Song Sheets For Stoke

[ZacNaloen]

Well I do.

They weren't singing though, they were just clapping the clappers.

[Focher]

[Royal Lady]

Are there only 4 songs on it? Cos the Kebe one is redundant, as he's not playing. So that makes 3 songs, one of which I've never heard sung - because I've yet to see Guthrie play.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

Being serious about this, it's an artificial attempt to create songs when all the cultural factors which led to songs being associated with football have gone out of the game.

Through the history of professional football, it was a terrace-based game and people knew that to get "their place" on the terraces they needed to be there at about 1.30pm or earlier. The terraces would gradually fill up and the sense of anticipation would gradually grow, and it was the close proximity to other like-minded supporters that spawned songs being created and taken up by others. And it was survival of the fittest with them - the good ones were remembered and sung week after week, whilst the bad ones just never got off the ground.

Now that people have reserved seats in the stands, get to the ground at after 2pm and spend the majority of their time in the queue for a beer or watching Sky Sports on the TVs on the concourses the whole cultural breeding-ground for songs has died - which is why the majority of songs sung these days are re-hashes of what people have seen sung on the telly. The few original ones that do spring up are usually products of away games or travel to away games - again, where supporters are travelling together and are in close proximity for long periods.

So this isn't embarrassing or anything like that - it's just an artificial attempt to perpetuate songs when all the cultural aspects which led to their spontaneous creation have been taken out of the game. But the image of "football supporters singing songs" is still one that perpetuates, so clubs' marketing departments try to jump-start the patient's heart again and again, without realising that they can't keep the patient alive when its food and water supplies were cut off long ago.

[dizzynewheights]

shirley singing at football is just about being pissed and mouthy

[Royal Lady]

shirley singing at football is just about being pissed and mouthy

Certainly works for me.

[reading_fan]

Being serious about this, it's an artificial attempt to create songs when all the cultural factors which led to songs being associated with football have gone out of the game.

Through the history of professional football, it was a terrace-based game and people knew that to get "their place" on the terraces they needed to be there at about 1.30pm or earlier. The terraces would gradually fill up and the sense of anticipation would gradually grow, and it was the close proximity to other like-minded supporters that spawned songs being created and taken up by others. And it was survival of the fittest with them - the good ones were remembered and sung week after week, whilst the bad ones just never got off the ground.

Now that people have reserved seats in the stands, get to the ground at after 2pm and spend the majority of their time in the queue for a beer or watching Sky Sports on the TVs on the concourses the whole cultural breeding-ground for songs has died - which is why the majority of songs sung these days are re-hashes of what people have seen sung on the telly. The few original ones that do spring up are usually products of away games or travel to away games - again, where supporters are travelling together and are in close proximity for long periods.

So this isn't embarrassing or anything like that - it's just an artificial attempt to perpetuate songs when all the cultural aspects which led to their spontaneous creation have been taken out of the game. But the image of "football supporters singing songs" is still one that perpetuates, so clubs' marketing departments try to jump-start the patient's heart again and again, without realising that they can't keep the patient alive when its food and water supplies were cut off long ago.

Some very well reasoned points there AL, but surely by now the number of STHs who've been in the same seat for a number of years (especially in the East) should start to counterbalance that?

[Alexander Litvinenko]

Thanks - but it's not that they sit together at games that counts - the hothouse for songs is large groups "before* games, or travelling to games. If they were all in their seats for an hour before the game started we might see some new songs, but getting there at 2.55 and then watching the game is different.

plus, of course, there's things on the big screen and deafening music - all of which reduce the "song hothouse" that you used to get on a big, crowded, terrace pre-match.

[Royals-lad14]

the clap banners are back again, my saturday close to being ruined already

[winchester_royal]

Well I do.

They weren't singing though, they were just clapping the clappers.

I can assure there were more attempts at singing in the west stand during that game than there were for the rest of the season put together.

[Royal Lady]

In the main, the West Stand is full of people on corporate jollies or older people - neither of which group are reknowned for their singing at football matches.

[When Hicks went up...]

People getting annoyed about this are just as out of touch with reality as the spaktards that think it's a good idea.

Our atmosphere is, and always has been, among the worst in the league. It's not going to change.

Tomorrow will be the same as almost all previous encounters with Stoke...


