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Balto 4:41 Mon Mar 12
Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

Since the inception of the Premier League football in England has become a 'nice little earner.' Agents, players, estate agents, sponsors, owners, commentators, pundits, kit manufacturers, players wives, the Prem. itself, TV companies you name it. The sums are enormous and the divide between a fan and the business of football is massive.

So when West Ham fans stand up for themselves it's shaking the money-making machine. We are supposed to take it up the arse like the Gooners who have swapped the atmosphere of Highbury for the 'Emirdome' A half - empty second rate tourist attraction.

Even Man. United fans tried with FC Manchester and their green and gold scarves but were eventually were rolled-over by GlazerCo.

So it looks like we are supposed to buckle under and get corporate and let Lineker and Co. breathe a sigh of relief or fight and risk becoming, Coventry City, Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday.

I live in San Francisco and have been to see paint dry - watching the Oakland Athletics and the Giants play baseball. Cheesy music, overpriced snacks and weak beer.

Football is worse. The most exciting thing about the San Jose Earthquakes is the bar.

West Ham is more than about winning games its about belonging. We don't belong anymore.
On Saturday, in our funny way we took half a step to getting our club back again.

Capitol Man 4:47 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

“atmosphere of Highbury” - you were doing ok up til that point.

Balto 4:51 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

Alright, proximity of the fans to the pitch. You have a point.

Sydney_Iron 5:11 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

You sure Balto???

A few people run on the pitch, more than few cunt off the owners and its shaking the whole football establishment..........

Its a West Ham problem, well a West ham owners problem, i doubt the rest of the "Establishment" is too concerned.

The Emirates is a half empty second rate tourist attraction in comparison to Highbury, hahahahaha

Sorry mate but this is absolute Bollocks!

geoffpikey 8:03 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

Bloody hell.

You heard of AFC Wimbledon? The ones who groundshare with Chelsea Ladies?

Northern Sold 12:06 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

I always thought it was a superb atmosphere over Highbury... must of just been the 12 or 13 times I went then... the couple of times I went to the Emirates I agree it was as flat as a Kate Moss's tit...

On The Ball 12:08 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

"the atmosphere at Highbury"

EVERYTHING USED TO BE BETTER

(even when it's exactly the same)

Mike Oxsaw 12:24 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

He has a point though.

Big business likes predictable, love a plan, a 5-year profit & loss forecast (so it can borrow more money).

That is why the cup competitions are being downgraded and, if possible, eliminated. There will be another push to seed teams in the FA cup along soon - they won't give up.

Then this irksome promotion/relegation thing. Not good for planning if you don't even know the make up of 15% of your primary product in a year's time, let alone 5 years.

TV schedulers want/need routine to spread their advertising propaganda - for that is what it really is ("Miller time", anybody?); 3rd Sunday of March? Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United - every year, forever more. And the sponsors delight as they know exactly who will be watching, and how many, so can target the advertising. (No AdBlock on a TV).

People that actually attend games will be even further down the pecking order of importance - no matter how much popcorn they buy.

Anything that looks like it can have a negative impact on the all important business plan must be crushed.

And if our current board think that having a big, shiny not-fit-for purpose stadium is the route into joining the elite before it disassociates itself from the lower leagues, they really don't have a fucking clue how things work.

BRANDED 1:12 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

I dont think we've got anyone shitting to be fair but I am in agreement with a lot of what you say.

