I put some of the blame on Sporting. They announce that streamers are prohibited and then leave them on the field after they're thrown. I'm a teacher and I know that if you aren't consistent and back up what you say, you send the message that they're just words and don't really mean anything.
Unfortunately, as we all know, this is what happens when the section expands by 1,000. We aren't gonna be able to control everybody. Security is just gonna have to start tossing people they see do that. Ultimately, it's the stadium personnels job to monitor this. Not us. And it may just be me, but security seemed light in our section. Except if you wanted to leave the section with an alcoholic beverage. They were all over me for that. I had to chug my beer before I could enter the other part of the stadium. Probably the lamest rule I noticed.
Yep, I know that bringing them for the opener was in good conscience, but seriously never get the idea to use streamers again. Especially with the width of the section. With a deep section you can kind of self monitor a little better because you can look straight up and see the entire section. With how wide the Cauldron is we don't have enough people to self police the entire section. I'm still pissed off about this this morning.
I agree that the security in and around our section seemed a little light, given the situation. Its opening and everybody is pumped and drunk, it just seems like it would make sense to have a presense there - I'm not saying that I think they should have been in there giving us grief ala CAB, but just them just to be there to spot and deal with people that do things that are worthy of removal. I also do understand that we will have to do some self policing, that just goes with the territory of a section like ours to function properly. But when 25-30 people are throwing beer bottles on the field, that is beyond our ability to police and its the people who are actually getting paid for its job to deal with.
I think there are three key points that others have brought up and should be communicated to as many people as possible: 1) This didn't come from "regulars". This came from people who were caught up in the moment of being around a rowdy bunch and thought that was an appropriate way to act. Any blame to the "Cauldron" or any of its sub-groups is off base. 2) We can't police people we don't know. 3) Giving away free tickets helped cause this. These people may not have ever been to a game (since we've never been known for throwing beers on the field it makes sense that people who don't know the standard way to respond are responsible for this).
Clarify this for me. You think that 95% of the beers thrown were from Cauldronites? People who have been to games historically? People who have been in the section at Arrowhead and CAB? Or are you saying simply that these were people who were standing in the section?
I'm guessing he should have used "Members Stands" not "Cauldron". If he had said "Members Stands" then he would be correct.
Gonna just throw it out there.... because I believe the vast majority of even free ticket holders are not douche bags ... I think the amount of alcohol consumed before the game by a great many people (I mean there were some staggering drunks in there that I had never seen before) and the late start probably didn't help either.
While I would hate this, because it was convenient, they might just have to stop selling the plastic bottles in the Member's Club. Or just pour them into a plastic cups. Problem solved.
Of course, the bottle throwing would not have been an issue if the correct call had been made. Once that happened, I expected some shit to get thrown onto the field. That no-call was awful. It was a clear PK. We all saw it and Kennedy was miles behind the play.
I kind of agree with Jarnevic in that idea that the whole thing should have been avoided with the right call - but that obviously didn't happen, so it's no use dwelling on it. The important thing is that it doesn't happen again. There may be some small changes like increased security presense and lack of plastic beer bottles. The thing that worries me is that I saw a PVC tube from one of the flags end up out there as well... I would hope that management has the right mind to see that this may have been an one time incident - not a trend, and not go ALL out on us. As Ben said, it likely wasn't Cauldronites that were doing the throwing - but with the various groups of the cauldron being the only organised sections in there, it makes us an easy target for blame, and I think a lot of people are afraid that we'll have to take the blame for actions that were not ours because they came from our general area.
Ok, so it wasn't on ESPN, that much is good. But you can't put it all on the free fans. I had to sit with a lot of them and there were very few bottles out of where I was sitting. They mostly came from behind the goal (granted where there were free fans, but not all). I kept yelling for people to knock it off, that we were on national television, but stupid people will continue to do stupid things. I don't think it was mostly Cauldron proper either. It was the grand mixture of beer and stupid people. So its not on ESPN, but heres where it still hurts: Everyone in attendance. I don't think we changed too many people's opinion on the Cauldron. It may have been made worse. There were a lot of potential new fans and dignitires in attendance and what was done in front of them was absolutely disgraceful. Granted that was an absolutely shit call. I will admit that there have been many many times when I said a call was bad because of my bias, but I was directly in front of it. Bravo was clearly still in pain for a bit afterwards. At one point he tried hustling, but clutched his back instead. I'm proud he came back on. Not that I legitimately thought we had a chance after Jimmy was sent off. On another note: Its probably forgotten because of the card, but before he left the box, he had this great reaction where he just puma pawed the ball out of the air.
