Big Brother sings down the fans
By Brendan O'Reilly | April 24, 2008

"THE birds sang, the Proles sang, the Party did not sing", said George Orwell. There is a bit of a myth that football is all about the players, especially the great ones.

Or that it's all about the high mark or the bone-crunching shirtfronts or the long kicking. This is all wrong.
Football is about the crowd.

And more than that, it's about the noise that only a huge crowd can make.

At the footy, it's acceptable to shout and scream and pour scorn on people, as it is not elsewhere.

And, apart from church and Happy Birthday, the footy is almost the only place where people gather together and sing.

It is very disturbing, then, that the AFL wants to silence the crowd.

I mean the use of very, very loud sound systems to blast out commercials, inane announcements or pop music whenever the game is not actually in progress (or maybe I speak too soon, and in a few weeks they'll be filling this "dead air" as well.)

I first noticed this eight years ago at the new Docklands Stadium.

Richmond was in with a chance against St Kilda at three-quarter time and the Tiger Army had started their chanting.

For a moment I had a tingle down my spine, but in seconds the chanting was blasted out by commercials played over the PA at 100 decibels. I had to lip-read to get what they were saying.

It used to be that one of the great things about going to a game live, as against watching it on TV, was that there were no ads.

Well, now there are, and the supporters who have paid to get in are not equipped with a mute button.

It's not just annoying, the way ads on TV might be. It's much sadder than that. It's a crushing of the timeless human urge to get together and make a noise.

We hardly do this any more, and when we do some corporate tyrant drowns it out.

It would be bad enough if this tendency was merely about making money.

But even when nobody is paying them, their noise continues in the form of very loud music or moronic announcements, as if the crowd could not possibly entertain itself for five minutes. And it's not just the AFL.

I saw the Poms win a Test at the MCG a few years ago (as I write that I feel like the last man to have seen a Tasmanian tiger) and the Barmy Army sang them home like a choir of drunken angels.

But during the most recent Ashes tour the Barmy Army was deliberately split up inside the grounds through the allocation of seating.

The singing and chanting were subdued and sometimes barely audible.

The authorities' claims that supporters were split up to avoid trouble were rubbish.

The truth is that the corporate mindset that governs professional sport hates authentic crowd atmosphere because it can't be controlled and it doesn't provide a revenue stream. It also happened in the Rugby World Cup in 2003.

Again, the English supporters sang the house down wherever their team played.

But when their team won the final, the ground's PA system blasted out one pop song after another.

These were songs that crowds of people simply cannot sing in the way they can sing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.

The supporters were being forced to sing songs selected by the sporting authorities.

This sort of tyranny goes way beyond commercial concerns.

It reveals a pathological urge to control others, particularly crowds. Why is this?

Is the crowd that sings Jerusalem or Tigerland this evening going to be singing the Red Flag tomorrow?

Brendan O'Reilly is a Melbourne writer.

amentes sunt amentes

The Red Flag with the
Red Flag Chant!
'long slow Coll-ing-wood'

Are these the most passionate fans on the planet ? Yes ,The Celtic supporter is easily the most beautiful supporter to watch, The Passion, The singing, leaves many other supporter groups behind including us, The Collingwood supporter, If honesty offends you leave this page now because you aint gonna like it!

It's almost absurd to think that a small piece of red material can create such controversy, All it was ever designed to do is bring the terraces together in song, The AFL terraces so boring and bland. We have become ' tea drinkers ' AFL record magazine readers ' We clappity clap clap when we feel like it ' We'll tear apart if we believe our membership dollar is failing to produce greatness out on the arena.

We'll say,  why a red flag,  we'll say,  why do it all ?  whats the point in the whole process ? We even question the color of the material which is of course the red flag,And being red makes it visible right across the MCG.  And watch the AFL redneck bogan supporters swing into action when one dares to suggest that our wonderful brothers and sisters a world away in their terraces do it so well, so beautifully, i know now why it's called the beautiful game world wide! I make no excuse's nor apologise for refering the red flag story to ' soccer ' where the greatest passion in the land gather's in it's terrace's. AFL crowds are passionate but let's not kid ourselves for in the scheme of thing's AFL crowds are bottom ladder in world wide sports when it come's to passion. Yeah sure we turn up in shit loads but not with an abundance of passion!

The bottom line is the red flag is all about the ability to stand above the rest, send a message beyond our routine clappity clap clap bloody nonsense, Not be ashamed and not to be worried about the ' wankers ' who laugh and sneer because they feel challenged or put well and truly outside one's comfort zone.

