Why are our home fans so bad?

[Illusion]

To put it simply, they don't want hardcore fans in the stadium.

They want tourists who come over for a game and drop a couple of hundred quid in The Armoury and go back home.

They make more money off that kind of fan than the hardcore guys that show up every week, never buy a program, eat before the game and bring their own drinks.

It's a sad state of affairs but one that will only get worse as we struggle to compete with billionaires throwing money around.

It's very hard to reduce prices, welcome the average joe back in the stadium and still compete anywhere near the financial level of the sugar daddy funded teams, of which there are more of every year.

You see it up and down the country, away fans are always the best fans any of the high priced big teams have. The likes of Stoke and Newcastle can still produce a vocal hardcore fan filled stadium, but only because their ticket pricing and business model supports that. They don't cater for prawn sandwich lovers and tourists up there generally.

 

[beck]

If you think it's bad in the lower tier it's even worse in the upper. Going to Arsenal now feels like a day out for tourists. You go along, you buy some merchandise, you take a few pictures to show your mates on facebook and that's it. Although seeing a big bunch of incredibly fit blonde American girls coming out of the game brightened my day up a bit.

It's a vacuous, soulless experience and I hate it, to be honest.

i buy a programme and my mates have no interest in facebook and if truth be known your mates probably have little interest either.
enjoy the game sing your heart out and then go to the next game and do it all again

 

[beck]

Finally, the awful support of players. The moaning at Ramsey last season, the infamous horrific booing of Eboue and today the jeers for Gervinho coming off, frankly parts of the support are a disgrace.

Yeah, even the commentators remarked to that.

I was as frustrated because of Gervinho's performance as anyone (my hands are still hurting from punching my wardrobe), but seriously, jeering at your own players? What the **** is wrong with these people, confirms my suspicion that most people in the stadium on match days aren't actual Arsenal fans but tourists, posh families going out to watch some footie with the lower class common folk and other people with no real interest in the club.

Because there are 60,000 millionaires sitting on the stands every game just to boo Gervinho. They don't have anything better to do on a Wednesday evening so they go out and bore themselves to death.

ooh did,nt know i was a millionaire
thanks for that
rather than go to work in my cab after todays game
picking up drunken fools later into the evening to pay the cc for my season ticket
i will go home and watch strictly whilst throwing 50 pound notes on the fire for warmth

 

[jones]

Yeah, even the commentators remarked to that.

I was as frustrated because of Gervinho's performance as anyone (my hands are still hurting from punching my wardrobe), but seriously, jeering at your own players? What the **** is wrong with these people, confirms my suspicion that most people in the stadium on match days aren't actual Arsenal fans but tourists, posh families going out to watch some footie with the lower class common folk and other people with no real interest in the club.

Because there are 60,000 millionaires sitting on the stands every game just to boo Gervinho. They don't have anything better to do on a Wednesday evening so they go out and bore themselves to death.

ooh did,nt know i was a millionaire
thanks for that
rather than go to work in my cab after todays game
picking up drunken fools later into the evening to pay the cc for my season ticket
i will go home and watch strictly whilst throwing 50 pound notes on the fire for warmth

He was being ironic, referring to my post. I wasn't referring to people like you btw, more to the "supporters" who'd boo their own players.

 

[MaestroCesc]

I absolutely despise threads like this. I've been going to pretty much every home game for well over 10 years now and nothing pisses me off more than people criticising our home fans.

First things first, stop pretending our home fans are any worse than the other big clubs. I've been to a lot of away grounds and most of them are even quieter than the emirates. Case in point, I was at OT when they spanked us 8-2 and guess what? The roar aside for each goal, their support was absolutely appalling. Dead silent and outsung the entire game by our away support (which is phenomenal).

Secondly how the **** are our home support glory supporters? It very rarely gets mentioned in the press but you should be reminded that Arsenal haven't won a trophy in 7 (probably soon to be 8) years! Yet year-in, year-out, our home support keep renewing the most expensive season tickets in europe. I bet you every other club wishes they had such loyal 'glory supporters'.

