Thistle Cup Game - Protest

[Gary Locke]

Definitely should have some sort of banner displaying the total disregard for the fans in this situation (not sure it would affect anything) but something about TV money ahead of the fans money kind of thing.

[Thommo414]

1 hour ago, Morph said:

   

 

 

 

Tremendous input... 

[Rudolf]

30 minutes ago, Sir Gio said:

Small thing perhaps, but people do seem to be quite happy to be shafted, whereas, in Germany they weren't. Quite simple.

 

Its symptomatic of the Scottish mentality, downtrodden

Shafted

[Lord Beni of Gorgie]

1 minute ago, Rudolf said:

Shafted

Yip

 

Care to add another emoticon?

[August Landmesser]

12 minutes ago, eyesandears said:

Ok I appreciate people's right to 'protest' although this to me is an infinitessimely small matter to protest about but each to their own.

Please can you think of something better than tennis balls on the pitch. It's so meh,. At least do something original and preferably something that's not going to damage the reputation of our club or us as supporters in general.

It's original by Scottish football standards - and something needn't be original to be effective. A game can't kick off on a pitch covered in tennis balls.

Also, I don't think the club's reputation will be damaged by a harmless action.

Borussia Dortmund, Charlton Athletic, Coventry City - their reputations remain unsullied by fan protests.

[Rudolf]

1 minute ago, Sir Gio said:

Yip

 

Care to add another emoticon?

Downtrodden and shafted.

 

Jesus Christ, you're having a bad day.

 

 

 

 

[Bull's-eye]

Have a dirty protest in the Toilets, tidy the place up at the same time.

[mitch41]

now listen Jambos the monday night game v Partick should all be about supporting our team. There must be better ways of showing our disproval instead of not only risking a massive fine but messing our team about. 

[Lord Beni of Gorgie]

5 minutes ago, Rudolf said:

Downtrodden and shafted.

 

Jesus Christ, you're having a bad day.

 

 

 

 

I don't really want to go into politics, but for a fair bit of Scotlands history, we have put up with a lot, that's just the way it is.

 

As I say this is a very small example of Scottish people, saying, that's just the way it is.

 

If you are happy, great. Then allow people who aren't to get on with chucking tennis balls on. FWIW I don't see any protest materialising, because, pardon the pun, we don't have the balls to do so.

 

Read about the Germans about 10th post in, they don't take shit

Edited February 15, 2019 by Sir Gio

[Boab]

1 minute ago, August Landmesser said:

It's original by Scottish football standards - and something needn't be original to be effective. A game can't kick off on a pitch covered in tennis balls.

Also, I don't think the club's reputation will be damaged by a harmless action.

Borussia Dortmund, Charlton Athletic, Coventry City - their reputations remain unsullied by fan protests.

 

I applaud you starting the thread, mate, but organised protest is such a difficult thing to achieve.

Abroad, there's more chance of things happening and varies depending on the club.

Here ? No chance really, sorry.

At Hearts ? Really, really no chance.

Is this a big enough debacle for such a protest ? Possibly, possibly not.

There was a post back a bit asking why there has been nothing from the club about this. A good point.

Maybe putting pressure on the club to find out the official view of this.

Would that make a blind bit of difference ? Probably not.

It's probably not the solution, and seems contrite, but I gave up my Season Ticket that I had for many years because the KO times were getting less and less suitable for me. I'm not suggesting people should do that as a form of protest , as it's detrimental to the club but if you can't go, you can't go. It's not a deliberate attempt to harm the club. Any shortfall in numbers is made up, and probably benefits more in TV money.

Football should never be about just money but is now...and won't change. 

Maybe i'm just a moaning old *******, if fact, I am !

Maybe personal protest is the only way because you are the only one doing it !

 

Feckin' Wolfie Smith over here !

?

 

Good luck anyways !

[My half sister]

Just go if you can. If you can't go then fine, accept it.

There will be folk able to go because the kick off is earlier than normal and they can have their kids back home and sleeping at the normal time.

Personally I hate 12.15 kick offs much more. At least you can have a pint before the game.

