Crowds at Pies Games

[Abbotsford]

I've been reading a lot of nonsense regarding the composition of crowds at Collingwood games. Let me tell you first. When nearly 79000 people turn up to the MCG, who the hell is bringing in these people? Last week Richmond drew a modest 31000 to their home game against Brisbane. Richmond would not dream about getting a crowd like Friday nights against any other club. Maybe against Essendon, but Essendon v Carlton only drew 63000 people. I would also like to point out that YES it appears that Richmond had fairly large support but this is distorted by two facts. Firstly their colours. Yellow stands out a lot as does red, as you will note against Essendon. Colours like navy blue and our black and white do not show up from a distance. The second point is that they were in control of the game. I dont care what cheersquads do cause they are not even 1% of the crowd. When we mounted a challenge the atmosphere became electric in the stadium. It was dead quiet 2nd and 3rd quarters when it was all Richmond. I dont care what others think, but most people become loud when their team is surging forward and piling on goals. Not when they are playing as pathetically as we were on Friday. As an example take a look at Adelaide's game v Carlton. A Carlton home crowd you could hardly hear. The 2000 or so Adelaide fans were making all the noise.
Up till round 12 last year Collingwood had the best aggregate crowds of all teams. As it became clear that finals were out of the question, support started to slowly drop away which is only natural and Essendon topped the aggregate crowds, but we were a clear second.
Remember this and dont ever forget it. WE are the giants of the AFL and recently Essendon has joined us. We are NEVER outnumbered anywhere in games in Victoria.

[AlfAndrews]

It's called "denial".

**floreat pica**

[Dantheman]

You're exactly right, abbotsford.

It is really saying something that after finishin 16th, then 15th, Collingwood has almost 30,000 members. That's because Collingwood fans are not gutless. There is no other Victorian club that could find that much support.

[Joel]

I was thinking the exact same thing - re colours. Yellow stands out a hell of alot more than black and white.

[Rhain07]

I was going on noise. Not all the fans in the crowd. You could here many more Richmond people chanting than Collingwood, but I agree it is always quieter when you are trailing. I think if you are a true Collingwood Supporter you will keep cheering and chanting even if we are 60 points down. It is just the spirit and passion of our club. If you give up when we are losing, you should be categorized as a "Bandwaggoner". I think we all got carried away with last weeks performance and expected something amazing and special like that again. We are still a young team and the young player need as much support as they can get. You have to give it to them fans, that is the way to boost their confidence and they may then lead us to a flag in years to come.

Keep on chanting!!!

[Joel]

Rhain - I have to disagree. While it would be good for all supporters to keep chanting throughout a match, it isn't going to happen. It's natural for a person to stop chanting when you are behind..when you feel bad you don't feel like chanting do you? This all said - I chant all match, especially against Essendon (having friends you go to the matches with me). BUT like I said it's only natural for someone to go into submission if they are beaing beaten.

[Abbotsford]

I just want to make a further comment or two regarding colours and some other matters. I was brought up going to Vic Park from the early eighties and I just wanna say, the club colours never stood out like it was a pro Collingwood crowd even though 95% of the crowd always was. Black and White just doesn't stand out in a crowd. You could easily spot some yellow or red even in a crowd but unfortunately our colours dont allow that to happen. We still have the best colours though so its no regret by any means. But dont go judging crowds on the colours you can see.
Another point i'd like to make is most of our supporters are over 30 like myself, and dont usually wear their colours to the game. Its something me and my mates have grown out of. There are 10 of us that go every week together but all we bring to the games are our passion and loud support. The better we play the louder we get, but unfortunately you cant get excited by insipid performances like Friday night. That performance can break any supporter's heart and usually leaves me and my mates playing the Mick Malthouse and coaching staff role, discussing tactics and player positional moves and axings and promotions for the next game.
One more point i'd like to make is that i've been to big soccer matches in England and Europe and its the same deal everywhere. The winning team is the one singing and being loud when their team is one or two goals up. Home teams which totally dominate the percentage of the crowd overseas have been totally subdued when they're getting hammered on the pitch. A big saying in soccer is to try and score early away from home to quieten the home crowd.

[AlfAndrews]

Hey, Abba

I'm 46 and I haven't "grown out" of wearing the black 'n' white yet.
Call me irresponsible. Call me childish. Call me a lout.

The day I grow out of wearing the black 'n' white, I hope someone will put a black and white scarf on the coffin as they lower it.

**floreat pica**

[Clemo]

Abba,

I'm 34 and still wear the Black n' White. I even still wear my first and only black n' white scarf from the mid-seventies. Hell I even wear it on the slopes of Mt Buller when I'm skiing on the slopes! You should NERVER outgrow wearing colours of the Pies.
Be Proud and wear the colours. It's black and white.

Collingwood Forever !
Tony_Clemente@hotmail.com
www.netspace.net.au/~clemo

[Abbotsford]

Good to hear some of the older guys still wearing the colours. The only item that i used to wear on match day was the famous black and white vertical striped jersey and the old 'Yakka' training top. I've never been into scarfs and baseball caps myself.
But just a suggestion to people with scarfs. Glasgow Celtic in Scotland are famous on match day of holding out their scarfs wide apart and it just looks magnificent. Maybe the cheer squad and everyone else around the ground could do something like this as the players run out onto the ground. It will be unique in our game here. I'm sure it will give our players a boost to see our huge support. I might get off my arse and buy a scarf myself and make it useful.

[AlfAndrews]

I love scarves. I've got 4 or them and I usually wear two to the football each week. And I'm very much into that idea of holding up my scarf in the air. Especially when I'm singing Good Old Collingwood Forever at the end of a winning match. I wish more people would do it because it would look grouse. But I deliberately avoid the Essendon-style of scarf-waving that was inspired by Sheedy's famous jacket wave, simply because I regard that as an Essendon type of thing. Mind you, it's an impressive sight when they're all doing it. I'm not sure if they still do it. Guess we'll find out tomorrow.

But I love looking at old footage of the Liverpool supporters at Anfield. The Kop was an amazing site in the 70s and early 80s when it was just a sea of red scarves, back in the days before Maggie Thatcher "cleaned" it all up.

The trouble with official Club merchandise these days is that it's got advertising all over it. And because the Emirates logo is bright red, it means, in effect, that our colours are really red, white and black. Bloody sacriledge, if you ask me. We're Collingwood, not bloody St.Kilda!!!

**floreat pica**