Do you have any idea how ******* jading it is turning up and watching arsenal get outplayed by some ****house side every other week? The home support are absolutely exhausted of lacklustre arsenal performances. Do you know what the worst thing about games like this are? They are not even surprising any more. We've won 2 of our last 8 home games ffs.
Do you have any idea how depressing it is watching your side getting outplayed by the likes of Wigan, Norwich season after season, in the freezing cold, having spent thousands of pounds for the privilege? Going to home games is a huge commitment, and one a lot of those fans have worked their socks off for. You can't just close down your internet stream and go and have a moan on the internet. It takes hours out of your day.

Support is a two-way process. Give the fans something to get excited about and they will sing. This has been proven at the emirates time and time again. In big games the emirates is often rocking (see Barca/Sp**s/Milan etc). The atmosphere in the Arsenal-United champions league semi a few years back was incredible. Of course it quietened down a bit when we went 2-0 down in about 6 minutes but when the team puts some effort in and needs the fans they're often there (see our home form early 2012).

Yes our home support could be better, but the fact of the matter is that the majority of the emirates needs encouragement to sing and the team last night supplied absolutely nothing in that regards.

What the **** is wrong with these people, confirms my suspicion that most people in the stadium on match days aren't actual Arsenal fans but tourists, posh families going out to watch some footie with the lower class common folk and other people with no real interest in the club.

oh **** off.

Just because other top clubs are equally **** doesnt mean its ok we are ****. For once we shouldnt be comparing ourselves to the top clubs. It doesnt matter how badly the team does, that doesnt make jeering/booing/moaning about players acceptable, no other set of fans do that as bad as us or should that make you not sing.

I agree when we play awful its harder to sing, but even when we are winning its still generally awful

To be fair in the 2nd half the atmosphere was brilliant

 

[Gooner_Stu]

Sadly, it all comes down to costs. People who afford a ticket/season ticket are generally in a different demographic & social standing then the likes that cant. The days of anyone going to watch a game these days died when the Taylor report was released. Lord Justice Taylor didnt know ofcourse what was going to happen as a result of his report. Sadly it meant terracing, no matter how safe it can be (e.g. in German stadiums) being removed and all seaters brought in brings the costs up and the low income supporters out. I do think that there is a mentality of people who sit dont have the willingness to sing, it can be seen at a music gig, the people standing infront of a band sing a long for 2hrs, the people in the seats just watch.

 

[jerome2158]

funny actually, I've noticed the people who buy programmes, bring their own food and drink, and leave earlier seem to be the locals. They're the people for whom it isn't a noteworthy event to go see a match, and they know the little tricks of going to matches.

 

[beck]

It is useless to blame the fans, when it is the club who enforces this business-minded 'entertainment centre' feeling - though I'm not sure who is entertained by the dross they see on the pitch.


The 'we are a financially prudent club whose biggest achievement is earning a CL position so the cash flow is guaranteed' mindset of the board is traced on the support. **** happens.


Also, have you been to other big teams' stadiums? I have, and it can also be silent at the Nou Camp when the game is boring (and their chants consist of the player's name only), and the Allianz Arena only has a core section of fans who create the atmosphere (which is admittedly pretty impressive), behind the goal, other than that it is only clapping.


It's a bit boasting to blame other fans of not creating an atmosphere anyways. They buy the expensive tickets in today's economic situation, and you want to tell them how to enjoy themselves? That's more annoying than someone not singing Gervinho's name from the start.

Im not saying everyone has to sing, i am just saying i find it annoying that most people ok they dont sing but sit on their phone the whole game ,whats the point of going? Olympiakos at home, the 2 people next to me came 20 mins late for start of the game and 25 mins late for 2nd half, for another 15 mins they were on their phone, so they only ended up watching a third of the game...

The atmosphere is amazing against good teams obviously, every stadium is but ours is electric on those games. It is also quite good when we go 1-0 down. But for 80% of the time, its completely awful, no atmosphere at all. The seat next to me has only been filled 4 times out of something like 34 games.

