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Post by marsvolta on Mar 18, 2023 11:19:53 GMT
On the contrary, singing ‘You’re a shit Joe Allen’ towards Modric, and ‘Shit Aaron Ramsey’ towards KDB was predictable obnoxious British football fan behaviour and pretty embarrassing 😄 kdb didn’t take long to shut us up lol Yeah, I’ve never understood the reason behind trying to motivate an opposing player. Also,embarrassingly, it’s usually aimed at a player they recognise from the Premier League. |
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Post by welshrover on Mar 18, 2023 12:14:58 GMT
One aspect of travelling from years ago I do miss was when the Under 21 qualifying group mirrored the actual qualifying group and you could catch the Under 21 game as well.
Those of us fortunate (or unfortunate depending on your take) got to see Wales Under 21 win their first game in years out in Baku.
Kevin Gall is a name that springs to mind from that team, he was tipped to be the next big thing!
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Post by aberbeeg on Mar 18, 2023 13:50:31 GMT
Brilliant point,I almost forgot about this aspect. When we travelled for the 7-1 hiding in Eidenoven. The afternoon before we bumped int0 a bus driver in a bar and persuaded him to drive us to Breda for the under 21s game. (Simon Haworth scored in our 1-0 win). The driver was more pissed than us I reckon.
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Post by reyrey on Mar 18, 2023 16:24:43 GMT
On the contrary, singing ‘You’re a shit Joe Allen’ towards Modric, and ‘Shit Aaron Ramsey’ towards KDB was predictable obnoxious British football fan behaviour and pretty embarrassing 😄 kdb didn’t take long to shut us up lol Yeah, I’ve never understood the reason behind trying to motivate an opposing player. Also,embarrassingly, it’s usually aimed at a player they recognise from the Premier League. It’s tongue in cheek and only sung to the world best players. Like singing “you suck “ to Kurt Angles theme music 😀 |
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Post by welshrover on Mar 20, 2023 21:11:56 GMT
Looking at the team we are about to put out in Croatia, I think some modern day followers may be getting a taste of the "bad old days"
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Post by iot on Mar 20, 2023 21:52:07 GMT
Looking at the team we are about to put out in Croatia, I think some modern day followers may be getting a taste of the "bad old days" Let's not get too carried away, we should still be competitive for that second place spot |
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Post by jimmytaff on Mar 21, 2023 0:13:52 GMT
As a home fan it's been so much better the last 10 years than the preceding 25 in my opinion. Packed crowds even against lesser teams, a proud anthem, the Red Wall and almost always a positive and good atmosphere. It was often dire in CAP and the Millenium and early games at CCS.
Away wise I went once to Finland in 2002 and have been a regular since 2015. Had a great time in 2002 but the fan base was too fragmented and hooligans were too dominant from what I saw. Together Stronger has improved the atmosphere at away games no end in my opinion. Behaviour is normally good at away games but there were a couple of real arseholes for the most recent Belgium trip - not aggressive but steaming and behaving like pricks.
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Post by welshrover on Mar 21, 2023 5:07:48 GMT
If we are talking the 2-0 win at the Olympic stadium in Helsinki I can't recall any hooliganism.
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Post by jimbo82 on Mar 21, 2023 9:58:08 GMT
Finland 2002 was my first away too, and I've been going regularly since. I remember back then there still seemed to be a bit of club rivalry (Cardiff/Swansea) which seems to have mostly disappeared over the years which is good to see.
It's great to see more and more fans supporting Wales (home and away) but I echo the thoughts above that it used to feel a bit like being a member of a secret club - and now the secret is out! I think Elis James wrote a good article on this circa 2016.
In latter years i have noticed a bit more of the drunken loutish behaviour on away trips which was never an issue before (Denmark 2018 sticks in my mind) and in 2019 I found myself in the unprecedented position of watching the Hungary match in a pub in Budapest due to not being able to get my hands on a ticket. This was despite having been to Moldova the year before plus several other away games. Turned out this was due to ticket harvesting and away fans selling their tickets on to people who hadn't been before. I guess that's a symptom of being a successful team and the huge clamour for tickets, but it's not a problem we had to worry about in "the old days".
Overall i think it's good to see so much interest in following Wales, and who would have thought we'd be in this position 20 years ago, having qualified for 3 out of 4 tournaments? I wonder if attendances will drop off if we don't do well in the next qualifiers, but hopefully the success we've had over the last 10 years will keep us going until the next generation comes through. What's really interesting is how good a job of marketing the FAW have done (Together Stronger, etc) compared with the WRU. Although that's probably a discussion for another thread..
