People are getting priced out of football.

You’ve just won promotion to the league above, the sun is shining, and you’re in a beer garden toasting next season about all the new grounds you will visit, about which you’re looking forward to most. But say for example, you’re in the Championship and you’ve just won promotion to the top flight, after a while, it loses its glitz and its glamour, because fans suddenly come out of nowhere, meaning fans that have been coming regularly during the previous seasons, now find it more difficult to obtain matchday tickets. Take Stoke City for example; their average attendance the season they got promoted was 16,823, the first season they were in the top flight it was 27,020 an increase of over 10,000. What does that stem from though? Larger away followings will play its part in the rise, but not by such a significant amount, maybe it’s the fact that some people are too bone idle and don’t want to watch Stoke play teams like Barnsley on a dull Tuesday night they would much rather be on ‘Super Sunday’ at home to Man United, because that will certainly be sold out. People won’t admit it though, despite that ten thousand people have come from nowhere, if you ask the majority of people they will all say that they’ve been coming for years. Granted, some have, but people do tend to lie so they don’t look like they’re a big league fan.

To your average working class fan though, the novelty of the Premiership soon wears off, the first season you’re up, you look forward to going to Old Trafford, Anfield, White Hart Lane because it’s a new experience, second time round, you will try and go to the grounds that you couldn’t go to last season. However, third time round, when you have to fork out near enough £50 to travel to Stamford Bridge, you have to question, is it really worth it? The atmosphere will be drab and boring although Stamford Bridge has got one of the better atmospheres out of the ‘bigger’ clubs, it’s just repetitive, but yet people will still go. They will still go; blind with optimism thinking that their beloved team can pull of a shock result. Take Wigan on Saturday at example, away at Liverpool, no one really gave them a chance of getting anything, yet they came away as 2-1 winners. Only a small contingent of Wigan fans made the journey to Anfield, but the loyalty was rewarded coming away with the three points.

The fact of the matter is, the Premiership is not really a league for your normal fan anymore, it’s becoming more expensive every year and it will keep on getting worse until someone steps in and does something about it. Problem is though, it isn’t just the Premiership now, it’s starting to filter down to the Championship as well; when Leeds played at home to West Ham a couple of weeks ago, due to the fact it was a ‘Category A’ game, it would be £36 to be an away fan, which is a horrible price. Just goes to show, how much money is taking over football.

If you were offered two scenarios, which would you pick? Your team travel to Old Trafford on a bright, sunny afternoon, you take quite a decent allocation up there, the fans that you’re there with all sit down throughout the game, only standing up to get a beverage at half time and the atmosphere doesn’t really exist. Or, it’s a Tuesday night, it’s raining, it’s gloomy, there’s not even a thousand of you on the open terrace that you’ve been allocated, but you’re all supporting your team, there aren’t any people who are sitting down because they haven’t turned up here, because they don’t have the comfort of sitting down under a roof. FWFIN hopes you would pick the second one, because the first one is exactly what is wrong with modern football. Remember, football without fans is nothing.

FWFIN.

Your team is for every day, not just matchday.

Today is Wednesday, right in the middle of the week, if you’re not playing in midweek, then it’s probably the worst day, because it’s far away from last Saturday and the memories of what happened and it’s still another few days until you’re next game. That is of course, if you only support your team on matchdays; supporting your team is not something that only happens once, maybe twice a week, it’s something that is constant and will always be there. If you’re talking to someone today and they ask what team you support, you won’t say that you don’t support anyone today, because you’re waiting for Saturday to come around, you will tell them proudly who you support. They will then respond by telling you who they support and then a discussion will take place about past, present and future going ons at your beloved clubs about who is better and how you will get on at the weekend and so on, so forth.

Supporting your team is something that is done 365 days a year (366 this year), 24 hours a day and seven days a week. You will have your prawn sandwich brigade who just turn up on matchdays, sit in the corporate section, have a nice meal in the warm comfort of a box and not really care about the game, well that isn’t supporting your team, that isn’t even football. The build-up for your next matchday will tend to start straight after the other one has just finished, of course in between match days you will have work (or college, or school), but even then discussion will take place about the last game and when you have finished what you’re doing with your day, you will get back home and preparation will begin. Take the assumption that your next game is away from home, you will start looking at a decent watering hole for when you get there, your travel will be getting organised, whether it’s train times or buses or just a car, your route will be getting looked into. Then, you will start picturing the stand where you will be, you will start picturing a last minute winner which sends your fans into scenes of jubilation. Of course, at some point, no matter where it is you’re playing, or the significance of the game, someone will always say, let’s go on the pitch, or “if we score, I’m going on the pitch”. It’s just one of the wonderful things about football fans in this country; in the darkest depths there is still an element of humour, which is perhaps the most crucial thing of all.

