Sing When We're Moaning

I have often commented that the average Forest fan online only seems to be happy when he has something to moan about. This makes the life of a Forest blogger easy, as we either take sides or deride those moaning, all for easy hits.


But this week’s announcement of the biggest non story to hit Trentside since Wesley Verhoek didn’t sign, we announced that we are now not moving away fans after Forest fans asked the club not to. This is after the club announced they were moving away fans because the club asked them to do so. Confusing? Yes. Ridiculous? Even more so.

I did accuse a number of Bridgford Stand residents of a form of Nimbyism previously. Happy to see away fans moved but not if it’s in their back yard. Now it seems they will get their way and some other part of the stadium will perhaps be looked at to move the away contingent to.

This is all out of nothing. None of this needed to happen. We could quite easily have done nothing. But this is Forest. Why have a quiet peaceful time during a summer when you do something to pointlessly rile people.

So what now? Some of have said that they could go in the often left empty blocks in the Brian Clough upper and lower tiers, neatly forgetting a very basic element of not having enough exits. There is no way I can see away fans being put into the BC upper without some kind of remediation work that would see pointless costs attributed to the club to keep Mr Blogges of Upper Bridgford Tier happy.

The lower tier has catered to away fans previously, when in league e One with tiny allocations and when we renovated the Trent End. Some have said just give away fans that small section anyway forgetting that a large away following can mean extra revenue. It’s not like we sell out the City ground every week is it?

So now we have had the embarrassing escapade where fans are already moaning before the players have unpacked their suitcases after holidays. People are accusing the cub of not knowing what it’s doing, and yes I think they may have rushed this through, but this is what happens when you try to please a Forest fan. A different Forest fan moans. Now that’s life, different people like different things, but the moment you start to appease the vocal minorities, all you ended up doing is agitating and annoying the silent majority. And it is a majority. I don’t think the larger number of fans were contacting Fawaz to say shift the fans. Though he does get his fair share of embarrassingly misguided tweets sent to him. I do think Fawaz reacted to what people suggested, and that Billy wanted it to appease fans, and to make a happy stadium, and he is learning that this simply doesn’t work.

I’ve often spoken of a guy who sits near me who is never happy, if we win 5-0 he’ll be unhappy we didn’t’ get 6. There will be guys like him all around the ground, sitting moaning, being able to vent the frustrations they have in their lives at the ground as just another voice in the cacophony. These are the ones probably contact Fawaz with their “What’s wrong with Forest this week” lists. And so this new regime looks like it has set out to listen to the crazies. Now they know they are being listened to it might get more outlandish. Remember we had a previous regime that was fairly stand offish. Didn’t get overly involved, and now we swerved the other way, there might be more similar incidents.

But yeah in a nutshell, it just seems that people just love moaning. The latest wave seeing people moaning at the people moaning. This is all getting a bit Inception now on the moaning. Maybe this is a moan about moaning, about moaning. We’re in deep now people.

Roll on the pre season and making signings to take people’s minds off it. (Though people are moaning at lack of signings)





Moan Over.

Righteous Indignation in The Bridgford Stand

I’ll make it clear from the start, I sit in the Trent End, so all the cling and clatter about the Bridgford End I find both interesting yet also quite bizarre.


The club revealed at the back end of the last season that after consultation and what with Billy’s wishes that they wanted to move home fans into the Lower Bridgford and move the away fans. A lot of people cheered when Billy said as much in his speech.

We have been assured that this was down to supporter pressure that this is what fans want, and most people seem to agree it’s a good idea.

However like most ideas it’s only good if it doesn’t adversely affect me. It’s nimbyism in the football ground. “I’d love to move the away fans, but can’t you put them somewhere else” seems to the sentiment.

I understand that people attachments to where they sit, I have sat in the same seat now for 8 seasons, after previously sitting in the same seat for 5 seasons, so I get the attachment. What puzzles me is that people seem to think they have entitlement and ownership of that place.

I was going to read my season ticket from last season to back this up, but I’m pretty sure any small print will discuss that the club has the right to move peoples seats around should the need arise. I can’t be sure, but I bet something along those lines is on it or in the small print when you buy it. After all it’s the club who own your seat, your just paying for a reserved spot every week to sit there. Just so happens to be the same reserved spot for ease or organisation.

People just don’t like change. Whether it be necessary or not. I’m sure there are those who rallied against the building of all seater stands, but sometimes needs overrides desire.

I do however think that this will make no difference. People discuss it maybe bringing us extra points, but I don’t see it. It does however seem that we will reduce away allocations as a result, which could mean loss of match day revenues for big games. Some fans have supported reducing their numbers, which is all well and good, but some of these always moan about the allocations given to us by other clubs. The fact is we rarely sold out the ground last season so reducing the numbers that might come to games is naive.

It seems that after all the PR disasters last season the regime wanted to bring more fans on side, prove they are listening, whilst at the same time not consulting with those directly affected. This would have been so much easier had they not sold tickets in that tier already and people who thought they knew they were sitting there might now not. Then they wouldn’t have a leg to stand on in any argument, and would just quietly chunter away.

There are usual suspects on Twitter who would moan about this regardless. I think we all know the people who just seem to moan for moanings sake. They are the ones constantly retweeting petitions and claiming the club have no right (they do) to do what they are doing. Righteous Indignation.

All this said, this might not even go ahead. There is a consultancy phase to go through and it might be rejected as just not doable. It has been pointed out having away fans above the home fans might not be a god idea as they could easily shower us with various missiles and liquids all game. Those mentioning this clearly have guilty consciences and this is precisely what some did to the away fans.

Additionally this is really the only place it can happen as the Brian Clough stand has no chance of being used. It has limited entrance and exits. It doesn’t have the chance to partition sections. It’s just not versatile.

Of course away fans always used to be in that corner on the terrace. My first game memories were standing on the Bridgford in 1988-1992 era often near to the away fans. SO for people to feign surprise are either young or forgetful that this where we thought to put them. History is on the clubs side.

The price factor has also been mentioned, which I guess is a far more valid point than any. But if people are concerned at price then come on over to the Trent End Upper dark side my friends. We might even get that stand jumping again.

It seems with Forest at times, as with any decisions, whether it be sacking managers, setting ticket prices, signing players, that you’re damned if you and damned if you don’t. The fans won’t be happy with either decision, but you know what? It’s not ours to make
.