What’s the consensus on using a drum and megphone? Came across a video of the Rangers fans using it and it seems to work pretty well. 8:55 in the video shows it can work well.
Crystal Palace and Celtic use them effectively as well.
Why not both? Casuals and Ultras style support.Total fucking cheese on toast. Incessant annoying drum banging, cringeworthy choreographed overhead clapping, monotonous songs with no words...no spontaneity, no humour, too many band geeks not watching the game...
We’ve already got better chants than any set of Ultras. We just need to sing them more and not stoop to the levels of dross in the Ultras scene.
Casuals > Ultras
Total fucking cheese on toast. Incessant annoying drum banging, cringeworthy choreographed overhead clapping, monotonous songs with no words...no spontaneity, no humour, too many band geeks not watching the game...
We’ve already got better chants than any set of Ultras. We just need to sing them more and not stoop to the levels of dross in the Ultras scene.
Casuals > Ultras
Your telling me Europeans would rather have the English matchday dynamic? I’m not buying that at all.Preach, brother. A strong songbook with plenty of oomph pisses all over a drum and all that band shite. Works on the Continent more, but they’d rather have our match day dynamic. Couple of Milan lads we were chatting to in Athens were saying that, the Ultra thing can be a routine as such whereas the more spontaneous English approach is much more effective.
Your telling me Europeans would rather have the English matchday dynamic? I’m not buying that at all.
Cheap tickets on the continent, all the hardcore in one stand, marching in unison before the big games, no tourists filling the stands and sanitising the atmosphere.
I don’t believe that for a second. You’re telling me fans at Rapid Vienna, Frankfurt, Red Star, Napoli - some of the top fans in Europe would prefer an English style atmosphere?
The Casual way is basically dead and has been for a while. I’ve no doubt England once was the envy of fans across Europe with the casual scene but that doesn’t exist anymore.
Your telling me Europeans would rather have the English matchday dynamic? I’m not buying that at all.
Cheap tickets on the continent, all the hardcore in one stand, marching in unison before the big games, no tourists filling the stands and sanitising the atmosphere.
I don’t believe that for a second. You’re telling me fans at Rapid Vienna, Frankfurt, Red Star, Napoli - some of the top fans in Europe would prefer an English style atmosphere?
The Casual way is basically dead and has been for a while. I’ve no doubt England once was the envy of fans across Europe with the casual scene but that doesn’t exist anymore.
There was a German poster on here once (can’t remember which team he supported) who said that a lot of fans in the other stands other than the one that sings in Germany, are utterly sick to death of all those same songs droaning on and on all the time.Your telling me Europeans would rather have the English matchday dynamic? I’m not buying that at all.
Cheap tickets on the continent, all the hardcore in one stand, marching in unison before the big games, no tourists filling the stands and sanitising the atmosphere.
I don’t believe that for a second. You’re telling me fans at Rapid Vienna, Frankfurt, Red Star, Napoli - some of the top fans in Europe would prefer an English style atmosphere?
The Casual way is basically dead and has been for a while. I’ve no doubt England once was the envy of fans across Europe with the casual scene but that doesn’t exist anymore.
Casuals wear casual clothing. I’ve noticed more casuals (certainly in my group of lads) don’t want drums, and we react to the game naturally, we watch the game, and we like our proper songs with words.I’m only repeating what these fellas said to us. Don’t go often enough to foreign grounds to have a more in-depth insight. But I know that every visiting fan I’ve ever spoken to from overseas thinks our place is amazing on Euro nights. That’s not, to be absolutely clear, any sort of our ground is better than yours type of shite, just observations I’ve come across. I’m sure there are the same stories about your place, OT etc.
I’m interested in how you distinguish casual and ultra. The former was obviously borne out of fashion and the like, whereas the latter is more rooted in almost paramilitary essence as I see it. Far less spontaneity and just following a rule book - that’s not for me to be honest. But we already have a fair percentage of it in the game so there’s a happy compromise, I suppose.
