[Football] Away Support

[Lush]

Are you me? That's just what I was thinking, I'm a sort of category 2a! - with a couple of pubs thrown in as well.

We went for a long walk around a stately home

 

[timbha]

Balloons at away matches say to me: kids; supporters club coach; bobble hats; and most irritatingly : we don’t belong here - a bit like singing YNWA at Liverpool when we should’ve been blasting out GOSBTS, that did it for me.

 

[dazzer6666]

Balloons at away matches say to me: kids; supporters club coach; bobble hats; and most irritatingly : we don’t belong here - a bit like singing YNWA at Liverpool when we should’ve been blasting out GOSBTS, that did it for me.

Normally yes, but not on Saturday.

 

[Jesus Gul]

Are we still doing this for every game? Really?

I thought it was decent enough yesterday.

You can basically divide our away support into five categories:

1) The wrinklies - been going since the 60's - they've seen it all before and are enjoying it whilst they can - generally less vocal due to being worn out on the way.
2) The mature and sensible - just about remember the Goldstone, enjoy an away trip but probably also like a trip to a cathedral or cultural event before or after the game - reasonably vocal.
3)The teenagers/twenties/WeareBrighton - get totally slaughtered on the way and before the game, miss at least 10 mins of the game in the toilet/looking for their seat/pissing off the two groups above off - sing all the time apart from when they are having a go at the team for some minor error or have a go at some of the above groups for not supporting the team and then post on twitter how shit/brilliant we are depending entirely on result not how we played.
4) The Albion inbetweeners - any floaters who should be in one of the other groups but for various social reasons have ended up in this group. A mixed bag.
5) Under 13's - generally there with 1), 2) or 4) either quiet or annoyingly vocal if you're stood within a few feet of them.

I'm a 2 and I traveled with a 3 who buggered off to meet his mates as soon as we got to Sheffield - must have remembered me dragging him to look at the Clifton Suspension Bridge before Bristol Rovers away. Found my fellow 2s in a nice pub and met up with the 3 at Sheffield Station after the game. UTA

 

[HastingsSeagull]

2 here these days and make every game I'm in the country for. Was a 3 back in the League 1 yoyo up and down days. That said being 37 now, my mates back then were all plastic top 6'ers during the lost generation so very hard to go with type 3's to games. Always sang louder when travelling with family or girlfriend and then at the game by myself than when went with less enthusiastic hangers on!

 

[stewart12]

We do have a very old away support. You don't see to many aged between 28 to 35. They were the lost generation during the Withdean years

I'm in that age group- I'd say it's a lot to do with a) lack of money and b) other responsibilities (that age group is quite likely to have young children for example)

a lot of us used to go to Withdean as well- it's possibly slightly younger than us that is the lost generation

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Balloons at away matches say to me: kids; supporters club coach; bobble hats; and most irritatingly : we don’t belong here - a bit like singing YNWA at Liverpool when we should’ve been blasting out GOSBTS, that did it for me.

I think you might have missed the point of the balloons, for this particular match.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Thought it was decent if not spectacular. Thought the home support was a bit meh considering their journey etc, but I guess they were unlikely to be hyped up for relegation battling Brighton.

 

[Wilko]

Balloons at away matches say to me: kids; supporters club coach; bobble hats; and most irritatingly : we don’t belong here - a bit like singing YNWA at Liverpool when we should’ve been blasting out GOSBTS, that did it for me.

I think you might have missed the point of the balloons, for this particular match.

I was about to say, I think someone completely missed the point on this one.

 

[matumaini]

Put me in Category 2 too. Happy to sing and shout and lob a few balloons.

I'm getting less tolerant of those who are clearly totally off their faces on something or other by the time they get to the game.

Totally - re your second sentence, starting to bug me also now where as before I would let it go.

Sent from my Power using Tapatalk

 

[Gazwag]

Are we still doing this for every game? Really?

I thought it was decent enough yesterday.

You can basically divide our away support into five categories:


2) The mature and sensible - just about remember the Goldstone, enjoy an away trip but probably also like a trip to a cathedral or cultural event before or after the game - reasonably vocal.
.

Does standing around on numerous old stations for ages before and after the game count, if so I'm definitely a 2 after Saturday

 

[timbha]

I was about to say, I think someone completely missed the point on this one.

I know the relevance of the balloons at Sheff U but wasn’t sure what the message was supposed to be, however my comments were relevant to away matches in general, not a protest/demo/other. Why didn’t everyone take pipes?

 

[dazzer6666]

I know the relevance of the balloons at Sheff U but wasn’t sure what the message was supposed to be, however my comments were relevant to away matches in general, not a protest/demo/other. Why didn’t everyone take pipes?

Possibly easier to get hold of a load of balloons, and a better visual effect for what was simply a pisstake (not sure it was really a 'message', just a bit of a laugh) ? Haven't seen balloons at other games.

 

[AnotherArch]

I can only be a "1" having been travelling away since the early 60's (and probably look like one). But I feel and act like a "2", except substituting "pub" for "cathedral or cultural event". Although some of my fellow 2's turn the brewery/beer selection into a religious pilgrimage.
You could probably equate the 1, 2 & 3 categories with the level of alcohol intake before the game.

 

[Gazwag]

Possibly easier to get hold of a load of balloons, and a better visual effect for what was simply a pisstake (not sure it was really a 'message', just a bit of a laugh) ? Haven't seen balloons at other games.

At the end of the game three of their ball boys walked past the away stand and had one balloon each in their hands so they were clearly happy with their memento of the match

 

[The-Libertine]

Away games could be very intimidating, particularly in the 70s and 80s. This meant that the demographic of our away support was much younger than it is now. The chances of getting caught up in trouble seems to be almost zero now and so there are many more older people at away games as well as more women and children too. Yes, the ‘edge’ has been taken away from the atmosphere, but it is good to see that our support is much more cosmopolitan than it was. I suspect this is true for all other clubs too.