Have football fans changed?

[Canadian Rover]

Have fans changed?

I think they have.

We’re in an era of instant reactions, social media analysis, and armchair supporters (of which, to be fair, I’m one myself). But it feels like the joy of the game is getting lost in the noise. Instead of appreciating what’s happening on the pitch, a lot of fans seem more preoccupied with what might happen next or who’s to blame if it doesn’t.

Take the Salford match, for example. I actually thought we put in a solid shift. The pitch didn’t lend itself to silky football, but I appreciated the graft. Big Tom throwing himself into injury-time clearances, Sterry and Luke taking on their men, and TSL pinging a brilliant pass from deep that almost led to a goal

I watched the game (at home) feeling proud of the effort and entertained. But then I checked social media, and you’d swear Cukur and Dodoo had laced up again.  It just me, or are we losing sight of what football’s about? There seems to be more interest in moaning than in actually enjoying the game.

Am I alone in thinking this?

[Canadian Rover]

Have fans changed?

I think they have.

We’re in an era of instant reactions, social media analysis, and armchair supporters (of which, to be fair, I’m one myself). But it feels like the joy of the game is getting lost in the noise. Instead of appreciating what’s happening on the pitch, a lot of fans seem more preoccupied with what might happen next season or who’s to blame each week.

Take the Salford match, for example. I actually thought we put in a solid shift. The pitch didn’t lend itself to silky football, but I appreciated the graft. Big Tom throwing himself into injury-time clearances, Sterry and Luke taking on their men, and TSL pinging a brilliant pass from deep that almost led to a goal

I watched the game (at home) feeling proud of the effort and entertained. But then I checked social media, and you’d swear Cukur and Dodoo had laced up again.  It just me, or are we losing sight of what football’s about? There seems to be more interest in moaning than in actually enjoying the game.

Am I alone in thinking this?

[Spud]

Totally agree, I avoided coming on here straight after a game, for a while, it was like I'd watched a different game (I've toughened up now lol & just have a wry smile at a lot of the comments).
Like you, I thought it was a good game on Tuesday, OK maybe not the best group of players we've ever had but certainly not the worst, the main thing is they all put a shift in (yes, even Gibson, before anyone says owt), that will do for me.
I think the bar was set for many by the championship days & the players we had then, we're in League Two (hopefully not for too long), people need to remember that & enjoy the ride, if this season doesn't get yer juices flowing you're wasting your time.
Great post btw.

[sf9944]

I agree Canadian. You are not alone!

[philsky]

Absolutely 100%.

Every match is micro-managed to death; every player's every move / decision seems to be over-analysed. These are 4th tier players after all and in the most part we see a decent quality of football.

It's maybe my age but i'm now less demanding and more reflective of our guys doing their absolute best and like the rest of us, cock up now and then.

I also watched the Salford match. Saw our team stripped of key players, against a team desperate to get into the play offs and on home turf and with a decent squad. I actually thought we did pretty well. The pitch was weird to boot. In the circumstances and given the number of matches we've had to cram in I also thought we did pretty well.

[Padge_DRFC]

There was nothing wrong with their pitch. It looked excellent

[roversdude]

Agree there were a lot of “fans” at Salford who I’ve never seen at an away game before, who it seemed had travelled purely to slag our team off. This was from minute one

[NickDRFC]

It’s just such a strange season. We’re in a great position, relatively speaking, but it just all feels a bit…flat.

Last season’s run in was phenomenal. Once in a generation stuff, if that. And it generated a huge feel-good factor. The Crewe defeat was deflating, incredibly so, but the club managed to recover much of that feeling. McCann’s bullish and comes out saying we’re going for the title. Backed well by the board. We’ve signed the EFL’s all time top goalscorer who’d already shown us he knew a thing or two about scoring goals at the Keepmoat. We’ve kept Moly against all odds. We’ve extended contracts for the two midfielders who are most comfortable with the ball and looked set to play a much bigger role. We’ve signed a crafty little bugger who’s been tearing up the National League and has decent football league experience, he’ll be key to helping us unlock those stubborn defences. We’ve signed a local rival’s player of the year. Adelak-who? We’ve just signed an upgrade who’s come off the back of 40-odd games in League One. We’ve got an electric loanee who’ll really get people off their seats. We’ve got huge strength in depth, that’ll blow other tired teams away come the latter part of the season. And of course presiding over all this we’ve got a Championship manager.

