Get it off your chest

To boo? Or not to boo? That is the question.

Where do you stand on this one? Do you boo your own players or only the opposition's? Do you believe that you have the right, as a paying customer, to verbally attack your own team if they are under-performing, or do you back them to a man even if they are utter toilet?

This is a debate that is as old as me. My dad. My grandad. But maybe no further back in time than that. Maybe it is a modern day aspect of the game. Maybe a couple of generations ago it was deemed impolite to boo one's own. Maybe back then, when football was played in black and white, football fans were more courteous.

There is a small amount of discussion amongst Wolverhampton Wanderers fans at the moment on this subject. Wolves are going through a bit of a sticky patch and, as with any club this size with such tradition and high expectations, fans are entitled to let their feelings be known. Mick McCarthy, the manager at Molineux, is starting to get a bit of a rough time at some home games, and a section of the crowd have turned against him. The boos can be heard. The debate is whether McCarthy's time is up (and therefore the boos are justified) or whether the fans should get behind the team and encourage them through this difficult period. Opinion is divided.

A football ground is a real theatre in every sense of the word, with the supporters providing as much (if not more) entertainment than the players. The passion and intensity of a crowd can be, at times, overwhelming. The joyful release as a goal is scored, the anguish felt as one is conceded. The anger as your centre forward is scythed down with an empty net beckoning. The abuse, at times venomous, hurled at the opposition and their fans. The booing of your own players. The calls for the head of your own manager.

These scenes are played out weekly, daily, around the nation, around the world.

But how do you get it off your chest at games? Do you shout or scream? Or do you quietly seethe and let things fester and then take it out on the wife/husband/dog/cat/hamster* when you get back home (*delete as appropriate)? Do you politely shout "Come on the home team" (as heard at a QPR match last season) or do you release your frustration by repeatedly thrashing your programme over the back of the seat in front until it resembles paper-maché?

Or are you one for the bizarre? I remember a fan who sat at the back of the Platt Lane stand at Manchester City in the mid 1980s who stood up and shouted "CUNNINGHAM!!!" at the top of his voice every time Tony Cunningham touched the ball. That was all he ever said. I have heard one fan shout "Shirt Out, Socks Rolled Down!!" every single time Steve Claridge came near. Or are you the one that always ends up sitting next to the loony?

Do you celebrate like a madman? Do you sulk? Do you question the referee's parentage? Do you chant? Do you sing or dance? Or both? Swear? Moan? Pray? Do you laugh or do you cry?

Or does a simple boo suffice...?

The £1 deal

There's no such thing as a free lunch.


The FA are offering children the opportunity to watch FA Cup games in the Third Round for £1. When I first read about this last week, my initial reaction was positive. A noble effort to get more kids along to games, and what better games than the ones the FA Cup has to offer. To use the FA's own words:

"...to encourage parents to introduce their children to the magic and excitement of the FA Cup – for just £1 a ticket."

Great.

I know many clubs have done this for league games as well, and it is to be applauded. Dartford charged only £1 for the football fans of the future for their Second Qualifying Round tie against Camberley Town back in September. And my son loved it (as you may recall).

But hold on a minute. This £1 deal applies to only six of the thirty two ties:

Blackburn Rovers v Coventry City
Bolton Wanderers v Sheffield United
Huddersfield Town v Birmingham City
Plymouth Argyle v Hull City
Sunderland v Wigan Athletic
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Cambridge United

Why is that then?

Well, the FA say that they have made that selection based on a fair mix of geographical location and of ties involving teams from a variety of different leagues. Fair enough, most leagues are represented in that selection; Premiership (5 teams), Championship (5), League One (1) and Conference (1). But geographical location? Four of the six ties are "up North" - two in the North West, one in the North East and one in Yorkshire. Throw in a couple more from the South West and the Midlands, and that is not what I'd call an even geographical distribution.

No games from London. No games from the South East.

But then, I shouldn't be surprised. Looking at those six games selected, with the possible exception of Sunderland, none will be sold out to capacity. On the day, there will be empty seats in most of those stadiums, including my venue of fate, Molineux. And it comes as no surprise that some of the bigger clubs are not partaking. I would have thought Chelsea v QPR would have been an ideal choice; an opportunity to get kids along to see a team that continues to price many people out of the market. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are noticeable by their absence.

So the real deal slogan should be "bring your child for £1, with a full paying adult, so that we can get some bums on those otherwise empty seats and, as a result, makes for a financially better deal for the clubs." Doesn't really roll off the tongue, does it?

Am I'm being too cynical? Probably. Go on, take your kids along to a game that weekend. They'll love it. But you'll still have to buy them lunch.