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Post by aberbeeg on Mar 21, 2023 11:59:20 GMT
Agree about the ticket harvesting
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Post by allezlesrouges on Mar 21, 2023 13:11:07 GMT
Looking at the team we are about to put out in Croatia, I think some modern day followers may be getting a taste of the "bad old days" Ward, Mepham, Ampadu, Ramsey, Brennan all top flight regulars. Rodon, Neco & Moore in and out at the top level, and Connor/Lockyer regular at the top level of the Championship I think talk of the dark days is way off personally. Not qualifying for a tournament isn't dark days, finishing in the bottom two regularly was the dark days. If we miss out on 2nd it will be disappointing but relative to where we were before 2016 it's not the same |
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Post by quetzal on Mar 21, 2023 15:07:16 GMT
Going to Wales games on my own I find it a bit cliquey. I wouldn’t say I’m Billy No mates, just been out of Wales for 20 years and my Welsh mates have never followed Wales home or away. Liverpool, Leeds, Man Utd fans first. They love England in the majors too. Their dream would be a Lions tour which is a bit bizarre because they’re 6 Nations in the local pub guys. South Wales Valley boys.
So going on my own it’s about soaking in the culture, playing a good tourist, enjoying the game, and most importantly singing the national anthem. Going to the bars is still watch out for the clowns. Still tribalism and suspicion. Keep your wits about you. Tbf it seems the older South Walians can be the biggest tits. Always feel safer amongst North Walians personally. Must the Cardiff Swansea crap.
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Post by jimmytaff on Mar 21, 2023 15:58:36 GMT
If we are talking the 2-0 win at the Olympic stadium in Helsinki I can't recall any hooliganism. For the record I didn't see any fighting at all. But in some of the bars Cardiff hooligans were dominant and had a shit attitude, a million miles away from Together Stronger. There was a lovely atmosphere in Tallinn with loads of Welsh fans getting the boat over but in my experience a dodgier atmosphere in Helsinki. |
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Post by aberbeeg on Mar 21, 2023 16:30:46 GMT
Back in the day tbh it was mostly Cardiff fans that followed Wales away. Wrexham we’re always there but not in the numbers of Cardiff ………..Swansea fans were barely ever seen at away games ( unless it was a big game like in Milan)…. It’s good that things have changed over the years.
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Post by garynysmon on Mar 22, 2023 13:03:18 GMT
Denmark away in Aarhus was the worst away trip I've been on in terms of fan behaviour. Throwing beer all over the place, not really watching the game, blind drunk etc. It might have been the section I was in, but I didn't really enjoy that game at all. It wouldn't do any harm for Wales Away to lose a little of its 'cool factor'. It went from being Wales' best kept secret to a glorified stag do. I'm sure there's a happy medium there somewhere. Don't get me wrong, there's not a Wales Away trip I've been on that I haven't ended up very drunk at some point, but the matchday should be a little different imo. As aberbeeg just said, there was a time when there were "too many" Cardiff fans in terms of overwhelming the rest of the fanbase and being able to get away with wearing Cardiff City shirts, singing Cardiff songs. I don't miss those days. quetzal You probably feel safer among north Walians as friendship groups don't tend to be as tied to club loyalties. Sure Wrexham fans will be out in force, but the further west you go no single club dominates. So the more likely you are to come across groups whose members all support different (usually Premier League I admit, but sometimes Welsh pyramid) clubs and don't really let their teams get in the way of anything. Bit different if you're group is all Cardiff or all Swansea fans and spend the rest of the year treating the other lot with suspicion and never mixing with them. (Massive generalisation there I know, but I think the point made is somewhat clear!) |
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Post by reyrey on Mar 22, 2023 14:08:54 GMT
I reckon most groups of friends who travel to wales away are a mix of supporters of different club sides.
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Post by jimmytaff on Mar 22, 2023 14:41:18 GMT
I reckon most groups of friends who travel to wales away are a mix of supporters of different club sides. As it should be. Our core group are all Cardiff fans but we have a few Swans along sometimes. Quite a few of our group watch Wales more than Cardiff as they live in London. |
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Post by fireboy0610 on Mar 22, 2023 16:46:29 GMT
I reckon most groups of friends who travel to wales away are a mix of supporters of different club sides. Our lot are half and half swansea and cardiff. We all get on big style. |
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Post by iot on Mar 22, 2023 16:54:34 GMT
From the away trips I've attended recently, I think some of the things said about them being 'glorified stag dos' are widely exaggerated. I haven't come across any such behaviour. I know there have been some instances, because several have said so here and on social media, but they will have been isolated instances.