Early season was a bit up and down, we were picking up points. Just wait until it clicks, everyone says. McCann will work out his best team and we’ll find the balance in midfield, then we’ll start blowing teams away.

We spent more money in January, including a statement signing (still not sure who that was - if it was Street he’s turned out to be a great signing to be fair but McCann and I have very different definitions of statement). We sign an untested kid from Man U but he must be talented enough to be a game changer as we let one of our biggest game changers (albeit inconsistent) go out on loan himself.

We’ve plodded on. We’ve accumulated points. We’ve been there or thereabouts and on the cusp of pulling clear but never able to actually do it. Too many false starts and false dawns.

Maybe it’s last year’s run raising expectations to unrealistic levels. Maybe it’s the talk from the club doing the same. Maybe it’s the romantic memories of McCann’s first spell and how exciting it was to watch, compared with what we’ve been served up week in week out. Maybe it’s the dreadful standard of refereeing. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve not done very well with the games I’ve watched live (Bromley, Wimbledon, Carlisle). I’m not sure, but for me the season has just been a bit of a slog. Maybe it’s been too long since we were in a similar position but I don’t remember feeling as flat as this when we made the playoffs under McCann, or any of the promotions under Fergie, Penney or O’Driscoll. We’ve still got a great chance of getting promoted, maybe even after a day out at Wembley, and I would definitely enjoy that. Hopefully will enjoy that. There’s just not been all that much to savour in getting there.

[GazLaz]

Society has changed. It always keeps on changing.

[jmt23]

I have to fully disagree with the comment on their pitch being good.
Good god it was a beach, they kept giving close up shots of it during the game, it was like Swiss cheese in places, and the newer stuff was cutting up really easily.

It didn’t really impact play though as we went long and high most of the match.

[Usher wide.]

Social media, the scourge of the masses.

Or at least it is for those who use these platforms to abuse, ridicule & berate people with no thought to the psychological harm they are causing.

[Pancho Regan]

Have fans changed?

I think they have.

We’re in an era of instant reactions, social media analysis, and armchair supporters (of which, to be fair, I’m one myself). But it feels like the joy of the game is getting lost in the noise. Instead of appreciating what’s happening on the pitch, a lot of fans seem more preoccupied with what might happen next or who’s to blame if it doesn’t.

Take the Salford match, for example. I actually thought we put in a solid shift. The pitch didn’t lend itself to silky football, but I appreciated the graft. Big Tom throwing himself into injury-time clearances, Sterry and Luke taking on their men, and TSL pinging a brilliant pass from deep that almost led to a goal

I watched the game (at home) feeling proud of the effort and entertained. But then I checked social media, and you’d swear Cukur and Dodoo had laced up again.  It just me, or are we losing sight of what football’s about? There seems to be more interest in moaning than in actually enjoying the game.

Am I alone in thinking this?

A good post CR, and I agree with a lot of what you say.

But I don't think fans have changed. There have always been moaning buggers for as long as I can remember (and that's a long time).

In fact Rovers moaners have become almost legendary. I recall that amazing match when we beat Reading 7-5; one of the most thrilling games I've ever witnessed and of course it was one of a sequence of incredible high-scoring games. But after the final whistle a bloke standing near to me shouted "When are you gonna get this defence sorted Bremner?!"

And at the Salford game the other night. As soon as their free-kick hit the back of the net the old goat next to me nudged my arm and shouted "This goalkeeper is f*****g s**t isn't he?"
I replied "He's an England U21 international".
Old goat: "Well he's still f*****g s**t".
This was one of many negative comments from this guy which was spoiling the game for me so I moved from the stand to the terrace for the 2nd half.

So it's nothing new.

What's new is the in-depth statistical analysis which some fans seem obsessed with.
I think that detracts from the emotion and enjoyment which for me is all part of the fan experience.

And as mentioned above, we're watching 4th-tier football here. You can't expect flawless performances.

[drfchound]

Have fans changed?

I think they have.

We’re in an era of instant reactions, social media analysis, and armchair supporters (of which, to be fair, I’m one myself). But it feels like the joy of the game is getting lost in the noise. Instead of appreciating what’s happening on the pitch, a lot of fans seem more preoccupied with what might happen next or who’s to blame if it doesn’t.

