Blue2112
Well-Known Member
I'm ageing, into my 52nd season of following City "LIVE" as Martin Tyler would say and 47 years a season ticket holder and I'm just about hanging in there with modern day football buy by Christ it's a struggle sometimes. So much I could write about the changing face of the game some for the good and some for the bad. I went to a gig last night straight from the Derby. I couldn't fully focus on it after the defeat but at least it helped the anger and frustration die away a little.
What hasn't died away though and is something I've been struggling with more and more since last season is the present day football fan. In this instance I'm steering clear of all the social media fan stuff, begrudgingly accepting it's all part of the ever changing ways in which people engage in football. Let me also confirm I have no problem with people taking the odd photo or video. I've done it myself for family overseas so they can get a sense of it and stay in touch with it on matchday. I've long since stopped engaging in football talk on Twitter or X which is the only social media I am active on, it rarely if ever ends up in good debate and always ends up in petty point scoring and tit for tat toxicity.
No what really irks me is fans sat in the home end filming the opposing players celebrating with the away fans. It's happened in front of me on a few occasions when I've let it go when it wasn't a local rival or a particular heated game. However last season in the Upper tier corner of the East Stand after Real Madrid beat us I had lads leaning over me filming their fans and players celebrating and I could see it all on their phone. I ever so angrily told them to F**K O** filming Madrid and doing it in front of me and in our end. I'm not a fan he replied in his best pigeon English and it all got heated very quickly until he and his mates took the advice and moved away.
Yesterday at the final whistle whilst I was watching the players leave the field with the exception of Haaland, Gvardiol and Dias who walked around and clapped everyone (well done Haaland for telling the rest to do it) I lost count of the number of lads, well men really walking past me towards the rag end with phone in hand filming the rags celebrating. Until one stopped in front of me and he immediately copped for an earful. "I don't support any of the teams" he said. So stop filming the C***s then if you don't support them or fuck off and take your rag c***ing phone out of my eyesight". My wife was already trying to get me to calm down which always has the opposite reaction. "No fuck him filming them celebrating whilst stood in our end I know exactly what he is doing and I know exactly who he supports". He didn't hang around and quickly moved on where I watched him join his mate about 20 seats away and carried on filming whilst I carried on giving it out to at least 3 other's doing the same thing as I trooped angrily up the stairwell past more half n' half f***ing scarves than I had fingers and toes to count.
Now I'm 60 next year and this isn't a good look ranting at younger men half my age and once I've calmed down I feel a little embarrassed, after all it's only football but f**k me it's great fun and gets the blood flowing. I love the banter and even had a wry smile when they got the second just knowing what shit was about to come. It's what football's all about, giving and taking the banter but FFS have some self awareness when you're in an opposing end.
What hasn't died away though and is something I've been struggling with more and more since last season is the present day football fan. In this instance I'm steering clear of all the social media fan stuff, begrudgingly accepting it's all part of the ever changing ways in which people engage in football. Let me also confirm I have no problem with people taking the odd photo or video. I've done it myself for family overseas so they can get a sense of it and stay in touch with it on matchday. I've long since stopped engaging in football talk on Twitter or X which is the only social media I am active on, it rarely if ever ends up in good debate and always ends up in petty point scoring and tit for tat toxicity.
No what really irks me is fans sat in the home end filming the opposing players celebrating with the away fans. It's happened in front of me on a few occasions when I've let it go when it wasn't a local rival or a particular heated game. However last season in the Upper tier corner of the East Stand after Real Madrid beat us I had lads leaning over me filming their fans and players celebrating and I could see it all on their phone. I ever so angrily told them to F**K O** filming Madrid and doing it in front of me and in our end. I'm not a fan he replied in his best pigeon English and it all got heated very quickly until he and his mates took the advice and moved away.
Yesterday at the final whistle whilst I was watching the players leave the field with the exception of Haaland, Gvardiol and Dias who walked around and clapped everyone (well done Haaland for telling the rest to do it) I lost count of the number of lads, well men really walking past me towards the rag end with phone in hand filming the rags celebrating. Until one stopped in front of me and he immediately copped for an earful. "I don't support any of the teams" he said. So stop filming the C***s then if you don't support them or fuck off and take your rag c***ing phone out of my eyesight". My wife was already trying to get me to calm down which always has the opposite reaction. "No fuck him filming them celebrating whilst stood in our end I know exactly what he is doing and I know exactly who he supports". He didn't hang around and quickly moved on where I watched him join his mate about 20 seats away and carried on filming whilst I carried on giving it out to at least 3 other's doing the same thing as I trooped angrily up the stairwell past more half n' half f***ing scarves than I had fingers and toes to count.
Now I'm 60 next year and this isn't a good look ranting at younger men half my age and once I've calmed down I feel a little embarrassed, after all it's only football but f**k me it's great fun and gets the blood flowing. I love the banter and even had a wry smile when they got the second just knowing what shit was about to come. It's what football's all about, giving and taking the banter but FFS have some self awareness when you're in an opposing end.