TGR said:
I agree entirely. A sensible post on this subject at last.
I got up to leave and went onto the concourse on my way out I nipped into the gents for a piss. As I was half way through when Dzeko scored. I went back and watched it from the entrance with the stewards and loads of others. My mate who did leave climbed back in over the spiral (using the gate as a ladder) to watch the presentation. He said there was police outside with dogs guarding the turnstiles so nobody could get near them!. I don't blame anyone for leaving that day and never will. It was traumatic. people handle things in different ways. Whatever gets you through the night...
Of course the circumstances were very unique. I left after 65 minutes and was in the concourse after 10 minutes. I wouldn't even come out for the second half. At 42 it's the first time I've ever left a match early in my life, including Gillingham. The level of stress and pressure were like nothing I've ever experienced and I can tell you that I was far from alone in that concourse for most of the first half.
I've no idea where I was even going when I left; it was seriously as if I'd had a breakdown. All I can tell you is that I couldn't be around the swelling of people that came out when QPR went 2:1 up - and obviously I wasn't going to go back to my seat as I couldn't even sit there at 0:0 or 1:0.
Glad to see a sensible post on this after several posts that seem to assume that those early leavers are disloyal or part time fans. For me it was that it affected me too much; to the point where it was borderline damaging to my health. I'd wanted to win something, anything, since I was 5 years old and this feeling grew each year. I was in a real state for the FA Cup too which I watched at City Square - I couldn't watch the last 20 minutes; properly anyway.
The league was like the ultimate expression of everything I'd ever wanted. And the circumstances of our (still!) unbelievable comeback from being 8 points behind added to it. All I remember from the walk was trying to focus on my children and trying to tell myself that I can't get into this state again.
