The beautiful game has turned ugly.

Chelsea versus Napoli, as we said, the Napoli fans were so much better than the Chelsea supporters. The home supporters were given flags to wave as they sung along to the tannoy system, which quite simply sums up the support of some clubs in this country. Yet, the commentary team on ITV said how good the support was and how they silenced the Napoli supporters. They didn’t though; the travelling Napoli fans sung for the whole 120 minutes, without fail, Chelsea fans only really got going when they were in the ascendancy, and even when extra time began, again over the tannoy came music to get the fans going. However, yesterday night, Manchester United travelled to Athletic Bilbao, the home fans were again, the happier of the two supports, but there wasn’t a sign of any plastic flags being waved that were manufactured by the club in a desperate bid to make it look good for the television, instead the San Mamés Stadium was a cauldron of noise; scarves were being twirled as the supporters backed their team non-stop for ninety minutes. So yet again, the foreign support, betters that of the English, the mentality, the spirit are just two of the things that our counterparts beat us at tenfold.

Furthermore, the price that United fans were charged in Spain was nothing short of daylight robbery, it cost a staggering £77.50 for a match ticket; this is despite Man United charging Athletic Bilbao fans less than half of that at £36. You can get a one-way flight to Cyprus for less than the £77.50 charged by Bilbao; it’s beyond a joke, because tickets for the final of the Europa League in Category A are £94, so to charge £77.50 in the last 16 is horrific, dread to think what they will charge in the quarter finals against Hannover.

There are some big games all over the country this weekend, most of the stadiums will have a corporate section where you can watch the football from a box, whilst enjoying a three course meal and champagne, that’s not what it is about though, not by a long shot. Football is about supporting your team no matter what happens, throughout the lowest lows, when your team is in the process of losing week after week, because with the lows, come the highs! Where you go on a winning streak and every game you go to, you know you’re going to win, that is what makes it worthwhile. The players coming over to you at the end of the game to clap you, that’s what makes it worthwhile. Football is the beautiful game, it always will be. No matter what happens your team will always be your team, no matter how much you try to unattach yourself from them, you’ll always come back. Don’t let the rich tycoons bully us out of our game with sky high prices, we can take a stand and we can stop this madness, football is our game and it always will be, we won’t stop until we have regained what is ours. Football without fans is nothing.

FWFIN.

Thick or thin, we’ll be there.

Time after time it has happened and time after time it will happen again. If anyone saw the Man United versus Athletic Bilbao game yesterday, it’s safe to say that you’ll agree with the statement that the Bilbao fans were lightyears ahead of the home fans in terms of vocal backing. It’s a pretty safe bet to say that when Napoli play at Stamford Bridge next week that the away support will dominate the home support. Fair enough, you could have the argument that the away support is more often than not better than that of the home support, which is a fair comment. However, when Chelsea played at Napoli in the first leg, Napoli again pulverised them in terms of support, the ground was a cauldron of noise. FWFIN has said it over and over, we need to take a leaf out of our mainland European counterparts, because the level of support that they give in comparison to ourselves, is quite frankly embarrassing.

Port Vale are coming closer and closer to slipping away and it’s sad to see, which is why FWFIN would like to promote an event which is taking place on the 31^st of March, when Port Vale play against Dagenham & Redbridge, fans across the Midlands are going to set their differences asides and go and watch Port Vale in their club’s replica kits to show that people are not willing to let Port Vale slip away without a fight, it’s nice to see fans taking a stand. Hopefully it will be a bumper attendance and there will be some much needed money in the coffers.

Tomorrow is a favourite day for many people, of course, it is football day! Alarms will be set for early starts to those who have got miles to travel to watch their beloved team and regardless of the result; the same phrase will be said at the end of the day, as it is, every matchday: “See you next week.” It’ll always be like that, no matter how over commercialised football has become, fans will continue to support the team that they love, through wind and rain, through thick and thin. That’s one thing what the hierarchy at certain clubs need to realise; owners will come and go, players will come and go, but supporters will always be there, which is why they should be respected! FWFIN can’t stress the importance of the supporters, without them there is no football, there is no club! The clubs will have to realise it before long, because more and more people are getting alienated, week after week. Football without fans is nothing.

FWFIN.