Fulham's supporters and support.

[fluffyninja]

The Palace style Ultras receive universal praise but would do my head in.  I've enjoyed the atmosphere of the German games I've been to but it can feel a little contrived IMO.

They are another lot that don't shut up !

That's iterally the whole point of ultras...lol

They are excellent , on another note does anyone know the words to the Thomas Frank is a sex offender song I heard I sit too far away from the back 5 rows to hear !!

[Samjack]

The Palace style Ultras receive universal praise but would do my head in.  I've enjoyed the atmosphere of the German games I've been to but it can feel a little contrived IMO.

They are another lot that don't shut up !

That's iterally the whole point of ultras...lol

They are excellent , on another note does anyone know the words to the Thomas Frank is a sex offender song I heard I sit too far away from the back 5 rows to hear !!

"Fulham boys are on a bender,
Thomas Frank is a sex offender."

You gotta say, that's quality rhyming.

[Mr K.Dilkington]

The Palace style Ultras receive universal praise but would do my head in.  I've enjoyed the atmosphere of the German games I've been to but it can feel a little contrived IMO.

They are another lot that don't shut up !

That's iterally the whole point of ultras...lol

They are excellent , on another note does anyone know the words to the Thomas Frank is a sex offender song I heard I sit too far away from the back 5 rows to hear !!

"Fulham boys are on a bender,
Thomas Frank is a sex offender."

You gotta say, that's quality rhyming.

Lovely stuff...

[H4usuallysitting]

When I'm picking up fares - I always ask what team.... You wouldn't believe the amount of people that have season tickets for Fulham & Chelsea (or another)..... A lot of people don't like football, and there's a large rugby support....when Man U or Liverpool play abroad a lot of people go to the airport for an overnight...... And England at Wembley the corporate lot get there about 3 hour's before k/o.... Sport generally is a cab driver's friend

[Mr K.Dilkington]

When I'm picking up fares - I always ask what team.... You wouldn't believe the amount of people that have season tickets for Fulham & Chelsea (or another)..... A lot of people don't like football, and there's a large rugby support....when Man U or Liverpool play abroad a lot of people go to the airport for an overnight...... And England at Wembley the corporate lot get there about 3 hour's before k/o.... Sport generally is a cab driver's friend

+1 Interesting perspective

[Southdowns White]

I agree with almost all of what the original poster said, very astute observations. I would add a few more thoughts though as to why we are either sometimes quiet/ don't always travel in big numbers *OR* give that impression (I'm not 100% sure it's completely accurate):

1. I think you overestimate the noise and passion at other clubs. Most grounds are quite quiet these days. Football and society has changed a lot in the last 20 or so years. Brentford, QPR, Chelsea are no different. The average league game at Man U and Liverpool is *very* quiet, even if they can still raise it for the very big matches. Every away fan sings songs about libraries and sh1t support wherever they go. It's not just at us.

2. Craven Cottage. I love it. But the accoustics are terrible. Sound just doesn't retain in the stadium. It makes it seem much quieter than it actually is. Sometimes it is really rocking in the Hammersmith End and I've got mates down at the Putney End who say they didn't hear it.

3. The gentrification of the area that happened in the 80s and 90s coincided with our demise as you said. There were a lot of geezers/ rowdy working class types who either moved out of the area or started to watch Chelsea instead. I'm aware of a lot of fans who would follow Fulham in the 60s and 70s but didn't want to watch lower league football in front of a few thousand in the 80s and 90s and so started going down the Bridge (and to a lesser extent down Loftus Road). Their offspring would then be brought up to follow Chelsea so I think we lost a proportion of our noisy fan demographic and the subsequent family connections in the 80s and 90s... The amount of geezer Chelsea fans I've met who are your typical 'loudest bloke in the flat roof pub' or who were the loud, naughty kid at school (in the 80s and 90s) who told me their grandad/uncle/dad used to support Fulham but they were taken to Chelsea instead because Fulham were so sh1t as a kid is unreal.

4. I would guess that Fulham's support is the furthest from its home ground out of any club in the country. This means that there is less of a feeling that people are coming to 'our' area/town that we need to defend/ make hostile, in the way a club like say, Stoke would. It also means that away games are less fun sometimes because people are coming from such a wide area they can't travel together (in my group they are coming from Surrey, Sussex, West Country, Zone 6 West London and South London for example)... which makes the appeal of travelling long distances on a beano with your mates less attractive because a large proportion of the day won't actually be with your mates, you'd just be meeting them there or close to it... As a result our away support fluctuates in numbers rather than is constantly terrible or brilliant. Sometimes we travel with several thousand sometimes it drops down to a few hundred. Having such a dispersed support is a big reason for that.

