Fosse boys to be ejected - time to make a stand

[AndyBrew]

It'll be like a mass whack a mole.

[MC Prussian]

This the mail I sent to the fanzone address:

Dear ladies and gents,

I have recently received the news that about two dozen Leicester City supporters were complaining about the "noise" made by the newly-established fan group in the Kop, the Fosse Boys, straight after the Middlesbrough home game two weeks ago.

As a consequence of this, you as the club have handed out warnings to said collective, even going as far as threatening to eject them from their current location should they not cease operations.

I find it somewhat ludicrous that the club is now turning against its own fans. Fans, who only gathered in said section in order to improve the lack of atmosphere that has haunted the Walkers Stadium for more than 7 years now.

The Fosse Boys have done nothing wrong and even went as far as contacting the club directly in advance about their plans.

Bringing up a sole 22 people who allegedly complained about the noise made by the Fosse Boys is a cowardly move to cover up your own mishaps.

You as a club knew about the Fosse Boys' intentions beforehand and are now using an extreme minority (two dozen spectators compared to about roughly 21'500 who couldn't care less about it) to make a point.

Your point.

You're essentially caving in to roughly 0.1% of everyday matchday spectators - that is, should these 22 people actually exist.

It is another sad sign of a club losing its touch with the fanbase.

The Fosse Boys' only goal is to establish a more football-worthy atmosphere, just like it can be witnessed in diverse stadia across (Continental) Europe.

I was hopeful that the club had finally rediscovered the roots of the game and re-acknowledged the important factor that are the football fans.

Your current retreat in acceptance of this movement comes across as very ambiguous.

There is nothing wrong about this young and enthusiastic new fan group and I urge you to reconsider your current ultimatum, which in all fairness, is nothing short of ridiculous.

If this story hit the local or national news, Leicester City Football Club would once more become the laughing stock of the Football League:

I repeat, given your "official" numbers, you're caving in to roughly 0.1% of matchday spectators who were complaining about the noise made by a peaceful supporters' group.

As a LCFC supporter for more than 15 years, I have seen enough shambles on and off the pitch at Leicester in the past ten years and I was looking forward to more exciting times ahead.

It is time you as a football club start making more sense to the public and the first step would be by welcoming the diverse influences and movements within the local fan culture.

If your manoeuvre is only a pretense in order to prepare the local and national Leicester City fans of a more tougher style of communication and a "hard hand", in accordance with a "zero tolerance" philosophy,

I, as a simple, regular season ticket holder would appreciate it if you, as the club, would be straightforward enough to communicate that directly and without any further ado.

Yours,

Alexander Something

Somewhere

[davieG]

Just to clarify, they didnt call you kids! sorry was a misunderstanding there. they thought that everyone emailing was part of the Fosse Boys so the club thought you were all just a bit younger than you are.

sorry for the misunderstanding there and any problems that has caused

Well they're obviously not reading them, I was one of the first to send them an email and specifically mentioned being a supporter and ST holder for long time and not directly associated with you. They're obviously pissed off at the level of support you are receiving and besides it's as much an official complaint as those that moaned in the first place.

I think it would be reasonable idea along the lines of what leftsideoverhere said for you to make an official statement outlining the 'facts' with specific verifiable quotes with names if possible of the current status.

[Karljohn]

Email sent to fanzone...

Dear Sir/Madam

REGARDING FOSSE BOYS @ WALKERS STADIUM

Myself and my nephew are season ticket holders in SK2 Row V this season having moved from the lower rows of the kop last year to be

nearer the back where the atmosphere and vocal support are slightly louder but not loud enough to rival the noise that was generated at Filbert Street.

It was a welcome change to hear the "fosse boys" at the back of the kop adding vocal support and passion to the walkers instead of the usual dour atmosphere more associated with our friends down the M69 in Coventry.

So, I read today with amazement that a handful of people have actually complained about these guys making a noise?

I would ask that someone at the club kindly recognizes that it is in fact a stadium attended by thousands of fans not a night at the cinema.

With football already trying its best to loosen the ties between the game and its average fan in the street, the fosse boys have provided a welcome return to the "old days" when an atmosphere existed on a matchday.

I would respectfully request that complaints are acknowledged but also acknowledge that for the reinstatement of a true matchday experience, these lads be allowed to continue their noisy but friendly support.

Yours,

[Fez of Mahrez]

It looks as though there will be something in the Mercury tomorrow about this. They've had quite a bit of contact from people who aren't happy with the club's stance.

I can only strongly urge you to re-consider about the Reading game. The sitting idea is superb. It's exactly what you need to do. I can't stress this enough. It's about maintaining your presence and not giving them a chance to chuck you out. It may seem like a bitter compromise but it's all about the long-term aim. Don't let the club stamp this out like it did to N Block.

[leftsideoverhere]

The problem as I see it will be that the clubs official statement will not be mentioning singing, but will be spun along the lines of persistent standing blocking a young families view etc.