Why, why, why Delilah?

Booooooooooooo

WHY, WHY, WHY DELILAH?

*Silence*

Grown men thrown out of East Stand for getting abusive at other fans who don't sing.

[winchester_royal]

In the main, the West Stand is full of people on corporate jollies or older people - neither of which group are reknowned for their singing at football matches.

Genuine at you

[Royal Lady]

Thanks.

If you're in corporate hospitality you sit in the West Stand - you're not going to sing
A lot of the more elderly fans amongst us sit in the West Stand - they don't sing.

[winchester_royal]

Thanks.

If you're in corporate hospitality you sit in the West Stand - you're not going to sing
A lot of the more elderly fans amongst us sit in the West Stand - they don't sing.

Corporate hospitality either sit in boxes, or a small area on either the SW or NW corner, hardly filling the stand.

Most of the fans in the West Stand are ordinary people, both in age and passion, who don't stand up and sing because others around them don't because of the exact same reason. It's a catch 22, and RFC are doing their best to change that.

Will it ever become Kop-like? Of course not. But on occasion the West Stand can get fairly animated.

[RoyalBlue]

Presume the people moaning about this are the same that criticise the West Stand for being silent.

This sheets will allow the newer fans to feel more involved in the atmosphere, and hopefully join in.

And these newer fans are so thick/retarded that they can not pick up the simple songs that are on this sheet merely from hearing them once or twice?

[Dare to Dr£am]

Being serious about this, it's an artificial attempt to create songs when all the cultural factors which led to songs being associated with football have gone out of the game.

Through the history of professional football, it was a terrace-based game and people knew that to get "their place" on the terraces they needed to be there at about 1.30pm or earlier. The terraces would gradually fill up and the sense of anticipation would gradually grow, and it was the close proximity to other like-minded supporters that spawned songs being created and taken up by others. And it was survival of the fittest with them - the good ones were remembered and sung week after week, whilst the bad ones just never got off the ground.

Now that people have reserved seats in the stands, get to the ground at after 2pm and spend the majority of their time in the queue for a beer or watching Sky Sports on the TVs on the concourses the whole cultural breeding-ground for songs has died - which is why the majority of songs sung these days are re-hashes of what people have seen sung on the telly. The few original ones that do spring up are usually products of away games or travel to away games - again, where supporters are travelling together and are in close proximity for long periods.

So this isn't embarrassing or anything like that - it's just an artificial attempt to perpetuate songs when all the cultural aspects which led to their spontaneous creation have been taken out of the game. But the image of "football supporters singing songs" is still one that perpetuates, so clubs' marketing departments try to jump-start the patient's heart again and again, without realising that they can't keep the patient alive when its food and water supplies were cut off long ago.

Good points, Dirk.

[Green]

Thanks.

If you're in corporate hospitality you sit in the West Stand - you're not going to sing
A lot of the more elderly fans amongst us sit in the West Stand - they don't sing.

Corporate hospitality either sit in boxes, or a small area on either the SW or NW corner, hardly filling the stand.

Most of the fans in the West Stand are ordinary people, both in age and passion, who don't stand up and sing because others around them don't because of the exact same reason. It's a catch 22, and RFC are doing their best to change that.

Will it ever become Kop-like? Of course not. But on occasion the West Stand can get fairly animated.

IF you want to sing, why sit in the West Stand?

[urz13]

Thanks.

If you're in corporate hospitality you sit in the West Stand - you're not going to sing
A lot of the more elderly fans amongst us sit in the West Stand - they don't sing.

Corporate hospitality either sit in boxes, or a small area on either the SW or NW corner, hardly filling the stand.

Most of the fans in the West Stand are ordinary people, both in age and passion, who don't stand up and sing because others around them don't because of the exact same reason. It's a catch 22, and RFC are doing their best to change that.

Will it ever become Kop-like? Of course not. But on occasion the West Stand can get fairly animated.

IF you want to sing, why sit in the West Stand?

Good view, no sun in your eyes, reduced queue times in concourse

[winchester_royal]

IF you want to sing, why sit in the West Stand?

Good view, no sun in your eyes, reduced queue times in concourse

Not to mention the mong-full nature of the east stand, the fact that your family has had season tickets there for 12 years, etc...