I watched a football match on Sunday...

[fullyautomatix]

People who generalise are idiots (yes I know)

[d000hg]

Run, played and watched by idiots.
No offence Mitch.

People who generalise are idiots (yes I know)

[darmstadt]

Run, played and watched by idiots.
No offence Mitch.

Sometimes, sometimes not. I go along to our local team nowadays only when its sunny as I can't be arsed getting cold and wet anymore) who for more years languished in the lower leagues. A couple of years ago they go promoted to the newly created 3rd division and a year later nearly went down again but luckily due to local rivals getting into financial trouble were able to stay up. This year has seen a reverse change and the team are in 3rd place and if they manage 2nd will get promoted to the 2nd division otherwise they go into the playoffs. However, although there are many idiotic fans there although they don't tend to throw fireworks, the larger fan clubs have got together along with many residents of the town and put together a few good trips.

- a few weeks ago was an away game to Rostock, instead of going by train which would have been over €200 and around an 11 hour trip they arranged to charter a flight which took an hour and only cost €120. Sold out within 2 hours and no trouble was had at the game (Rostock fans are notorious for being idiots, they chartered a plane a couple of weeks later to Saarbrucken and there were some incidents)
- this weekend was against 2nd place Leipzig (where Darmstadt lost the first game in a run of 17 non-defeats) a train was booked with 14 carriages although they asked for more but apparently the platforms at Leipzig aren't long enough. Nearly 600 people on the train, 3000kg of food and drink and overall 3600 Darmstadt fans turned up for a match in the sun which had a turnout of just under 40,000 people (3rd division remember)
- in a couple of weeks they're playing local team Wiesbaden and this time a ship trip up the Rhein is planned. The first boat, holding 600, was full booked in under an hour. A second was hired, full booked in under an hour and now a 3rd has just sold out. So thats 1800 people traveling up the Rhein for a match (I did this years ago with them to Koblenz, a beautiful trip in glorious weather up the Rhein, albeit spoiled by a couple of drunken morons)
- one of the other actions some of the fans have done is to help a young woman who has Downs Syndrome. She was unable to get a proper full-time job, so with some assistance from her parents started a little kiosk selling drinks, rolls, sweets, etc. Some of the fans go there before breakfast just to help support here as the passing trade is not great. However a few weeks ago she was robbed when her back was turned (mobile hone, money, etc. she just felt sorry for the thief saying that he probably needed it more than her) so the Darmstadt fans hired a bus, and this was only for a home game so there was no need, and turned up en-mass for breakfast there to fill her coffers again. That was nice...then she was robbed again about a week later so this time they've had a whip round to pay for everything that was stolen and to have CCTV and alarms put in. So not all are idiots...

Well yes, usually, except sports clubs in the town are quite a close knit bunch that support each other well. It´s an area that´s very big on sport, with lots of top cyclists, speed skaters, handball players, volleyball players and so on, and now of course a top football team; a lot of the sportspeople know each other and take an interest in each other. I remember winning a promotion game at the rugby club a few years ago and the Zwolle footballers turned up to cheer us on, without any of the reputed 'star' arrogance whatsoever; just a good crowd of guys who came to support a local club and enjoy being with other sportspeople from town even if some of them had very little idea what was going on on the pitch. With people like them, I don't mind what sport it is, I'm happy to cheer them on.

WHS +1

[Mich the Tester]

Run, played and watched by idiots.
No offence Mitch.

Well yes, usually, except sports clubs in the town are quite a close knit bunch that support each other well. It´s an area that´s very big on sport, with lots of top cyclists, speed skaters, handball players, volleyball players and so on, and now of course a top football team; a lot of the sportspeople know each other and take an interest in each other. I remember winning a promotion game at the rugby club a few years ago and the Zwolle footballers turned up to cheer us on, without any of the reputed 'star' arrogance whatsoever; just a good crowd of guys who came to support a local club and enjoy being with other sportspeople from town even if some of them had very little idea what was going on on the pitch. With people like them, I don't mind what sport it is, I'm happy to cheer them on.

[Mich the Tester]

Why are Ajax not getting serious points deductions/sanctions/fines etc if their supporters are setting fire to the grounds?

I remember now why I can't be arsed with football TBH.

Ah, well, they won't need serious points reductions at this rate. But yes, it was a disgraceful scene. Apparently some of the Ajax fans had been stopped on the motorway after they had climbed over barriers at their own stadium to get onto buses and were 30 minutes late for the game; the other Ajax 'supporters' decided to delay the game so their mates could get there and see it all.

Anyway, they were all sent home with a cracked mug of disappointment instead of a shiny cup. The scenes in Zwolle were quite impressive as pretty much all the local sports clubs turned out in their respective shirts to welcome the players home.

[sasguru]

I remember now why I can't be arsed with football TBH.

Run, played and watched by idiots.
No offence Mitch.

[Pondlife]

Defeat for Ajax means the Amsterdam-based giants are denied the opportunity to claim a domestic double - as they close in on a successful defence of their Eredivisie title.

Remarkably, Frank de Boer's side opened the scoring in Rotterdam - but only after the game had been halted for half-an-hour as fireworks were thrown onto the field by excitable supporters.

When play resumed, Ricardo van Rhijn met a third minute corner to powerfully head home off the underside of the crossbar - which led to another volley of missiles entering the field of play.

Why are Ajax not getting serious points deductions/sanctions/fines etc if their supporters are setting fire to the grounds?

I remember now why I can't be arsed with football TBH.

[Mich the Tester]

...for the first time in many a year, but only because the local team were playing against some guys called 'Ajax' in the Dutch Cup Final. Apparently some of the boys at PEC Zwolle are so good they get paid for it! A bit of a mismatch really.

Dutch Cup: Zwolle stun Ajax with five-star showing to take trophy | Football News | Sky Sports