I'm going to play the devil's advocate here and say that if folks don't want to see bottles on the pitch, maybe the refs should think about not sucking in the future. First: I did not throw a single bottle, that's not my thing, and I'm not sure what group it was that decided to do this or if it was just a random mob thing . What I do know is that when you get a large number of people together who are worked up about a game and they get jobbed that bad, you can expect a display of their displeasure. The reason the original, organized Cauldron, whatever you want to call us, don't do this is really only because we're so close to the FO and we appreciate more than most how much work goes into pitch maintenance and we don't want to see our gorgeous stadium we've waited 16 years for sullied, and that's all as it should be. Sports fans however, and we will need thousands of regular Joe sports fans to sustain us into the future, will find a way to express their anger, be it bottles or something else. It was cleaned up in like one minute, no harm no foul, they got it out of their system, and there was a long stoppage at the time anyway. Really, given that there was a long stoppage and the bottles weren't being thrown AT anyone, it could have been a lot worse than it was - they picked a pretty good time to act badly. In the end it's really not a tragedy by any means and I'm sure Kennedy received the message loud and clear. Booing I have no problem with either, as long as it's reserved for crap calls and not the team. The bizarre thing that invaded the pitch was fing stupid. That's seriously what Section 8 came up with?
People that were standing in the section. I sure hope this was not the people I have met this year and want to be a part of. "Members Stand" and "Cauldron" as an area in LSP is synonymous to me.
OK, cool. To me there is a separation between the "area" and the "group". Long timer or new fan, if you seek out the Cauldron because of the people and what it gives you as a fan I doubt you threw a bottle. I think most of the beers came from those that got a free ticket or are otherwise not tightly bound to the idea of the supporters section yet were standing in the section.
It was happening on the west end as well, so the Cauldron can't be blamed. Though it was on the 8's corner...
guess it could have been worse. http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6528309/polish-basketball-game-covered-in-toilet-paper
I was sitting in the south stands and a guy next to me threw a bottle on the field after the missed PK call. I started yelling for people to knock it off. I was so pissed off. I agree with everyone in this thread though. I think the people who threw shit on the field were the people who don't actually care about soccer. I think they were at the match last night because it was the opening of a new stadium. Every single person I know that is a soccer fan would not have done that. I was more upset with the throwing of trash on the field than the result. Also, I know that it wouldn't have happened if the ref would have made the right call. However, if you are a true fan of soccer, you would understand that missed calls is a huge part of the game, whether they go your way or not. Yes, it was an awful call, but sometimes you have to expect awful calls in soccer matches, especially in MLS.
I can tell you it wasn't anyone from our group. We were surrounded by security and police, escorted in and out of the stadium (excellent security and police folks btw, seriously nice folks). We booed the cowman too, and were really surprised by how long it took security to get onto the field. If the cowman didn't give himself up, he'd still be running out there. On the other hand it was the only score of the game (if you don't count when the scoreboard had us up 1-0 around the 60th minute). Great stadium, worth the wait.
You guys were the most disrespectful group of fans in any sport I have ever witnessed. You guys were disgraceful the entire time you were there. Every single one of you should be ashamed of your behavior. If you want to cheer your team on, go ahead, I encourage it but dont sit there and beat your drum while our owner and Lance Armstrong are making a speech in our frickin' opening. I didnt hear a god damn word said by anyone because some retard with a drum decided to just keep banging through what was obviously and intimate and important moment. There was not once single reason for you to be cheering at that point. Not one other than to be complete and utter douchebags. Then, your behavior after the game while going to the buses was unacceptable as well. After seeing how you behave in your own stadium and how you behaved last night, you guys are a disgrace to the league.
When all the booing and garbage throwing was going on (as much in the south stand as there was in the supporters section, from what I could tell), one of the ditzy girls behind me (who had been giggling with all her 14-year-old friends over their crush on Eric Kronberg) said "you can tell the soccer fans don't like it, they're all sitting down". For that comment, I gave ditz-girl and her posse a free pass next time they shrieked at Kron during a corner. I just hope that the masses don't take this game as an example and consider all of that mess normal fan behavior.
I have to agree. Like I told everyone last night, I loved the fact that Chicago fans were there. It helps the league when away fans come to games. But being obnoxiously loud during the opening ceremonies of our new stadium? That is just disrespectful. I couldn't hear anything as well since I was sitting in the south stands. I'm all for chanting and singing and banging drums during the match. But when the club CEO is trying to speak to home fans during the home opener of what is arguably the best stadium in America? Just straight up douchebaggery. I didn't have any problem with Chicago before the game last night (I wasn't able to travel with the Cauldron to Chicago earlier in the year) but after last night, I despise Chicago. You guys were not good ambassadors.