[Bob Loblaw]

It's a national cup competition at the QF stage.  It shouldn't be a Monday night full stop, but the KO time has been moved to a stupid time to accommodate the news.  I can make it, but I'm not the only one going, plenty people who want to go now won't be able to. 

 

There's a difference between wanting to go and not being able to, as soon as we start accepting times that inconvenience a large number of fans it's a slippery slope.  Without fans the game is nothing.  Next it'll be a 6.30pm KO down the line and people will say "what's the difference it's only 35 minutes earlier, just go and suck it up".  

 

I'm not sure if a protest is worthwhile but fans are becoming an afterthought and if people are getting sick of that and want to complain then more power to them.  I'll certainly not be laughing at them just because I can make the game ok.

[eyesandears]

1 hour ago, Artful Dodger said:

Have a dirty protest in the Toilets, tidy the place up at the same time.

I'm in. And I'm also bringing my 52" plasma TV and throwing that on the pitch. That'll learn then!!

[jamboman9]

15 minutes ago, Bob Loblaw said:

It's a national cup competition at the QF stage.  It shouldn't be a Monday night full stop, but the KO time has been moved to a stupid time to accommodate the news.  I can make it, but I'm not the only one going, plenty people who want to go now won't be able to. 

 

There's a difference between wanting to go and not being able to, as soon as we start accepting times that inconvenience a large number of fans it's a slippery slope.  Without fans the game is nothing.  Next it'll be a 6.30pm KO down the line and people will say "what's the difference it's only 35 minutes earlier, just go and suck it up".  

 

I'm not sure if a protest is worthwhile but fans are becoming an afterthought and if people are getting sick of that and want to complain then more power to them.  I'll certainly not be laughing at them just because I can make the game ok.

Nice post sir. As you said,a match of the latter stage of Scotland's premier cup tournament has been shoehorned in to accommodate a news programme,this,to the inconvenience and detriment of some supporters,hence the disquiet,now surely this can't be right that recycled news and features about Scotland's Boiled Sweety harping on about Brexit or a feature on a flourishing jam making industry on The Isle of Inbreds or Jim McJimmy's champion Turnips in Cowcaddens should be allowed to devalue an already diluted tournament even more.                                                     Yes,Hearts will still sell their allocation but fans have been shafted again and perhaps an unlikely vocal protest or something may help stop it happening again,although i doubt it.                                           

[FWJ]

5 hours ago, Dunks said:

Out of interest, what was the mass protest like at the Ross County v ICT match played last Monday night?

Inverness and Dingwall are only 20 minutes apart and the traffic doesn’t quite compare to the M8.

[Dunks]

Just now, FWJ said:

Inverness and Dingwall are only 20 minutes apart and the traffic doesn’t quite compare to the M8.

 

True. And the crowd was still 3,500 down on previous couple of derbies.

[FWJ]

2 minutes ago, Dunks said:

 

True. And the crowd was still 3,500 down on previous couple of derbies.

Yup.

[jambodavie]

1 hour ago, Bob Loblaw said:

It's a national cup competition at the QF stage.  It shouldn't be a Monday night full stop, but the KO time has been moved to a stupid time to accommodate the news.  I can make it, but I'm not the only one going, plenty people who want to go now won't be able to. 

 

There's a difference between wanting to go and not being able to, as soon as we start accepting times that inconvenience a large number of fans it's a slippery slope.  Without fans the game is nothing.  Next it'll be a 6.30pm KO down the line and people will say "what's the difference it's only 35 minutes earlier, just go and suck it up".  

 

I'm not sure if a protest is worthwhile but fans are becoming an afterthought and if people are getting sick of that and want to complain then more power to them.  I'll certainly not be laughing at them just because I can make the game ok.

Totally agree. It wasn’t that long ago when the semi final of the other national cup competition was being scheduled for a Sunday night KO. Everybody got together and forced TV companies and governing bodies to see sense. There has got to be a tipping point against ridiculous ko times somewhere when supporters say enough is enough ... it might as well be now.

[graygo]

3 hours ago, dc-jambo said:

This is a fuss over nothing. 

 

In England, due to travel times, people almost always have to take a half-day in order to attend away games in midweek.

 

We will sell our allocation without a problem. The trip will be a much better laugh than if it was, say, on Sunday lunchtime.

