m sure with their mates they can eff and jeff with the best of them, however, both of them appear to understand (and have the ability) to turn it completely off in certain circumstances/company.

If the majority wish football to become a sanitised and quiet spectator experience then fine, I’ll just have to find another passion because a fortnightly library/knitting club is not my bag.

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I am sure they were!!! I have always regarded my football as a release valve. It was especially true when I was working . Clearly since I retired it is not quite the same but I do get some strange looks in the OAP stand when something raises me from my slumbers!!!

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I did that at the wolves game to fans behind me :rofl: but in their defence I WAS in the blue rinse stand and it wasn’t appropriate behavior on my part. But it was all hand shakes and apologies after the game :wink:

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To be honest @tinned something like that could be put right with the return of safe standing, because no parent would put there precious darlings in danger of having their toes trod on :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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On the topic of ranting at officials, some of the decisions of late have been really infuriating. I’m not talking about the penalties given away or the big decisions, it’s more the petty stuff. The biggest example was in the Burton game, when the ref wouldn’t allow Leahy to open the gate so he could get a bigger run up for a throw. It’s no wonder that temperatures boil over both on and off the pitch

Come and sit by us we are in the middle tier also, the kids around me all make hand gestures towards opponent fans lol

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Great post mate :ok_hand:

I used to go pretty mad at bad refereeing decisions (never at the players) but I’ve mellowed the past 2/3 years. Now it’s usually a “what the ■■■■ was that ref?!” under my breath, to which I’ve had dirty looks for, especially when we’ve had special offers and the people attending aren’t regulars. Happened verses Northampton last season. When Northampton hit the crossbar and post I instinctively shouted “■■■■■■■ hell!” and laughed, to which the women in front of us turned around and muttered “Do you mind?”. I ignored her.

I think now if someone complained or had a go at me for swearing I’d tell them to ■■■■ off to the family stand. Can’t be dealing with snowflakes at the football. They need to understand that some of us are so emotionally attached to the club that it will occasionally boil over into bad language, it’s part and parcel of going to the football.

The family stand is there for a reason.

Football is dying. Definitely not what it used to be, or at least it isn’t at Walsall.

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I generally just effuse a torrent of unabridged abuse at the opposing players, fans and ref for the entire game. I remember when Cov came and we stuffed them a few years ago. I hardly saw any of the game, and spent it trading abuse and waving my arms at the away fans. Also at the Crewe game before Brain rushed out inexplicably, I was haranging the entire block 4 to, and I quote ‘Sing. Sing you bastards’. I miss rushing down to the goal when we score or something happens - difficult since the seats went in. Still possible at some away games though.

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I’m definitely not as animated as you :joy:

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My dad and his throng say they look across at me going nuts from their sensible location in block one. :laughing:

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