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Feyenoord Fans Show The Difference In Supporter Culture

When Feyenoord lost not only Ronald Koeman but saw him take Pelle with him, the difference between how they behaved and how English fans do was marked.

When Ronald Koeman left Feyenoord there was no outpouring of hate from the Feyenoord fans only an appreciation of what he had done for their club and best wishes.

When he returned weeks later to take Graziano Pelle with him again there was no hatred towards the manager and accusations of raping the club, likewise with Pelle absolutely no vitriol from the supporters on social media only thanks and best wishes, indeed last season and even the friendly at Red Bull Salzburg saw Feyenoord fans come over to watch Saints and cheer on their ex manager and player, it seems as if Saints are the second team for every fan of the Rotterdam club at the moment.

Again with the news that Jordy Clasie will be joining his old manager at St Mary's was not greeted with uproar, just the thanks of the Feyenoord fans for his contribution to their clubs cause and more best wishes.

Contrast that with the way that a player or a manager leaving an English club is treated by the supporters who once worshipped them. OK sometimes a player leaves and does so with his reputation amongst the fans of his ex club intact, but that is the exception rather than the rule.

English fans seem to feel that players should be loyal to a club for the rest of their career, they cannot see why a player would want to move on to further his career, they see it as disloyalty of the highest order and it is almost as if once he has agreed a move a player has to get out of town before the lynch mob appears at his door.

In 2015 the lynch mob though is formed on twitter and it seems to turn ever drama into a crisis, turning normally sane fans into rabid frothing at the mouth madmen.

Of course a Saints we are no different and there seems to be no consistency as to what player should leave with our best wishes and which should not, Ok when someone like Dejan Lovren leaves after only a year that is understandable why the fans get upset, but Adam Lallana had given the club years of service yet he was still public enemy number 1 or perhaps 2.

Morgan Schneiderlin will leave with the fans or at least the bulk of the understanding why he is leaving, it still wouldnt help Morgan if he was on fire in Above Bar, he would find it difficult to find anyone willing to urinate on him to put it out, but he doesn't leave on bad terms, in truth the only real difference in the transfers of both Lapland and Schneiderlin is that the latter knew when to keep his mouth shut (or at last this summer he did)

So that is the difference between fans in Holland or at last Feyenoord who are known as the most passionate in their country and those in England, perhaps its the problem with the Premier League culture over here, but we see things differently, everything is "now" whereas in Holland they seem to see the big picture, they accept that players and managers do not stay for ever, they appreciate their contribution whilst they are there, but know that everything must at some time change and move on.

Perhaps its a culture we would do well to adopt over here

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