Well the new season is coming up and the TFC were horrible (understandably so). Now as we hope that they improve, the TFC fans proved to be the best that the league has ever seen. However, compared to other European/South American teams we too could do a lot better. I've noticed last year that the south end fans seemed disorganized and at times competing with each other's chants. To add to the mix there were bongo drums beating to a completely different tune. We need to clean it up this year and have all of the major groups working together with proper chant leaders that coreograph almost entire games of chants and have the whole south end chanting together. This will get the entire stadium going and elevate the atmpsphere to a whole new level. For the RPB/U Sector, they need to talk between each other more, and get guys with either loud voices or megaphones to lead the chants. The guys with the bongo drums should be given specific times to drum and add the Caribbean falvour to it, as well as incorporate the music into the chants. Last year we were: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e4tLV8JsLQ&feature=related Impressive! But lets aim for: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeY575iliJw&feature=related Lets start the year of right in Columbus... P.S. How do you embed the youtube video directly in the post?
Re: Coreography First of all.....we need to stop searching the world for the ideal supporters. Unlike other locations around the world, we here in North America have many major sports to focus on. We don't live, eat, breath, and sleep soccer. We are never going to be like other places in the world....and who cares anyway? As far as the organizing of chants goes.......I like the idea of everybody singing and chanting at the same time. I just don't like some of the stupid chants that seem to be now "Official". There are certain chants that just plain suck. I'll sing and chant....but at some point it gets out of hand when people feel like they need to constantly be chanting ANYTHING. There are too many ************ chants. That's why there is no organization also. People don't take a breath. As soon as one chant begins to die, a small group of supporters with a megaphone starts up with a new one....and you have multiple supporter groups who try to push their own chants....no matter how juvenile, or stupid they may be. You also have section 111 starting up chants that are ignored by 112 and 113. Too many ************ chants. Too many supporter groups. Too many people wishing they were in Europe or South America.
Re: Coreography There is a Youtube tag: {youtube}6e4tLV8JsLQ{/youtube} {youtube}MeY575iliJw{/youtube} Replace the {} with [] for it to work: [youtube]6e4tLV8JsLQ[/youtube] [youtube]MeY575iliJw[/youtube] For the record, that Lens chant (the second video) is one of my favourites for supporter videos on Youtube. Cheers!
Re: Coreography Its hard when theres not any away fans, so we depend on the players to spur us on and its a symbiotic relationship. I can't remember the game but I think it was the end of the goal drought (? spell) the stadium seem to be thumping for 5 min, but then the other team started to control the game and in the 2nd 1/2 you could hear a pin drop on the 2nd tier. Its hard to cheer, when theres no one to cheer against and your team is playing like shite. Well most fans were quiet, I'm more of a booer.
Re: Coreography I beg to differ. People in Spain for example, will follow Real Madrid Soccer and Basketball. And they come out in full force regardless. Other countries have hockey, handball, and enough other sports to follow. So because soccer is the biggest, it's not the only. Secondly I'm pretty sure that 95% of the people that attend soccer games in Europe and South America don't eat, breathe, or sleep it. But they are fans and have a larger passion for their teams that North Americans do. But that doesn't mean that we can't organize fan groups and more organized chanting. It's something that isn't usual in North American sports, but if you ask many people that have had their first experience of soccer at BMO field what they thought... I think every one of them would tell you that it was nothing short of amazing.... But yes we need less chants... keep the good ones, so that most people can learn them... and more communication between the major groups. I think that RPB and U-Sector need to ask for a ban on megaphones from anyone that is not a major fan group, and thus would allow their voices to be heard, and to lead the chants. One thing I do love is the fact that there are no noise makers and blowhorns... The saddest thing that I keep hearing in other stadiums is those blowhorns. It's as if people just love noise for the sake of noise... The entire match it sounds like a truck stop... Annoying as **** and I hope that they don't make it over here...