 

So stop moaning, and support the team

 

What has England and what they have to do got to do with it?

 

You would be as well saying that in Australia Perh Glory have to travel over 2,000 miles to get to a game against Sydney.

 

Edit: I gree with your last bit, we've done the moaning let's get on with it now.

Edited February 15, 2019 by graygo

[eyesandears]

2 hours ago, August Landmesser said:

It's original by Scottish football standards - and something needn't be original to be effective. A game can't kick off on a pitch covered in tennis balls.

Also, I don't think the club's reputation will be damaged by a harmless action.

Borussia Dortmund, Charlton Athletic, Coventry City - their reputations remain unsullied by fan protests.

They don't have the screwed up Scottish FA disciplinary system that we have. Do you think the SFA would hesitate to cite Hearts?

Again all i'm suggesting is if you're going to protest please don't risk penalties for the club (and by default us that pay for it). There will be a far better way if we think about it to get our message across on TV than disruption to the game. A silent protest might work and get the PTFC fans onside with us. Imagine a silent stadium for 5 minutes - it kills the atmosphere in the ground and as importantly on TV and diminishes the broadcasters on air product. Also, we control that and the broadcasters can do nothing to influence the (lack) of coverage/sound in the stadium. I don't think they'll be keen to publicise a tennis ball protest when it's actually against their product. They'll simply revert to the studio for some dumb pundit talk while some stewards try and clear the park. Just a thought.

[graygo]

10 minutes ago, eyesandears said:

They don't have the screwed up Scottish FA disciplinary system that we have. Do you think the SFA would hesitate to cite Hearts?

Again all i'm suggesting is if you're going to protest please don't risk penalties for the club (and by default us that pay for it). There will be a far better way if we think about it to get our message across on TV than disruption to the game. A silent protest might work and get the PTFC fans onside with us. Imagine a silent stadium for 5 minutes - it kills the atmosphere in the ground and as importantly on TV and diminishes the broadcasters on air product. Also, we control that and the broadcasters can do nothing to influence the (lack) of coverage/sound in the stadium. I don't think they'll be keen to publicise a tennis ball protest when it's actually against their product. They'll simply revert to the studio for some dumb pundit talk while some stewards try and clear the park. Just a thought.

 

No chance folk being silent if a goal is scored or pretty much anything contentious.

[4marsbars]

3 hours ago, Sir Gio said:

Its easy to see why Scotland is a downtrodden country, punching below its weight and petrified to get off the coat tails of others when you view a thread like this.

 

Tolerance that no self respecting community would allow e.g Germans

 

Downtrodden? Quite the opposite.

 

As others have pointed out, the reason for the change in time is to accommodate the new BBC Scotland flagship news programme at 9.00.

 

This new channel arises not from our downtrodden-ness but from the assertiveness of our nationalists who have long campaigned for such a channel and such a news programme. Once it exists (launch date is 24 February) don't let football get in the way. Across Europe, evening games kick of at 7.45 (or 8.45 in most of Europe). In Scotland, thanks to the actions of Scots, we won't manage that any more (for games on BBC).

 

So, in fact, the opposite is true. This is an example of our over-assertive politicians, a decision made entirely in Scotland. And if that means that the normal kick-off time for evening football in Scotland has to change, it is the downtrodden fans who suffer. But those treading on us are Scottish.

[Lord Beni of Gorgie]

12 minutes ago, 4marsbars said:

 

Downtrodden? Quite the opposite.

 

As others have pointed out, the reason for the change in time is to accommodate the new BBC Scotland flagship news programme at 9.00.

 

This new channel arises not from our downtrodden-ness but from the assertiveness of our nationalists who have long campaigned for such a channel and such a news programme. Once it exists (launch date is 24 February) don't let football get in the way. Across Europe, evening games kick of at 7.45 (or 8.45 in most of Europe). In Scotland, thanks to the actions of Scots, we won't manage that any more (for games on BBC).

 

So, in fact, the opposite is true. This is an example of our over-assertive politicians, a decision made entirely in Scotland. And if that means that the normal kick-off time for evening football in Scotland has to change, it is the downtrodden fans who suffer. But those treading on us are Scottish.