It's as others have said - with a tenfold increase in the following, there will be an increase in the number of instances.
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Post by steveh on Mar 22, 2023 17:26:58 GMT
we're now a group of 7 that all met in France, bar one who we met in Aarhus, most have been doing Wales away for years a couple areFrance newbies. We live all over, London, Wrexham, Cardiff and York, supporting Everton, Liverpool, Southampton, Wrexham and Swansea! All now friends for life, especially after 2 weeks together in Dubai last year! We won't all make all trips this year but the plan is all 7 to do Armenia.
Hard to explain to some people what the trips mean, we drink our fair share but also get into the local food and drink scene whenever we can.
Agree about Aarhus, there was definitely an underlying tension there not really seen before or since, it was there in a bar in Copenhagen as well, we left as we felt it might kick off.
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Post by quetzal on Mar 22, 2023 18:11:46 GMT
One of the Dublin trip’s people were complaining about. Harry Wilson free kick I think. Stag party environment. Always a chance If it’s Dublin or lets say Amsterdam. You going to get a bit of it
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Post by aberbeeg on Mar 22, 2023 19:33:32 GMT
From the away trips I've attended recently, I think some of the things said about them being 'glorified stag dos' are widely exaggerated. I haven't come across any such behaviour. I know there have been some instances, because several have said so here and on social media, but they will have been isolated instances. It's as others have said - with a tenfold increase in the following, there will be an increase in the number of instances. You obviously didn’t go to Dublin or Amsterdam. There were guys I know personally who had never seen a game of football live in their life. At times it felt more like a 6 nations away game in Edinburgh or a piss up on Benidorm!!! |
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Post by jbt95 on Mar 25, 2023 23:33:32 GMT
Stood behind too well known sisters today and heard things said I thought were things of the past (“take your tops off”).
Was also hitting them on the head with his shirt, to which one complained.
Lone Cardiff city leg tattoo guy.
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Post by barryscorcher on Mar 25, 2023 23:44:11 GMT
Stood behind too well known sisters today and heard things said I thought were things of the past (“take your tops off”). Was also hitting them on the head with his shirt, to which one complained. Lone Cardiff city leg tattoo guy. What did the bloke look like other than the tattoo? I’ve followed this thread with interest but not yet posted. I’m a younger (ish) fan, 29, been watching home games since 2014 but only been going away for the last couple of years. Always interested in how the older fans feel about the way it’s changed. Personally, overall I’ve had 99% positive experiences, but the reason I ask about this guy is that in Qatar I had an issue with a Cardiff fan with a few tattoos (although I didn’t see his legs)! Him and another bloke were chanting that racist song about Adebayor at one of the black waitresses at the intercontinental hotel the night before the USA game. I had a go at them over it and they got very aggressive, getting in my face etc. Asked where I was from, I told them Pembrokeshire, they started saying I must be a Jack, “gas the jacks gas the jacks”. Imitating hanging them etc. Then saying I was fake Welsh for being from south Pembs - I replied in Welsh which shut them up!! But it was proper grim. So although we like to pat ourselves on the back for our support - which tbf is overall very good - we do still have these absolute arseholes amongst us. It needs calling out every time and I hope someone stuck up for the girls |
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Post by jbt95 on Mar 25, 2023 23:46:49 GMT
Stood behind too well known sisters today and heard things said I thought were things of the past (“take your tops off”). Was also hitting them on the head with his shirt, to which one complained. Lone Cardiff city leg tattoo guy. What did the bloke look like other than the tattoo? Was somebody inbetween me but that all I saw and took note of. |
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Post by barryscorcher on Mar 25, 2023 23:55:02 GMT
What did the bloke look like other than the tattoo? Was somebody inbetween me but that all I saw and took note of. Thanks - edited my reply for more context |
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Post by jbt95 on Mar 26, 2023 0:15:06 GMT
