"Supporting" - Tilly's view of what it means

[ElstreeBlue]

Worth checking out Tilly's reaction to the derby win on the link below. In particular, what he said about our "support" last Tuesday. Yes, we pay money to come to the games and yes we have a right to free speech (within reason) in this country and yes we all get frustrated at times. But anyone who claims to be a supporter and thinks that shouting personal vitriol (rather than frustrated sighs or what may be called "constructive criticism") at Paynter, Harrold, Hunt, Gower, Mildenhall, Walker or whoever's next on the list actually helps the cause of trying to get Southend United to do well, just listen to what Tilly has to say about it.

It's unlike Tilly to voice concern about the way some of our fans "support" the team, but he must have been pretty appalled by what he heard happened on Tuesday night. The timing of Tilly's comments was interesting - just after the elation of seeing us beat our big local rivals, so his reaction was obviously not a spur-of-the-moment thing. I wasn't at the game on Tuesday, so don't know the extent of it. All I know is anyone who claims to be a supporter and whose main purpose at games it seems is to attack our players (and I'm sure you know who you are), why on earth do you do it? You don't help. What's your purpose?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/7886223.stm

 

[!famous!SUFC!!!!]

i was there and yes the team played **** atmosphere wasnt the best but didnt hear any major abuse being thrown around..a few people around expressed their opinions but i doubt the players could hear from where i was in the west and tilly definatly couldnt so i can only imajine the abuse was coming from the east stand near the dugout

in my opinion any abusive chanting towards the team is total out of order to many people are to quick to abuse the team for playing well and then lose their voice when we are doing well!

 

[Grayson]

The East stand were a disgrace on Tuesday night, well, East Reds were.

 

[fredheim_holm]

I'm glad he's manned up and said it. I'm not really fussed if it offends anyone, he's speaking the truth and good on him.

 

[GodblessArthurRowley]

The East stand were a disgrace on Tuesday night, well, East Reds were.

Not guilty, I had my head in hands most of the night,too speechless to say anything. But I have to say abuse of our own players is a total disgrace if you dont have anything positive to say dont say anything thats the motto i follow.

 

[bazzashrimper]

When people boo or abuse our players when they give 100% it annoys me beyond belief. If Tilly wants them on the pitch and they give 100% and if they ain't good enough it's Tillys fault for playing them. End of story.

I remember having a weekly argument with a bloke who booed Hooper every week. He told me it was his right, paid his cash etc. Im sorry - it's not your right. Southend is my team and if you drive players away (Gower too) then its bang out of order.

Come on you shrimpers

 

[onceknownasrab]

When people boo or abuse our players when they give 100% it annoys me beyond belief. If Tilly wants them on the pitch and they give 100% and if they ain't good enough it's Tillys fault for playing them. End of story.

I remember having a weekly argument with a bloke who booed Hooper every week. He told me it was his right, paid his cash etc. Im sorry - it's not your right. Southend is my team and if you drive players away (Gower too) then its bang out of order.

Come on you shrimpers

Sorry BazzaS, Southend is our team and there needs to be a tolerance for the feelings of others. Racism from fans is wrong and so is an inordinate amount of foul language at a game supported by families of all ages. Criticism though is fine. Football is passionate and a passionate fan can be elated and praise or incensed and criticise. If we were always in charge of our mouth we would not be as passionate as we might think we are. Players love adulation but on occasion they are worthy of criticism. Keep it real. Each to their own. Up the Blues, the home of diversity!

 

[Southend_Lady]

I felt suicidal after watching against Crewe on Tuesday night and I don't blame anyone for feeling disappointed and abusive after watching that shower of ****!

 

[Richard_Cadette]

I'm not exactly sure what Tilly was responding to - if the shouts coming down from the stands were of a personal nature, then that is not in anyway helpful, but if Tilly is referring to the chorus of boos which greeted the final whistle, then has has ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT to complain whatsoever.

If anyone in their right mind would have expected the fans to start clapping and whooping after witnessing that dross, then they are living in cloud cuckoo land. As I have always maintained, when you are a professional sportsman who earn their living off the back of other peoples hard earned money, you have to take the adulation you receive when things go well with the criticism (or boos) when you are not performing to a level which people deem to be acceptable.

This is nothing new - ever since I have been supporting the team and going to games (1981 in fact), players have always been on the end of fans unhappiness if they are not doing what is expected of them - The only difference now is we live in a society which is over run with PC, and people seem to think that a little booing at the end of a game will hurt the players feelings - well, after Tuesday night, I damn well hope it did!

