[apologies for the essay, but I'm over the bullshit so I'm putting up a serious post. if you just want my view on the way forward read the last few paras.]
In season 1 we were feeling our way along, seeing what worked and what didnt and just working on building numbers and a repertoire.
In seasons 2 and 3, we made lots of noise, had pretty good numbers and were still trying new things.
Last season something went pretty toxic. The first game of the season was immense that 20 minutes of Yellow football team was one of the more amazing things weve ever done it just wouldnt die and neither would the team. Its one time when I really feel like we made a difference to the team because we wouldnt sit down and shut up no matter the pressure that the Jets were putting on and when we scored it was unbelievable an explosion of both elation and relief. Pity we conceded moments later
At the start of the season at home we had the issues with the whole reserved seating bit that shredded our numbers and we lost a number of people that used to be pretty well essential to our noise. Craig was doing a great job on the meg though and we were doing OK for what we had. The teenybopper problem was gradually building and wed have a weird mix of before half-time wed be small but tight and then after half time wed be big but completely uncontrollable, unsteerable, unworkable.
I went away for three months mid-year, so Ive no idea what happened in the meantime.
When I came back our numbers were better from the start and the noise was better from the start, but perpetual arguments in the bay during the matches f**ked the air of the place completely. The big group at the front were perfectly happy to sing for 90 minutes, but because they werent singing what the capo and others wanted thered be shitfights. Frankly the whole things ridiculous.
This season a few things have taken off Yellow football team was taking its new shape in season 3, but the Round 1 derby cemented it (one song, we only need one song). Heracles took off too, but lost its tune along the way. The ooooooooo Central Coast Ole! thing is an excellent alternative to the f**king dreadful you fat bastard. Just recently the anthem has taken root, and I think it will grow and grow. But if people don't know it we can't go "it's the anthem, what's wrong with you!". We've got to teach them.
On the flip side, I dont like Lets go Mariners, lets go any more than I like Everywhere we go, but I can understand why those things are sung. For a start, they were pretty stock standard early on. They might not be full of all the right football kulcha, but they were the baby steps. Most of us have lost the urge to sing them, but there are some who still want to. Not everyone's on here all the time or on youtube looking up the latest in balkan ultras songs. If we constantly bitch at them rather than make the effort to teach them (and the bay as a whole) new things that they can pick up, they'll never move forward.
So now were in a situation where were so busy belting each other internally to focus on the matches, on trying new material or on having fun. One of the big things about the last 20 minutes against Kawasaki is that the bitching stopped. We just got on with being supporters. We did silly shit and had fun and while I dont think much of the hats song (so I didnt sing it, so shoot me) the rest was pretty cool and people had fun. That was a bit of a one-off though and next home game well have the same old troubles.
A big thing is the capo. Being on the meg is hard I know it as well as you do Serious, Ive done some time on it. I find that a big part of the problem of being on the meg is that when people dont like what youre doing, instead of offering practical and constructive criticism and suggesting something to change, theres a bunch of bitching that goes on behind the scenes. When it surfaces its like youve got no way of continuing as is but no direction to go in either.
There were times when I was on the meg, starting songs and while down the front thered be plenty of people following and making noise, all Id see behind me was lots of shaking heads. More than once I snapped and told said folks up the back that they should start their own f**king songs only to be met with silence. Seriously unhelpful.
We need cooperation and a bit of collective spirit. At the moment though weve just got a small group who want everyone to somehow absorb what they want by sheer osmosis rather than by teaching and leading and then hurl shit at anyone who isnt up to their standard of support and kulcha. There's a forum here for trying to build and develop support, but aside from the anthem nothing has come out of this since the start of the year with Heracles. We've just got torrents of bullshit.
Given the choice, Id rather have everyone inside the tent pissing out than having some outside pissing in, but at the moment weve got some inside the tent and still pissing in. Its unworkable as it is, and yet it takes so little to change it.
[Start reading here if you just my view on want the way forward in a nutshell]
I think the whole problem we have comes down to song choice. We have guaranteed set of agreed songs that everyone likes and will sing. Really we need about a dozen songs that we know can be started and will be followed by all the core people. Forget the woo crew if the core people are driving something and the drum is pumping it on too then we go over the top.
Of the dozen songs we need quick simple ones that will spread around the ground, (e.g. Come on mariners) we need rolling songs that will go for a while (e.g: Heracles, Yellow football team), the anthem and then whatever suits the moment.
But without some goodwill and unity of purpose, well just have shit, shit and more shit from here on.