Casuals wear casual clothing. I’ve noticed more casuals (certainly in my group of lads) don’t want drums, and we react to the game naturally, we watch the game, and we like our proper songs with words.
Ultras wear those “£2.99 each if you buy 250” t-shirts with heavy metal style lettering on the front notifying their band geek name. Some wear those stupid face mask/balaclavas and take pictures of themselves with the hashtag ‘#nofacenoname’ bollocks. Love grouping round a drummer boy and jump and clap around in unison, barely watching a second of the game.
Ultras culture and casual culture have the same aim; to outdo their competitors. Every Ultras group in Europe like Casuals, want to be known as the best there is in their department.I’m only repeating what these fellas said to us. Don’t go often enough to foreign grounds to have a more in-depth insight. But I know that every visiting fan I’ve ever spoken to from overseas thinks our place is amazing on Euro nights. That’s not, to be absolutely clear, any sort of our ground is better than yours type of shite, just observations I’ve come across. I’m sure there are the same stories about your place, OT etc.
I’m interested in how you distinguish casual and ultra. The former was obviously borne out of fashion and the like, whereas the latter is more rooted in almost paramilitary essence as I see it. Far less spontaneity and just following a rule book - that’s not for me to be honest. But we already have a fair percentage of it in the game so there’s a happy compromise, I suppose.
I think the points you make are fair enough.There was a German poster on here once (can’t remember which team he supported) who said that a lot of fans in the other stands other than the one that sings in Germany, are utterly sick to death of all those same songs droaning on and on all the time.
Many of them are so rigid with it that they sing the same set of songs for the same amount of time for every single game. No variation, just “woah oah oh oh woah wooooooooaaaaah oh oh oah” for half an hour, then “ der de de de derrrrr deerrrrr der” for half an hour, and then “Na na na aaa na naaaaa na na la allaaaaa la la laaaaaaa” for half an hour”.
Accompanied by incessant *bang ba bang bang, bang bang bang bang* and clapping like they’re at a Take That concert throughout.
Then they all go home.
It’s utter shite!
Every single decent English atmosphere beats an Ultras band geek atmosphere. We just need more consistency because they’re not every game.
There are a number of decent Italian fan bases who don’t use a drum.
Ultras culture and casual culture have the same aim; to outdo their competitors. Every Ultras group in Europe like Casuals, want to be known as the best there is in their department.
Ultras culture is simple, supporting the team visually with colour/displays/pyro and vocally with raucous noise.
Casual culture in my opinion, is the bragging rights outside the ground. Who’s more feared? What mob has done over another mob on their own patch? The subculture of the casual scene used to be the clobber element of it, but that’s gone. There are people who run about in designer gear who aren’t casuals.
The two of them go hand in hand in Europe, Ultras basically are the casuals outside of the stadium.
On the last point you made, the rule book doesn’t have to be followed. But the mentality has to be followed.
Stewards telling you to sit down? Imagine that in Europe? They’d get hit over the head with a pint of beer.
Stopped reading at "gladly have a drum"I sit at the back of the South Stand level 1 singing section (next to the away fans) and i would gladly have a drum to keep a rythm going to keep people singing.
I’ve said this before, plenty of times people near me bang the seats up & down to try and get a song going (until the stewards tell them to stop)
You can’t tell me it doesn’t work - just look at Palace,Celtic, Rangers etc....
But when you have quite a few people against the idea, we can’t moan or see our arses when most of the section are stood there with armes folded biting their nails while about 20 of us are trying to get songs started at the back.
My honest opinion is that some of the people in the singing section aren’t there to sing but to have banter with the away fans.
I would love all 2000 or 3000 fans in our section to be constantly singing & bouncing......unfortunately we’ve not done anything like that since the Poznan.
This isn’t me having a pop at other supporters - it’s just my opinion.
You stopped reading and others have stopped singing.Stopped reading at "gladly have a drum"
That made absolutely no sense whatsoever :/You stopped reading and others have stopped singing.
No drum, no other idea’s - let’s blame the club, stick the V’s up to the visiting supporter then fold arms showing Stone Island badge.