Stood behind too well known sisters today and heard things said I thought were things of the past (“take your tops off”). Was also hitting them on the head with his shirt, to which one complained. Lone Cardiff city leg tattoo guy. What did the bloke look like other than the tattoo? I’ve followed this thread with interest but not yet posted. I’m a younger (ish) fan, 29, been watching home games since 2014 but only been going away for the last couple of years. Always interested in how the older fans feel about the way it’s changed. Personally, overall I’ve had 99% positive experiences, but the reason I ask about this guy is that in Qatar I had an issue with a Cardiff fan with a few tattoos (although I didn’t see his legs)! Him and another bloke were chanting that racist song about Adebayor at one of the black waitresses at the intercontinental hotel the night before the USA game. I had a go at them over it and they got very aggressive, getting in my face etc. Asked where I was from, I told them Pembrokeshire, they started saying I must be a Jack, “gas the jacks gas the jacks”. Imitating hanging them etc. Then saying I was fake Welsh for being from south Pembs - I replied in Welsh which shut them up!! But it was proper grim. So although we like to pat ourselves on the back for our support - which tbf is overall very good - we do still have these absolute arseholes amongst us. It needs calling out every time and I hope someone stuck up for the girls That is terrible! Good on you for going over. |
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Post by CrackityJones on Mar 26, 2023 8:08:54 GMT
I’m having the worst time ever in Split. Something about a stag do, tattoos and drunk people
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Post by majorraglan on Mar 26, 2023 23:03:54 GMT
What did the bloke look like other than the tattoo? I’ve followed this thread with interest but not yet posted. I’m a younger (ish) fan, 29, been watching home games since 2014 but only been going away for the last couple of years. Always interested in how the older fans feel about the way it’s changed. Personally, overall I’ve had 99% positive experiences, but the reason I ask about this guy is that in Qatar I had an issue with a Cardiff fan with a few tattoos (although I didn’t see his legs)! Him and another bloke were chanting that racist song about Adebayor at one of the black waitresses at the intercontinental hotel the night before the USA game. I had a go at them over it and they got very aggressive, getting in my face etc. Asked where I was from, I told them Pembrokeshire, they started saying I must be a Jack, “gas the jacks gas the jacks”. Imitating hanging them etc. Then saying I was fake Welsh for being from south Pembs - I replied in Welsh which shut them up!! But it was proper grim. So although we like to pat ourselves on the back for our support - which tbf is overall very good - we do still have these absolute arseholes amongst us. It needs calling out every time and I hope someone stuck up for the girls That is terrible! Good on you for going over. Good for you for confronting the muppets in Dubai, it’s a pity they didn’t get slung out of the hotel and jailed. Read this thread with interest. Been watching Wales at home for decades, but only went to a couple of away matches and to be honest they weren’t great experiences, Denmark 87 there was a small away following and a bit of an edge. We drove up through Europe, but I believe there were ructions of the ferry to Esbjerg (possibly Cardiff fans) who used to travel in numbers. After that we gave it a miss for a few years with our next game being the draw out in Brussels. That was a really unenjoyable experience, we made a conscious decision to stay away from Brussels to avoid the hassle and stayed in Ostend - it seems half the Wales fans had the same idea. Wherever we went there seemed to be gangs of Welsh fans ( mostly Cardiff fans) hunting out fans from the other Welsh clubs. We were a mixed group of friends which numbered both Swansea and Cardiff fans. We had such a guts full that we left the Hotel we’d paid for and went elsewhere. We also had hassle and aggro off Belgian fans . At the Euro’s, I travelled with 2 teenagers and met my mate who went out with his 9 year old. At the place we were staying at outside of Toulouse, there was a mixed bunch of Welsh fans from all over, but the largest number were Cardiff fans. Most were tidy, but there were a couple of guys who’d have been in their 50’s looking for trouble and trying to intimidate the others. We went to the WC out in Qatar and commuted from Dubai. Two of us travelled together, we didn’t see any trouble, lots of Welsh fans and generally well behaved, that said we stayed in a small hotel where there were small groups of Wales fans. I’m going to do more away trips going forward, but just hope the muppets looking for trouble aren’t there. |
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Post by quetzal on Mar 27, 2023 10:57:39 GMT
Wales away really became something didn’t it. I remember years ago(90’s) S4C following fans in an away game and in a pub, one of the Welsh fans with a big smile on his face saying ‘shhh don’t tell anyone, it’s Wales best secret’. Summer of 2000 I hitchhiked the Croatian coast starting from Dubrovnik after a ferry from Bari in Italy. Majestic coastline. I stopped in Split. Got me thinking. Apart from the results it really must have been something to go to these amazing places with only 10-60 other fans.
I’ve been out of Wales for 20 years and when I was in Wales I was skint but I got to see and experience the diehards once! Scotland Wales Kilmarnock in a pub by the railway station. Everyone in that pub seemed to be every Welsh fan that went to the ground. Great laugh but dark dark Bobby Gould days. Hartson scored the only goal and there was still ‘Gould out chants’. Anyway when are Wales going to play Costa Rica or Colombia away. A trip on my doorstep would be nice.
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