• The forums will be unavailable for a few hours on Saturday 6th June, when they do return they will initially be in a degraded state with some features missing, but normal posting/reading will be possible. The main website will not be affected by these updates.
    New user registrations are currently disabled.

Xhaka not happy with the early leavers

Sorry but that goes both ways, if you look at when we play well, fans tend to stay, but when they get frustrated when they don't think players are giving it all.

There is a difference between giving your all and being effective?
The whole point of support is to get behind the team when they struggling and build them up to believe.
If all we have become is supporters who cheer when we are great…. Iam not sure if i want part of that
 

Funnily enough, if we'd swapped our first half performance for the second, I think more fans would've been happier and more entertained by the end of the 90 minutes. We're usually better in the second half.
Sends a message though

Our away fans are class.
Home fans are meh
I think that's the same for all clubs really. Your average away fans is obviously going to be more invested than your average season ticket holder no matter who you support.

I don't like to see thousands streaming out before full time but I'd say, for the most part, our fans don't feel like the team are as motivated to win as earlier in the season.
 
Last edited:
it doesn't it refers to playing until the end and keeping the same energy and not losing momentum which resulted in the late goals. do you think a mural was created and a marketing award was won because it was aimed at fans staying until the end 😄
The large print giveth.
The small print taketh away.

Til the end*

*fans exempted
 
0-1 down and fans streaming out, it’s not a good look but what is the underlying reason for it? It doesn’t happen at Leeds blah blah blah. And before you ask did I leave early? No because I was in the banks of the Mekong.
 
0-1 down and fans streaming out, it’s not a good look but what is the underlying reason for it? It doesn’t happen at Leeds blah blah blah. And before you ask did I leave early? No because I was in the banks of the Mekong.
Unfortunately it's been in our psyche for years, it's just not something you see as much at other clubs but it just seems like apathy quickly sets in as soon as the tables turn.

Let's be honest, we have come from a long stint in League One, then last season we finished on 74 points in the Championship. This season we have massively exceeded all expectations - most of us thought we were going down before a ball was kicked, yet that is all forgotten about now and the supporters have slipped back into the old mindset we had during our last stint in the Premier League.

I just think as a fanbase we are incapable of perspective and seeing the bigger picture.
 
Last edited:
Is op even right on this or is he making it up?
I haven’t seen any proof of a dispute with fans.
Said itvwas just his take when he saw Xhaka gesturing. Seems he's joined dots and made a presumption as it happened at the same time some people were leaving.
 
Its a bad look. Lap of appreciation at end of season might have to be done outside Sheepdolds as people stream over the bridge.
 
Anyone else think he overdoes it sometimes on the pitch with pointing at players and trying to dictate every single detail that he loses his composure and ultimately his performance drops cos of it?
No. Absolutely not. He's one of the most passive managers on the touchline in the league.
 
I don’t think your argument stands up to scrutiny.
Earlier in the season we played deeper, more entrenched with the same siege mentality that got us promoted …. But now for some reason we expect them to play like Man City.

What’s changed 🤷🏻

It looks like fans expectations. I am turning up to matches expecting us to roar them on regardless, but it appears most of us have got bored or deluded as to our true place.

Look at these possession stats at home this season
West Ham 37% ,
Brentford 54%
Villa 29%
wolves 41%
Everton 61%
Arsenal 35 m%
Bournemouth 43%
Mags 46%.
Leeds 43% ,
Man City 32% ,

That’s right during our purple patch we had more than 50% at home only twice. Strikes me we were pretty enthused back then playing West Ham with 37%.

Yes the team is not playing as well, but it’s indisputable that we are not supporting as well either.

It’s time the team and the fans regained its secret weapon. A never say die approach both on and off the pitch
What those stats don’t reveal is the lack of intensity which was my point. I don’t need stats to tell me what I can clearly see with my own eyes.
 
Not that I'd leave early but people just know we're not going to do anything. 8 minutes of injury time we had and all we could muster was one shot from Cirkin right at the end of it.
True, if that's what being a fan is about though, the likes of Crawley or Blackpool wouldn't get anyone through the gates. I can fully understand fans leaving early if we have been hammered, it's freezing and there's 8 mins injury time but not when there's one goal in it after the season we have had. It's consistent as well, not just yesterday, if someone goes week after week but always leaves early then that's pretty shit, I'd rather have an empty seat for the full 90. We have had better atmospheres with 28k in League One than we did yesterday. (Not on about people who need to leave early for work/family events etc)
There is a difference between giving your all and being effective?
The whole point of support is to get behind the team when they struggling and build them up to believe.
If all we have become is supporters who cheer when we are great…. Iam not sure if i want part of that
I think football fans as a whole, us included, have become more reactive than proactive. We respond well when something good happens but are fairly neutral otherwise.
 
Last edited:
True, if that's what being a fan is about though, the likes of Crawley or Blackpool wouldn't get anyone through the gates. I can fully understand fans leaving early if we have been hammered, it's freezing and there's 8 mins injury time but not when there's one goal in it after the season we have had. It's consistent as well, not just yesterday, if someone goes week after week but always leaves early then that's pretty shit, I'd rather have an empty seat for the full 90. We have had better atmospheres with 28k in League One than we did yesterday. (Not on about people who need to leave early for work/family events etc)

I think football fans as a whole, us included, have become more reactive than proactive. We respond well when something good happens but are fairly neutral otherwise.
I agree with you, after about 30 minutes yesterday the ball went out and quite a few went downstairs for a pint. Then the second half started with probably a third of the crowd still downstairs. The football is like a sideshow at times. I think how shit we were for so long created a mindset that is hard for people to shift when we're not winning every week.
 
Did anyone think Xhaka played well?
I don’t sadly I think his injury and attitude sadly mean he’s a busted flush.

We now have nothing to play for sadly. I’d not play old man Xhaka.
There's still plenty to play for surely? We can still qualify for Europe, we can still finish above the mags, we can still finish on a high, we could finish in the relegation zone all of these are mathematically possible. So there's definitely plenty to play for.

Most importantly there's pride to be played for. It's also a world cup year so there's plenty for them to play for as individuals. Look at how Wolves have been playing recently. Taking points from everyone because they want to go down with some pride, everyone had said West Ham were gone around Christmas but because they've got their pride to play for they dragged themselves back into things and could stay up.

The reason Xhaka has been such a good footballer over the years is because he's played with pride and given 100% equally he wants the fans to support in the same manner. If we're gonna support the lads we might aswell support them 100% otherwise are we really supporting them?
 
Back
Top