And as for any lasting damage - I think anyone who was at the game yesterday will have seen that it has zero effect on the players attitude, commitment and passion for the game - as I said it wouldn't. Yesterday, the lads were superb, not in the free flowing passing football sense of the word, but they did everything required to win a derby match, and quite rightly, deserved the plaudits of each and every Shrimper in the stadium - I, like many others, was left hoarse and without a voice for most of the evening, it was terrific.

Tilly has to be careful though, because if you don't want the negative feedback from the crowd when the team is woefully under performing, you have no right to ask for the praise when we are playing well.

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

without Tilly being specific it's difficult to comment. However I guess he's talking about language that would get you arrested any where other than a football match. i.e. filth. The fan who made the point about Gower is right. When he was weighing up the pros and cons of leaving a part of it, maybe only a small part, would be the treatment dished out by some so called fans. And Gower is exactly the sort of player you need if you're going to unlock an 11 man defence.
As for those fans I'm 100% behind Tilly. They make me sick (FFS it's only a game) and one of the reasons I'm not much fussed about going to RH or not.

 

[Beefy]

I think that the attitude of a minority of our fans towards the team is an absolute disgrace.

That said I've heard a lot worse than Tuesday, when considering the dross being played out on the field by both sides I thought the atmosphere was pretty good although obviously if personal abuse is being shouted out towards individual players in other parts of the ground then that isn't on.

 

[ElstreeBlue]

When people boo or abuse our players when they give 100% it annoys me beyond belief. If Tilly wants them on the pitch and they give 100% and if they ain't good enough it's Tillys fault for playing them. End of story.

I remember having a weekly argument with a bloke who booed Hooper every week. He told me it was his right, paid his cash etc. Im sorry - it's not your right. Southend is my team and if you drive players away (Gower too) then its bang out of order.

Come on you shrimpers

Spot on.

As long as someone on our side gives 100% I won't boo them. I have certainly been known to criticise our players before.

But I think there's a massive difference between some of our fans' so-called support and passionate criticism - which I'd include if I shout "hoof" after Peter Clarke's latest aimless pass, or "wake up" or "mark-up" when players like Betsy have gone to sleep and not tracked back. I have no vendetta against any of our players and I've really applauded and cheered on Southend players who I've not always rated if I think they do something well. I've often shouted "great tackle" or even "great pass" (believe it or not!) at Peter Clarke even though he's not my favourite player. I'd like to think that I try to support every player and encourage but if they do something that continually frustrates, I don't always keep it to myself.

But I've seen some quite disgraceful treatment of some of our players that can no way be described as constructive criticism. It seems to be almost an anonymous bullying mentality. Attack someone who can't identify you personally and shout personal abuse at them. Fine - up to a point - if it's an opposition player, but how can anyone think that helps our own players to do their best for our team?

It amazed me how some people seemed to come to games with relish to make poor Matt Harrold's life a misery when he never gave anything less than 100% for us.

And then Steve Mildenhall's crime was he wasn't Darryl Flahavan and he suffered some appalling treatment that quite shocked him. Fortunately, it seemed that Steve was made of a bit sterner stuff and had more experience than Matt and came through it to be - in my mind - our leading contender for player of the season this year. But did anyone really think that the treatment dished out at him made him play better? Or did he play better DESPITE some of the treatment of our so-called supporters?

"Richard Cadette" - I'm absolutely sure Tilly's not referring to a few boos after the final whistle which would have had no impact on the performance and even though I wouldn't have booed if I'd thought everyone gave 100% I can understand why some people do it at that point. It sounds as if there was some disgraceful chanting yet again from the vocal minority that has contributed towards driving out some of our best players and making other good players underperform for us.

One word to describe for some of our fellow so-called supporters that mean that the club that we all support doesn't achieve its potential: MINDLESS!

 

[fbm]

What I think is mindless is the notion that it's perfectly acceptable to personally abuse players simply because you've paid the admission fee.

RC, Tilly wasn't referring to the boos at the end. That is acceptable criticism to be honest. It's the personal individual abuse - not criticism - that he means.

 

[fat gut shrimper]

I was exteremely disappointed with the result on Tuesday but I didn't boo after the game because I thought Carlisle were more to blame than our bad performance.. does not mean I haven't boo'd in the past though.
I have my season card in the West but have accasionally had cause to sit in the South. I have to say that some of the moronic abuse hurled at our players from that part of the ground is a shameful disgrace.
I think that those who make what would be chargable in law anywhere else but at a football club should be thrown out and banned for life.
I was over in the South once when Matt Harrold was playing for us, and quite honestly I wanted to punch the idiot who was doing the abusing in the face (and I am not the violent type.. never had a fight in my life). What has to remembered also is that the player's family and friends also sit in the South.

