It seems that in a season now on the home straight, where the football has been abject and very occasionally sublime, something else is ringing in our ears while the fat lady is still warming her tonsils up.

Football has definitely changed, it changed a long time ago in many different ways, yet as we see time and time again some things remain the same. When there’s little to shout about some people like shouting about what others should and shouldn’t do, so I thought I’d join in.

I’ve been a hardened critic of those subcultures and cliques within the fanbase that seemed to surface with various viewpoints and spurious diktats lately.

However, I appreciate that while all my own views are represented by me and me alone, I am slightly concerned by the levels at which we as fans now need to take stock of our own actions. That it seems better to think and not speak these days more than ever, where everything is stored in browser caches as well as memory.

I’m no angel and started going to football as the Premier League got going. I’ve done plenty of things at and around football that you won’t read about on here and that’s the point. My own business and conduct is just that. There are plenty of times at games, particularly away games where the lottery of ticketing means that even on the transport to and from a game, let alone inside the stadium itself you’ll be placed next to and near people you wouldn’t normally go near. That’s just life.

I can think of instances where seats are 'saved' by regulars on buses and terraces and I’ve been glowered at for fear of daring to sit in them, it’s easier to move on and not cause a fuss. But it typifies the sense that to some the only sense of unity and commonality is the team we’re there to see and support. Much like your family you can’t pick and choose who follows Town. Why would you want to?

That said there is precious little you can do to change the make up of a club whose fanbase will be slanted closer to God’s great deli counter queue in the sky, now that our glory days are sparse and distant. With prices high, those younger and relatively poorer, perhaps with families and financial burdens will not compete with those who receive discounts on tickets to compliment their abundance of time and disposable income at either end of the age spectrum.

The idea of football being 'the working man’s game' seems laughably antiquated and a bit silly.

Seemingly though, there is friction and suspicion bubbling amongst the more disparate groups of Town fans who unlike me, place great value on their, well, 'football' values. Whatever you want from the matchday experience and whoever you are there is a need for acceptance by fans and guidance instead of condemnation from those older, wiser and smarter.

I was heavily critical of the Supporters Club’s stance and attitude to 'telling off' everyone with the intention of targeting those we all know could do with a wake-up call. In the wake of that God awful banner and some disgusting abuse on Twitter it seems that once again football and its fans are left trailing behind technology and accountability today - and it ironically gives the message more purchase, perhaps unfairly.

You can’t get away with the things I and many others did at places like Carrow Road years ago because now it will end up on this site, Facebook and elsewhere in the public domain. It will be easily traceable to you, your peers and used by the club and the authorities as well those disapproving types should a beady eye (closed circuit or not) be cast over it.

To call laddish and loutish behaviour new is patently wrong. To pretend it is acceptable because it used to be easier to get away with likewise, but again where do we draw the line? If someone is acting irresponsibly or God forbid overtly illegally at football, it’s unlikely you will want to challenge them and rightly so. The club needs us as well as the authorities to help in those thankfully rare and obvious events but not police them, let alone judge.

It strikes me though that the scale is sliding slightly at times, I like to watch the game, I’m not interested in much else so most of it passes me by until I log on here – unless you get in my way you’ll hear and feel nothing from me. Some perhaps may feel a duty to police the stands, at home maybe I can understand this, but away not so much.

If you are easily offended or with kids, there are plenty of places to sit, at Portman Road those are marked out by being massive great chunks of the ground. But it’s easy to scan the away stand and sit somewhere more suitable if you feel the need.

I remember as a child my mother being appalled at the rapid development of my vocabulary and the secret contract me and Snr had of not blaming the footy for it. What people don’t know, doesn’t hurt them. It’s an adage a few could take on board. If you act like a muppet and broadcast it, expect people to note it. If you keep doing it expect more and more people to note it.

To see and hear the words of the Tweeter was a sad and shameful event, but his lack of education and eloquence is not a reflection on anyone but himself and those who sought to condone it.

He, like the incident is one in amongst thousands of the Town community and to see the majority of fans like the club take swift action in reprimanding him shows that in general, ‘we’ are all more or less intolerant of the well, the intolerant.

Abuse should not be accepted whether it is racial, sexual, gender-related or in any way discriminatory – but to pretend that a game should be watched in silence, for fear of reproach or bad manners is silly and unrealistic. As Jimmy knows, being drunk is a cause not an excuse for your behaviour and subsequent punishment. Likewise to expect fans to be bigger and better than their heroes, isn’t perhaps workable unless we all have to do sprint drills before we’re allowed in.

To hear Mr Clegg talking of the name of the club being smudged by the actions of a few is sad but lacks perspective in the scheme of things. As a collective the only common ground should be we all get to see the game without fear of abuse and attack verbal or otherwise – for those offended by bad language, exuberant celebrations and a bit of silliness perhaps football is not for you?

The game has done enough to neuter itself let’s take a step back and ask if we need to do our best to suck all the life and joy out of it, when a simple word in the ear and common sense all round could suffice.

I hope that the club as well the fans will bear that in mind when the same names and faces cause them paperwork and us a source of idle of gossip and speculation.

alfromcol added 20:03 - Mar 4 Nice, well written and thought out piece. Thanks Mullet
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runaround added 20:11 - Mar 4 Well written and very true
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Pip50 added 19:30 - Mar 5 Drivill
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Daleyitfc added 17:17 - Mar 6 I didn't understand a word of this from start to finish. What was it about?
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old_and_blue added 09:16 - Mar 20 "It seems that in a season now on the home straight, where the football has been abject and very occasionally sublime, something else is ringing in our ears while the fat lady is still warming her tonsils up." At first I thought that Mullet was turning prolix after attending a creative writing course.. Had me worried there as I rely heavily on his footie analysis but I now see it was a parody and the rest was up to the his usual standard. Some sensible comments about crowd behavoiur. Most of which probs could be solved by having standing areas.. Those who go out of their way to assume offence at a little industrial language will regard such areas of full of riff raff and will keep away and those who know who the real riff are can stand there enjoy themslves.

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