Bigus is not a fan of Ashley Cole. Let's start with that.
In short, I hate him. I think he is a ungracious, spoiled, greedy, two-timing twat. What Cheryl Tweedy sees in him in beyond me! (Ed. Note: Thankfully, his missus is accepting other offers...) I don't want Cole playing for England, but booing any England player after playing a dodgy pass across his own goal while you are winning a game is totally unacceptable and disgraceful.
Until recently I cannot remember the awful booing being a part of England's historical past and NEVER at the old Wembley. It makes me ashamed. Booing away from home has been heard when the team is losing or playing garbage football, but not when they are winning. So why has the new Wembley been filled with boos, even when the team is winning?
When Wembley was being built, the England team traveled the Country. They played at Old Trafford, the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, Elland Road in Leeds, Villa Park in Birmingham, the Walkers Stadium in Leicester, St Mary's in Southampton and they even played on the filthy turf at Portaloo Road. I don't remember booing.
That's because there was none. The traveling England roadshow gave people in different parts of the country a chance to see England, a chance they wouldn't normally be offered. Traveling to London on a Wednesday evening to spend a ridiculous amount of moolah on a game is not really an option when you live in Gateshead and earn a modest living, but the short trip to Sunderland presents an excellent opportunity. What came from England's tour was great support: real fans getting to see their heroes.
What is happening at Wembley is something completely different.
The only real reason for the impatience at Wembley and the expectation of 4-5 goals a game can only be created by casual England fans. Corporate watchers and the wealthy who 'fancy a night out'. They want goals and they want them now. The new Wembley has become a haven for corporate events, the social gathering with clients, the wining and dining and the expected 5 goal entertainment. The facilities at the old Wembley were tat. Not at all ideal for 'sealing the deal' or treating your high-earners. High-earners who may prefer Rugby or Cricket and think that Joe and Ashley Cole are twins.
The tickets at the new Wembley are pricey but the place is full. Last Saturday's game vs. Kazakhstan was a sell-out, and yet there were plenty of empty seats at the end of the first half and at the beginning of the second. The bars must be packed.
You see, watching England at Wembley has become the new 'night at the theatre'. The place is filled with rich casual fans while the real fans shake their head at the cost of attending a game at Wembley AND at the booing that gives them a bad name. If the FA are not careful they will completely isolate real England supporters. I honestly feel ashamed at such behavior. You pay your money and there is nothing wrong with voicing your opinion if the team loses or is having a stinker at half-time, but booing a player for a bad pass is shocking. Even more so do it when the team is up a goal! The Football Association may need to review their ticketing policy if the team is to get the support it genuinely needs to be successful.
- But Bigus, You seem certain it's corporate folk...How so?
If you have ever been to a Cup Final at Wembley, and I was very lucky to go to this year's, you will note that the joint is full of real supporters from the two places competing. Real fans with real passion cheering for success. The atmosphere is electric and the noise for either side tremendous. Spine tingling in fact. Cardiff V Portsmouth doesn't attract the corporate boo boys, but one's Country? Big difference. It also appears to have become trendy to see England play.
Wembley cost a fortune to build and was well over budget. The England team were supposed to get a nice new environment and the supporters a home to be proud of. But that environment appears to have a cost as the F.A look to recoup theirs. 5-1 was the final result on Saturday and that's 3 well earned points but I didn't feel pride afterwards, Just embarrassment.
If the best stadium in the World comes with boos and dispassionate businessmen then I'll take the obstructed views, minuscule leg-room and the nasty loos that the old Wembley offered... gladly.
- Bigus.
Monday, October 13, 2008
We've won! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
The real Theatre of Dreams!
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16 comments:
"totally unacceptable and disgraceful."
gerrard would argue that sitting at 2-1 to the kazaks in the second half is what is unacceptable and disgraceful.
i know i know never boo at home and all that, but it seems to me that england fans (im not one, suck it) have put up with an absurd amount of garbage from the players up to the FA over the last six years, and theyre angry.
and if cole cant take it he needs to go vince young himself
Gerrard also said Cole should man up and deal. Of course then he added that England needed the support of its fans.
what upson said was interesting, that the booing rallied the team together. im not sure how much of that i buy though.
in my opinion
booing because you missed a goal = not cool
booing because you cost your team a goal in a then tight game against a team you should not concede to = fine
excellent post, bigus.
Look, I'm a Chelsea supporter. And I think Ashley Cole is England's best full back by a mile. So I'm not objective.
Booing a team off is one thing. I've done it. Express your displeasure!
But booing a single player, every time he touches the ball, for 20 flipping minutes...and doing it with gusto? Like you're enjoying it? It's not wrong, it's just stupid.
It's every England fan's right to boo. That's not the point. The point is that it is stupid and destructive to your team and one of your key performers...whether it's Cole, or Lampard, or the keeper of the moment.
i mean lets say it had been 5-0 when it happened, then i dont think it would have been okay to boo.
and i do think a large part of it is because who he is.
Ashley Cole is an absolute twat and deserves to be booed 24 hours a day. Seriously. See him at the grocer's? Boo him. See him shopping at Zegna? Boo him!
Think it started as legit. It was a fucking dreadful pass and it made the game suddenly tight again.
After that I think it took on a life of its own. 'It's Ashley Cole. Woo! Let's keep booing the tosser. Now that we're up 3, it's the most entertaining thing about this match.'
Georger, If they had been 5 up they would not have booed. This corporate crowd expect 5 goals. Phantom of the Opera was sold out last Saturday.
i dont disagree with your assessment of the crowd, sadly its the nature of the game now it seems. im sure they were largely douchebags. but on principal alone i think it was a booable offense, irrespective of the makeup of the crowd.
principal = principle
i... think
Booable maybe once at the time! But constantly booing your own player? Disgraceful.
@Bigus - But did I mention that Ashley Cole is a useless twat?
Kid, I hate him too but I would not boo him while he plays for my Country.
C'mon - I boo Toulalan all the time. Of course I'm at home watching on my computer, but still...
You Frenchman have no shame.
If the fans want to boo someone... start with the greenskeeper. That pitch is a disgrace.
I flipped over to the game in the 27th minute and it for a moment I thought they were playing in KAZ.
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