I'm pretty pragmatic so the idea that everything was always great in the past is clearly nonsense. I went to lots of games in the 70s and 80s that were like war zones. Strangely exciting but not something I crave for. There were loads of things about the Boleyn that were pretty shit and I'm sure I could have designed an infinitely better experience than either ground on the back of a fag packet but that leads me onto the main point that Blato is making. The corporatisation of modern life.
Some people like it I dont. I like buying stuff in small dedicated shops where the owners and the staff care about what they do. Irrespective of some views I might have expressed on these boards I'm not a fan of the way large corporations and multinationals squeeze the joy out of life.
So, could you design a modern football stadium and club experience that would make me happy? Probably not. I just would never be able to accept the overiding principle of the business that is to take the earnings of many many people and put them in the hands of a very few. Nothing those few people do will every make me feel that they are worthy.
Of course if we won something that feeling would disappear for a brief moment but it would return very quickly. Sir Alex used to say enjoy winning today because tomorrow we need to start all over again. We seem to have been celebrating some successes from decades ago for far too long and need a winning mentality from top to bottom and not just for the few staff who are benefitting year in year out from being really average at best. If we had that I might, just might be prepared to forgive the shitty corporate shit. But only just.

Balto 7:36 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

Here is an article that says it far better than I can.
Some of the comments are spot on.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/mar/08/how-football-lost-touch-young-fans

defjam 7:50 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

A lot of that is pretty much what I've thought for years and exactly why i hardly watch football now.
I think ironically football needs to go back to where it was when SKY took over and 'rescued' it.
It's so polished now it's MORIBUND, the only thing driving it is the religion like hold it has on fans, It's their life for most of them.
You chose a colour/team and that's you for life, It's what makes you who you are in a lot of cases all spurs fans being absolute cunts being the case in point.
Where else would anyone put up with overpriced, under performing 'entertainment' week after week.

cambsiron 8:05 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

Wouldn't say anyone is shitting it but the core of West Ham fans are always uncompromising and will always make things uncomfortable for someone.

There is some irony in the fans singing we're not West Ham any more. The fact that there is always someone to do the pitch invasion thing, or the march, or stand up to the arsehole stewards, or the protest in front of the board absolutely means that we are West Ham. There are plenty who have had enough and will take a ban for a pitch invasion or something. The board need to listen or, like the bond scheme, the fans will have their day.

Vexed 8:23 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

Four people running on the pitch isn't the earthquake you clearly think it was Balto.

All it did was make the club and fans look shit and contribute further to our disastrous season.

We deserve to go down, we have shit owners, players, manager and fans. Best thing that could happen is that we go out of business and fold.

The Kronic 8:28 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

Then stop crying about it all the time vexed, you fucking tart.

Lily Hammer 8:30 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

Balto, you have a point.

If, or surely when, the narrative of our story gets out, a lot of what we have to say can be summed up as We are sick and tired of our football club, which is a living community entity, being milked like cash cows for owners who have no tangible affiliation with the supporters. Throwing a crossed arm salute for the cameras proves nothing.

So many fans of premier league teams feel this, but the generation that hurt the most are slowly dieing out, so it feels like we have to do something now or never. I've already seen loads of comments online, which also proves nothing, but many gooner for example saying we should have done this years ago. loads of geordies saying keep fighting.

Aside from snidey trolls, I think most real football fans are on our side here. Even Millwall fans have been backing us.

Vexed 8:30 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

You're mistaken, this a football thread. Nothing for you here.

Lily Hammer 8:53 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

The 92 corner flag match would have been the last season before the premiersip started, wouldn't it?

We've had about a quarter of a century to check and double check, and yes, the conclusion is MODERN DAY FOOTBALL IS SHIT!

Far Cough 9:10 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

Haha, it's deja vu all over again:


https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/may/12/premierleague.birminghamcityfc

The Kronic 9:12 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

'I couldn't quote a single word'

So he was a gormless spaz even that far back.

Hani 9:17 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

We have a large amount of 50-60+ year old male fans who get angry at people making a "scene" ironically the same cunts that were first in line for a fight in the 80's are now the ones who call people who protest "antifa scum" and tell people to sit down and be quiet,

dicksie3 9:32 Mon Mar 12
Re: Why we've got everyone worried .... and I mean shitting it

I went to Highbury enough times to know that their support was shit then and it's even fucking worse now.

It was called 'Highbury Library' for a reason.

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