We voted no

[Doctor FinnBarr]

Not saying this is the way to go but LaLiga 2 fans are to hold a protest soon against Friday and Monday games. The protest will take the form of no one entering a stadium until 5 minutes after KO

[1953]

This is Scotland and we all know how the authorities operate. The club wouldn't get away with fans throwing tennis balls or anything else onto the pitch. The club would be cited for sure and goodness knows what would happen to any individuals identified. Also it should surely be the ones who couldn't get there who should protest, doesn't quite work for me that the protesters are the ones who managed to get there despite the kick off time that they're protesting about. A big banner wouldn't work either I shouldn't think as from what I remember of the layout at Firhill the cameras would be able to avoid showing any such banner. Vote with your feet and stay away but then how many wouldn't watch it on the box, so not really a protest. I reckon our allocation will sell out and there will be a different set of Hearts fans in attendance than there would have been if the game was on Saturday afternoon but if the stand's full it's full, nobody will care. I haven't decided if I'll go yet. My son can't go because of work but I'm retired so not a problem for me. Do I spend 4or 5 hours driving the  200  mile round trip and spend the best part of £50 or watch it on the box from my comfy armchair, haven't decided. 

[Boab]

14 minutes ago, FinnBarr Saunders said:

Not saying this is the way to go but LaLiga 2 fans are to hold a protest soon against Friday and Monday games. The protest will take the form of no one entering a stadium until 5 minutes after KO

 

Roma Ultras left after 15 mins of their League game against Milan because of their 7-1 defeat against Fiorentina.

They do things differently abroad !

[Morph]

1 hour ago, eyesandears said:

They don't have the screwed up Scottish FA disciplinary system that we have. Do you think the SFA would hesitate to cite Hearts?

Again all i'm suggesting is if you're going to protest please don't risk penalties for the club (and by default us that pay for it). There will be a far better way if we think about it to get our message across on TV than disruption to the game. A silent protest might work and get the PTFC fans onside with us. Imagine a silent stadium for 5 minutes - it kills the atmosphere in the ground and as importantly on TV and diminishes the broadcasters on air product. Also, we control that and the broadcasters can do nothing to influence the (lack) of coverage/sound in the stadium. I don't think they'll be keen to publicise a tennis ball protest when it's actually against their product. They'll simply revert to the studio for some dumb pundit talk while some stewards try and clear the park. Just a thought.

Do we no do a silent protest at near enough every match anyway?  

[4marsbars]

41 minutes ago, Sir Gio said:

We voted no

 

I could prolong this debate but we’d best not stray into this territory...

[Lord Beni of Gorgie]

9 minutes ago, 4marsbars said:

 

I could prolong this debate but we’d best not stray into this territory...

Agreed. 

 

[Bull's-eye]

2000 Watford supporters having to cross London on a Friday night to get to Loftus Rd for a Cup game. No protest, just exuberant supporters load and proud there to support their team. Weird bunch eh

[jambocub]

4 hours ago, mitch41 said:

now listen Jambos the monday night game v Partick should all be about supporting our team. There must be better ways of showing our disproval instead of not only risking a massive fine but messing our team about. 

Massive fine? What did hibs and rangers get fined for boxing each other on the pitch?

[mitch41]

1 hour ago, jambodavie said:

Totally agree. It wasn’t that long ago when the semi final of the other national cup competition was being scheduled for a Sunday night KO. Everybody got together and forced TV companies and governing bodies to see sense. There has got to be a tipping point against ridiculous ko times somewhere when supporters say enough is enough ... it might as well be now.

I look at it this way. I'd like a decent crowd plus TV money rather that a poor crowd plus TV money. So my fellow Jambos we'll just take monday & tuesday off and blame the SFA. When i was young i quit a job because they wouldn't gve me time off to go to Crystal Palace for our Texaco Cup game. Yes i was mental.

[jamboiain13]

If going we should all go in 5 minutes after k.o.

[Paul Shark]

3 hours ago, mitch41 said:

now listen Jambos the monday night game v Partick should all be about supporting our team. There must be better ways of showing our disproval instead of not only risking a massive fine but messing our team about. 

