Football Vs Rugby

[penfold93]

I was very fortunate to go to Twickenham this w/e to see Bath against Wasps for the St Georges Day game and decided to take my young lad with me, with over 60,000 fans there, there was a great atmosphere, inflatables lots of stalls and of course loads of booze. There was no trouble, both sets of fans sat and drank together before during and after the match, there was a very minimal police presence and it was good fun.

On the journey home there were a hell of a lot of people crammed into the train but they all looked out for little 'uns, laughed and joked with them and kept them entertained even though it was now getting late. Finally we reached Reading station and had to wait for our train to Swindon.

It was amazing the transformation as we were forced to mix with football supporters returning from away games. There were probably more police at the station than I saw at Twickenham, there were fans hassling other passengers, it seemed that they took great delight in using as many swear words as possible in front of a large number of kids, they chucked rubbish around the station (unlike the crowds outside Twickenham that actively hunted out rubbish bins).

Now I had planned to take my lad to a footie match, dont get me wrong I am not totally anti footie and enjoy both games, but the experience this w/e has made me reluctant to do it, do I want that sort of behaviour to be seen as acceptable, not once at the rugby did I have to remind him that 'what that man is doing is wrong' or 'dont say that at home' and at no time did I feel i had to be protective of him but the experience at Reading and the onward train journey really has soured my views on football supporters.

Having played and been to watch both sports I had not realised just how big the gap was between football and rugby fans and this w/e the transition between the two worlds has really opened my eyes.DT_Xtremez_26:

 

[T93]

Always

Always

Rugby 1st for me & then Cricket (I am one of those Strange Scots that actually understand/enjoys Cricket)

I do enjoy Football, but, well you have provided the "but" already.

T93.

 

[wolfy]

Certainly It would be Rugby for me. Hoping to take my eldest son to the England sevens tournament which is growing in party atmosphere!

Off Topic It does seem that some football traits are creeping into the playing of the game

 

[propersplitbrainme]

Counting down to this thread being moved to flight club........DT_Xtremez_42:

 

[penfold93]

Why should it be moved I am not calling all football fans w@nkers etc etc, just describing an experience, if football fans feel they have to resort to 'gobbing off' rather than trying to argue their point then they are just hammering nails into their own coffin

 

[vim_fuego]

Then you have rugby league...

I was taken to watch Wigan v St Helens years ago on a warm evening at their old ground (Central Park??)...I couldn't believe the language being used and the place was stuffed full of all ages incl. a high percentage of kids...The classiest moment was when I heard a womens voice screaming 'Kick him in the f*cking balls'...on looking around it turned out to be a reasonably sweet looking old granny who was offering the advice!!

I didn't see any trouble but the atmosphere compared to rugby HQ was totally different and you could sense that you were only a wayward stare/eye contact away from having a sovereign ring smashed into your boat race...

 

[propersplitbrainme]

Why should it be moved I am not calling all football fans w@nkers etc etc, just describing an experience, if football fans feel they have to resort to 'gobbing off' rather than trying to argue their point then they are just hammering nails into their own coffin

Rugby Vs Football usually ends up in a bunfight thats all DT_Xtremez_26:

FWIW, I can't argue with anything you say. Football has largely* rid itself of the violence that dogged the sport in the 70s and 80s but there is still a vile and nasty undercurrent that pervades amongst a lot of supporters. The image that Sky Sports tries to present at the start of its programs, of the family cheerfully heading off to a modern, clean and bright stadium does not paint a true picture by any stretch of the imagination.
It never ceases to amaze me how normal, sometimes middle aged, people can sit and sing chants or hurl sick-headed abuse at players simply because they play for another team. Look at how many screwed-up minds WANT the rumours about Steven Gerrard, and previously Ashley Cole and John Terry and anyone else you care to name, to be true. WTF is THAT all about? What sort of society have we become where it seems accetable to spout foul-mouthed abuse at players about the parentage of their kids, the fidelity of their wives, what their mothers like or don't like etc etc? Not to mention the 'witticisms' poking fun at air crashes, stadium disasters and so on. Fcukin' hilarious, we rolled in the aisles, NOT!
Football does attract and engeandour this kind of attitude, and if anything makes me give up going to matches it will be this.

*I say largely because I realise that it hasn't vanished completely and still rears its head every now and then.

 

[GEM]

Rugby as a players sport pre professional days was superb, I loved playing and later coaching, especially colt rugby.

I don't enjoy watching the modern game.

I never really though I was any good playing football but I did represent Derbyshire at schoolboy and the East Midlands with the ATC but I never enjoyed playing as much as I did rugby, but I do enjoy watching football much more than I enjoyed playing it and infinitely more than I enjoy either codes of modern rugby.

I go to watch football every week now and enjoy it both home and away for different reasons. At home I get to sit and watch the game, chat with mates and meet up with the rest of the family. Pride Park is a comfortable family environment and my grandkids from 5-11 boys and girls all lovegoingf to games. Away I get to enjoy the bearpit, the singing, taunting and associated bantering with the home fans.

I was around in the late 60s early 70s when the fighting kicked off and thankfully there is little of that now but there is still the edge when you walk round West Bridgeford in a black and white scarf.DT_Xtremez_14:

Oddly driving home aftergames can be quite entertaining, stopping and chatting with fans from other clubs is almost civilised now.

 

[Toonman]

I must agree that he "professional" game has that type of support but last year I went to the FA Vase final between my home team Whitley Bay and Glossop North End. Before the match all the fans mixed along Wembley Way and there was a lot of laughing going on. After Whitley won we shared a tube back into the city with the opposition fans and the atmosphere was still very light hearted. My daughter and I both enjoyed the day. We are going again in a week and a half as Whitley Bay are back again this time against Wroxham. I hope they are as friendly as the others were last year.
Then again I also have tickets for the Emirates Sevens at Twickenham and hope to also have a good time there.

 

[duffman]

Then you have rugby league...

I was taken to watch Wigan v St Helens years ago on a warm evening at their old ground (Central Park??)...I couldn't believe the language being used and the place was stuffed full of all ages incl. a high percentage of kids...The classiest moment was when I heard a womens voice screaming 'Kick him in the f*cking balls'...on looking around it turned out to be a reasonably sweet looking old granny who was offering the advice!!

I didn't see any trouble but the atmosphere compared to rugby HQ was totally different and you could sense that you were only a wayward stare/eye contact away from having a sovereign ring smashed into your boat race...

Fairly rare occurance been to lots of RL matches played all over the place, never once been to a match that was even close to that. I'm not saying it's never happened but, I've seen more people thrown out of cricket grounds than I have RL grounds. I would say it's one of the best sports for families to go to.