worth_the_wait

BBC report just said "Plenty of empty seats around the City Ground now as Darren England blows the full time whistle. Brentford were great, Forest not so much." Nice.

Interesting. But it didn't look like anything happening on the pitch, had the slightest relevance to anything!

Agree 100%. We used to have great atmospheres ... just not any more. For all the various reasons we've discussed 100's of times, our atmospheres have really gone downhill since the 1990's. I just wish it could go back to how it used to be ... but that's unlikely to happen.

Just watched a video about the PSG fans at Arsenal. I have to admit they were very loud, and their enthusiasm looked impressive. But the more I watched, the more it looks a bit weird. There'e the usual hundreds of them holding up mobile phones, filming themselves. "Look at me" There's loads of them in the grounds with shirts off. "Look at my body". Lots of crazy jump routines, something you might expect from a 90's rave. "Look at my dance movements". Some bloke(s) at the front directing operations, like they're on military exercises. Ever tried watching the match? As I say, it was loud, and impressive in its own way. But there's something not quite right with it.

You're right in what you say about fans being priced out in this country. But it's worth pointing something else out here ... Even during the best days of British fans supporting, we never got in the ground an hour before kick-off. We typically rolled in at 2.45pm from the pub, and only really started singing when the players came out. You had to be a bit of a nerd to be in the ground an hour before KO! We also never sang the whole match long. It would be quiet for periods, then pick up at the right moments depending on the tempo of the game, goals scored or conceded, how important the match was, whether it was against local rivals, etc etc. Which in my opinion is how it should be. (Only my opinion ... but this ultra-style constant aimless chanting all game long, no matter what is happening on the pitch, is frankly a bit robotic and boring. ok, better than total silence, but no substitute for "proper" support.)

That's a very valid point. The Club is obsessed with this "Family Image", and has been for longer than we might imagine. (Bear in mind that the original Family Enclosure terrace at Filbert Street was opened in 1978-79 I think). But whilst you had a history and tradition of "real" football fans it didn't seem to matter. As recently as the early/mid 90's, we had a massive core following of lads/blokes, as per various examples previously quoted eg Swindon and Southend away in 1991-92. But since then it's been chipped away bit by bit, season by season, and we are left with a Club that actively doesn't want any young lads/blokes.

In recent times, the only managers who really deserved respect were Alex Ferguson and Jim McLean. To beat both Celtic and Rangers over a whole league season .... that's some real achievement. Talking of Jim McLean, it still makes me laugh when he hit that interviewer!

This is a massive game. For so many reasons; not that I can think of any.

Be funny (not) if he gets injured at Forest and misses the last 2 games!

Not sure if it's already been mentioned ... but isn't he the only player in history to have played in every round of the FA Cup? (from preliminary qualifying round, right through to the Cup Final)

"Dave from Birmingham" is actually probably "Nigel from Nottingham".

My totally subjective review of our current situation. We've got: A useless owner, A useless Director of Football, A useless recruitment and contract negotiation team, A useless CEO who couldn't get a stadium expansion completed during the Club's most successful era, A pathetic tinpot mentality sticking with clappers a decade after their sell-by date, An insane ticketing system forcing most season ticket holders to use NFC mobile ticketing, even when they don't want it. A useless Manager, Forwards that can't score goals (apart from Vardy), Midfielders who can't control the ball or pass it to someone in the same coloured shirt, Defenders that can't stop the opposition scoring lots of goals, A goalkeeper who since he's been injured can't seem to make the great saves he had been doing, A squad of players collectively devoid of any physicality, mental strength or counter-attacking speed, A boring stadium that's just a copy of Southampton's, except with blue seats instead of red. An apathetic home fanbase that leaves the game well before the end, whether we're winning, drawing or losing. A closed-shop Season-ticket/Members only neutered away fanbase, that prevents any of the million+ Leicestershire people from attending. and anything else you can think of ... I'm sure I've missed off quite a bit "apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, etc etc ... everything's fine." Seriously though. On the upside, we've got: A good legal team who were able to exploit a loophole to avoid us getting a points deduction - not that it's made any difference, An excellent training facility, somewhere nicely in the County well away from the City - not that it's made any difference.

Of all the things I don't like with the modern game in general, and our Club in particular ... this is the one that's bringing me closest to packing it all in.

I've mostly accepted home games have gone stale with the way it is, as you correctly say. What has annoyed me more ... is the Club's policy of making away matches Season Ticket/Member only, has over the last 10 years destroyed our away support. Away games were the ones I could get my fix of chanting/singing/jumping up and down, and convincing me there was still passion in our fanbase, and it wasn't beyond repair. Apart from covid, I think I've been to my fewest away games in nearly 50 years, as I'm barely getting any enjoyment out of them any more.

I think someone once said (words to the effect of): "you should never argue with stupid people. They'll bring you down to their level, and then beat you with experience!"