There have been some horrors at Wolves down the decades, but this season’s away day at Molineux was as bad as any for Norwich – and probably the worst, because it had one appalling and unprecedented element: the allegation of racist abuse being used by some of our fans against other Norwich supporters.
The incident happened near where I was sitting. It is being investigated and I did not hear what was shouted or said, and so it would be dangerous and wrong for me to comment on the specifics, other than that the group of supporters who were on the receiving end included family and friends of one of our players.
So there are some general points which are worth airing.
There is a disturbing amount of hatred shown by some City fans, on message boards and at matches, particularly away games (when there has often been more alcohol consumed).
That is bad enough and makes most of us want to weep with frustration at the unnecessary nastiness.
But racism is particularly and intolerably pernicious. And the decent majority of our supporters who understand that have to make it completely clear to those who don’t that they do not have licence to say ignorant, bigoted things just because they’re at a football match and have had a bevvy.
Sometimes it is difficult or potentially provocative to tell someone that what he has said is out of order. But it is always necessary.
We have to report the neanderthals too. Kick It Out have an app you can download to make that bit easy.
There was another example of anti-social behaviour at Molineux by a few Yellow Army foot soldiers – not at all in the same order of importance as racism, of course. But a few militant standers behaved like silly little schoolboys.
To be clear, this is an entirely different issue to the entirely legitimate campaign by The Barclay End Projekt and others to persuade the club to introduce a “safe standing” area at Carrow Road. That’s a debate worth having and an understandable point of view.
Nor am I talking about those areas of the away support at Wolves where everyone was standing. If I’d been in those bits, I’d have stood too, without complaint.
But I wasn’t. My wife and I were in a section where everyone was seated, though choice – a choice which is every bit as valid as the one made by those who opt to stand.
There were just five people who decided to stand in our bit. Two in front of me and my wife and three a few rows from the front.
I asked the two in front of me to sit. One said he couldn’t, because he’d had “major back surgery”. He lifted his shirt to show me half an inch of very old scar tissue on his spine. I asked him to stand somewhere else, then, where others were standing.
He didn’t want to.
I persisted. His mate was more amenable and suggested swapping seats – or more accurately, swapping a standing position with a seat – with a lad behind us. But, not unreasonably, the lad wanted to remain with his family, in the seats they’d paid for.
Eventually, the two shuffled along to join the standers away to our right. And, Hallelujah! Chummy experienced a miracle cure. I noted he was able to sit all the way through the half-time interval.
Two of the three obstinate standers nearer the front were taken out by stewards, obviously read the riot act and allowed back in. Sheepishly they sat. But, like big kids, on the occasions when we all jumped up, they lingered upright long after everyone else had sat down (while glancing timorously at the stewards).
Now, some would say that the stewards should either have made everyone sit or nobody. And I’ve been irritated by plenty of inconsistent “men in jackets” over the years.
But, actually, the light touch of the Wolves stewards – only enforcing the law (and it is a law) where the standers were being deliberately inconsiderate to others – was helpful to the majority of supporters.
And, for Heaven’s sake, we’re supposed to be on the same side! We all care about the same team. We all give our money, our time and our emotional commitment to the same cause. Surely we can ALL show basic decency and politeness to each other?
I can explain the reason for being respectful of the needs of others to my two-year-old granddaughter. Folk ought to have grasped it by the time they’re allowed in pubs.
The football? Well, it was a crushing disappointment. But the maths are against us.
Only seven of the 33 teams relegated from the Premier League in the last decade have bounced straight back. And we are just one of the 18 teams in our division have been in the Prem.
I don’t think playing two-up, with a narrow diamond, was sensible against a team with the momentum of promotion. And, as Neil Adams remarked afterwards, if you are not “at it” in the Championship, you’ll get rolled over.
But, on the other hand, we started with a defeat (at home to Watford) the last time we won promotion from the second tier and seldom win our first match no matter what level we’re in.
It could be a long, hard season, though. So you’ll have to excuse me if I decide to sit for a lot of it.
We’ve heard plenty of judgement from City fans over the past two days – Mick’s is directed at the right target. Though disappointed at the City performance on Sunday, I’ll argue it’s too early to judge the manager and/or team. But the racists and boors needs to be judged straightaway, told what we think of them and stopped from spoiling our enjoyment in future. Our Club is better – much better – than that.
I agree there are frequent problems with conflict between standers and sitters at away matches. One obvious solution would be for fans to be able to choose where their ticket is in the away section – even as simple as ‘near the front’ or ‘near the back’ – with an implicit understanding that sitters can go closer to the pitch and standers towards the back.