Be proud of who you support, regardless of what situation your team is in, don’t feel nervous about starting off a new chant on the terraces, because if everyone was, then everyone would be in silence and that’s not what is needed, not what is needed at all. So, if you’ve been watching videos of fans elsewhere in the world singing a song like the Dale Cavese for example, don’t be frightened to try it, who knows, it might catch on. Perseverance is mandatory, because if you don’t persevere with your team, then you may as well give up now. Remember, your team is for a life time, not just for a Saturday.

FWFIN.

Stop Premier Greed.

Late last year the EPPP (Elite Player Performance Plan) was accepted by a majority vote by Football league clubs. For those that don’t know, the EPPP now means that tribunal fees now longer have to be paid for young players when a fee can’t be agreed, for example, when Chelsea signed fourteen year old Oluwaseyi Ojo from MK Dons for £1.5 million, that won’t happen anymore, so that money that MK Dons would greatly receive has been wiped out for a more ‘structural’ system, in which, basically, bigger clubs can pick and choose what youngsters they want and at a snippet of the price. So a club like Crewe, who have produced many great youngsters over the past several years, wouldn’t make as much money as what they did, so when Dean Ashton went to Norwich for £3 million, it wouldn’t even be a cut of that price. So yet again, the big boys rule, money rules and quite frankly it is disgusting.

Crystal Palace are a team that have not taken lightly to this, with the Holmesdale Fanatics displaying banners (one of which is below) and boycotting the first five minutes of a home game, in response to this monstrosity. Clubs in the lower reaches of the Football League have also had banners that have been displayed in response to this, to raise awareness and to try and put a stop to it. Some of you will be reading this and you will support a team in the top flight and you really couldn’t care less, but put yourselves in a position of a Football League club, where you nurture youngsters through your academy, you’re looking forward to seeing them blossom and then, in a flash, they’ve gone to a bigger club and you’ve not even been paid the right amount either, it’s horrific.

No to EPPP (Holmesdale Fanatics).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly though, in the top two divisions it is only really Palace that are doing much about it, which is a shame because it will effect other clubs in the Championship asides from just Palace, but it’s the same as a lot of things, if it isn’t doing anything to bother them now, then people won’t act. The EPPP has been in place since late October and when it comes to a teenage prodigy thriving in your academy and you’re thinking that your club can make quite a bit of money on him and then you can invest in your squad, think again, because your likes of your Chelsea, your Spurs can just come along and pinch him, and then it will effect you, won’t it?  But by then, it will be too late. Which is why action is needed now, spread the word, and join up at – http://www.notoeppp.co.uk/. You can make a difference, if you join and you tell ten people, then they each tell ten people, word can spread extremely fast.

Fans can make a difference, no matter what anyone says, players tend to respond to backing from the supporters, admittedly, certain players are driven by money, but, when players are down and they think they’re on the verge of defeat, if they hear a rousing chant from the terraces, it can inspire them. Believe in your team and then they will believe, it is a two way thing, if the players are hearing moans and groans, chances are they will feel fed up, but if you give them inspiration, then they may make that pass, that tackle, that goal. But you will only find out if you try it, always support your team, because remember, football without fans is nothing.

FWFIN.

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.

Watch and learn.

They’ve been mentioned time after time on here, but for one more time, they will be mentioned again, because that’s how highly they’re thought of at FWFIN. Napoli visit Stamford Bridge tonight in the second leg of the Champions League and coming with them will be their travelling support which will be absolutely astonishing. Some people do have the biased opinion that English fans are the best in the world, but that’s what it is, biased. Italian supporters, German supporters and many other countries are so much better than us in terms of support, whether it is vocal, choreography, tifo, you name it and chances are they will be superior. FWFIN has said before though, it is good to see that English fans are taking ideas from the European supporters and going into the ultra scene, because that is exactly what the fan culture over here needs. Tonight, the Napoli supporters will sing non-stop, there is no two ways about it, the Chelsea fans, will maybe give a rendition of “Chelsea, wherever you maybe…” every now and again, but that asides, the away support will be miles ahead of that of the home.

