Being a supporter

[bfff]

What does being a supporter of a football club mean to you?

I would like to hear your opinions. At Saturday's game it was interesting to note the different reactions of the supporters around me to the poor performance. Some left at half-time because they couldn't watch anymore and some stayed to the end. Some were baying for the players' blood and some just sat in some kind of muted shock.

This season has been one of extreme highs and lows for Freo supporters. We have gone from being no chance to top 4 and now it seems that there is some consensus about the prospect of another decade of mid to bottom of the table pain.

Personally I am an eternal optimist when it comes to Freo. I always stay to the end and I don't really like giving the players crap. Why kick someone when they are down? All I ask is for them to learn from games like last weekend's and do something about it.

 

[Nickos66]

Generally the only thing that keeps me watching games like saturday is to make sure the youngsters still manage to get a kick and see how they're developing, but this year... yeesh. Not much to look at in this form.

 

[Seppo]

What does being a supporter of a football club mean to you?

I would like to hear your opinions. At Saturday's game it was interesting to note the different reactions of the supporters around me to the poor performance. Some left at half-time because they couldn't watch anymore and some stayed to the end. Some were baying for the players' blood and some just sat in some kind of muted shock.

This season has been one of extreme highs and lows for Freo supporters. We have gone from being no chance to top 4 and now it seems that there is some consensus about the prospect of another decade of mid to bottom of the table pain.

Personally I am an eternal optimist when it comes to Freo. I always stay to the end and I don't really like giving the players crap. Why kick someone when they are down? All I ask is for them to learn from games like last weekend's and do something about it.

^This

I am another eternal optimist. The glass is always half full when it comes to Freo for me.

However, when kicking someone when they are down does have its merrits: MJ anyone?

 

[Lord Nicholson]

Some left at half-time because they couldn't watch anymore

Unacceptable, no matter what the circumstances. I've never left a game before the final siren, not for the Dockers or the Bombers.

In fact, I remember Round 16, '01, a few Bombers fans leaving at quarter-time, when we were down by 58, and... well, they looked like idiots.

If you've shown up to a football match wearing the regalia of your team, you're there to support them and lend your voice. Not just to see them do well. I guess it's vexing for Dockers fans more than most anyone (apart from Footscray fans), to have to go through so much for practically no reward, but that's the nature of the beast.

I think it's fair game to have a crack at your players, as long as you're not booing them (shamed by the Stanton fiasco, personally), and as long as you're cheering when they do something right.

At the Tigers/Dockers game a few weeks back, I (very loudly) despaired at Mayne's inability to convert, but I was equally excited when he slotted a couple through. I know that doesn't prove anything, but I think it is the imperative of any proper supporter to lend their voice, no matter what happens. You should never, ever leave, though.

 

[prattsta]

If you pay the admittance fee, membership fee, whatever fee, what you decide to do when you're there is entirely up to you. Boo, cheer, cry, laugh, whatever you choose to do at the game is up to you. Depending on what you choose to do, everyone around you may think you're a douche or a legend. Some people walk out of bad movies early, other people stick around for the LOL's. Each to there own really.

At the end of the day, football is just entertainment. If you pay for 3 hrs worth of entertainment, but only stick around for 2 hrs and a bit, personally I won't hold it against you. Besides, sometime people just have shit to do, man.

 

[BananaOnTheRun]

all i want for the club is sustained success, which to me means being reliably competitive.

i like to think that i'm not emotionally invested in the club, that i have other interests in life that are satisfying my personal quota of milestones before my death, but nothing puts a spring in my step like the week following a win and nothing dampens it like a loss. at the moment i'd like the club to be more outward looking and proactive, but i think we're so fatigued from making do that we can't quite see a way out of it yet. i hope there is some soul searching that goes on during the bye. i like harves and the way he goes about it, but he needs to find another way to command his men in a manner that brings out the best in them.

 

[valkorum]

The one thing that REALLY REALLY annoys me are members who at the game just bag our players. Why the hell did you buy a membership if you just continue to abuse our own players.

There is a family who sit right next to me and they bag every player week in/week out. Mayne was the centre of their target this week - yeh Mayney had a terrible game but from my eyes 18 other players had bad games as well.

Supporter
–noun
A person or thing that supports.

Support
–noun
The act or an instance of supporting.

If you can't be positive about "our" team then you are not a supporter - you are a financially benefitting person to the Fremantle club. Actually Freo probably make more money from a non member buying a ticket for your seat instead.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

Besides, sometime people just have shit to do, man.

But then why go in the first place? It's like walking out of a movie after the second act. At least at the football you can talk about how crap it is while it's happening.

 

[Reginald Perrin]

Aren't you a little early Lord Nicholson? You're supposed to be trolling Melbourne atm.