We have our own modern stand which is able to magnify noise..we dont use that, probably because we're too busy hanging shite on everything when we're behind on the scoreboard, or trying to come up with some lame personal emergency excuse when we're about to walk out on the boys for no other reason that they had a bad day, funny how when the lads are steamrolling to victory in the same last quarter all personal emergency excuse's are well and truly put on hold.

Damn all of you for walking out on our boys when things get tough, when victory's hope is all but gone, How dare you call yourself a lover of the Collingwood football club, That's not passion. That's not love, And when you walk out you qestion the amount of dollars you forked out for your membership..Well boo hoo to you, I cant recall anyone putting a gun to your head demanding you buy a membership, Can't recall the club ever spinning in it's membership sales that your dollar will earn you a Premiership!

Are you offended by my ramblings yet?

Maybe even angry?

Maybe your thinking who does this bloody ' joffa ' think he is ? Mr Collingwood..well go ahead i've heard it all before!, You see i've revisited this page umpteen times with different approaches to our call for arms, The sad fact is we cant do it, We dont understand, We dont comprehend probably because we have no understanding of what real passion is about, You see The supporter's of the Fremantle football club can do it, Supporter's of the Geelong football club can do it..We cant!

I've been at Subi oval when the league's newest supporter unleashed the Freo chant around the tearrace's, It was spine tingling, It was something that can't be put into word's, I sat there fuming, angered yet inspired, And i remember congratulating a handful of Freo supporter's at games end, The supporter's of The Geelong Football Club can do it with it's Geelong chant going around the outer!

All we want to do is come home at games end and bitch and moan on many fansite bulletin board's on why we shouldn't do it, ' oh please ' May i wake up tomorrow morning at Ole trafford or Celtic Park and be  a part of something which is considered so beautifully special, To stand with thousand's upon thousand's and sing from heart and soul ' you'll never walk alone' to our lads is as good as what it will ever get, Or at a World rugby match and be a part of the crowd singing the beautiful Hymn ' Abide with me ' God Forbid ' dont mention that one on any our our fansite bulletin board's, you'll be an accused Jesus lover and religous such songs have no place in our terraces, What a beatiful song to sing in the terraces, I guess passion is very Biblical, The Bible is full of many wonderful songs of passion and praise.

So what is passion ?

Do we understand it's meaning ?

Or maybe it's just a word we identify with being an AFL follower, God i hope not ?

In my Funk and Wagnalls Dictionary it says the following...

Passion ...( pashan ) Any Intense, extreme, , or overpowering emotion or feeling, Ardent affection of love, Overwhelming anger or rage, An outbusrt of strong feeling, A strong desire or affection for some object, cause. The object of such a desire or affection.

The Funk and Wagnalls goes on to explain the meaning of passionate ( pashanit ) :...Capable of or inclined to strong passion, Expressing, Displaying,  Or characterized  by passion or strong emotion, Ardent, Strong  or Vehement, As a feeling or emotion!

We crow about a youtube footage of some five season's ago when the Magpies stormed all over Port in the Preliminary final of 2003, The very same one's who admire the footage go silent in the ever going Red Flag debate ' followers ' of the Collingwood football club Not Supporters of the Collingwood football club. We all saw on that day how it felt, how it sounded, The passion, The haunting echo that went around the MCG, Radio stations talked about it, Television networks marvelled over it, Opposition supporter the very next monday talked about it, But still, The small minded, the UN passionate ones still question it! The very same one's who laughed at the Barmy Army's presence at the cricket in Australia some two years ago, Must be a shame job to be exposed as second rate cricket folower's with the ever boring ' Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi chant.

Beautiful passion at it's best!

Fair dinkum you'd see more passion in a five year old on his way down to the local milk bar to purchase a frozen sunny boy. I've also researched heaps of EPL English Premier League football fansites, i've spoken to Celtic supporters, Man United supporters and Liverpool supporters, Same people, Different country, Different football code, But same people, sadly different levels of passion, Only one person out of the six or seven i chatted to knew about AFL rules, And his knowledge of our game to say the least ,was very vague.

I spoke with them about passion, The Celtic supporter in question agreed to be interviewed for joffasfronpage.com which will be organised soon, I asked all of them who had attended EPL games on a regular basis this 07/08 SEASON, What is it like to be amidst all that singing and on-going chanting

Most did not seem to understand what i was trying to say, but were only too happy to oblige with some type of answer, To them it was normal to sing and chant at all games, It was after all as the Celtic supporter had pointed out, A way of life, no shame whatsoever to sing for your comrades and club, You didn't have to sing, No one made you, But you did it because it felt good, It is uplifting, and the lads appreciate it, The lads being the footy players!

