Post by iandavies on Oct 25, 2015 11:10:22 GMT
As I stood in the pouring rain at the end of yesterday's match and watched the dejected Torquay players still walk over and applaud their travelling fans - only to be booed off the pitch and sworn at in the tunnel - a few things occurred to me.
Fans pay to watch the games, they pay to travel to away games, they get their hopes up, they are entitled to be dejected when it goes wrong and, within the law, they are entitled to vent.
But what does it do for the morale of the Club they support? Particularly a non-league Club where fans are measured in hundreds, not thousands, and everyone knows everyone (Coaches and players may even be on their Facebook and Twitter) and it is all that bit more personal?
Torquay weren't great yesterday - having taken four points from their last three league games I had perhaps wrongly suspected they were in a false position in the Conference Premier, probably midtable potentially and likely to win the match.
But BTFC raised their game to the standards that took them to the Conference South play-offs last season and played them off the park.
Football players are actually for the most part still very young men. Their confidence is fragile, at this level they aren't being paid fortunes - many of us in our day jobs may earn more - the semi professionals only train twice a week.
They didn't want to lose. One or two remonstrated with their own fans - you don't do that, you have to stay tight lipped and professional and just keep walking - but that is because they are young and human.
Where am I going with all this? Well....passions run high in football but I think there are times when we all could do with stopping and thinking what effect our words have on others and morale.
I thought that yesterday BTFC fans showed all the quality those booing Torquay fans lacked.
Jason Bristow got a massive cheer as he walked out before the game and he looked visibly lifted by it at this most testing of times for him.
Ditto the players - the atmosphere behind the goal was electric and the players, particularly Chris Flood (simply amazing yesterday) responded positively to it.
Despite the poor results, the fans put their vocal faith in Manager and players yesterday and got their reward.
Most enjoyable match in the ten years on and off I have been down The Camrose.
And it was achieved by having a bit of faith and getting behind those who have earned the right to be given time to turn it around.
I hope - and believe - BTFC can move up the league table to safety from here.
Fans pay to watch the games, they pay to travel to away games, they get their hopes up, they are entitled to be dejected when it goes wrong and, within the law, they are entitled to vent.
But what does it do for the morale of the Club they support? Particularly a non-league Club where fans are measured in hundreds, not thousands, and everyone knows everyone (Coaches and players may even be on their Facebook and Twitter) and it is all that bit more personal?
Torquay weren't great yesterday - having taken four points from their last three league games I had perhaps wrongly suspected they were in a false position in the Conference Premier, probably midtable potentially and likely to win the match.
But BTFC raised their game to the standards that took them to the Conference South play-offs last season and played them off the park.
Football players are actually for the most part still very young men. Their confidence is fragile, at this level they aren't being paid fortunes - many of us in our day jobs may earn more - the semi professionals only train twice a week.
They didn't want to lose. One or two remonstrated with their own fans - you don't do that, you have to stay tight lipped and professional and just keep walking - but that is because they are young and human.
Where am I going with all this? Well....passions run high in football but I think there are times when we all could do with stopping and thinking what effect our words have on others and morale.
I thought that yesterday BTFC fans showed all the quality those booing Torquay fans lacked.
Jason Bristow got a massive cheer as he walked out before the game and he looked visibly lifted by it at this most testing of times for him.
Ditto the players - the atmosphere behind the goal was electric and the players, particularly Chris Flood (simply amazing yesterday) responded positively to it.
Despite the poor results, the fans put their vocal faith in Manager and players yesterday and got their reward.
Most enjoyable match in the ten years on and off I have been down The Camrose.
And it was achieved by having a bit of faith and getting behind those who have earned the right to be given time to turn it around.
I hope - and believe - BTFC can move up the league table to safety from here.