Interesting article from the herald

[mundojambo]

a little old now, but still relevant:

 

 

 

IT has been a week for sitting down and keeping quiet.

 

There was the gig at the Royal Concert Hall on Monday, an all-seater arena, at which standing was very much verboten. Any sort of talking, too, seemed to be frowned upon. And disturbing everyone else in the row to sneak out to the bar during one of the quieter songs wasn?t welcomed either, judging by the tutting and tsking that followed thirsty punters as they made good their escape.

 

A brawl later broke out during a ballad ? your columnist was a mere observer ? that seemed to have been started when one man got rather upset by his neighbour along the row not maintaining the requisite silence. The irony that his shouting and swearing was rather louder than the other man?s whispered comments was clearly lost on him. Soon the men were rolling around the aisle, punches were thrown, and kicks aimed at posteriors.

 

Needless to say, given this was Glasgow, there were more eyes watching the fight than watching the band, who eventually stopped playing until the brawlers were thrown out. Then everyone else sat down again and it fell silent in the auditorium once more.

 

It was a similar story the following night at St Mirren Park. Ayr United brought with them what could be described as an exuberant hardcore support who bounced around deliriously for 90 minutes. They sang songs, let off fireworks, regularly taunted Kilmarnock and generally gave the place a bit of an atmosphere. Needless to say, there were some desperate to intervene to kill their fun.

 

?Supporters are reminded that St Mirren Park is an all-seater stadium,? began the announcement over the PA system. It was inevitably drowned out by a chorus of boos, then a mischievous chant of ?stand up if you hate Killie? in which anyone who wasn?t already on their feet, was soon pogoing up and down in an act of defiance.

 

It is fast becoming a theme all across the country. Tired of the sterile atmosphere that is prevalent at most Scottish matches these days, groups of supporters ? mostly young and male ? are cropping up at every club determined to inject some life, colour and sound into the occasion. Borrowing from the Ultras cult popular at most mainland European clubs, these fans have taken it upon themselves to congregate together to chant, clap and wave their team colours as loudly and enthusiastically as possible.

 

It would be stretching it to say these groups are politically motivated ? this, after all, is a country in which more young people vote in reality TV shows than in elections ? but there are some, such as Celtic?s Green Brigade and Rangers? Blue Order, who have used the platform as a chance to express their views. But the majority, like the Ayr fans, just want the chance to jump around and enjoy themselves without being told off.

 

Such groups are not to everyone?s taste, of course. The PA announcer at St Mirren Park was not some sort of killjoy, just someone trying to follow SFA or SPL regulations. And there are some who find the constant bouncing around and chanting quite irritating, even among their own support. An Ayr fan of my acquaintance ? a bit long in the tooth for high jinks and other such shenanigans ? did not seem to appreciate the younger fans creating such a din, judging by the text he fired off midway through the first half. ?People standing on chairs, letting off fireworks, embarrassing,? he started. ?They need the army.? A good measured response I felt.

 

Back in the day, those who wanted to be proactive in their backing of their team, and those who would rather watch the match in peace, could just go and stand at whichever part of the terracing met their requirements. Now the advent of all-seater stadia means they are often clustered together incongruously. And, from experience, there is nothing worse than being stuck beside the guy with the big drum when you?ve got a thumping hangover.

 

Standing isn?t for everyone. Frankly, it?s a bit of an effort sometimes just waiting to get off a bus. But there should be an acknowledgement that there are those at matches who would prefer to stand, to make a noise and not be shushed at as if they?re in a library.

 

In an era where the constant blaring of music through PA systems makes the atmosphere as contrived as canned laughter in a sitcom, the clubs and the league should recognise those with the enthusiasm and desire to make a racket of their own via the creation of separate standing areas. And once they?ve managed that they can tackle the Concert Hall . . .

[Jarhead]

This probably explains why the stewards were being such dicks today.

[Bert Le Clos]

That's the most sensible thing to come from a Glasgow paper in a long time.

[Groot]

In fairness the Herald is by far the best of a bad bunch when it comes to Scottish newspapers

[4marsbars]

What I find strange about the article is the idea that you should be allowed to talk during a concert.

 

I really don't understand the mentality of people who pay lots of money to hear a band then sit and talk as if they were at home in front of the telly.

 

Noise at football matches on the other hand. That's the whole point of going.

 

What a stupid, ill-informed comparison.