Take the Salford match, for example. I actually thought we put in a solid shift. The pitch didn’t lend itself to silky football, but I appreciated the graft. Big Tom throwing himself into injury-time clearances, Sterry and Luke taking on their men, and TSL pinging a brilliant pass from deep that almost led to a goal

I watched the game (at home) feeling proud of the effort and entertained. But then I checked social media, and you’d swear Cukur and Dodoo had laced up again.  It just me, or are we losing sight of what football’s about? There seems to be more interest in moaning than in actually enjoying the game.

Am I alone in thinking this?

Great post CR and also some of the words in the follow up posts too.
Social media has made some people into “experts” on everything.
I also thought we did well at Salford and saw the result as a point gained.
All too often fans will see what we did on the pitch but forget there are two teams out there, each doing their best.
When we score hardly anyone picks out an error by the opponents but if we concede the “faults” are analysed to death.
Fans have definitely changed.

[graingrover]

I like Canadian Rover view from abroad and am always more disturbed by the fans' forum negativity than by the occasional defeat or poor performance per se .I do think that U.K. is in a downbeat period in time yet compared with Canada which is being assailed by Trump and my adopted country Belgium, you guys have it cushty!

[idler]

Years ago fans relied on newspapers for their info rather than today’s instant various media outlets. Unless you worked with or bumped into a fellow Rovers fan the subject of our team was forgotten until we met mates, read the paper or there was a game on. Until 1964 and Match Of The Day there was very little football on tv. International matches and the FA Cup were your lot.
Now you can watch live football seven days a week and every programme hs its own pundits and analysts. I think that fans now do analyse too much and sometimes just trot out what the expert (who can also get it wrong) spouts, often repeating the same cliches. Social media allows fans to insult and vilify other fans that they have never met but might get on with if they did. We all get frustrated but I think social media hypes things up and allows people to act and behave in a way that if they were talking face to face they would never consider. Life in general now seems to generate a need for instant gratification but real life isn’t like that.
Take the rough with the smooth and let the highs carry you through the lows. If in real life you meet somebody that you don’t like or really regularly disagree with you would keep contact to a minimum and avoid them. Doing the same on social media would cause a lot less tension, bad feeling and downright rudeness. Fans were a lot more patient in the past even if they hurt just as much after a defeat. You discussed it at and after the game with mates and a few strangers rather than falling out with complete strangers some living hundreds or thousands of miles away.

[dickos1]

Exactly CR,
It seems these folk have the same reactions, mentality wherever we are in the table.

[normal rules]

We’ve been spoilt in league two seasons not that long ago. Stock, wellens coppinger et al. The quality of football currently isn’t as good . Simple as that.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

I actually think for a committed fan like me the TV side is both good and bad.  Good that I saw the game on Tuesday given I couldn't make the rearrangement.  But bad in that I watched it in detail and could analyse each bit. We never used to have that.  A game would come and go.  Now it's everywhere for days, highlights, reaction etc.  20 years ago it was the free press and a few forums.

There is also every club expecting to win and that's changed a lot. Demands are massive and gone are the days of a guy signing at 2pm playing a game and never being seen again. It's all just more focussed and also for us our club is more serious. We aren't a pub team any more at belle Vue and that changes fan expectations.

[Reg of the Rovers]

I agree with some of the sentiment about social media and society in general being more 'entitled', but also I think most people as customers are more discerning. Being a football fan isn't cheap, it'll be at least £100 for me and my lads to go to Tranmere tomorrow, even before we're eaten etc, so there's a reasonable expectation as a customer for a good quality 'service'.

We do loads right as a club, our ticket office is always efficient and helpful, the match day experience is usually pretty good, and we are trying to invest in quality and performance on the pitch. But, football is expensive at a time when folks don't have loads of spare cash, so I think expectations rise that bit more because of that - if I'm spending over £100 on a day out I want to enjoy it, to feel entertained and valued, and I haven't always felt that this year. But we're in a decent place in the league so if we kick on over the next few games and get over the line then I think all will be forgiven and we can party and celebrate! 

[RoversInSpain]

Have fans changed?

I think they have.

We’re in an era of instant reactions, social media analysis, and armchair supporters (of which, to be fair, I’m one myself). But it feels like the joy of the game is getting lost in the noise. Instead of appreciating what’s happening on the pitch, a lot of fans seem more preoccupied with what might happen next or who’s to blame if it doesn’t.

