Forum Negativity

[Flight]

Is it just me, or does the tone of the forum tend towards negativity, no matter how well the team are doing ? We're joint top of the Prem at the end of Nov, through the CL group stage with a game to spare and for the first time in two decades instead of looking for the last piece of the jigsaw we can look at improving positions which are more than adequately covered.

 

I'll throw two things out for folks to consider and I'd appreciate feedback on them :

 

 

i) its long been my opinion, that Hicks substantial investment in emergency PR companies produced one strategy : keep their mouths shut and the fans will 'eat themselves'; there is frustration and concern about the ownership and administration of the club, but as long as they keep quiet its hard to focus on them. Even a stupid man appears wise if he keeps his mouth shut.

 

 

ii) we've only played really poorly since Nando came back from injury. Heracy, I know. But I truly fear the 4 4 2 we played against Fulham, especially for our wing play, particularly Kuyt who has almost always been abysmal in that formation. And playing just Nando up front its obvious he had problems. With Keane in 4 5 1 we played some great football and had games we could have scored 6 or 7 in.

 

 

 

 

ii) plays into the criticism and is just me trying to be positive. The question I'm posing is do we tend towards too much negativity, instead of getting behind the players and being positive when the team is in a really good position. And is it largely because the club have foundational problems, but the owners are keeping their mouths shut and staying out of the public eye ?

[Molby]

You're all over the place here lad

 

is this tactical, about the owners or about the matchday crowd or the internet crowd?

[Cunny]

pessimism is my default position

[Chili Palmer]

I have no problem with people on here voicing concerns about form/tactics, I think that that is one of the reasons why football forums can be interesting, fans getting together with one common goal, to see their team successful. In fact this is the one place where I feel comfortable voicing concerns. Its the people that voice concerns at matches that piss me off, then is not the time.

 

I'm sure even Rafa, in private, talking with staff will say 'so and sos not playing well, or that was a shocking miss from keane, or who the feck recommended Dossena?'

[MarkD]

I respect all pessimists - they are always right or pleasantly surprised.

[Bogman]

Every other forum is exactly the same.

 

As someone famous once said:

 

"you can't please people all of the time, but if you follow the trawler whilst eating a prawn sandwich, we will beat them on the beaches"

 

or something like that.

[RedHarvest]

There's mild forum pessimism borne of frustration when the team/individual players underperform or anxiety about the future of the club - and then there's it's hateful cousin: the unreasonable and hasty dumping of anger and frustration in the form of scapegoating players, Sky generation style short termism, vendettas and axe grinding among forum members etc... same as it ever was, it provides colour and shouldn't be taken too seriously. The forum would be boring if it was just a cheerleading platform.

[Paddy 66]

I'm not sure the negativity is down to one specific thing, but I think people need to remember its ok to moan and that on a forum but when you're at the match you should be getting behind the team not booing substitutions etc.

[RedHarvest]

I'm not sure the negativity is down to one specific thing, but I think people need to remember its ok to moan and that on a forum but when you're at the match you should be getting behind the team not booing substitutions etc.

Spot on. Negativity at the games is unforgivable, it's what Carra was referring to last week, the players and staff feel it.

[matty]

Most people are utter c*nts, IMHO.

[DanielS]

Most people are utter c*nts, IMHO.

 

Projecting again.

[TheLa]

I'm not sure the negativity is down to one specific thing, but I think people need to remember its ok to moan and that on a forum but when you're at the match you should be getting behind the team not booing substitutions etc.

 

That wound me up no end on Saturday. And even worse than that, I was sat in front of Jimmy f***ing Tarbuck*, chuckling away at himself all game every time one of our players f***ed up. "Oh that was brilliant that Kuyt. Hahaha", "That Lucas is a great player isn't he? Hohoho", "Wow, that was a great goal that Keane. Heehe" I wanted to throw him down the stairs.

 

*Not the real Jimmy f***ing Tarbuck you understand, just some arl c*** from the Wirral who though he was funny.

[impware]

I think a lot of the pessimism I hear, not just on fora but in the pub and at the match (I'm not talking about the booing idiots), is in large down to the amount of time since we've last won the league. We've been left deflated so many times a lot of people are just waiting for a bad patch to come along and finish the season for us - because for years that's what's always happened.

 

They're just getting their retaliation in first to insulate themselves from the pain they're expecting and that way they can say "I know we'd blow it so I'm not bothered", when in fact they'd be as gutted as the next fan. It's a lot easier (though wrong) to cope with the season that way than to get your hopes up again and come crashing down by December or whenever.

