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I've thought long & hard about posting this after a few recent games; but after tonight I wonder if its time to have a grown up conversation about the atmosphere at home games, and whether or not it is having an impact on our attitude, performances and results.
I'm not talking about:
- The lack of a bloody drum - The lack of chanting - Low crowds, and how quiet we can be as a fanbase at home
I'm talking about the (sometimes vicious) abuse that a decent percentage of our home fans give the team almost continuously.
From where I sat tonight in the WMG, there were a loads of examples of our fans getting on the backs of our players for relatively minor infractions.
Lynch got so much stick from the back of the WMG it was unbelievable - shouting / swearing in his direction, telling him he was sh*t, telling him he can't kick the ball, shouting that he cost us 2 points. It comes to something when our own keeper (who has had 2 very good games) is getting more flack then the opposition keeper.
A decent group of fans booing every single decision players were making, but when some of those decisions turned good (or we did something else great) there was no recognition or 'well done' offered. It makes it feel at times like some people go to vent a load of anger from work / home in our own direction than to watch the football and support the team.
When it is quiet at home, the players will hear absolutely everything and it can't help at all... there were a couple of times when players' shoulders visibly dropped when they heard the abuse. O'Connell is clearly fed up of it (he snapped back at one point at Notts)... others look fed up too. An extreme example was Graham a couple of weeks ago, but its increasingly seeming like some of the constant OTT social media reactions are creeping into actual matches too.
We're in Lg2, with a young average to decent Lg2 squad that was assembled in a couple of weeks before a season in which we were (by all accounts) about 3 hours away from losing the club.
There have been times this season when its genuinely depressing to hear, and takes away from the enjoyment of the game. For casual fans, or those friends for a fiver tonight, it may be enouhh to stop them returning.
I really hope this doesn't come across as a 'preachy' post, or telling people how to act when we've all spent the same money to get in - its out of genuine frustration, a feeling that the atmosphere (subtly referenced by Stockdale recently) could be having some sort of negative impact on the outcome of games, and might be a factor in the decision making if players when it comes to joining or staying with us in January & beyond.
I agree that anyone can miss a penalty. I certainly saw club legends like Ian Henderson and Gary Jones miss spot kicks and I think Reg Jenkins also failed to score one at least once.
It was our first missed penalty in the league since Joe Rafferty v Oldham in April 2018.
Aaron Morley missed v Man U in the Pizza Cup last season, but nobody cared!
When I was your age, I used to enjoy the odd game of tennis. Or was it golf?
I agree that anyone can miss a penalty. I certainly saw club legends like Ian Henderson and Gary Jones miss spot kicks and I think Reg Jenkins also failed to score one at least once.
The exact details are a little hazy, but when there used to be advertising hoardings hanging from the roof of the Sandy, i recall Reg hitting them with a spotkick
It was (i think) against Walsall in 72/73, and it would've made it 2-2 with the last kick of the match and put us in the third tier auto promotion spots
The exact details are a little hazy, but when there used to be advertising hoardings hanging from the roof of the Sandy, i recall Reg hitting them with a spotkick
It was (i think) against Walsall in 72/73, and it would've made it 2-2 with the last kick of the match and put us in the third tier auto promotion spots
We've never been that close since!
It wasnt that game (or season). The 72-3 game you refer to Walsall came to spotland as league leaders and we beat them 2-1 and went top. Gordnon morritt saved a walsall penalty in the last 5 minutes.
Reg didnt play that game, he was injured. We then went to High flying Grimsby as top dog. Gordon Morritt broke his leg in a clash, peter gowans went in goal and Grimsby beat us 1-0 and took top spot off us. As you say we have never been to such a height since. Remember it well…got mugged by Grimsby knuckleheads after the game. We signed Grimsby’s reserve goalie Harry Wainman to replace Morritt. That was only a few weeks after Bobby Downes broke a leg in the League Cup at Man City in a tacle with Rodney Marsh.
Of course three seasons previously Tony Buck had his leg broken in the previous (and only other season) when we went top of the third. Spooky isn’t it!
Reg did miss penalties….and i have a vague memory of him hitting the hoardings as you describe…but I have no idea when it was. I would have to trawl through individual observer match reports for individual matches. I can still hear the main stand moaners saying he should be dropped!
It wasnt that game (or season). The 72-3 game you refer to Walsall came to spotland as league leaders and we beat them 2-1 and went top. Gordnon morritt saved a walsall penalty in the last 5 minutes.
Reg didnt play that game, he was injured. We then went to High flying Grimsby as top dog. Gordon Morritt broke his leg in a clash, peter gowans went in goal and Grimsby beat us 1-0 and took top spot off us. As you say we have never been to such a height since. Remember it well…got mugged by Grimsby knuckleheads after the game. We signed Grimsby’s reserve goalie Harry Wainman to replace Morritt. That was only a few weeks after Bobby Downes broke a leg in the League Cup at Man City in a tacle with Rodney Marsh.
Of course three seasons previously Tony Buck had his leg broken in the previous (and only other season) when we went top of the third. Spooky isn’t it!
Reg did miss penalties….and i have a vague memory of him hitting the hoardings as you describe…but I have no idea when it was. I would have to trawl through individual observer match reports for individual matches. I can still hear the main stand moaners saying he should be dropped!
Cheers for the update. It was an evening fixture (probably a Monday back then) and if it wasn't against Walsall my recollection is the penalty would've given us a high standing in the table, so may have been around the same time as you describe
We'd already started making our way out towards the exit gate between the Sandy and Willbutts when the penalty was awarded, so i had a side-on view of the ball being blasted against those hoardings. Reg had a sheepish grin to beat all sheepish grins
Edit: after a quick trawl (nowt to do with Grimsby!) the only 1-2 Monday evening home defeat around that time was against York, 17 April 1972 but we weren't near the top then
There'll be (i hope) Dale fans posting about current fixtures on here 50 years hence, and having to adjust their youthful memories!
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