At the moment, when ordering away tickets it’s pot luck as to whether you get row A or row Z. I prefer to stand so try to order over the phone rather than online so I can request ‘as far back as possible’, but often the person dealing with your call only has a limited number of tickets in front of them across only a couple of rows which they can sell. Plus, phoning up costs a fortune!
I know Fulham have an online away ticketing system which shows an exact seat-by-seat grid for the relevant away end, so fans can pick their exact seat. If we could get this technology too – just like choosing a seat for Carrow Road home games – it would be a great help.
Mick, I totally agree with you about the way a minority of our fans behave. But it’s hardly surprising really, it’s long-learned behaviour for most of them.
Remember the phantom goal ruled out late in the Cardiff home game last season? One of our number in the River End swung a punch at a pensioner who dared to take the “it’s wrong to score like that” approach (although said pensioner’s own demeanour was, it has to be said, not entirely respectful).
That’s the trouble. Football fosters disrespect towards others and hatred right from grass roots upwards. “Hating” other people simply because they have different characteristics or allegiances becomes a habit.
I recall a poster on the old official club message board starting a post “I was brought up to detest…”, something that came across in a lot of her posts. Because she then added “Ipswich fans” most people thought that was fine. It isn’t. Friendly, or even fierce, rivalry, banter, reminding them who won (whilst we can), fine. But hatred, detestation? Isn’t life too short?
At five-foot-not-very-much I get very frustrated by these guys who insist on standing and ruining the view for fellow fans; but there again one of my neighbours allows her teenage sons to play music at full volume late at night with all their windows open, so I guess what happens on the terraces only mirrors much of society.
Much work has been done to alter attitudes towards race (and gender) so it is very disappointing that this issue has raised its ugly head on our patch. But at least these areas can be specifically targeted and it seems likely the culprits will be dealt with.
Reversing the wider underlying selfish and hostile attitudes is much harder.
Could have been worse i.e. they could have been 25 stone and bare chested as seems to be de rigueur at most grounds.
Every club has a few idiots and appealing to their common sense and civility is as thankless a task as getting Israel and Hamas to be best buddies.
My sympathies for a trip spoiled, but short of scanning everyone for IQ and then allocating the back rows to the no-brainers, what’s to be done?
So Mick what formation would you have played as you are not a fan of the diamond? Would Adams have used it if some of Fer, Howson, O’Neil available and if Tettey had been less injured pre-season?
Personally I would like to see 3 at the back with E.Bennet and Olsson as wing backs.
Certainly Sunday was dire in so many ways so now is the time to really get behind the club.
Ffion @2 I like your thinking but I’m not sure how it would work in practise. Remember Peterborough in the FA Cup a couple of seasons ago? There fans actually had a choice between standing or sitting and the majority still stood in the seats!
As an Ipswich supporter I totally agree with Keith B. At one Ipswich away game I happened to mention to a friend that I did not hate Norwich and was immediately confronted loudly by an asshole who had overheard what I thought was a private conversation. Rivalry is one thing, but hatred? Count me out.
Anyway best of luck Canaries and welcome to the Championship, It’s a far more interesting place to be than the Premiership. Yes, I can just about remember what that is like!
It’s sad to think our brilliant away support is divided like this. Maybe more away goals would help. As for the family of one of our own players getting abused, if true that is beyond the pale. For the good of the club and humanity as a whole I would report offenders like that, and hope for lifetime bans.
Some people like to hate more than they like football. One time I took a seat on my own in the lower Barclay, near the away fans. This loudmouth next to me hated the ref, the opposition players, most of our players, the away fans, most of the home fans….He didn’t like me because I wasn’t a familiar face. He expected me not to reappear after halftime, but I’m not easily intimidated.
These people have problems in their lives to behave like this, but I still think the decent majority go too easy on them. We need to join together and be more vocal in our disapproval. We can’t let them spoil our fun.
I should make it clear that anyone being racially abused is beyond the pale, of course, not just relatives of our players. Kick It Out!
I cannot express my contempt for morons who throw racist abuse around anywhere near enough.
I recall an article you wrote for a certain red top back over a decade ago titled – “The game’s up for football’s raving racists.”..clearly premature but they are ever more isolated incidents in this country which in a paradoxical way makes them even more shocking when they do occur.
Sadly the situation in Eastern Europe is back in the dark ages so maybe it’s just as well we don’t have the millstone of the Europa League to deal with.
About the team; a dwindling squad, lack of ideas, no potential newcomers, not that much quality, we are an average Championship side.
The board are to blame, it seems they are swapping players for money.