Hello all - first time poster
I was one of the apathetic many until the Dublin tech conference tour de force got published/broadcast. At that point for the first time it was clear that the intentions of this regime are not in our best interests. I think I have reasonable pedigree - went to the last game at the old Valley as a 14 year old, attended through the Selhurst years, was one of the 2-3k at St Andrews, leafleted for the Valley Party, am fortunate enough to buy a season ticket most years even though my attendance has for some time been poor due to young family and poor fare. So my point is....
Our away support has always been utter shite. Even in the Prem, at London grounds when the novelty was gone, we sometimes didn't sell out. I think poor away attendance is for a large part a self perpetuating issue - people don't go because they know only a hard core few go so to go is a chore more than a real fun day/night out with a HUGE number of fellow fans. Our standard away support is not a statement of brilliant support, merely a sign of a smaller London club with a largely passive support. And respect to those that do go and I am guilty as the next person.
Now, in adversity we seem to have found energy in the first time in many many years. So - and now I honestly do get to my point!...
Is now not the time to reinvent out supporter profile and get a reputation for having a huge and passionate away support? The catalyst for building such momentum would need to be the great organisers from this site. If we took 2000 to every away game wherever and whenever (I appreciate it isn't cheap but we supposedly still have 15k season ticket holders..) and made a shite load of noisy pro team but aggressive anti regime noise, then I think this would have the double impact of lifting the team but also ramping up pressure on the regime during EVERY game. This would benefit in multiple ways - not least in changing our reputation from nice middle class anoraks to fans to be properly respected. For the first time in years I would be in for a mid week hack up to Huddersfield if I knew we would sell out.
I have no idea whether it is possible (without club driven Rotherham style freebies) to generate such a movement. But if it is I think it would be a great line of attack. Problem is, how do you get it going without some kind of embarrassing Palarse Ultras style gimmick?
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Comments
Welcome to the forum BTW,
Middle class anoraks is a slight giveaway
Enjoy school tomorrow
This is a wind up, or else why say this now when everyone who goes to away games deserves a medal or free therapy.
We do many great things as a club and have in our history but away games have and never will be one of them.
You get the jest.....
You think they wouldn't sell as many as you would give them? Nonsense.
http://www.millwall-history.org.uk/Millwall-Stats04-05.htm
I was there. You could see at least a couple of hundred empty seats in the upper tier.
Go on a west ham forum and ask them if they would sell out. I don't need to speak for them.
Of course most of the time they would sell out, but there has been the odd occasion when they haven't.
I tell you what is nonsense, saying they'd sell out our whole ground if given the opportunity. That's nonsense.
I wouldn't have a clue how to get this going but it made sense to me. Build on the discontent momentum and all that. I don't believe the OP deserved to be ridiculed as he was by some. That's the approach of bullies and should be left in the playground.