I have never left a game early, but Saturday I came close.

 

[prattsta]

But then why go in the first place? It's like walking out of a movie after the second act. At least at the football you can talk about how crap it is while it's happening.

Why go in the first place? Ummm taking a wild stab at it, I'd say chances are it's to see a game of football. Some people walk out of movies, some people don't. Some people walk out of the footy, some people don't. Big deal.

To use a personal example, on Saturday I had to be at the airport by 3:50pm to pick up some relatives from interstate. I went to the football for as long as I could and then headed to the airport. If the game had been more interesting, I probably would've stuck around longer. As it was the game was easier to listen to on the radio, than it was to watch in person so I left early during the 4th quarter.

Last season when we played North Melbourne at Subiaco I had to leave half way through the 2nd quarter because some work stuff came up. Like I said, sometimes people have shit to do and 3 hours is a pretty big time commitment.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

Aren't you a little early Lord Nicholson? You're supposed to be trolling Melbourne atm.

I must've missed the part where I was trolling. Do you just look at the bolded, coloured team name and not read the actual posts themselves before you blaze away?

 

[Reginald Perrin]

I must've missed the part where I was trolling. Do you just look at the bolded, coloured team name and not read the actual posts themselves before you blaze away?

Opposition supporter on our team board just before we play them - Check.
Subtle jibes at our team/supporters - Check.
Stupid name - Check.
Recent join date - Check.

Sorry dude, you fail the troll test.

Just think of it the way we do. Why the hell are you here?

 

[BananaOnTheRun]

Just think of it the way we do. Why the hell are you here?

er...to discuss footy? i go on opposition boards all the time because sometimes things get a bit too parochial, like this for example. Lord Nicholson is conducting himself pretty well and contributing to discussion. that's always welcome in my book.

 

[Reginald Perrin]

er...to discuss footy? i go on opposition boards all the time because sometimes things get a bit too parochial, like this for example. Lord Nicholson is conducting himself pretty well and contributing to discussion. that's always welcome in my book.

You go on opposition boards to avoid parochialism? How's that working out for you?

General footy discussion is for the main board. We talk Fremantle in here and should be able to do so unhampered by opposition supporters and their opinions. If they want to hang around and contribute, they shouldn't question the rights of Fremantle supporters to hold any opinion they wish in their own home.

Fremantle supporters should also always support other Fremantle supporters on the Fremantle board in matters involving opposition supporters, whether thay are right or not is not an issue.

Perhaps if we had a siege mentality and treated all others as the enemy while embracing our own we would all be better off.

 

[sportsmaniac89]

Personally I am a very vindictive supporter at the worst of times but also very humble when we win a game.

PROUD, LOYAL, PASSIONATE - it's the club's motto and one I live by as for 3 hours every week, I release all my emotions out following the team

Lately, I've found myself getting very agro to the point of wanting to engage in verbals with opposition supporters at games (something to do with the team losing when I see them live) and also assaulting the furniture at my place (poor couch has copped a lot not to mention my Freo scarf)

Sadly at present, I've also wanted half the team dropped not to mention wanting Steve Rosich and Steve Harris forcedly removed from the Fremantle Football Club

I'm going to go on Sunday not expecting a win but I will be politely suggesting to the umpires to leave Ballantyne alone or I will give them a good old fashioned serve at half-time and full-time (no matter how the game's going)

I am that determined that I will fight passionately for every call and jeer the umpires for 4 quarters and will the Dockers onto success (would be nice if they actually played decent for us Melbourne based supporters though who more often than not, get served up shite)

 

[Lord Nicholson]

From one British sitcom character to another, I should probably apologise to you, Perrin, since the original response was probably way too terse for a noob.

Honestly not a troll, have been a fan of the Dockers since '96, have a "First Edition" Fremantle scarf hanging on my chair next to my Bombers scarf (which is actually younger), have a Dockers guernsey with Ben Allan's #7 on it from when I was a kid tucked away in the wardrobe somewhere (complete with those awesome shorts with the little anchors on the hips that they used to have, and the gaudy socks).

As I mentioned earlier, I went to the Dockers/Richmond game (which I obviously can't verify for you, but if someone else here was there and in the cheer squad, there was a lone fat Richmond idiot just to the left of them hurling abuse at them all day), and will be going the Hawks game on Sunday. Hell, I'll even provide photographic evidence, if needed.

The story of my dual barracking is long, boring, and involves me being a gutless, quisling coward when I was about 8 years old, so I'm not overly fond of telling it, but all I can say is that my heart has bled for the Dockers for a good 15 years (their performance on Saturday was a bit of a cruel reminder of my childhood, actually), and there is nothing in the sporting world that would bring me more joy than a Fremantle premiership.