FWFIN hopes we are proved wrong, nothing will please us more, but sadly it doesn’t look particularly likely at the time being. Ask your Crystal Palace’s, your Aldershot’s, your Accrington Stanley’s, all who have ultra groups in the football league, you can’t just become an ultras group, you have to plan it out. To think that you could turn up on a Saturday morning and get everything prepared there and then is just insane, displays take time to plan out, get the correct material and many other things as well go into putting on a display before a game, it can’t just happen. That’s what most people think though; they will think well why hasn’t my team got support like Napoli? FWFIN will tell you why, it is because people need to stop watching teams like your Napoli’s and do something about it, there’s no point watching them in awe as they out support Chelsea tonight and then get into the stadium on Saturday and just being in the same old routine of maybe singing every now and again. Get together with a group of likeminded people and say what you think and if people agree then take things on from there, of course, when you have people agreeing, you will have those that disagree as well, but it takes time to realise that the ultra way is the best way.

 To those of you that have got ultras groups up and running, no matter big or small, well done for taking the steps in the right direction, because it takes some bottle to try something new. To those of you who’re thinking about doing it, have a go, there’s no harm in trying, people may join right from the beginning, if they don’t, they will eventually. Remember though, you can’t be an ultra just on a Saturday, you have to be one seven days a week. Last but by no means least, never forget that: football without fans is nothing.

FWFIN.

Football is for you and me, not for the industry.

Picture this, a Championship game has been ordered to be played behind closed doors because of a stadium ban after crowd trouble at a previous game; yet the game was still to sell out. For those that are confused, FWFIN can explain the situation, over in Germany, Dynamo Dresden played Ingolstadt at the weekend and as said previously, despite the game being behind closed doors, it was a sell out. The capacity of the ground is just over 32,000, so the equivalent to Southampton’s St Marys stadium and the club put on big screens for the fans to watch the game just outside the ground. Could you imagine Southampton or any English club selling out a ‘ghost game’ as it has become known as, FWFIN highly doubts it; also at training the day before, fans turned up at training the day before the match as well with banners in protest against the decision and also marched with a banner before the game (picture below).

"Here sits 32,000 Dynamo Ghosts"

Sunday marked a good day for football as a whole, money can’t but you everything, not instantly as Man City are slowly beginning to find out. FWFIN knows that they still have a brilliant chance of taking the title off their neighbours, but it was good to see Swansea take three points off them because it was nothing more than they deserved. This puts it into perspective a bit more, Swansea’s record signing is Danny Graham and he cost them £3.5 million, which is a hell of a lot of money to anyone, however, Carlos Tevez, who has been a rather controversial character this season to say the least, is paid just under three times that amount a year! Which sort of shows the gulf when it comes to money, money rules the game and the way it is splashed about left, right and centre is incredible.

Another point in showing how much money is ruling the game, are Kenny Dalglish’s comments which were: “The club is now where it was before – each one for each one, everybody in it together,” said the Liverpool manager. “There are many ways you can judge a season and the best way is progress at the football club as a whole. I don’t think it necessarily relates to trophies or points. You can measure it by how the club has progressed and where it is, from the first team to the kids. Off the pitch, especially, the club is a lot stronger than what it was. You go off the pitch and see how much money we are getting through sponsorship and kit deals [the club signed a deal with US-based Warrior Sports in January worth a potential £300m over six years].” So what he is saying is, that sponsorship deals are as crucial as winning matches? FWFIN strongly disagrees, because, if you don’t win football matches and trophies then you’re not going to attract big sponsors which are going to be worth a staggering amount. Seems to be a case of covering his own back, after Liverpool have slipped away in the hunt for a Champions League place after winning the Carling Cup not that long ago. Tonight is a fantastic occasion, the Merseyside derby which is a game which is always full with passion, tenacity and enthusiasm, to name just three. It’s how every football game should be.

The fans will also do their utmost to back their team, knowing that the result will effect the mood around the Merseyside for weeks to come, the atmosphere will be special as it always is, because football without fans is nothing.

FWFIN.

A football team isn’t a hobby; it’s a lifestyle.