If Hearts fans threw tennis balls on to the pitch at Firhill,  Hearts would get the same size fine as Hibs got after they rioted at Hampden. Or are you talking about the individual throwers risking a massive fine ?

[Shanks said no]

Rather than tennis balls could we not try something different like the Hansa Rostock fans?

 

 

[jambodavie]

47 minutes ago, mitch41 said:

I look at it this way. I'd like a decent crowd plus TV money rather that a poor crowd plus TV money. So my fellow Jambos we'll just take monday & tuesday off and blame the SFA. When i was young i quit a job because they wouldn't gve me time off to go to Crystal Palace for our Texaco Cup game. Yes i was mental.

I take your point Mitch and agree to a certain extent. What I would say is that the Texaco Cup game  would most likely have been played on a traditional game day and ko time. It would be up to you if you wanted to make the effort to attend the game.

What we are experiencing now is games being played on non traditional days and times which take ever increasing commitment, free time and expense to attend. Some people will make the commitment, others can’t because of previous commitments or simply because they don’t want to.

I always start the season with a shiny new season ticket with the expectation that I will attend all home games but the increasing reality is that I will miss a Friday game or a televised game on a Sunday for example and I resent the fact that I miss these games knowing full well that I make the effort to keep Saturdays and most Wednesdays free so I can get to games but I simply can’t keep all days free,  every day during the season , just in case Hearts have a game. 

[Zico]

Quite surprised the amount of folk happy to lube up while also slagging their fellow supporters.

 

I’ve got the points and can take the half day but my mates might not be able to. And being able to see further than my own nose, I know loads of other folk can’t make that would’ve been able to at the weekend. I’d be happy to chip in for whatever protest would cause the most disruption, especially if it impacts the BBC’s all-important shitey 9pm ‘news’. 

[Phil Dunphy]

8 minutes ago, Zico said:

Quite surprised the amount of folk happy to lube up while also slagging their fellow supporters.

 

I’ve got the points and can take the half day but my mates might not be able to. And being able to see further than my own nose, I know loads of other folk can’t make that would’ve been able to at the weekend. I’d be happy to chip in for whatever protest would cause the most disruption, especially if it impacts the BBC’s all-important shitey 9pm ‘news’. 

 

It's nothing to do with "lubing up", it's about realism.

 

A few dozen folk throwing tennis balls onto the pitch aren't going to make any difference to future kick off times. The clubs signed a TV deal that meant things like this can and will happen. Perhaps when ourselves and other clubs are more predominantly fan owned, things can change in the future.

 

But a protest now achieves one thing. **** all.

[sac]

2 hours ago, 1953 said:

This is Scotland and we all know how the authorities operate. The club wouldn't get away with fans throwing tennis balls or anything else onto the pitch. The club would be cited for sure and goodness knows what would happen to any individuals identified. Also it should surely be the ones who couldn't get there who should protest, doesn't quite work for me that the protesters are the ones who managed to get there despite the kick off time that they're protesting about. A big banner wouldn't work either I shouldn't think as from what I remember of the layout at Firhill the cameras would be able to avoid showing any such banner. Vote with your feet and stay away but then how many wouldn't watch it on the box, so not really a protest. I reckon our allocation will sell out and there will be a different set of Hearts fans in attendance than there would have been if the game was on Saturday afternoon but if the stand's full it's full, nobody will care. I haven't decided if I'll go yet. My son can't go because of work but I'm retired so not a problem for me. Do I spend 4or 5 hours driving the  200  mile round trip and spend the best part of £50 or watch it on the box from my comfy armchair, haven't decided. 

 

Hmmmm, “a different set of Hearts fans in attendance”   You say. I’m intrigued.

[1953]

17 minutes ago, sac said:

 

Hmmmm, “a different set of Hearts fans in attendance”   You say. I’m intrigued.

Not that intriguing surely, the fans with high points that can't go will be replaced by people who otherwise wouldn't have got a ticket.

[Zico]

28 minutes ago, Phil Dunphy said:

 

It's nothing to do with "lubing up", it's about realism.

 

A few dozen folk throwing tennis balls onto the pitch aren't going to make any difference to future kick off times. The clubs signed a TV deal that meant things like this can and will happen. Perhaps when ourselves and other clubs are more predominantly fan owned, things can change in the future.

