We need to talk about... our away support

[Fifth Column]

No doubt I'll get grief for this but here goes... I don't attend a lot of home matches as the atmosphere is dire most weeks.  I go to 80% of away matches. Have been going about 40 years now.  Over the last couple of years I find our away support has started to go the way of our home support. In the past we could get battered by the big clubs and we'd largely continue to out sing them even when we were ####.  Yes I know that wasn't the case in every match but in most matches it was.

Now at away matches unless we're winning we often don't make much noise at all. I never cared that much about winning or losing that match - it was about having a laugh and taking the ####.  Trying to get people singing when we're behind... usually me and my (adult) kids with me and a couple of others.  This is not an "I'm better than you" message.  I just find it sad that even away crowds are losing our edge and energy.  And I know that most other clubs are no better and often worse.  Is it just PL in 2024? Is it because we've often terrible to watch? Am I just a miserable old c###?

[Pi Alpha Nu]

I only got to one away game last season and that was Wolves. I've tried the ballots but no luck.
There must be a better way of selling tickets for away days.

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

We use to be very clever and inventive with our chants. Nowadays it is the boring old "irons" "ludek miklosko, etc. This what happens when you allow woketards into football

We used to have a lot of good people and good times..even some of our own bands.
I know it's different times and all that, but  I'm struggling with it.
Everthing I grew up with has been  erased  or put to task
Everyone is now a victim and demands this and that
I served my country, never asked  or expected  nish in return .
You signed up..took the oath and that's that.

I struggle with the liberal  victimhood  mentally that has griped our once great country...we used to be pretty hard in a good way.

Now it's claxons in Wales for a bit of a windy night.




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[Monsieur merde de cheval]

It did seem like it reverted to the usual lot (after Newcastle where many sold their tickets), who just sing Bubbles incessantly.

And even that is embarrassing now....SLOW DOWN

[Leavemyarcelona]

We use to be very clever and inventive with our chants. Nowadays it is the boring old "irons" "ludek miklosko, etc. This what happens when you allow woketards into football

[Fifth Column]

I didn't think that at all.

A lot of "We are West Ham's C&B Army" and some other stuff.  I thought it was outstanding support again for the most part like at Newcastle.

[Mad Ferret]

It did seem like it reverted to the usual lot (after Newcastle where many sold their tickets), who just sing Bubbles incessantly.

[Fifth Column]

Leicester away - great support again up to about 70 minutes being very vocal in support of the team despite losing from the first minute.

Then 20 minutes coating Loputegui loudly so we kept up the volume throughout.

Being in a proper football ground with a low roof makes a big difference.

I'm out of the country for about a month now so no more away for me until Villa.  Hopefully fellow away fans will keep up the great crowd performance of the last two matches.

COYI

[Collins Wong - A Free Man]

away support has been dog for years

died the day we did a conga at city in 2008

embarrassing

[yngwies Cat]

Cat junior is a massive West Ham fan, and makes a noise.
He can't get tickets away because of the closed shop policy on away tickets. All his Brentford mates have no problem.
 

[Tyyyson]

Time flies though and as motorcycle racers say 'the older I get the faster I used to be'.

The last 'great' night at Upton Park for me (and don't get me wrong, I had tears in my eyes at the final game, caught in the crush as we attacked the Manc team bus, swept off my feet literally (for the first time in my life- fucking terrifying, once I managed to get over a garden wall in front of the West Stand we were pulling screaming women and their children over the wall with us - it could have EASILY become a disaster and 100% we would have got the blame and 100% 25 years later after an enquiry or two the correct judgement would be called, just like Hillsborough, inept, fucking stupid police herding everyone into a smaller and smaller place, took the edge off the night for me. Even one of our greatest living players BB gave up trying to get there and went home and watched it on telly.

Nope, the last great night at UP for me was the 2-2 draw with Ipswich playoff semi final first leg when Pardew pulled out ALL the stops. The huntsman in his riding pinks sounding the hunting horn as he strode onto the pitch matched exactly the mood of the crowd. It was the first and only time the sheer noise of the crowd has found the resonating frequency of my ears and skull which is really saying something as the drummer in a punk band for fifteen years, drag racing, circuit racing, 190mph wind in your closed Arai making your head shake like you're having a seizure, stars in your eyes and tunnel vision closing in, terrified but laughing like a maniac at the same time, the fucking VIOLENCE of the experience. Or going to Fairford airshow and standing behind a Vulcan as it took off, or a Lockheed Blackbird SR71 putting on its afterburners and making the ground shake. All of those super loud noises were caused by exceptional engineering and millions (and billions) of dollars, yen and sterling. And that night at Upton Park topped the lot. We didn't need money, engines, amplifiers or fancy tricks, we just made the loudest noise I've ever heard. I'm guessing some of you are thinking 'ah, Chim, you've never been in a battle like I have' and you'd have a point, I've only ever even fired a gun once but the point is this noise was made by a bunch of Cockneys wailing and baying their fucking heads off.

