The sanitisation of football

Sir Alex Ferguson's attack on the 'funeral' that is the atmosphere at the 'Theatre of Dreams' last week was not the first time someone from within Manchester United has criticised their fans. Roy Keane was an expert at it.

The United boss was bemoaning the fact that the supporters were not able to whip themselves into a frenzy for a turgid New Year's Day affair with many purely content to let their hangover seep away. But football's own hangover is starting to set in.

With its crisp image of shiny new stadia, superstar international players and wall-to-wall television coverage, the modern game is barely recognisable from that of 20 years ago.

The game needed to be dragged out of the dark ages kicking and screaming. That it took the Hillsborough disaster to force clubs to spend money on their grounds is a sad fact of history, with the Taylor Report making recommendations regarding the provision of safety.

Of course, the advent of the Premier League and the megabucks brought in through television deals helped to speed up the process. And the game's new image, with the muddy memories of hooliganism a thing of the past, enabled a new breed of savvy football administrators to turn from the bread and butter of everyday fans to the corporate sector.

Other sports had been dining out on this golden goose for some time but football's ugly image had made it difficult for any club to chase the dollar.

Few of football's 'new fans' will be able to comprehend standing on crumbling terraces with barely an inch of room to move, shifting with the sway of the crowd involuntarily. There's no doubt that such conditions were an accident waiting to happen in many respects but what do we have now? A sanitised game where people are only too happy to pay their money for a good, comfortable seat and a nice view. Is that really what the game is about?

With terraces long gone, passion seems to be following suit.

Sir Alex's problem, just as it is for most of us, is that he remembers what it used to be like. Of course, the fervent supporters who live and die by their team remain. But now, rather than meeting up at the same old crush barrier behind the goal, these fans have their own seat to find and meet up under the stand at half-time. The natural swell of vocal support has disappeared.

Do people really care anymore? Are they just happy to watch their team play? At some grounds today, for large portions of matches, it's like watching the game on television. You could hear a pin drop.

People find it all too easy to lay the blame at the door of the corporate supporter, claiming they have taken the seats away from the real fans. There's very little truth in this as many clubs created new areas for their fat cat friends.

It's the game's 'new fans' which are the real problem. These are the supporters which have come into the game - both in this country and from overseas - due to the flashy image the Premier League has portrayed. As gates at many clubs are falling it's the old timers who are deserting their teams, disillusioned with the 'product' in 2008, while the Premier League generation still show up for their 90 minutes of 'entertainment'. But these fans have not created the atmosphere at games - they were simply filling the seats of increased capacity.

Football is not the working class game it was 20 years ago and England itself is very different. There's no longer the same tribal aspect of following a team. The days of solidarity, strike action and the almost universal hatred of the Thatcher regime, which itself preyed on supporters, are forgotten. People seem to care about very little these days, so why should football be any different?

The average age of a supporter in a ground in England is now 43 while only nine percent of fans are under 24. Clearly that is not sustainable in the long term.

The 'rich are getting richer' aspect of the English game is also turning people away. But the 'big four' continue to sell out week-in, week-in and it's the other clubs which are experiencing lower gates.

Granted, it costs more than ever to watch a football match, but at the same time people are paid more than ever before. Manchester United fans' complaints about prices mean very little as they are one of the cheaper clubs in the division, yet they have never finished outside the top three.

Aston Villa this season have moved away supporters from behind the goal - meaning the team will always be attacking its own fans. They are heralding it as a big success to improving the atmosphere.

The only way to give the game back to the fans - and there's no doubt many feel disenfranchised - is to bring back the terraces. That's not a call to rip up all the improvements football grounds have seen - but terracing will encouraging the atmosphere back.

Many Manchester United fans hit back at Sir Alex, claiming they fear being ejected from Old Trafford if they stand to sing and chant. The problem with that is you cannot get excited when you're sat down. It's only natural to be on your feet when you're getting behind your team. Fans need taking out of the comfort zone to rediscover why they love the game.

The Bundesliga still has terracing areas for fans - the German FA insists ten percent of capacity must be reserved for standing - and enjoys the largest average attendance figures in Europe. The bigger clubs have removable seating so it can be fixed into place for European games.

The Football Supporters' Federation and Stand Up Sit Down have been campaigning for a return to terraces for some time - and it may be the only way for football to rediscover itself. Whether they can persuade the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and the Football Licensing Authority to ditch the rule which forces all clubs in the top two divisions to be all-seater grounds is a different matter

3 major factors contributing to the lack of atmosphere are - early kick-off (to accomandate more ASIAN viewer, so in a sense do agree with you that it's a victim of its own success case), fully seated terraces and the famous "prawn-sandwich brigade" / fast food / lalang fans.  It's fashionable to support the "in" team nowadays, loyalty is a rare commodity. Agreed with Duke's point, most new fans are more casual and watch the games as a pass time.