National media who have no interest in our club will find a story sure enough but it may not be the one we are looking for

For all that getting a bit of national publicity is all well and good, this issue won't be settled in the pages of the Sun or the Mirror. What will settle it, as with L block, is force of numbers inside the Walkers Stadium. At the moment, the club see the FB as an irritant, and they have clearly decided that stamping it out is the way to deal with it. The only way to deal with that is by 'a long game' as others have said, and a direct confrontation with the club when the FB can only count on 30 or 40 people in the ground isn't going to work.

That number will grow - but only slowly, and so you've got to be 'tactical' about which battles you fight, and how you fight them. Demanding equality in standing rights with the hundreds in L block, or the entire away corner isn't going to work. Of course it's unfair, but there's no rule that says the club have to be fair. If they eject someone for standing, then they're in the right, from a legal point of view, even if they let other people get away with standing.

The FB priority right now is swelling their numbers, which means they have to play by the club's rules for a little while, and concentrate on being very visible in the ground, very welcoming to the people sitting near them if they want to join in the FB songs and balloon waving or whatever, and find ways to get their case out to the full fanbase at the Walkers.

One other point - there are several people on here who participate in the fans consultative committee, can I please ask all of you to raise both the club's reneging on their original offer to the Fosse Boys of four games to 'see how it goes', and also their grossly offensive caricaturing of my complaint as being from a "kid", when I explicitly wrote about how both my son and I enjoyed seeing the Fosse Boys at the Boro game? I'm tempted to ask for an apology, but I recognise that that is probably unrealistic.

Reckon everyone who emailed today should email again tomorrow if we don't get a reply. And I'm definitely going to start texting their stupid fanzone number to complain about how quiet the Walkers stadium is:

As a part of the recently launched Fanzone initiative today's match against Derby County will also mark the launch of a new SMS service geared towards improving supporters enjoyment of the match, by reporting instances of anti-social behaviour anonomously through a personalised, dedicated SMS short code service.

By simply texting 60066 using the keyword 'Foxes' supporters will now be able to discreetly report any issues to our staff, ensuring the safety and continued enjoyment of the match for those seated in and around the problem areas.

Users of the service will receive a simple message to confirm their text has been received and all the issues raised will be monitored and dealt with accordingly.

The cost to supporters to use this service is just their standard network charges, usually 10-12p (some networks may vary).

Help us to improve the atmosphere within the Walkers Stadium by texting 60066 by using the keyword 'Foxes'.

OS

[AoWW]

It's not about what the club 'expect', and in fact that couldn't be further from the point, mate. If you sit and sing - but bounce in your seats, throw confetti and streamers, blow up balloons and so on - everyone in the ground will still see you're there, and giving your support to the team. That makes it more likely you'll get bigger numbers for the Cardiff game, and perhaps can at that point make a concerted effort to stand up to the stewards, so to speak.

You're creative people - you've shown that over the recent weeks with banners and flags and so on. I'm sure you can work out a way to be 'bouncing' even though you're not standing up. Lots of scarf waving, lots of movement, lots of concerted overhead clapping and so on, will keep your group in everyone's vision without giving the stewards an excuse to do anything against you.

But 'going invisible' for this game will give other fans the impression the Fosse Boys were a one-hit wonder. That will make it harder to get other people lined up for the Cardiff game. Standing in L1 works because there's hundreds of people doing it. It doesn't matter whether the club expect those people to stand up or sit down. There's too many of them for the stewards to deal with.

I understand your anger, but I fear your thinking has been clouded by it at the moment.

This I agree with 100%. I really think you (the Fosse Boys) should attend the Reading game as a group rather than being seen to 'give in'. I'm sure, once an increasing number of people have heard about LCFC's ultimatum, you'll have more support than ever and you'd be missing a trick in raising your profile further if you weren't there.

[Guest Bilo]

Just an idea here, know it's a bit out of left field so bear with me.

By way of protest, turn up in SK1 as planned and take your seats as the club would like. But, by way of protest, turn up with your scarves covering your mouths, or indeed anything else that would show the fact that the Fosse Boys have been 'gagged' by the club.

Instead of the Fosse Boys banner, turn up with a banner saying something along the lines of 'Silence for the 22' and refuse to make a peep all game long. Even if we score, sit down in silence. This, in view of the Sky cameras, would almost certainly attract some sort of attention and therefore publicity. Embarrass and shame the club out of taking this action, make Barclay the villain in the press rather than the Fosse Boys.

[bluefox82]

I think it's a total disgrace the club should be ashamed of themselves. Maybe the fosse boys will be regretting not listening to he derby fanwho offered his support over a pint about setting up meetings with the safety officer rather than abusing him.

[tomtom]

I agree with the a above by leftside

You MUST turn up again, just sit down a.d make loads of noise, believe it or not this could be the best thing tests happened to you as you'll get more support from it

Keep up the good work lads and please don't give up !!!!!

[Karljohn]

Just an idea here, know it's a bit out of left field so bear with me.