I wasn't meaning to take a shot at Fremantle supporters when I said that they shouldn't leave games - from my point of view that goes for any supporter, and to be honest I've seen it more commonly from Essendon fans than Freo fans (but then, I go to more Essendon games so...that means nothing). Few things rile me more than seeing people leave a game before full time, and that's a universal thing. I don't like seeing it from opposition supporters either. (Except for the Carlton fans... the sooner they bugger off the better.)

I hope I am actually allowed to post on this board, since I barrack hard for the Dockers for all but 1 game of the year (during which the internal conflict is so unbearable that I just hope for a draw). As I say, if you want a photo of the scarf or whatever (which is as friggin' old as a Fremantle scarf can get, BTW), so be it, but I can assure you that I'm sincere.

 

[Seppo]

...And I'll be there Sunday to cheer on and support our players.

 

[sportsmaniac89]

...And I'll be there Sunday to cheer on and support our players.

Same here and hurl abuse at the unfortunate maggots assigned to the game (if it's McBurney, I'm due to rip him one for 2.5 years of biased bs)

 

[BananaOnTheRun]

You go on opposition boards to avoid parochialism? How's that working out for you?

General footy discussion is for the main board. We talk Fremantle in here and should be able to do so unhampered by opposition supporters and their opinions. If they want to hang around and contribute, they shouldn't question the rights of Fremantle supporters to hold any opinion they wish in their own home.

Fremantle supporters should also always support other Fremantle supporters on the Fremantle board in matters involving opposition supporters, whether thay are right or not is not an issue.

Perhaps if we had a siege mentality and treated all others as the enemy while embracing our own we would all be better off.

there are unqualified ********s on here who support fremantle, and although we may both love the club, it doesn't mean i'm going to standup for a ********.

i'm sorry, but i think you're being mental. dockerland is there for anyone who wants to be insular, but i come here for discussion and on the fremantle boards, i welcome discussion from anyone. the moment football turns me into a hater, over a game, then i'll be thinking perhaps i'm taking it all a bit too seriously.

 

[Selggad]

I sometimes leave games early because I simply can't stand the way we play on occasions. All that staying does is make me appear like a completely abusive a-hole. I am far too emotionally involved. I become bitter and unhappy and it impacts me for hours afterwards. So I leave and save myself from more anger, misery, despondency and depression.

 

[Reginald Perrin]

OK Lord Nicholson, at ease. Sorry about the harsh treatment, I'm a bit sensitive lately.

Post away, just maintain respect for our board and we'll be sweet.

You'll just have to walk a tightrope next week.

 

[sportsmaniac89]

Nah he's welcome in next week for definite. Nothing like an opposition supporter that respects the rules

 

[Lord Nicholson]

You'll just have to walk a tightrope next week.

Well I tend to be more of a lurker overall anyway, but rest assured I'll only be posting in here as a (hopefully not too) beleaguered fan of the Dockers.

 

[E Shed]

I sometimes leave games early because I simply can't stand the way we play on occasions. All that staying does is make me appear like a completely abusive a-hole. I am far too emotionally involved. I become bitter and unhappy and it impacts me for hours afterwards. So I leave and save myself from more anger, misery, despondency and depression.

I can relate to this. I very nearly posted in the game day thread last week that the great thing about going to see Freo play these days is knowing we won't be embarrassing. That we might well lose but will at least appear to be trying to win the game. I thought we were gone after the Derby but the effort against Port was at encouraging, albeit with some worrying lack of accountability at times.
I looked at the team on paper for the Saints game and thought it was good enough to win that game of football. To see from the first bounce that some phantom Freo team of old had turned up put me in a state of shock to be honest. I sat there with my head in my hands, numb, didn't barrack, make any noise, just stared at the debacle taking place out there.
At half time as the players were walking into the race I just looked at them, didn't clap, just shook my head.
I had that ridiculous unfounded optimism after half time that maybe a miracle would occur and a different team would run out but I could have happily left half way through the 3rd when it was clear that nothing like that was going to happen. In the end I walked out for a smoke when the Saints guys went down in the last and didn't bother coming back. I felt exactly as Selggad described above.
It was the first time for ages I've been ashamed of my team.

 

[The Speaker]

I hope I am actually allowed to post on this board, since I barrack hard for the Dockers for all but 1 game of the year (during which the internal conflict is so unbearable that I just hope for a draw). As I say, if you want a photo of the scarf or whatever (which is as friggin' old as a Fremantle scarf can get, BTW), so be it, but I can assure you that I'm sincere.

I feel a kindred spirit here.

I think the definition of being a supporter naturally varies from person to person. It's not something that can or should have a strict definition. Some people will always seem more passionate than others - both more optimistic and pessimistic. Others will always try to view things objectively (with maybe a little bit of bias).