5. I think we have a much older fan base than most others. We were well supported in the 50s and 60s but due to our lean years we didn't pick up many new fans in the 80s and 90s, links were broken and so we have lots of fans who began watching in the 50s, 60s and 70s... they are all quite old now! Old people tend to be quieter.

6. Your point about our crowd being a real mix of people is a very good one. In some ways it is really nice. Young and old. Lots of women. Foreigners - especailly Yanks and Antipodeons, old-school working class fellas, middle class chaps, reasonable numbers of ethnic minorities, a fair few anoraks, families etc. It is like a complete slice of London life and it makes for a nice friendly atmosphere but it is not a 'united mass of blokes representing their club as one'. That is what all clubs used to be and some, say Leeds or Millwall, still are to a large extent, and that makes for a louder crowd.

7. Linked to all of this... WHEN we go up, the worst thing the club could do is raise the ticket prices. They absolutely must reserve a load of tickets that are cheaper. They should definitley have cheaper tickets for 16 - 26 year olds. This age bracket tends to have less cash but are also the most likely to create an atmosphere. It would be madness to price them out. I also think it would be mad if the club did not embrace the opportunity to bring back a safe standing section. This, in my opinion, would do wonders for the atmosphere at the ground.   

Samjack, All very good points, I am an older supporter, I would love to see standing only areas for those who wish to gather and sing. Singing is infective, The louder it is the more join in. Having a good atmosphere at a ground is one of the things that draws people in and want to return. The group I sit with all came to the conclusion that Saturday was quieter than normal and even Tuesday night was quite reserved considering we won both by great score lines.
The club will definitely have to consider keeping prices lower for younger members, it's all very well, taking the money of those who wish to come and see any premiership football while it is with us, but at some stage we need to think of future generations coming to the cottage. I would like to think that the increased attendance coming soon will allow for more youngsters to attend for a reduced price.

[flyingfish]

The fact is that any home crowd these days is typically quiet unless there is something in particular to rouse them. I don't go to too many away games though but I thought the Molineux Crowd was good the last time we played them. Not too many day trippers in the home crowd for that one

I always wonder what players like Muniz think when they come to England, the home of football, maybe expecting fireworks and finding it tame in comparison.

But again that said, I went to a few games in Latin America when I was younger and for all the atmosphere no-one is paying attention to what's happening on the pitch and its the same with the ultras in Europe whereas here, the oohs and aahs and crowd tension more intensely echo and follow what's happening on the pitch with the whole crowd following the game intently and that might create a different sort of atmosphere for the players. That's my impression of the differences anyway

[Mr K.Dilkington]

The fact is that any home crowd these days is typically quiet unless there is something in particular to rouse them. I don't go to too many away games though but I thought the Molineux Crowd was good the last time we played them. Not too many day trippers in the home crowd for that one

I always wonder what players like Muniz think when they come to England, the home of football, maybe expecting fireworks and finding it tame in comparison.

But again that said, I went to a few games in Latin America when I was younger and for all the atmosphere no-one is paying attention to what's happening on the pitch and its the same with the ultras in Europe whereas here, the oohs and aahs and crowd tension more intensely echo and follow what's happening on the pitch with the whole crowd following the game intently and that might create a different sort of atmosphere for the players. That's my impression of the differences anyway

Good point

[fluffyninja]

The Palace style Ultras receive universal praise but would do my head in.  I've enjoyed the atmosphere of the German games I've been to but it can feel a little contrived IMO.

They are another lot that don't shut up !

That's iterally the whole point of ultras...lol

They are excellent , on another note does anyone know the words to the Thomas Frank is a sex offender song I heard I sit too far away from the back 5 rows to hear !!

"Fulham boys are on a bender,
Thomas Frank is a sex offender."

You gotta say, that's quality rhyming.

Ha ha thanks !

[Ashington White]

Personally I think that when the time comes for the Hammy and Putney ends to be upgraded/reworked however you want to look at it, we need to seriously consider putting in a lower tiered section with the new railed seating to allow for standing and creating a bit of atmosphere down the front of the stand. It's really annoying how we've got the back 5 rows of the hammy end who are the only ones making noise and singing and they get moaned at by stewards for standing up. We're not the noisiest bunch at the best of times and we moan at the ones who do try and get a bit of atmosphere going

It's not the standing up that's the problem - we all have to stand - it's the gathering on the stairs and bundling when we score that's the problem.

[cookieg]

The Palace style Ultras receive universal praise but would do my head in.  I've enjoyed the atmosphere of the German games I've been to but it can feel a little contrived IMO.