By way of protest, turn up in SK1 as planned and take your seats as the club would like. But, by way of protest, turn up with your scarves covering your mouths, or indeed anything else that would show the fact that the Fosse Boys have been 'gagged' by the club.

Instead of the Fosse Boys banner, turn up with a banner saying something along the lines of 'Silence for the 22' and refuse to make a peep all game long. Even if we score, sit down in silence. This, in view of the Sky cameras, would almost certainly attract some sort of attention and therefore publicity. Embarrass and shame the club out of taking this action, make Barclay the villain in the press rather than the Fosse Boys.

[Ozwin]

'Silence for the 22'

That's fantastic.

[AndyBrew]

Just an idea here, know it's a bit out of left field so bear with me.

By way of protest, turn up in SK1 as planned and take your seats as the club would like. But, by way of protest, turn up with your scarves covering your mouths, or indeed anything else that would show the fact that the Fosse Boys have been 'gagged' by the club.

Instead of the Fosse Boys banner, turn up with a banner saying something along the lines of 'Silence for the 22' and refuse to make a peep all game long. Even if we score, sit down in silence. This, in view of the Sky cameras, would almost certainly attract some sort of attention and therefore publicity. Embarrass and shame the club out of taking this action, make Barclay the villain in the press rather than the Fosse Boys.

[leftsideoverhere]

Just an idea here, know it's a bit out of left field so bear with me.

By way of protest, turn up in SK1 as planned and take your seats as the club would like. But, by way of protest, turn up with your scarves covering your mouths, or indeed anything else that would show the fact that the Fosse Boys have been 'gagged' by the club.

Instead of the Fosse Boys banner, turn up with a banner saying something along the lines of 'Silence for the 22' and refuse to make a peep all game long. Even if we score, sit down in silence. This, in view of the Sky cameras, would almost certainly attract some sort of attention and therefore publicity. Embarrass and shame the club out of taking this action, make Barclay the villain in the press rather than the Fosse Boys.

The problem with this, Bilo, is 30 fans sitting in silence wouldn't be "in view of the Sky cameras" - they'd look (and more importantly sound) just like the 15,000 who sit in silence at every game.

The Sky cameras wouldn't pan to the top corner of the kop for no reason. They're more likely to get seen on Sky if they're making a very visible, loud display.

[leftsideoverhere]

I think it's a total disgrace the club should be ashamed of themselves. Maybe the fosse boys will be regretting not listening to he derby fanwho offered his support over a pint about setting up meetings with the safety officer rather than abusing him.

Are you for real, or just pretending to be an arse? 11 pages of people - even those who've been critical of them in the past - helping the FB deal with the club's latest bit of nonsense, and this is what you post?

They did have a meeting with the club. They've done their best to play by the club's overweening rules, but the club keep moving the goalposts, so to speak.

[Libertine]

The problem with this, Bilo, is 30 fans sitting in silence wouldn't be "in view of the Sky cameras" - they'd look (and more importantly sound) just like the 15,000 who sit in silence at every game.

The Sky cameras wouldn't pan to the top corner of the kop for no reason. They're more likely to get seen on Sky if they're making a very visible, loud display.

[AoWW]

The problem with this, Bilo, is 30 fans sitting in silence wouldn't be "in view of the Sky cameras" - they'd look (and more importantly sound) just like the 15,000 who sit in silence at every game.

The Sky cameras wouldn't pan to the top corner of the kop for no reason. They're more likely to get seen on Sky if they're making a very visible, loud display.

Er, much as it pains me to be agreeing with leftsideoverhere so much This ^ ^ ^

[leftsideoverhere]

Er, much as it pains me to be agreeing with leftsideoverhere so much This ^ ^ ^

It does? Why?

[AoWW]

It does? Why?

Nowt to worry about - we just don't seem to agree very often.

[Libertine]

It does? Why?

She's a righty.

[FoxyPV]

Sent a message and will send an email when I get home.

Good luck Fosse Boys.

[SamL]

To all those who're supporting the Fosse Boys - Would you be at all interested in coming to stand with us behind the banner in SK1 on Saturday? It would give the group a massive boost even if you're not constantly bouncing && singing.

[bluefox82]

Leftsideoberhere- of course I am for real. Have I slagged off the fosse boys....no in fact I back them by saying the clubs decision was a disgrace. I merely pointed out it was maybe a missed opportunity to meet a group of guys and discuss and get back ground info for any obstacles that may have stood in there way. Before you go calling an arse make sure your factual about what I have put

[stix]

To all those who're supporting the Fosse Boys - Would you be at all interested in coming to stand with us behind the banner in SK1 on Saturday? It would give the group a massive boost even if you're not constantly bouncing && singing.

Abso'fecking'lutely! Me and my mates will definately be there

[SamL]

Abso'fecking'lutely! Me and my mates will definately be there

Also, if those who are interested could meet us in the Counting House before the game, that would be even better.