It's not me just misremembering or nostalgia creeping in. If, like me you were lucky enough to experience Upton Park under the lights, maybe in the rain on a night when we were all up for it, maybe at home to Millwall when Winston Reid scored and Carlton cole smashed the ball into the away pikeys screaming 'HAVE THAT YOU BUNCH OF FUCKING CUNTS' as we in Chav corner were getting baton charged by the old bill trying to get at the millwall, Palermo, Metz and the brilliant away days abroad including Prague (as I understand, I was just out of hospital and couldn't go) you realise we've lived through a golden age. It's like driving before speed cameras and CCTV up our arses. If the police wanted to stop us they'd have to catch us first. Every cսnt with a dashcam delighting in uploading 'dangerous' driving to the Met website), every tear up filmed by 100 phones for likes on fucking youtube.

Enjoy that Cup lads, nights don't come around like that very often anymore. Savour it and remember the experience will live with you forever, long after you've forgotten how much it cost to get there.

That Ipswich game was the only game I’ve been to where my ears were ringing afterwards and the next day

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

Marlon Harewood.jpg

fraser in her Blackburn coat
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[Monsieur merde de cheval]

I think you're right Ernie.  There seemed a lot of younger blokes there - late teens early 20s.  That helps as us old ####s are often quiet.  I mean by the time I got up to row S in the upper tier I could barely breathe

Noticed the same. A few with young ones taken out of school, I presume, too. Makes you wonder if there should be a bigger portion of tickets in the ballot to open it up more. Not sure how fair that would be though.

We got delayed on the train up from Kings Cross and was so late that they let us use the lift saving us from that climb. Which was greatly appreciated after jogging up from the station.

It was also strangely reassuring to see that home fans leaving early en masse when things aren't going well is not unique to us at the LS. It was less obvious there as the seats are dark compared the white seats at LS but looked to be on a similar scale. Wish people wouldn't do it though.

The Parachute Regt  should  include that march up to vanhalla

[wils]

I think you're right Ernie.  There seemed a lot of younger blokes there - late teens early 20s.  That helps as us old ####s are often quiet.  I mean by the time I got up to row S in the upper tier I could barely breathe

Noticed the same. A few with young ones taken out of school, I presume, too. Makes you wonder if there should be a bigger portion of tickets in the ballot to open it up more. Not sure how fair that would be though.

We got delayed on the train up from Kings Cross and was so late that they let us use the lift saving us from that climb. Which was greatly appreciated after jogging up from the station.

It was also strangely reassuring to see that home fans leaving early en masse when things aren't going well is not unique to us at the LS. It was less obvious there as the seats are dark compared the white seats at LS but looked to be on a similar scale. Wish people wouldn't do it though.

[goose]

Marlon Harewood.jpg

thats joyo

[Far Cough UKunt]

I think you're right Ernie.  There seemed a lot of younger blokes there - late teens early 20s.  That helps as us old ####s are often quiet.  I mean by the time I got up to row S in the upper tier I could barely breathe

Fifth, fair play for making that long journey up for a game most people thought we would lose by quite a bit and then climbing up the Alps to get to yer seat.

[Fifth Column]

I think you're right Ernie.  There seemed a lot of younger blokes there - late teens early 20s.  That helps as us old ####s are often quiet.  I mean by the time I got up to row S in the upper tier I could barely breathe

[Swiss.]

Marlon Harewood.jpg

 

Isn't that Damien Lewis? 

[,]

Referring you our support in general the most noticeable change over the years is the fact that the relative cost to attend matches has rocketed. Not just the price of admission but the overall layout from the time you leave the house up to one’s return. And with the change in affordability it is little wonder that the support’s demographic has changed.

Looking back the most enjoyable period of support for me was in the 1960s when the old Chicken Run was regularly packed and the sheer humour of a generally good natured crowd was to be relished. I think that a lot of the the humour from those days has simply disappeared because the all seater stadia inhibit birds of a feather getting together like it was possible to do in all standing terraces.

So it is what it is and getting soaked standing on a relatively sparsely populated North Bank many years ago it never occurred to me that I would be sitting in a regularly packed 60,000 seater venue many years later.

[Mad Ferret]

Monday was so much better as tons of regulars had sold their tickets on and so was a much livelier bunch.

I thought this tbh. Could be heard loud and clear, which isn't always the case at St. James' Park. Also seemed to be a variety of chants rather than Bubbles 800 times.

Our away following these days is probably the best it's ever been numbers-wise, but I do feel like it's always the same old lot, who are rather jaded.

[Hammer and Pickle]

Sometimes I like to muse what will happen when West Ham win the League. 

Blimey, now that will be some noise.

[AKA ERNIE]

Monday was so much better as tons of regulars had sold their tickets on and so was a much livelier bunch.

[Lato]

I agree with your post Chim. Like you I was at Upton Park on that unforgetable night against Ipswich. We used to park opposite Central Park School. We got there about 7pm, as soon as we got out the car you could hear the crowd, I felt a tingle in my spine and the hairs on the back of my head stand up and I thought this is gonna be an incredible night. We weren't disappointed. I also have witnessed the Vulcan bomber taking off and landing the noise and the shaking of the ground is an unbelievable experience. I would like to add the goal Di Canio scored against Chelsea in 2003, I swear the foundations in the Bobby Moore stand moved that day!

[Lato]

Our away support can never be criticised after Monday night......loud and proud COYI ⚒

[Fifth Column]

I am a four eyed ####.

Just not THAT four eyed ####.

[Fauxstralian]

Never going to criticise our away support 
3,000+ on a late November Monday night with all the obvious travel difficulties is massive especially as we’ve been so shit & most would have been expecting a hammering
Well deserved reward for that support & hopefully made it home safely