I was invited by the Celtic supporter to register with the Celtic official football club website which i did, Loved the clubs mission statement, not a bad club this Celtic mob, Would be very easy to fall in love with that establishment big time.

During some of the debate we've had here about the red flag, The usual question will arise, But our game is too fast, Too much action it just aint possible, Well i've never suffered the  'when mouth is open the eyes close' syndrome.What a cop out that one is!!

I often wonder, Do spirits of the past congregate at empty satdiums to recall past glories, Maybe even the football Gods gather to discuss future glories! Passion is very much from the soul, It is the heartbeat of who we are.

Is our game being led by the passionate?

Arrogant leadership hasn't helped the game, The game needs open leadership not some detested secret boys club, This mob led by Demetriou and company have done nothing to encourage passion in it's terraces, Infact over the last ten years one has seen a push to strerilise our outer beyond belief,Along with it's media puppet Mike Sheahan, the AFL outer has become cold,  boring and a bloody nuisance....No imagination, no appreciation in what the game means to it's follower's, It sneer's , Looks down on the very fabric that keeps the game afloat...The Supporter!

The rules at all stadiums are a joke, It;s security system a blatant non event, They are eager to boast figures every twelve months, But in all honesty has the game grown at the rate they claim, A push to get the game into South Africa is laughable, The game only works in Rugby's northern Australian states when enough money is thrown about to guarantee four premiership points and a flag, A kick in the arse to the lifetime football club follower here in Victoria whose football club has more meaning than life itself.

I've been to plenty of Grand Finals from the 1970's to the modern day.All magnificent events, However overshadowed by another event an event popular worldwide and used with a round ball.The world cup qualifier between Australia V Iraq, The very one when dipstick maniac serial pest Peter Whore ran the field to slash the goal net at the Ponsford end of the ground.Australia were hot until then but lost all momentum when the game had to be stopped for goal net repairs, On the way to game we disembarked from tram to soak up the unbelievable atmosphere, Unlike our game ' the beautiful game ", can boast about unimaginable passion, The streets of Melbourne was alive with singing, chanting, drums, whistles, flag waving, immense pride,It was a carnival like atmosphere, We dont do that ? Why dont we ? Such is the angst towards supporters of this great ' Beautiful game ' the sadsacks will pounce on anything involving any form of violence, As if the AFL doesn't host drunken hoons hell bent on smashing the living shit out of each other!

So for a few short brief hours i had experienced what my brother's experience weekly in passionate terraces where it is no shame to be passionate, How envious some of us are.

So in short that's what the red flag is all about, raising the bar whilst having fun, creating something special, something to be happy about, something to marvall at, open up the soul and heart in dedication, It's not about bitch fights, just for one moment imagine the Ponny stand in victory coming together as one, with a chant that will haunt the terraces in love and echo ?

A war cry?

The call for arms?

The players want it!

The players CRAVE it!

It's time to deliver!

It would be unjust not to mention the extreme passion of the Man United supporter!

@Celtic Park!

Love this pic!
Taken some forty plus years ago
The mighty Liverpool supporters
for whom You'll Never Walk Alone is their own personal anthem!

Youtube magic..Prelim Final 2003 V Port Adelaide MCG. Our very own haunting chant coll-ing-wood CLICK HERE   

And yet The Melbourne Victory Terraces are allowed to have a Megaphone to deliver chants!

So why is it so ? The beautiful game right here in Melbourne @ Telstra Dome will allow a megaphone at all games and why is it so that their terraces dont object ?

Could you imagine the high and mighty ' you know the ones, The ones that pay a few hundred bucks more for a membership, could you imagine their attitude if for arguments sake the Collingwood cheer sqaud were allowed to have a megaphone at all games ?

Their is a very distinct reason why the Beautiful game is far more passionate than the AFL game and that is because passion is required at the Beautiful game . it is in itself an integral part of the game, without it, it would not be the beautiful game, i wasn't suprised to see the Megaphone, and nor was i suprised to see the whole Victory Army at goal's end in hundreds upon hundreds join in all the chants regardless of membership status, Hats off the the wonderful Victory supporters, who leave us for dead, make us all look like vicars at some morning tea gathering!

What i would like to know is, Why are one group of football followers treated differently to others, Do we really believe we are better, More passionate ?

