Spectator Etiquette

How do we feel about:

- standing up/not standing up?
- shouting/swearing/silence?
- in pubs/stadiums?
- picnics/prawn sandwiches?
- late arrivals/leaving early?

- late arrivals/leaving early?

Disgusting savages

For general discussion but inspired by my experience on Sunday whereby two men seated at the back of a full pub got really pissed off at me for standing in front of them. I wasn't purposely obstructing their view but there was nowhere else to go and still be able to see myself. First time round I did move out of the way because I could, but the pub subsequently filled up, with the crowd gravitating towards the bar nearer the TV. Their complaint seemed to be in part based on their having been there since the pub was empty, but wtf did they expect to happen?

I didn't think I was in the wrong, but probably could have been more polite in rejecting their claim to a sightline. Thoughts?

Can appreciate both sides there

if you get there early then pick a better seat imo, it's not a fuckin cinema

If i'm attending a match, i'd rather not know anyone else was there, therefore standing, swearing (or constant braying), leaving early/coming late all annoy me.

I prefer to watch at home, btw. Easier on everyone.

I'd also like to be able to sit where i like while supporting who i like, but ppl who attend football matches tend not to have the frontal lobe development necessary to process this without violence becoming a fixture.

I prefer to watch at home

Madness

angles perfect, replays available, food and seating is better, if i'm sat next to a cunt he gets ejected, and it's cheaper.

Prawn sandwiches to hand...

If I'm gonna have to sit whilst watching football I prefer to do it in the comfort of my home.

watching at home>standing on terraces>>>>>>>>>>>>>>watching in pub.

watching a game on tv is totes different to watching it live tho, wd always prefer to be at a game.

standing seems to be compulsory in the away end, which is sometimes annoying but tbh i miss the old terraces. nothing much annoys me when i'm on my own apart from pig-ignorance of rules, tactics, social niceties from neightbours, but you get that in the pub too.

Actually I haven't watched a game in a pub for over 10 years. Thank God.

pub is best when i know it well, there's a decent size screen at a proper angle to see from a seat/standing without twisting my head all match, no meatheads.

I used to love going to away games for the couple of seasons I used to do that. Nothing better than the long trip back after an away win.

pub is best when i know it well, there's a decent size screen at a proper angle to see from a seat/standing without twisting my head all match, no meatheads.

Surrounded by friends, booze flowing. Of course, since they started having Old Firm games kick off at 12 noon, it's murder on the liver + other vital organs.

also i try to reign it in when watching in a pub but occasionally excitement will get the better of me, cf. bellowing "fuck you bluenoses" as the final whistle went on the last day of last season. had been thru the mill that afternoon tbf

Pub - god, no, ghastly experience every time. Mates swear by it though. Last time I accompanied them (a Celtic in Europe night, somewhere in Oval) was utterly miserable, stuffed, no volume, tiny screen, 'ra songs, suit-wearing mate getting a pint poured over his head just 'cos.

I did watch France 98 in bars in Italy and it was fine, but that's more like watching in a cafe, very pleasant.

use better pubs!

two men seated at the back of a full pub got really pissed off at me for standing in front of them

Savages imo. You get a seat when you sit down, you don't get a vacant cone between your eyes and the screen. (have fallen victim to aggressive assertions of such before, it quite ruins the occasion)

hate sitting at the football.absolute shite,gives me a sore back and is a total atmosphere killer.alas id be ejected if i were to stand at my seat in parkhead.only like watching games on telly if im a neutral.like watching football in the pub but only as a sort of casual entertainment,not the focus of events.

- late arrivals/leaving early?

The two guys in front of my dad on Sunday turned up 20 mins late, which is fine cos it was the end of a row, but they disappeared completely at half-time. Never seen that before, and of all games to do it in.

- on the phone?

The guy beside me turned up even later and at least stayed, but spoke really loudly on his mobile throughout the second half (in chinese, and including singing!). In fairness he was right into it, but that's got to be non-U, surely?

Standing up is fine imo, but only if everyone's doing it. Away ends work well in my experience.

The girl directly in front of me on Sunday kept standing to take photos though - no one else was, and you don't half feel self-conscious having to then block someone else's view in turn. I spent a lot of time sort of crouching, which is pretty rubbish. No way was her perspective changed one iota, that's the worst of it.

Has anyone ever experienced the german standing system? Standing on ancient packed terraces here was pretty shite tbh, but with a bit of room and hence a view it'd be much better.

Might have known they'd have their own system for just standing

They're introducing it in the SPL

Well, they're allowing it, to be more accurate

i've been to some pretty great games and atmospheres to go with but the best 'spectating' experience was in a bar watching the 09? CL final Barca v. Utd when everyone (70 odd people) supported Barca, bar the 6 mancs/glory hunters. Everyone was happy and polite and emotional.

It's been a while since I've gone to a match, so I'm going to talk pub etiquette:

No meat heads obv. and don't be a dick to fans supporting the other team. There is a definite difference to supporting your own team and being a dick to the opposition fans btw, and it just makes you look an arsehole. This is also different to discussing the failings of the other team (for example you can talk about how arshavin has failed but then don't think that it can be used as a personal insult because i support the team he failed at, wtf?).

Don't try and start a chant going. This is the worst.

If someone is eating near you (Sunday lunchtime games obv) don't jump out of your chair and knock into them everytime someone shoots.

Talking to strangers is fine, even encouraged! We are coming together for a common interest, after all. Same with letting people sit at your table if there are empty chairs.

Make noise, it is an emotional game. Make jokes. 'Banter' can be fine.

For pubs:

Visible screens is a must. Lots of chairs. Everyone should come off their break at HT. Don't fucking play music over a game.

try competing with gaa on a sunday

the usa is very different from most experiences described here obv but

- standing up/not standing up?

at games: standing, in pubs/bars: whatever, most places have dozens of tvs so seeing isn't really a problem

- shouting/swearing/silence?

the more noise the better

- in pubs/stadiums?

in stadiums preferably, but the right pub can be pretty good too

- picnics/prawn sandwiches?

before the game yes, during no

- late arrivals/leaving early?

meh, their loss

most places have dozens of tvs so seeing isn't really a problem

But what about when they're playing different games? That can be a pain. Esp. when the only pub you can find that's showing a Scotland match is showing it on a TV with a screen about the size of a postage stamp while the Republic of Ireland game and the England game and the Spanish game is on at the same time.

only speaking for my experience, then again I don't live around a lot of scots, irish, english or spanish but it's never been a problem even on int'l game days. maybe u should come to the pubs I hang out at! :)

if any ILFers are ever in Chicago I will buy you multiple beerz here: http://www.theglobepub.com/

People who leave early piss me off something chronic, even though I really shouldn't care that they miss all the good stuff. We are often the only people left in a once-crowded area at the end of most games.

Serial toilet-attenders are the fucking pits though. There was some lassie in front of us at the league cup semi last year who spent the entire game leaving her seat (forcing half-a-dozen people in her row to stand up to let her past, which forced everyone behind them to stand to see past them and so on right the way to the back of the stand) then repeating the experience as she got back to her seat, only to begin the whole pantomime again five minutes later. For the whole fucking game. Stop going to the pub and weakening your bladder, buy some immodium/Pampers/tenaladies, or fuck off.

Standing to watch exciting things happen is fine. Disrupting an entire section of the ground because you've got ants in your pants, fuck off.

I like singing and shouting and swearing and audience participatory things and whatever.

I also like pubs, but I'm choosy about which ones.

I like to think I miss standing in (often literally) pishy crushed terracing, but I basically don't.