It’s a Tuesday morning, you look outside, it’s a dark dismal winter’s morning, the rain is hammering against the window, you’re wondering is it all worth it? You’ve taken the day off work (or college/school), just for the undying love you have. Your beloved football team, you know the day is grim outside but that doesn’t stop you becoming filled with anticipation at the thought of watching your team later that evening, knowing that there is every possibility that you could come out on top and come away with three points. On this particular occasion, you’re away from home and you know that the away end is an open terrace, so unless the weather clears up, you’re going to need a pair of goggles by half time. You travel to the ‘foreign’ town, knowing that you’re not welcome there, and you wouldn’t dream of venturing there if your team wasn’t playing. The rain still hasn’t stopped as you get into the ground and within the first five minutes, you’re down to ten men and one nil down after one of the centre halves gives away a penalty and receives a red card for his troubles. It gets to half time, and you’re still one down. Throughout the first half, the away end, despite being dripping wet, has not stopped supporting the lads on the pitch, outsinging the home fans, despite being outnumbered. Second half begins, much the same, your team are constantly under pressure, but the keeper is playing a blinder and it is still one nil as the game enters into stoppage time. Then, in the last minute, a corner. The away support believes, they think this is it, the ball gets whipped in, and there it is, the last minute of injury time the equaliser. The away support is going absolutely ballistic, you don’t care that it’s been raining all game, it’s all worth it now and as the final whistle goes, the players come over and celebrate with you, thanking you for your support. You’re all together, united as one.

That’s how it used to be and FWFIN is sure that many of you will agree that those were the better days, now the enjoyment of the fan doesn’t matter anymore, the game is too over commercialised, and only very rarely will the players thank the supporters now, especially if it was a rainy day as the aforementioned. Players would be more worried about getting into the changing room and getting home to their luxury houses whilst the fans, who have spent their money and put the effort in to watching the team, have to set off home. That’s the problem though; the gulf between the fans and the players in this day and age is ridiculous, some players will earn in a week what most fans will earn in a year. If you go to the top of the scale where you have football players earning a staggering £200,00 a week, that’s more than some people will see in a life time. But hey, money doesn’t rule football, does it?

Portsmouth, Rangers and now Port Vale are three clubs in the last few weeks and months to enter administration, each for a number of different reasons, but why, when there is so much money in the once beautiful game are clubs still able to fall into the red, it’s not right. Football clubs have to be run better, but nothing will be done, until it happens to one of the ‘big boys’ such as Chelsea or Man United. FWFIN can practically guarantee that the authorities would step in if it were to happen to one of the aforementioned and lend them a helping hand. But, because Port Vale are in League Two, they will be left to slip under the radar as it has happened many times before with over clubs.

Fans will always support their club, nothing will change that, but if there’s no club to left to support what will happen? The club will get rebuilt from the bottom and will start again; fans will never let their club die, one way or another. Because, football without fans is nothing.

FWFIN.

The ultra way is the best way.

When was the last time that you thought you would be made a mockery of, for trying something different? All around the United Kingdom you have a group of supporters who want try and be an ‘ultras group’, but after meeting opposition in the form of the authorities, fellow supporters or even in some cases their own club, they will simply give up. Well that is not the answer. If you surrender at the first obstacle, nothing will be achieved; never, in the history of the world has anything been achieved by quitting or giving up. First things first, no matter what it is you do in life you will face some form of opposition somewhere, that’s the way life is, if everyone agreed on everything that happened, the world would be a boring, dull place. You have to stand up for what you believe in; after all, there is nothing wrong with supporting your team. The Holmesdale Fanatics (Crystal Palace’s group) were formed seven years ago and they haven’t had a smooth ride, not by a long shot, but now, they’re one of the most respected ultras group in the United Kingdom.

To gain respect though, you have to respect people yourself, which is why, if someone asks you, why are you doing it, or what is the point; it is a key that you respond with an explanatory answer and not just hurl a ton of expletives at them. Later down the line, it could come back and haunt you if you don’t answer people’s queries regarding what you’re trying to do. ‘The ultra mentality’ is something that is key to most people, because if you don’t have the correct mentality, then you won’t get anywhere, you can’t just be an ultra on a Saturday, you’re an ultra every single day of the year, which is why some people won’t succeed. If it comes to the Friday night and you want to get a display done for the Saturday, to think it can be done in twelve hours is naïve and stupid. It takes planning and dedication to be done which is what some people need to realise, but that comes after experiencing it first-hand.