NO this is not a pic of the Collingwood cheersquad, Should be, But it isn't! It's been a continual heartbreak to see a lack of deep meaningful passion from within our cheersquad, With virtually no help from the rest of the Ponsford stand, We are many times on our own, We have been given a new stand yet we dont come together in songs and chant...Why is that ?

Wouldn't this be a statement, Three huge bays with color to match, with megaphone and all surrounding non cheersquad bays joining in song and chant, We cant even produce anything like this at an AFL Grand Final!

We have a lot to learn from other codes, in the above pic shows just how serious and commited the Melbourne Victory fans are!

One of my all favourite pics, you can easily feel the warmth passion and love!  Melb Victory fans @ Telstra Dome.

The Celtic Supporter
The Love
The Passion
Their Terraces
The Interview!

It's been a thrill to travel to the other side of the world via email to talk passion with supporter's who dont bitch fight over new chants, People who will stand shoulder to shoulder to sing, True i could of interviewed a Liverpool supporter or even a Man United supporter. Once i read the Cetic Football Club's mission statement on their official website i fell in love with the mob, Started to take notice of youtube footage at Celtic Park, Watched closely as they sang, Waved scarves, Passion cant be faked you have it or you dont have it.

Meet Gordon from Scotland a true Celtic fan who has kindly taken the time to be a part of my website, I envy Gordon and would trade places at an instant, I have vowed that before the good lord takes me i will stand at Celtic Park, Stand shoulder to shoulder, Sing for my newfound love The Celtic Football Club...........................HAIL HAIL!

JOFFA,  Thanks Gordon for taking the time to be a part of this interview, thanks for listening to my ramblings via emails and Private Messages on your Celtic Fansite.

Were you at Celtic Park Thursday 29th, you guys that night delivered the best ever You'll Never Walk Alone?
GORDON,  Yep, I was at the Shakktar game, Great night the way we turned it around was superb getting the goal with the last kick  was the ultimate dramatic ending to keep our 100% home record intact.

JOFFA,  I have just viewed Youtube footage of that game and was blown away with the crowd singing YNWA You'll Never Walk Alone
GORDON,  The YNWA at games end was bloody brilliant i have youtube footage of it on youtube, my user name is Gordybhoy have a wee look at it.

JOFFA,  Have you heard of the mighty magpies the Collingwood Football Club in The AFL Australian Football League?
GORDON,  I have never heard of them until you mentioned it mate but i will have a wee browse around to see what i can find, Cetic's been the only team for me all my life.

JOFFA,  Did you know that our president (Collingwood Football Club) Eddie McGuire and family are huge Celtic Fans?
GORDON,  Nope just checked him out on Wikipedia, see you learn something new everyday.

JOFFA,  How long have you been a Celtic Supporter?
GORDON,  All my life, My first game was when i was eight years old just a wee lad, way back in 1988 our Centenary year, We beat Dumferline 1-0 thanks to a Chris Morris header and i still remember it to this day.

JOFFA,  Describe Celtic Park on a good day and a bad day
GORDON,  Celtic Park on a good day has atmosphere that is unrivalled anywhere, the buzz you get walking up to the game increases until you get there. Then once inside the noise and colour just blow you away. These are the special nights that involve European Football matches or the Huns. Cant whack it.The bad games for me are the run of the mill games against average spl games where fans stay away, or leave early or dont sing. I cant stand these fans. Celtic supporting is all about creating an atmosphere and im my book the fans who dont are letting my side down. I have done my bit to relocate to the singing section, an area set up for the fans who will be in full voice for 90 minutes plus. Also i now help with the displays and recently contributed in the players faces one where i done the Skippy one myself.

CLICK HERE  for youtube action 
Watch this youtube footage filmed by Gordybhoy.

John Thomson
1909-1931

And for those who still dont get it, sit back and ponder how good would the Ponny Stand be if WE could do this
 CLICK HERE    

No one knows how much my heart hurts when i read this type of stuff on bulletin boards from the other side of the world!

JOFFA, I watched the AC Milan Celtic game and was impressed with the Celtic support and noise, did you go?
GORDON, I was at work at the time but managed to watch it on TV, The away fans are always a credit to the club, hence why we are voted the world's best supporters after Seville.

JOFFA, What famous Celtic players have you met?
GORDON, Plenty over the years used to be real easy to meet them when up getting tickets, They would be coming out of the stadium and stop for autographs.