 

It seems to be more the older fans that are acting and thinking this way, I suppose because we remember how good it was when we did win the league - the younger fans don't know it and only have 2005 to go by which, for me anyway, gave a different kind of feeling than grinding out a league trophy.

 

I'm not sure what the best cure is for this but I suspect it is probably best to poke them in the ribs and to tell them to man up and show a bit of faith.

[Chili Palmer]

They're just getting their retaliation in first to insulate themselves from the pain they're expecting and that way they can say "I know we'd blow it so I'm not bothered", when in fact they'd be as gutted as the next fan. It's a lot easier (though wrong) to cope with the season that way than to get your hopes up again and come crashing down by December or whenever.

 

I think that attitude sucks if I'm honest, as you say, people like that need to be optimistic.

Edited November 28, 2008 by Chili Palmer

[fyds]

Locally speaking, scousers are generally of a mind that hopes for the best but always expects the worst - a short history lesson would explain why this is not unnaturally the case. The age of the poster often has something to do with it, relative to patience, a broader, loner term picture etc and of course, a deeper knowledge of what they're looking at.

 

The forum can be unduly negative and frankly tedious when things are not going as well as hoped for, equally they can be a bit too easy when things are going well...of course, there is also a body of posters (at least pre-cull) who can't tell the difference when things are going well or bad, and have their own pet hatreds or bugbears to flog anyway.

 

Overall though, we do tend toward the unnecessarily negative. I agree with others that this is something which should not transfer itself to being at the match - that would be unforgivable.

[matty]

Projecting again.

And you're the biggest of all.

[Farmer's Tan]

alot of people who watch or go to matches are on edge and easily frustrated they also have their few players who no matter what cant do anything right,so when things start to go wrong they're spitting and stuttering out as many insults as they can think off any time one of the players they cant stand as much as touches the ball.the tension obviously eases when we get an early goal and they can actually enjoy the rest of the game.Basically alot of people are useless under pressure or stress and they only way to deal with it is to let loose on anyone.

 

i'm kind of like that,i have (or did have one or two players that annoyed me beyond belief when they were even picked for the team)but when they played well consistantly i gave them a break,but if there is a mistake in tactics like rafa leaving out alonso for lucas in a prem game,or for even buying degen and dossena(especially degen who i knew before we bought him he was utter s***)u got to let that frustration out.

[Coyler]

*Not the real Jimmy f***ing Tarbuck

Ah bollix! It was a great image.

[JRC]

Unfortunately it does seem to be transferring to the match though. What was once an Article of Faith - you support whoever is out there in a Red shirt while the game is on - seems to be long gone. Fwiw, the main offenders round me are older, scouse STH, who don't ever sing and who virtually never find anything good to say about anyone; although the very worst is undoubtedly the bull-headed loudmouth whose indignation and bucolic fury hits fever pitch when the team is announced and cranks up from there on. He clearly thinks we are privileged to hear his brand of intelligent and witty sarcasm and insightful football knowledge. He has a friend about 7 rows in front who he regularly engages in 'conversation' when he takes a rest from just generally issuing abuse. My lad and I make our point by singing and ostentatiously clapping and commending his current bete(s) noir, but I doubt he even notices. There's definitely some ego thing going on with him - angrier, louder, sound of own voice and all that.

 

What IS clear is that the specifics of negativity very quickly make their way from the fora to the match going moaner, and it's always in that direction. As soon as a negative cliche is aired on here, I can pretty well guarantee I'll hear the miserabilists behind me raising it like its pearls of their own wisdom. Maybe I'm wrong, but it feels like they trawl through the negative posts and make mental notes to use this argument or that next time they are at the match.

 

Mind you, if they didn't read the forum, how would they know who the current top scapegoat is? Some ignorant people seem to still think it's Kuyt! How last season are they!

[DanielS]

And you're the biggest of all.

 

You're not even a c***. You're just a sad punchline to a poor joke.

[Des]

You're not even a c***. You're just a sad punchline to a poor joke.

 

My dog's got no nose.

 

How does he smell?

 

Matty.

[matty]

You're not even a c***. You're just a sad punchline to a poor joke.

What is the f*cking point of this Daniel? Are you bored and looking for a row? MAde a t** of yourself with the New Zealand thread and trying to lash out at someone else? Really, it's pointless.

[DanielS]

What is the f*cking point of this Daniel? Are you bored and looking for a row? MAde a t** of yourself with the New Zealand thread and trying to lash out at someone else? Really, it's pointless.

 

1 + 1 = 23 in Matty land?

[matty]

I think we may be witnessing a breakdown at first hand here. Go to bed, lad.

[fyds]

My dog's got no nose.

 

How does he smell?

 

Matty.