Even though kickoff may be early, it's on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I know you work every other Saturday afternoon mate but the majority of us don't. Have no idea if it's the same there. Good point though.

I'd think that football is ill. At least in Malaysia. Why? Not because of the much mentioned fact that our national team is nothing but a glorified pub team but the fact that football fans have lost touch with what is truly great about 'supporting' a team.
In my office there's three general types of footie fans (which with some generalisation can be applied to the general populace):
i) The true hardcore fans with nothing better to do - usually the minority
ii) The gambling fans - knows quite a bit about form and with soccernet's life scores stickied on the desktop. they support the team who wins them the most money...
iii) The casual fans - or what i would call the Championship Manager or Football Manager generation. People who know all the statistics and all the obscure players who have no inkling on what really makes a good player or a team tick. People who do not think nor care much about a club's history - everything and everyone is a statistic.

I've not included the lalangs even though they are often the loudest and most brash - i'm more concerned with the group that view watching footie as more than a pass time or a fad. One of my biggest regrets is that i myself is 'kaki bangku' hence i believe i cannot appreciate the finer points of football, but HOW MANY OF TODAY"S FOOTBALL FANS HAVE ACTUALLY EVEN ATTENDED A FOOTBALL MATCH IN A REAL LIFE STADIUM? Football (or more accurately the EPL) has more followers than ever, but for me the 'understanding' of the game is sadly being lost.
The fact that we are the only three old farts posting here (as mentioned by Duke) only proves my point.

Ok. Rant over.

Only factor for me: INCREASING PRICES -I know I could be generalizing but I would think that the more passionate (loud/obscene) you are, the more uneducated [in a certain way] or poor you are? Hence, gone of the 'old fashioned' football fan? I hope you get what I mean, can't put into words anymore. The drum banging Pompey fan is the only one daft enough to do what he does on a gamely basis.

Also on prices, when you pay for a ticket [of that price], you'd want to be entertained. I mean if it were WAY cheaper, you'd wouldn't mind watching crap. Put it this way, buying an item [say a washing machine] of $ 300 and one of $ 3000, different levels of expectations? When things don't go as you expected [as in the case of going to Old Trafford, no sexy football and walloping of teams every game], you here groans and moans around the place. You wouldn't mind spending RM 5 to watch a shitty movie but for RM 15, you expect an Oscar winning movie, no?

One more thing to add, with that many tragic footballing incidents in the past, fans have been asked to cut down on taunting and all the crap and now we are asking to make more noise?

We are asking them to do something we used to punish them for? Can't have it both ways.

BTW: Blame yourself for creating the thread on a weekday. Me need study

I've not included the lalangs even though they are often the loudest and most brash - i'm more concerned with the group that view watching footie as more than a pass time or a fad. One of my biggest regrets is that i myself is 'kaki bangku' hence i believe i cannot appreciate the finer points of football, but HOW MANY OF TODAY"S FOOTBALL FANS HAVE ACTUALLY EVEN ATTENDED A FOOTBALL MATCH IN A REAL LIFE STADIUM? Football (or more accurately the EPL) has more followers than ever, but for me the 'understanding' of the game is sadly being lost.
The fact that we are the only three old farts posting here (as mentioned by Duke) only proves my point.

You are assuming of course that making noise means taunting the opposition. How about songs that are pro your club? It's not uncommon to hear songs like YNWA, Ring Of Fire, The Best midfield in the World, Steven Gerrard's chant to the tune of "que sera sera", Carra's chant to the tune of "yellow submarine" and such at Anfield, or even M Bar for that matter Making noise back here may be limited to taunting and jeering the opposition but mainly because fans don't learn the songs of their clubs.

Call me nuts, but I sing along to the supporters when I'm watching the game in front of my TV at home. I find learning the chants to be just as important as anything else in being a proper fan.

You're nuts mate! Just like some of us What were you doing in the states anyway?