Re: Coreography I beg to differ. People in Spain for example, will follow Real Madrid Soccer and Basketball. And they come out in full force regardless. Other countries have hockey, handball, and enough other sports to follow. So because soccer is the biggest, it's not the only. Secondly I'm pretty sure that 95% of the people that attend soccer games in Europe and South America don't eat, breathe, or sleep it. But they are fans and have a larger passion for their teams that North Americans do. But that doesn't mean that we can't organize fan groups and more organized chanting. It's something that isn't usual in North American sports, but if you ask many people that have had their first experience of soccer at BMO field what they thought... I think every one of them would tell you that it was nothing short of amazing.... But yes we need less chants... keep the good ones, so that most people can learn them... and more communication between the major groups. I think that RPB and U-Sector need to ask for a ban on megaphones from anyone that is not a major fan group, and thus would allow their voices to be heard, and to lead the chants. One thing I do love is the fact that there are no noise makers and blowhorns... The saddest thing that I keep hearing in other stadiums is those blowhorns. It's as if people just love noise for the sake of noise... The entire match it sounds like a truck stop... Annoying as **** and I hope that they don't make it over here...
I think three or four "designated" chant leaders with a megaphone, possibly communicating through hand signals or mobile phone, could be a good idea. On GolTV, there's an ad that has the Schalke fans silent for 19:04 minutes, then they start cheering, and if you look you can see a guy with his back to the pitch, riling all the supporters up with a megaphone. A lot of European clubs have that and it would be a good way to coordinate things. Beyond that, any attempt to control or regulate the chants is wayyyy too forced. If you don't like the chant... don't join in!! I doubt the players care too much about the cheer's content, just that we're a unified force on and off the pitch.
What do you need to be obnoxious for? That's the problem with half the supporters. For some reason they tie passion in with being obnoxious. They just play the role and somehow believe they are the most hardcore supporters. As far as all the other stuff goes....... The idea that you start designating fans and chants is exactly what I don't like. Like I say, some of these chants suck. Some of them are so forced it's ridiculous. There seems to be more of an obligation to make noise than to feel real passion. To me it's unreal how many people want to pay money to go and have a regimented approach to being a supporter. I'm not a seal. I don't sing and chant when somebody tells me to. It's bizzare to me that so many people complain about a so called "manufactured atmosphere" at the ACC, or North American sports in general. To me people like the RPB and U Sector are worse. They complain about cheerleaders....yet that's what a lot of people want. They just call them "cappos". I don't need that crap. I stand all game long and chant to the chants I like, and sing the songs I like. What's so hard about that? I don't think Liverpool supporters discussed singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" on the internet. It just happened (because it's played on the PA system before the game.....another RPB taboo) and people felt it and started singing it. That's all you need. Real passion. Not this phony nonsense that is going on now.
Well I can then truly see that you've never been to a soccer game outside of this continent. You're not a seal if you have someone leading the chant. All it does is it creates more energy to have more people chanting the same thing at the same time. And as for the chant leaders, they exist in every group. They lead the chant and keep the whole crowd going. And because someone has a megaphone to lead the chant that doesn't mean he's putting a gun to your head and forcing you to join in... Refer to the video of the Lens fans above. There is a guy on a podium with his back to the game and a megaphone. Look at the atmosphere. If you disagree then please attend a game somewhere outside the US/Canada and let me know how it felt to be there. There is no sporting event here that can even come close to it... TFC is the only one that even tries... And the reason why I go to the games is because of people like RPB that have given it a shot...
An example: biris norte (Sevilla FC) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewv1fHaXzyw Go Toronto, desde España!!
Having a megaphone guy is alright with me. Just as long as the chants and songs are timely and not just for the sake of something to do at a match. I would love to hear a chant that incorporates the TFC slogan 'All For One' in it, kind of like Liverpool's 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. In style only not the same music.
Everyone going to Columbus please take your scarf and hold it up as you sing the National Anthem at the top of your voice. It should make a terrific T.V. spectacle. Rally chant. All for one and one for all, Come on T.O. get on the ball.
What would make it better is if RPB got in touch with the bongo drum guys... Tribal Rythm Nation... Have them add rythm to some of the chants... That way we can make it our own... As for the Columbus trip, I would fill it with banners and flags as well. And tons of streamers after the anthem...
Too add to the above. Too bad the guys organizing the trip to Columbus didn't charge a few more bucks per ticket that would include 4 streamers per person... With potentially 1,200 people going that would be almost 5,000 streamers... and with 4 per person that should cover the national anthem and 1 for every goal TFC scores. Then again to make a spectacle I hope MLSE comes up with something... like giving helium baloons to EVERYBODY at the first home game... Do a countwown after the anthem and let them go...
I think everyone should be like Roc and complain about everything. That'll make the atmosphere great.