 

But a protest now achieves one thing. **** all.

Well then you can do **** all and let those who aren’t happy do whatever they like to show their displeasure. Whatever it ‘achieves’, at least they’re doing something.

 

And it clearly worked in Germany. “But that’s not the same” etc. 

[davemclaren]

34 minutes ago, Phil Dunphy said:

 

It's nothing to do with "lubing up", it's about realism.

 

A few dozen folk throwing tennis balls onto the pitch aren't going to make any difference to future kick off times. The clubs signed a TV deal that meant things like this can and will happen. Perhaps when ourselves and other clubs are more predominantly fan owned, things can change in the future.

 

But a protest now achieves one thing. **** all.

We currently have around 8000 FoH members. I think that would be the best route to try and effect change, at least at Hearts. 

[jambo_]

as much as i am dumfounded by the ko i dont think a protest is worth the time and effort, lets be positive and get behind our team.

 

Regardless of the ko time etc etc if we get to the semis nobodies gonna give two hoots

 

but goodluck with whatever go's down  ?

 

 

Edited February 15, 2019 by jambo_

[Boab]

1 minute ago, jambo_ said:

as much as i am dumfounded by the ko i dont think a protest is worth the time and effort, lets be positive and get behind our team.

 

Regardless of the ko time etc etc if we get to the semis nobodies gonna give two hoots

 

 

 

Yip. 12 noon at Hampden. Against the hooped demons. On a Sunday. No moaning then !

Em....whit time ?

?

[jambo_]

Just now, Boab said:

 

Yip. 12 noon at Hampden. Against the hooped demons. On a Sunday. No moaning then !

Em....whit time ?

?

 

giving my cold sweats man 

 

[Maroon Sailor]

I might start hitchhiking on Monday in order to make the 19:05 kick off 2 weeks later. 

[jambocub]

Wonder how many that are going to the game and are against any protest would feel if the ticket prices were 30 quid. 

 

After all we'll sell our allocation so may as well cash in on it ,even if it makes our fans feel hard done buy

[John Findlay]

13 hours ago, 1953 said:

This is Scotland and we all know how the authorities operate. The club wouldn't get away with fans throwing tennis balls or anything else onto the pitch. The club would be cited for sure and goodness knows what would happen to any individuals identified. Also it should surely be the ones who couldn't get there who should protest, doesn't quite work for me that the protesters are the ones who managed to get there despite the kick off time that they're protesting about. A big banner wouldn't work either I shouldn't think as from what I remember of the layout at Firhill the cameras would be able to avoid showing any such banner. Vote with your feet and stay away but then how many wouldn't watch it on the box, so not really a protest. I reckon our allocation will sell out and there will be a different set of Hearts fans in attendance than there would have been if the game was on Saturday afternoon but if the stand's full it's full, nobody will care. I haven't decided if I'll go yet. My son can't go because of work but I'm retired so not a problem for me. Do I spend 4or 5 hours driving the  200  mile round trip and spend the best part of £50 or watch it on the box from my comfy armchair, haven't decided. 

I don't think so. A precedent was set after the final whistle of the national cup competition in 2016. Alot more than tennis balls entered the field of play that day.  Even those who make the game know it's a shite day and kick off time. It really wouldn't hurt to have a mass protest. I thought all the Hearts family are in it together. Or are we now saying I can make it so **** you who cannot.

[1953]

38 minutes ago, John Findlay said:

I don't think so. A precedent was set after the final whistle of the national cup competition in 2016. Alot more than tennis balls entered the field of play that day.  Even those who make the game know it's a shite day and kick off time. It really wouldn't hurt to have a mass protest. I thought all the Hearts family are in it together. Or are we now saying I can make it so **** you who cannot.

Not saying that at all, I just can't think of anything that will be effective.

[Boab]

9 hours ago, jambocub said:

Wonder how many that are going to the game and are against any protest would feel if the ticket prices were 30 quid. 

 

After all we'll sell our allocation so may as well cash in on it ,even if it makes our fans feel hard done buy

 

If the tickets were that price it would be BBC for many, protest or no.