Well football did begin as a blue collared sport and I don't necessarily think you have to be poor or uneducated to be loud and noisy. During MyRAWK viewings, you get a whole bunch of people shouting obscenities, loudly urging the team on. There is also this hardcore dude who is a millionaire (he's even produced a movie in India!) and he's really really loud. Another is a cigar smoking lawyer and went to court right after drinking all night and morning after we won the UCL in 2005. He went home, took a shower and headed straight for court. Immediately after, he went to Borneo Ink to get his arm tattooed! LoL. I was there the day after and Eddie (the tattoo artist) asked if I knew this drunk Liverpool fan that walked in the day before. What I'm trying to say is, they come in all shapes, sizes and forms 

.....it has sold out its core working-class supporters in a rush to embrace "middle England"-is a charge commonly levelled at football. The young home-owning professionals with company cars and share portfolios are as coveted by New Labour as by the new breed of football club chairmen, for whom they represent the ideal modern fan: well-behaved and sufficiently wealthy to afford a �500 season ticket, each of three different �40 replica club shirts and the annual subscription to Sky Sports.

I see where you're coming from but to me, it's more than just entertainment. Do I like it if my team makes watching grass grow seem like watching a blockbuster movie? Of course not. Will I come back again the following week? That would be a definite yes. Heck it's the same reason I watched Liverpool play each week under Houllier even though it was like watching paint dry. Ok, you may say it's different because I don't have to pay to watch it on telly. Well firstly, I invest time. I could be doing something more interesting elsewhere. Secondly a ticket at Anfield costs around the region of $30 - $35 if I remember correctly. That may come up to RM 200 + but if you're living there, you don't convert so it's like us paying RM35, not that much if you ask me.

You are assuming of course that making noise means taunting the opposition. How about songs that are pro your club? It's not uncommon to hear songs like YNWA, Ring Of Fire, The Best midfield in the World, Steven Gerrard's chant to the tune of "que sera sera", Carra's chant to the tune of "yellow submarine" and such at Anfield, or even M Bar for that matter Making noise back here may be limited to taunting and jeering the opposition but mainly because fans don't learn the songs of their clubs.

Study? Dude, how old are you??? I thought you were a working adult!

Then I'm nuts then. I bloody enjoy it as well. Certainly make my watching experience a hell lot more fun.

Was on a family holiday. Being a kid back at Disneyland and the likes. Haha.

Well you are lucky to have met that many well off football fans but where was Keane coming from with the 'prawn sandwich brigade.' It was directed at the corporate class people who just came about for the hospitality and the experience. Besides, what do rich people have to be 'angry' about? From what you and I would have read, football is for the people who work at factories who watch a game of football to 'destress' and channel their frustrations.

And face it Duke, if you did, chances are you'd buy Anfield and make it your bedroom.

From what I read at United forums, some say that those ticket holders buy those tickets to sell it at a very high price to the tons of people outside the stadium, esp. tourists (mostly Asians) and will only go and watch the game if they can't sell it off. Tells you about what they think towards the football club.

Agreed.
Lol, you got that right.
I was actually amazed at the number of people asking for tickets outside Anfield. Every couple of minutes or so, you'll hear someone going "tickets, tickets, anyone have any tickets?".

i have never watch any epl game in stadium..just couple of local games at bukit jalil and shah alam stadium..but for me,imo watching games on tv is better than watching in stadium..i prefer having the commentators during the game..it's more entertaining..in stadium,there's no commentators.sometimes u can even hear people talking few seats away from you.that kind of experience makes it boring to watch it on stadium..plus if i watch on tv,i can hang around with other team's supporters..especially the classic MU vs arsenal game..lots of other supporters such as chelsea's,tottenham's and liverpool's will come down just to watch the game and cheer with us.that's the beautiness of football i guess..
i wonder what will SAF said if he comes to malaysia and be in the stadium..

i have never watch any epl game in stadium..just couple of local games at bukit jalil and shah alam stadium..but for me,imo watching games on tv is better than watching in stadium..i prefer having the commentators during the game..it's more entertaining..in stadium,there's no commentators.sometimes u can even hear people talking few seats away from you.that kind of experience makes it boring to watch it on stadium..plus if i watch on tv,i can hang around with other team's supporters..especially the classic MU vs arsenal game..lots of other supporters such as chelsea's,tottenham's and liverpool's will come down just to watch the game and cheer with us.that's the beautiness of football i guess..
i wonder what will SAF said if he comes to malaysia and be in the stadium..

Actually, there were loads of ticket touts at Old Trafford when I was there. They'd normally ask for one hundred quid upwards PER seat. As for Maine ROad, I managed to hook up with a family holding season tickets and they'd sell them to me at normal price whenever one of them couldn't make it 
  Strange, I'd prefer screaming me lungs out in a stadium anyday! Talking about referee kayu. I screamed that aloud too at City and the bloke behind me actually asked me at half time what it meant! He tried it, but then said it sounded odd and proceeded to scream "Fooking c*nt" at the ref.