So I would like to ask the morons who think its clever to abuse our players how they would feel if it was their dad, brother, son or even them who was getting the abuse?..

I bet they wouldn't like it!!

 

[A Century United]

I'm not exactly sure what Tilly was responding to - if the shouts coming down from the stands were of a personal nature, then that is not in anyway helpful, but if Tilly is referring to the chorus of boos which greeted the final whistle, then has has ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT to complain whatsoever.

If anyone in their right mind would have expected the fans to start clapping and whooping after witnessing that dross, then they are living in cloud cuckoo land. As I have always maintained, when you are a professional sportsman who earn their living off the back of other peoples hard earned money, you have to take the adulation you receive when things go well with the criticism (or boos) when you are not performing to a level which people deem to be acceptable.

This is nothing new - ever since I have been supporting the team and going to games (1981 in fact), players have always been on the end of fans unhappiness if they are not doing what is expected of them - The only difference now is we live in a society which is over run with PC, and people seem to think that a little booing at the end of a game will hurt the players feelings - well, after Tuesday night, I damn well hope it did!

And as for any lasting damage - I think anyone who was at the game yesterday will have seen that it has zero effect on the players attitude, commitment and passion for the game - as I said it wouldn't. Yesterday, the lads were superb, not in the free flowing passing football sense of the word, but they did everything required to win a derby match, and quite rightly, deserved the plaudits of each and every Shrimper in the stadium - I, like many others, was left hoarse and without a voice for most of the evening, it was terrific.

Tilly has to be careful though, because if you don't want the negative feedback from the crowd when the team is woefully under performing, you have no right to ask for the praise when we are playing well.

Tilly is refering to personal abuse, not general dissatisfaction - the sort of thing that Harrold, Hunt, Paynter, Gower etc had to endure. Abusive comments targeted at specific players. See the thread about Barrett after the Crewe game.

 

[hindle_666]

I was exteremely disappointed with the result on Tuesday but I didn't boo after the game because I thought Carlisle were more to blame than our bad performance.. does not mean I haven't boo'd in the past though.
I have my season card in the West but have accasionally had cause to sit in the South. I have to say that some of the moronic abuse hurled at our players from that part of the ground is a shameful disgrace.
I think that those who make what would be chargable in law anywhere else but at a football club should be thrown out and banned for life.
I was over in the South once when Matt Harrold was playing for us, and quite honestly I wanted to punch the idiot who was doing the abusing in the face (and I am not the violent type.. never had a fight in my life). What has to remembered also is that the player's family and friends also sit in the South.

So I would like to ask the morons who think its clever to abuse our players how they would feel if it was their dad, brother, son or even them who was getting the abuse?..

I bet they wouldn't like it!!

i know its a horrible away day,but dont think you can blame carlisle for that performance. ;)

 

[bazzashrimper]

Sorry BazzaS, Southend is our team and there needs to be a tolerance for the feelings of others. Racism from fans is wrong and so is an inordinate amount of foul language at a game supported by families of all ages. Criticism though is fine. Football is passionate and a passionate fan can be elated and praise or incensed and criticise. If we were always in charge of our mouth we would not be as passionate as we might think we are. Players love adulation but on occasion they are worthy of criticism. Keep it real. Each to their own. Up the Blues, the home of diversity!

Apologies, by no means was I claiming that Southend was uniquely my team!! I agree with most of your post - football is passionate etc.

Passion is surely a groan after a poor pass, or a shout at a poor tackle or perhaps a boo after a poor team performance as we saw on Tuesday night. Lots of 'fans' however seem to turn up on a Saturday afternoon with a view that they are going to pick on a certain individual or two - that's not passion, thats just a form of mental bullying.

 

[shrimpfan]

The East stand were a disgrace on Tuesday night, well, East Reds were.

wots new!! long ago after a **** display fans used to lobb cushions on to the pitch as the players and officials came off at the end off the match.

 

[canveyshrimper]

wots new!! long ago after a **** display fans used to lobb cushions on to the pitch as the players and officials came off at the end off the match.

Shame we still don't have the cushions those bloody seats are really hard. :)

 

[shrimpfan]

Shame we still don't have the cushions those bloody seats are really hard. :)

after a poor match used to stay at the end to watch the lobbers a sort of highlight end .