It seems the passion you espouse is to minimize and malign other people's efforts - what good can posibly come out of this if we stifle all the passion out of the supporters? To me the supporters groups are trying to organize and focus the chanting and singing to further increase the ability of the fans to support the team on the field - how exactly is this not "real passion"?
Oh great...here's another thread that's soon to be shut down. Pretty much every thread that Roc touches seems doomed to that fate...
Seriously. You people are like the Borg from Star Trek. One shared mind, the same opinions.....even the same lame ass insults. A collective, who's goal is to make evrerybody the same. Topp Dogg...I don't complain about everything. I have opinions. Your opinion usually involves an insult of me. I wonder if you get PM's from Taoism for it....I would guess you don't. I'm not really sure the last time I saw you saying anything positive...then again...who really cares? I'm just so sick of supporters that think you need to act a certain way. You see, I don't act. I just go to the games and do what I feel like. I just get sick of people showing youtube videos from around the world. I don't care what other supporters are doing. If you want to compare.....I was watching Liverpool vs. Chelsea today. There were no cappos, I didn't hear any drums, I didn't see any streamers...the atmosphere was great. It was people who were there to watch the game..not put on a show for TV. That's what I do. I go to the game to cheer for TFC...not to put on a show. I just don't need someone to assume I need direction. I like spontinaity. I believe that by choosing "official" chants, and cheerleaders...er, um, cappos...you destroy spontinaity (sorry about the spelling...if it's wrong. I'm not the best speller). The reason that we struggled on unity last year was because we don't have enough songs with real passion (like Dichio 24). That's it. Not because of a lack of direction or understanding of what it is to be a supporter. You get stupid chants like the one about going crazy if people can't sing for TFC, rather than just feeling it...people force lame ass chants out. Who needs that shit? A chant will become "official" because everyone likes it, and sings it. Not because a supporter group had a vote on the internet. I find there is a sad desperation by many TFC fans to duplicate something, somewhere else. I grew up in Canada and am proud of it. I don't want to be like fans around the world. My passion is real, and natural. I don't need to be something else. I'm tired of people running down North American sports fans as if only in Europe and South America will you find genuine passion. Because I can get along with visiting fans, and don't feel a need to swear at them, or the visiting team, or the ref in nursery rhyme sing song...that doesn't make me less passionate. Because I don't need some guy shouting at me through a megaphone....that doesn't make me less passionate.
The only reason this thread will get locked is if people derail it. I won't lock a thread because Roc (or anyone else) has a dissenting opinion. Feel free to disagree with each other without insults, etc. and no threadlock will occur. Cheers!
Roc Le Roc has some valid points, TFC supporters needs some more authentic and original chants. Copying chants from Europe isnt very Canadian, last I checked TFC is a Canadian team. And some supporters think that swearing at visiting teams and their fans is supporting TFC are really only proving that they are jerks.
Well - I for one have no problem with choreography or any other form of group effort - and I could care less if it's begged, borrowed or outright stolen from the way some other group of fans do it. If adult language is appropriate or comical for the situation, no problem here. And if somebody doesn't want to do that, fine, great, enjoy your thing too. You can sit in your exact seat in the supporters section and be miserable for all I care - but life is too short to be the squeaky wheel when your opinion is different from the herd you refer to. So complain away - the only reason I respond is to ask what you hope to achieve with your constant opposing view, and wonder why you don't get a group of like minded folks together instead?
I'm not like you. I don't need like minded people around me. You call those people "Yes Men". I welcome debate on any subject. Why not? I have no problem sticking by my opinions. Usually all most people can offer in response are childish insults. The only thing I hope to achieve is discussion. What do you hope to achieve by questioning my approach (I don't really care...so don't bother answering)? Who's complaining? And who cares anyway? All you people ever do is complain about the things I say. Go visit the RPB site. All they do is complain about everything. Get over it already. It's called having an opinion. Crazypete13.....another person who somehow equates not wanting cappos and over organization to just wanting to sit and be miserable. Why don't you actually try reading the things I say? You'll notice I often say I stand and cheer the whole game. I talk about wanting more passionate chants...rather than reworked nursery rhyme insults. I would rather embrace being the Canadian I am. Not try and measure up to someone elses opinion of what a soccer fan should be. Here's a complaint for you....try having some kind of understanding of what I'm talking about before you make comments on it. You'll save me the time of having to explain things two or three times.