JOFFA, What made you a Celtic supporter, did you grow up in a Celtic family?
GORDON, Grew up a Celtic fan like my dad, all the family are season ticket holders, My mum and dad got married there wearing Kilts and Celtic tops, I'll give you the link for the thread on the site.

JOFFA, Is Celtic a fair dinkum chance of winning the European Cup?
GORDON, Maybe if we get it right, with a bit of luck anything can happen.

JOFFA, Have you met any of the Celtic players from the 1967 European Cup Victory?
GORDON, Yeah most of them .Had a great night with Tommy Gemmell and Bertie Auld , it was a dinner and they were the speakers , top night telling you about standing in the tunnel in Lisbon and all their stories. Class.

JOFFA, I have recently purchased from the Celtic website Celtic Anthems Vol 2, tell me a bit about the song Glory Glory Glasgow Celtic?
GORDON, That one doesn't get sung much mate, a bit too cheesey , we tend to make up new songs regularly about players, But the old faithfuls never ever die.

JOFFA, Were you at the Celtic St Mirrens game one all draw, were you happy with the result and did the YNWA go off?
GORDON, Was working mate, That time of year. The atmosphere wasn't the best and the result even worse.

Gordon's Folks Getting Married At Celtic Park.

JOFFA, Tell me about Jim Johnson and what he means to modern day Celtic Fans?
GORDON, Jinky is regarded as the greatest ever Celt. His skill was up there with the best ever , he could beat a man then go back and beat him again just for the fun of it, He is the greatest legend we have and we love him to bits.

JOFFA, Explain to us Aussies what it's like inside Celtic Park when the ' you'll never walk alone ' is being sung, Keeping in mind the greater majority of us Aussies cant even get off our clackers to clap?
GORDON, Well when you watch the Videos the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, well inside the ground its magnified 60.000 times over. You feel like a part of the team, You see these superstar players overawed by your voices, us the normal fans...it's surreal.

JOFFA, What do you do when the season is over?
GORDON, Plod around bored waiting for the season to start again, Life is empty without it.

JOFFA, What is a Hun?
GORDON, Hun is a term used to describe our hated rivals Rangers , They are the scum of the earth and for years their kind has been opposed to anything Catholic / Celtic, even in everyday life they hate us. We have shown for years now we are a level above them when it comes to football, normal decency and morales .... #%$# Em forever!

JOFFA, What does the Celtic Football Club mean to you?
GORDON, Celtic Football Club is my life, I couldn't imagine me without Celtic, Celtic you could say is me!

JOFFA, Many thanks Gordon for taking part in this interview its been great chatting with you, all the best for Celtic mate, i truly envy you and would trade places anyday..love the Celt passion.

I will send you a copy of the Collingwood Football club song, in your off season go for the mighty pies mate ' even if it's just a wee bit !

Hail Hail champ!

THE PEOPLES VICTORY VICTORIOUS! What would the world be, once bereft of wet and wildnesss? Let them be left O let them be left, wildness and wet. Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet. Congrats to the Victory fans for a wonderful performance last night whilst your club had a convincing win over Wellington at Telstra Dome, The crowd was once again just amazing, In full voice and passion the spine tingled with excitement, And yet the sadsacks say ' no place for that kind of thing at our game '. Two bays behind the goals chanting and singing jumping supporting. Three people came with me all AFL stalwarts who were left amazed at what they heard and  saw. To the wonderful Victory supporters who had come across joffasfrontpage and in paticular this page and gave support for the Red Flag chant. Two bays of seating where people only stand, Two bays with bongo drums, Two bays left alone from security to sing and chant, Two bays of unbridled passion, Two bays of the  most passionate supporters in this state, Two bays of supporters who come together in brotherhood. and love. The above poem is one of Envy and jealousy oh how i envy my brothers who are simply allowed to be the twelth man. I stood alone and wished ' why cant this be us  ' i stood as the outsider wanting something that i can never have. I know now how the two year old feels when in a lolly shop being told sorry no lollies!. You have to be there to understand what im trying to say, Its that fantastic you really cant put it into words ' no bitching and moaning no being told to shut up and sit down ' Thanks Melbourne Victory fans. And to the sad sacks who pretend to hate 'The beautiful game ' with comments last year like well wait until they start losing and watch the game just dissapear, Melbourne Victory and it's marvellous supporters are here to stay. There is a lot of anger at Melbourne Victory games, People believe the AFL have taken our game away from us, It would be a good public relation exercise for the AFL to remove themselves from the comfort of AFL house go into the real world and hear what the passionate ones have to say before its too late.

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