So, the next time someone asks why you’re singing constantly or something similar, just tell them that you go to football to support the team; after all, a team with good support generally performs better than a support that is constantly jumping on the teams back after one poor mistake. Take inspiration from teams such as Palace who have succeeded in bringing it to their stadium and also teams like Villa who are also trying to bring the ultra way to the United Kingdom. Remember, there is no harm in supporting your team, because, football without fans is nothing.

FWFIN.

Against Mod£rn Football.

Money is the root of all evil, granted it can buy you plenty of nice things, but can it buy you happiness? Let’s take Mr Malcolm Glazer, the owner of Man United, he came and bought United and was immediately loathed from the start, FC United were formed off the back of it and also the LUHG campaign began, Love United, Hate Glazer for those that don’t know. He’s had death threats in the past, but hey, money can buy you happiness, can’t it? He’s been subject of takeover offers from United fans who just want him out and there’s also been a rumours of offers coming in from the Middle East. He shouldn’t have been able to buy a football club; he knows next to nothing about the game, he just wanted a new ‘toy’. It’s becoming a trend now though, that’s the problem, wealthy owners come in, buy what they want, get fed up and leave; Portsmouth being a prime example of that. It will continue to happen until tougher regulations are put in place, the ‘fit and proper persons’ testing which the FA supposedly do is bogus anyway, if a billionaire wants to buy a football club, he will, and the FA being the FA will turn a blind eye to it, as long as they get a nice sum out of it.

Football will always be a religion to some, the stadium like a place of worship, well it used to be, football stadiums used to be about the football and the experience of the supporters in them, instead, now it’s too much orientated around corporate hospitality and making sure that no health and safety laws are being broken. FWFIN will make sure that football is once again, that of the supporter, and not of the millionaire owners who couldn’t care less what happens to our clubs, as long as they’re making a profit. Fans are belittled every time they enter the stadium, by the ticket prices, which will continue to rise, the CCTV which monitors your every move; football is for you and me, not for the industry.

Clubs and their owners need to be hit where it hurts most, their pockets. Certain clubs have had demonstrations outside the ground protesting against the way their club is run, but then, still go into the game! It defeats the whole object; you can do whatever you like outside the ground within certain means against the club’s hierarchy, but it’s all completely void if you go into the ground, because they’re still taking your money.

People that say it’s too late to try and get our game back, to try and stop modern football, are wrong; it’s never too late. There’s no point in lying down and letting every single club in England end up exactly the same, an all seater stadium with about as much atmosphere as outer space, because then what will happen from there? Will fans really accept that? No, they’ll start to moan that the matchday experience isn’t what it used to be, which is why it’s better to start now, the wheels are going to be put in motion and modern football will be stopped, no matter how long it takes.

Football without fans is nothing.

FWFIN.

 

Love the game, hate the business.

Napoli fans were warned by UEFA yesterday about their conduct in last night’s match against Chelsea, regarding flares, here is the outcome…

 What were UEFA honestly expecting? Napoli sell flares outside the ground, so there is little hope that none will be set off during the game.

Following up to yesterday’s post regarding how much damage Sky Sports and other channels such as ESPN have done, FWFIN is sure you’re wondering, how can football will survive without television? We understand that it has progressed a hell of a lot, but there was football for more than a hundred years before the level of television coverage was introduced in the early 90s. Stadiums would be packed to the rafters, there would be no such thing as dwindling attendances like there is today; so what is the difference? Price is the answer. Clearly you have to make room for some inflation as with everything, but paying around £50 if not more at some Premiership grounds is nothing less than daylight robbery. A few decades ago it wouldn’t be more than a few quid and the experience would be ten times the experience as well. Which is why FWFIN will look into the ticket pricing structure of clubs and try and get them significantly reduced, one way or another and boycotts will be organised around the country.

Some football clubs are very well run, others, are not; it’s as simple as that. Some chairmen and chief executives make a mockery of the clubs supporters and it’s not right, with the fans, football is nothing and some clubs hierarchy need to switch on and realise that. The majority of clubs will argue that they do have offers in place, but even then, you have to question the motive behind them, because it’s just another way of squeezing money out of the supporter. FWFIN can see from a different perspective that at times it can be quite difficult to run a football club, but at other times, the simple decisions are just over complicated to an horrendous degree.   

Change is on the horizon, we need to take a leaf out of Germany’s book and see how the Bundesliga is run, because that is what we, in England, should be aiming for. Safe standing is incorporated, the experience for the supporters is incredible compared to what it is over here. Germany realises that football without fans is nothing, it’s about time we did.

FWFIN.