Take the Salford match, for example. I actually thought we put in a solid shift. The pitch didn’t lend itself to silky football, but I appreciated the graft. Big Tom throwing himself into injury-time clearances, Sterry and Luke taking on their men, and TSL pinging a brilliant pass from deep that almost led to a goal

I watched the game (at home) feeling proud of the effort and entertained. But then I checked social media, and you’d swear Cukur and Dodoo had laced up again.  It just me, or are we losing sight of what football’s about? There seems to be more interest in moaning than in actually enjoying the game.

Am I alone in thinking this?

Totally Agree. Some of the reaction after Salford was 4 year old stuff.
Thought we put in a very gutsy performance v a team that had just demolished Notts County.

[Avsuptem]

Yes, we have been there and thereabouts all season and have a gripping last few games ahead. You would think that means there is a lot to like. I do sometimes wonder though if it might be a better business model for the club if we stay at the top end of league 2 without actually getting promoted.

[dickos1]

Yes, we have been there and thereabouts all season and have a gripping last few games ahead. You would think that means there is a lot to like. I do sometimes wonder though if it might be a better business model for the club if we stay at the top end of league 2 without actually getting promoted.

A model that costs a fortune wouldn’t be better for the club

[BillyStubbsTears]

CR

I've got a lot of sympathy with that post, but I think the reactions to this season are very specific to this season. Certainly in my case - I'm an eternal optimist who always hopes against hope when we are 0-3 down after 70 minutes "If we can just nick one now..."

But I don't see any contradiction between that and also being a realist on the facts. It's like indulging both your emotional side and your rational side.

This year, I'll confess, the rational side is winning out in my case. That's partly because this season has really not been much FUN. We had 2-3 cracking performances early on in the season. Really good away days at Bradford and Grimsby for example. But since then it's been grim.

We are just about grinding out enough results to keep in the hunt, but never feeling like the squad is performing as well as the sum of its parts. And never really having that edge of the seat feeling.

Two big matches recently against Walsall and Wimbledon are excellent examples. Those should have been humdingers but in both games the second halves in particular have been grimly dull. A side lacking a systemic approach that either entertained or was effective, and waiting for a moment of individual excellence Gibson/Sharp vs Walsall) or luck (big deflection Vs Wimbledon) to lift things.

So yeah, I've surprised myself with how emotionally detached I've been feeling about a situation that ought to be heart in mouth every week. But I think overall, if we DO make promotion, it'll be great rationally, but it'll be the least enjoyable one in my 50-odd years as a fan. And I really didn't expect that from a McCann side. We are possibly going to go up, having had no more than a slack handful of really entertaining performances all season.

[Plumbster]

I think the fact that we can watch more games on tv increases that sense of detachment and cold analysis. Part of the reason that I felt more upbeat than some about the Salford performance may have been because I was stood on a terrace alongside fellow supporters, willing the lads on and could almost feel the massive effort Tom and others were putting in, as well as seeing up close the quality of the Salford midfield they were up against.

[Fal]

Part of the problem these days is stuff like Football Manager and Fifa where players can do tactical stuff and understand that side of the game and their seems to be more focus on it from a punditry point of view.

This season has been horrible to watch though purely due to standard of football in this division, most of the teams are putting 10 men behind the ball and its rare you play  a team who play football, the MK Dons and Notts County matches standout. As we all are, i am desperate that we go up because i cant deal with another season of this style of opposition.

[andysly]

I listen to my grandson and his mate going to and home from games and it’s like everyone’s an analyst these days.
We all used to think we could pick a better team or use a sub earlier or not but this younger bunch examine things to the nth degree. As somebody said it’s football manager and fifa they get used to. Also watching premier league on tv and expecting similar levels from 4th tier lads.

[belton rover]

I think it’s mainly a societal problem. Someone used the term ‘excess access’ in off topic a while ago, and that’s really stuck with me.
It’s too easy to have a platform to voice one’s opinions nowadays, and because of this it’s often done with little thought or reflection. In turn, that has led to instant dismissal of other views, and  opinions becoming facts.

I also think there is an arrogance from some post Conference fans who, because of the 10+ years of incredible success, think we are much more than a division 4 club, despite history telling a different story.

[i_ateallthepies]

Yes, we have been there and thereabouts all season and have a gripping last few games ahead. You would think that means there is a lot to like. I do sometimes wonder though if it might be a better business model for the club if we stay at the top end of league 2 without actually getting promoted.

Where the hell is that dislike button? 