For anyone asking i have a ST, and try to go to away games but is impossible to get tickets and expensive along with the ST, so i only managed to go to 1 although i am going Reading away next tuesday as that is the best way to get tickets for someone with hardly any away points

EDIT: Also what is up fro 'Come on you Reds' when we get a corner? We arent even the Reds... Its so cheesy and just makes us look awful, whoever idea to implement that is completely out of touch, it makes us a laughing stock

been going 42 years
sung come on you reds as far back as i can remember

 

[beck]

funny actually, I've noticed the people who buy programmes, bring their own food and drink, and leave earlier seem to be the locals. They're the people for whom it isn't a noteworthy event to go see a match, and they know the little tricks of going to matches.

always buy a programme.
can generally manage an hour and half without stuffing anything in me gob
never left a game early in my life
going to games to me is like breathing
sorry if that does,nt seem noteworthy
its a necessity

 

[evoh_1]

funny actually, I've noticed the people who buy programmes, bring their own food and drink, and leave earlier seem to be the locals. They're the people for whom it isn't a noteworthy event to go see a match, and they know the little tricks of going to matches.

How do you work that out follow them home? Why would you leave early if you are local.

Crowd was good today 2nd half particularly.

 

[MaestroCesc]

It is useless to blame the fans, when it is the club who enforces this business-minded 'entertainment centre' feeling - though I'm not sure who is entertained by the dross they see on the pitch.


The 'we are a financially prudent club whose biggest achievement is earning a CL position so the cash flow is guaranteed' mindset of the board is traced on the support. **** happens.


Also, have you been to other big teams' stadiums? I have, and it can also be silent at the Nou Camp when the game is boring (and their chants consist of the player's name only), and the Allianz Arena only has a core section of fans who create the atmosphere (which is admittedly pretty impressive), behind the goal, other than that it is only clapping.


It's a bit boasting to blame other fans of not creating an atmosphere anyways. They buy the expensive tickets in today's economic situation, and you want to tell them how to enjoy themselves? That's more annoying than someone not singing Gervinho's name from the start.

Im not saying everyone has to sing, i am just saying i find it annoying that most people ok they dont sing but sit on their phone the whole game ,whats the point of going? Olympiakos at home, the 2 people next to me came 20 mins late for start of the game and 25 mins late for 2nd half, for another 15 mins they were on their phone, so they only ended up watching a third of the game...

The atmosphere is amazing against good teams obviously, every stadium is but ours is electric on those games. It is also quite good when we go 1-0 down. But for 80% of the time, its completely awful, no atmosphere at all. The seat next to me has only been filled 4 times out of something like 34 games.

For anyone asking i have a ST, and try to go to away games but is impossible to get tickets and expensive along with the ST, so i only managed to go to 1 although i am going Reading away next tuesday as that is the best way to get tickets for someone with hardly any away points

EDIT: Also what is up fro 'Come on you Reds' when we get a corner? We arent even the Reds... Its so cheesy and just makes us look awful, whoever idea to implement that is completely out of touch, it makes us a laughing stock

been going 42 years
sung come on you reds as far back as i can remember

No, obviously not the song. The big screen comes up and flashes come on you reds. Its really cheesy and all my mates who support other clubs take the piss out of it

 

[Azeem Khaja]

I attend home games, live in Nottingham which is 125 miles away from London, not a millionaire, don't have a Facebook account but I do take pictures to share with my 3 nephews who are under 13 and they do appreciate our style of football although it has not been up to the mark in the last week. Mind you they have never seen our Club win a title. Perhaps I have digressed from the topic - sorry.

No, I don't believe in booing or abusing our team. It does not help them nor does it reflect good on our social standing and the high class with which Arsenal FC is associated with.

I was reading ESPN commentary on way back home, man city fans booed off their spoilt boys at HT. It's not just Arsenal FC then going by the topic question