Divide or Conquer?

It's a well written article, as you would expect from him.

Of course, some of our biggest clubs, especially with their approach to season tickets, have already decided that there are two sides here and are firmly in the camp of the group they think will contribute most to the health of their balance sheet.
 
basilrobbie3 said:
It's a well written article, as you would expect from him.

Of course, some of our biggest clubs, especially with their approach to season tickets, have already decided that there are two sides here and are firmly in the camp of the group they think will contribute most to the health of their balance sheet.
Click to expand...
That much is glaringly obvious. I think that Liew's point is that the fans don't help themselves by placing cultural barriers in the way of unity. Then again, it's not surprising. On the one hand there are the community fans who have spent cold, wet evenings at crumbling old grounds. On the other are the wealthy, non-community supporters who the clubs see as the future key to success. Of course, when it suits the narrative, clubs will often turn to their sepia-tinted history in order to invoke tradition, longevity and stability. But it's not where their real interests lie.
 
1966_and_all_that said:
That much is glaringly obvious. I think that Liew's point is that the fans don't help themselves by placing cultural barriers in the way of unity. Then again, it's not surprising. On the one hand there are the community fans who have spent cold, wet evenings at crumbling old grounds. On the other are the wealthy, non-community supporters who the clubs see as the future key to success. Of course, when it suits the narrative, clubs will often turn to their sepia-tinted history in order to invoke tradition, longevity and stability. But it's not where their real interests lie.
Click to expand...
It's a fair point too. We all have a tendency towards elitism and defending our tribe, whether we acknowledge it or not.

I think in football, though, the people who run our bigger clubs often under-estimate how deep some of the bonds with the community run. Those bonds will remain in place long after (for example) Chelsea or Man City get relegated for any alleged misdemeanours. :)
 
Yes as i linked an article to you recently, corporate is becoming more and more important to the top clubs. However, I do think that a great many of these top clubs do play an active role in the community by way of varying projects outside of match days. It's matchdays though that are becoming more inaccessible for many fans.
 
20togo said:
Yes as i linked an article to you recently, corporate is becoming more and more important to the top clubs. However, I do think that a great many of these top clubs do play an active role in the community by way of varying projects outside of match days. It's matchdays though that are becoming more inaccessible for many fans.
Click to expand...
I may be over-thinking this but is there a possibility that these "varying projects outside of matchdays" are a bulwark against measures that might otherwise be taken by the authorities for financial (or other) impropriety on the part of the clubs' owners?
 
Last edited:
It's one of the reasons that lower league clubs like ourselves have the vocal and passionate level of support at games that other teams wonder at. The vast majority of Blackpool fans either live or have lived in the area, and have been supporters from a young age. This means the bonds with the club are strong, for better and for worse. Whilst it's good to see supporters travelling half-way around the world to see players like Son wh comes from their homeland, it doesn't add much to the local community or match day atmosphere, but mainly to the coffers of those who only want to capitalise from football. Saying that, we're now getting new insults of 'firestick fans' who comment on social media about games that they weren't physically at.
I remember when we were in the Prem and got tonked by Arsenal at their place - as we were walking out we asked two older Arsenal fans which tube station was best to go to - they told us not to go to one we mentioned as 'that's where the tourists catch it after the match'. They meant their 'own' supporters, so there was already a divide nearly 15 years ago.
 
Last edited:
20togo said:
Yes as i linked an article to you recently, corporate is becoming more and more important to the top clubs. However, I do think that a great many of these top clubs do play an active role in the community by way of varying projects outside of match days. It's matchdays though that are becoming more inaccessible for many fans.
Click to expand...

Definitely. Spurs for example are incredibly influential in education for young people that other groups simply can't reach. There is no doubt at all that clubs have tremendous community work and influence. Spurs are acknowledged quite widely to have had a positive influence in reducing knife crime thus.

But as you say, the actual games the club play and the matchday experience isn't really open to the same people that the community work is seeking to reach.
 
I'll be honest, when I saw the title of the link I thought .. I bet that's a Johnny Liew article and lo and behold... It was.

I find him a bit hectoring to be honest at time but ... "the gradual realignment of fan hierarchy along the lines of one’s ability to pay" is a great line and something you see on here a bit. The notion that the more you financially pay to the club the bigger and better fan you are and all that. I hate that.

I think his central point is essentially fair enough. Whether you're coming from abroad or down the road, they're going to try and rip you off...
 
td53 said:
Definitely. Spurs for example are incredibly influential in education for young people that other groups simply can't reach. There is no doubt at all that clubs have tremendous community work and influence. Spurs are acknowledged quite widely to have had a positive influence in reducing knife crime thus.

But as you say, the actual games the club play and the matchday experience isn't really open to the same people that the community work is seeking to reach.
Click to expand...
See mine at #6.
 
1966_and_all_that said:
See mine at #6.
Click to expand...
Whatever the source of the money, it shouldn't diminish the work though.

I'm the last person on this board to celebrate the Premier League but there's nonetheless a truth in the fact that a certain percentage (yes, a token amount but a token amount of a lot is quite a lot) of the income is used very effectively to fund initiatives that have been extremely successful.

Also, generally speaking the community spending isn't funded directly by clubs (at least not all of it) but by centralised funding.

Our CT was never funded by the Oystons and it isn't funded by Sadler now. At least not in the main anyway.

The idea (one of football's more enlightened ones) is to separate community spending from the whims and vagaries of form and owners preferences.
 
td53 said:
Whatever the source of the money, it shouldn't diminish the work though.

I'm the last person on this board to celebrate the Premier League but there's nonetheless a truth in the fact that a certain percentage (yes, a token amount but a token amount of a lot is quite a lot) of the income is used very effectively to fund initiatives that have been extremely successful.

Also, generally speaking the community spending isn't funded directly by clubs (at least not all of it) but by centralised funding.

Our CT was never funded by the Oystons and it isn't funded by Sadler now. At least not in the main anyway.

The idea (one of football's more enlightened ones) is to separate community spending from the whims and vagaries of form and owners preferences.
Click to expand...
I don't doubt that this spending is worthwhile. What I wonder about is the nature of the strings that come attached to this largesse.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top