They are another lot that don't shut up !

The Palace style Ultras receive universal praise but would do my head in.  I've enjoyed the atmosphere of the German games I've been to but it can feel a little contrived IMO.

A lot of Palace ST holders were moved out of the seats they'd had for years so that the Ultras could all sit together.

[Ashington White]

Indeed they were, when they moved them to behind the goal rather than down in the lower left-hand corner.  Club were virtually blackmailed into letting them move as well, from what I heard.

[Mr K.Dilkington]

My biggest concern is the club is doing zero,nothing,nil,zip to attract new/younger fans to FFC and it's a great worry to me.

[Jim©]

My biggest concern is the club is doing zero,nothing,nil,zip to attract new/younger fans to FFC and it's a great worry to me.

What can a club do in a marketing capacity to attract youngsters? It's a family thing, it's a mates thing, it's an area thing.
I disagree entirely that they do nothing- reduced tickets are just one thing they can do, and we do it.

What's on offer on the pitch is pretty high for entertainment. 2 promotions of late (inc play off win) and heading for our third. Took decades of watching to get that amount of promotions in the 70s, 80s & 90s.

[Mr K.Dilkington]

My biggest concern is the club is doing zero,nothing,nil,zip to attract new/younger fans to FFC and it's a great worry to me.

What can a club do in a marketing capacity to attract youngsters? It's a family thing, it's a mates thing, it's an area thing.
I disagree entirely that they do nothing- reduced tickets are just one thing they can do, and we do it.

What's on offer on the pitch is pretty high for entertainment. 2 promotions of late (inc play off win) and heading for our third. Took decades of watching to get that amount of promotions in the 70s, 80s & 90s.

I do agree with a lot of what you said but there's still so much that can/could be done if they were smarter or bothered. The promotion of modern/European fan culture or being better on the social media side. That's not to say our sm side is bad but it could be better. An idea for the club would be to try to colaborate more with some of our a-list fans to get more FFC world/UK exposure. Just an idea...☺
But personally I think the promotion of more European fan culture is the most important to attract local young fans to FFC. Something other clubs don't offer is incredibly important in this competitive London football market we find ourselves in.

[toshes mate]

Fulham was, in my younger days, a working class area, although the patch of residential housing running down to Bishops Park and Fulham Palace towards the southern end of Fulham Palace Road were always affluent or marginally upmarket.  The parallel roads closer to Hammersmith were solidly working class.   

Gentrification was well under way in the mid-sixties as properties in Chelsea became scarce.  A girlfriend's parents were, at that time, being subjected to harassment and intimidation for daring to rent a substandard basement flat in Fulham Road.  They were eventually paid to move on.  'Hillsborough' and the Taylor Report made matters worse with standing and casual attendance at games eventually banned.  Football was no longer a cheap and cheerful Saturday afternoon entertainment except at the lower levels.

As others have said we do well to get the attendances we achieve in the current climate.   It remains to be seen what Fulham Pier achieves for village life along what was always an artisan part of Hammersmith and Fulham (Barons Court, Hammersmith, and out to Chiswick and beyond).   I hope it succeeds to bring in a new and growing generations of local supporters for FFC .   

[blingo]

The songs have GONE.

[cookieg]

Indeed they were, when they moved them to behind the goal rather than down in the lower left-hand corner.  Club were virtually blackmailed into letting them move as well, from what I heard.

The ultras sent back their STs because they would be sitting all over the ground. Apparently the atmosphere was crap so the club caved in moved a lot if other STs out of their seats so they would all be together. Great way to treat long standing supporters.

[Colton F.C.]

Not sure about the ultras in view of the recent 'stampeding' incidents at away matches.

One of the previous posters touched the attendance of minorities at the Cottage.  Whilst a small number do attend if one considers the diaspora within London the numbers are far below what they should be.  On an economic and more importantly on a social cohesion level the club need to be focusing here ensuring that all find the matchday experience comfortable and entertaining.  Having the ownership and more than half the team from minorities should give them a good start.

While the young attending matches is great, it probably more important that they take part in sport rather than watch it.

[Mr K.Dilkington]

Not sure about the ultras in view of the recent 'stampeding' incidents at away matches.

One of the previous posters touched the attendance of minorities at the Cottage.  Whilst a small number do attend if one considers the diaspora within London the numbers are far below what they should be.  On an economic and more importantly on a social cohesion level the club need to be focusing here ensuring that all find the matchday experience comfortable and entertaining.  Having the ownership and more than half the team from minorities should give them a good start.

While the young attending matches is great, it probably more important that they take part in sport rather than watch it.

Jesus... 😂🆘