[GazLaz]

CR

I've got a lot of sympathy with that post, but I think the reactions to this season are very specific to this season. Certainly in my case - I'm an eternal optimist who always hopes against hope when we are 0-3 down after 70 minutes "If we can just nick one now..."

But I don't see any contradiction between that and also being a realist on the facts. It's like indulging both your emotional side and your rational side.

This year, I'll confess, the rational side is winning out in my case. That's partly because this season has really not been much FUN. We had 2-3 cracking performances early on in the season. Really good away days at Bradford and Grimsby for example. But since then it's been grim.

We are just about grinding out enough results to keep in the hunt, but never feeling like the squad is performing as well as the sum of its parts. And never really having that edge of the seat feeling.

Two big matches recently against Walsall and Wimbledon are excellent examples. Those should have been humdingers but in both games the second halves in particular have been grimly dull. A side lacking a systemic approach that either entertained or was effective, and waiting for a moment of individual excellence Gibson/Sharp vs Walsall) or luck (big deflection Vs Wimbledon) to lift things.

So yeah, I've surprised myself with how emotionally detached I've been feeling about a situation that ought to be heart in mouth every week. But I think overall, if we DO make promotion, it'll be great rationally, but it'll be the least enjoyable one in my 50-odd years as a fan. And I really didn't expect that from a McCann side. We are possibly going to go up, having had no more than a slack handful of really entertaining performances all season.

Certainly not playing the football GM promised when he took over.

[danumdon]

CR

I've got a lot of sympathy with that post, but I think the reactions to this season are very specific to this season. Certainly in my case - I'm an eternal optimist who always hopes against hope when we are 0-3 down after 70 minutes "If we can just nick one now..."

But I don't see any contradiction between that and also being a realist on the facts. It's like indulging both your emotional side and your rational side.

This year, I'll confess, the rational side is winning out in my case. That's partly because this season has really not been much FUN. We had 2-3 cracking performances early on in the season. Really good away days at Bradford and Grimsby for example. But since then it's been grim.

We are just about grinding out enough results to keep in the hunt, but never feeling like the squad is performing as well as the sum of its parts. And never really having that edge of the seat feeling.

Two big matches recently against Walsall and Wimbledon are excellent examples. Those should have been humdingers but in both games the second halves in particular have been grimly dull. A side lacking a systemic approach that either entertained or was effective, and waiting for a moment of individual excellence Gibson/Sharp vs Walsall) or luck (big deflection Vs Wimbledon) to lift things.

So yeah, I've surprised myself with how emotionally detached I've been feeling about a situation that ought to be heart in mouth every week. But I think overall, if we DO make promotion, it'll be great rationally, but it'll be the least enjoyable one in my 50-odd years as a fan. And I really didn't expect that from a McCann side. We are possibly going to go up, having had no more than a slack handful of really entertaining performances all season.

Certainly not playing the football GM promised when he took over.

Its certainly the case for multiple reasons that we are not seeing anything like the previous performances from a GM side like we had in his previous tenure. This in itself is a great shame as that team and squad really did make watching the game far more pleasurable than the fare we currently have served up each game.

Its not that fans have changed in some much as they have access to multiple types of social media so the games will be scrutinised far more often but the actual fare on the pitch is of a standard that's massively different in excitement, content and performance. I remember the Saunders/Flynn season, i hated the way we ground out wins with performances that were workmanlike and effective but as a spectacle and an entertainment they contained little that got the fans buzzing, until the last match of the season. The end result was reached but the fare was very hard to watch.

Jump forward to GM's first spell and its was such a massive transformation, it was great to watch, exciting and made you sit on the edge of your seat in expectation of something really good was about to happen.

What we have had this season is nothing like that, the players are working hard, there's no denying that,  but the setup and execution leaves you numb after watching it. I know nothing can ever stay the same and you cannot keep looking back, you need to always progress forward but if we get promotion we will need to be far more effective and competent in everything we do, if we can achieve that by also being very progressive and entertaining, playing good football then i don't speak for anyone else but i will be happy with that sort of evolution.

Another season like this one (loads of potential but delivering little in the way of entertainment even if ultimately successful) will bore the pants of me. Id rather watch a battling performance full of incident and excitement, even if we ultimately get beat than be sat watching a goalkeeper and his defence play keep ball and then produce very little, this type of football will kill the game stone dead along with the watching audience.