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Reply | FAO: Blue Action
at 12:33 5 Jun 2025
Well. Where to begin with this...
Let's start with this premise: football has risen to it's position as 'the world game' due to the fact that no other sport before then had expected - I dare say demanded - that the SPECTATORS also contributed to the overall matchday experience. Before then, spectators were expected to do precisely that - spectate. If you read about the early days of organised football, you'll see there was a lot of concern about the growing trend of spectators to singing and making noise (considered a dangerous foreign import from South America)...
Maybe, though, you disagree and would say that football grew to prominence for other reasons, and that atmosphere at games is irrelevant. If so, then I guess you needn't read any further...
So if crowd participation is an intrinsic part of football, then clubs need to faciliate that. So it makes sense, then, to create an area/areas where this can happen. Traditionally, this was the NL. Now, some people argue that the NL still fulfils that purpose. I, however, and I would suggest the majority of the Ipswich fanbase, disagree. Now we can argue the toss as to why that is - aging demographic, working class fans getting priced out, splitting the North stand into two tiers, etc etc. For my money, the sole issue is the removal of unreserved terracing, where fans had the freedom to congregate. Age and socio-economic background have no bearing on whether you can make a racket or not; the current design of the stand can and occasionally does harness plenty of noise. But the reality is, when fans who choose to experience football in different ways are hemmed in alongside each other, with no means of congregating with like minded fans, the atmosphere will suffer. This is what we experienced in the NL and this is what necessitated the move to A Block...
As for this 'd1ck measuring contest' between the two stands, there's nothing of the sort. If other posters have turned it into that, up to them, but that's not an official BA stance. I think we had one lad in the group who started sounding off on Twitter a year or so ago, but he was admonished for that and is no longer in the group anyway. Threads on this topic always seem to elicit a lot of insecurity among more passive fans. Let's make this clear: we do not think we are the 'right' kind of supporter and have NEVER claimed anything of the sort. Personally, singing and being engaged is the only way I can watch football. But if that's not your thing, then hey, you do you. All we're asking is for a place where we can support how we want to support...
You've referred to my group and the ultra scene in general in a heavily p1ss-takey, Comic Book Guy way, but all we're trying to do is better harness that desire to create atmosphere at football - which is still very much there among the Ipswich fanbase. Having an organised group, surely, is the best way to do this? You deride organised fun, but refer to 'George Burley's Barmy Army for 45 minutes' - what's that if not organised fun at a basic level? You laud the spontaneous eruptions of joy in the Premier League promotion season - but what happens when we're getting spanked 3, 4 or 5 nil every week? Is that not where we - or something like us - can be of service? You referenced this 'them vs us impasse referenced by several posters on here', but the (very few) complaints refer to the hows and the whatfors of what we do. Only you alone seem to deny the fundamental benefit of organised fan 'atmosphere' groups...
Last few points:
-yeah, full stand tifos are great and we will do them again. We would've done more last season, but of course the club effectively put a moratorium on them after the fallout form Liverpool game.
-'Sanitised, club-approved cosplay' - no idea what you're getting at here. It's a constant struggle to get the club to approve any of what we do.
- songs about Delia Smith are pathetic.
I'll conclude by saying that you may well sneer at the likes of Napoli and our attempts to emulate them (a very peculiar English neurosis that one) and have a particular vitriol towards Holmesdale Fanatics. But if you failed to be moved by what they did at the FA cup final - the corteo, the tifo, the pyro, the relentless singing - then I would say it's you that needs to do some soul searching... |
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Reply | FAO: Blue Action
at 21:18 3 Jun 2025
Oh no, i'm getting hit with quotes from my old blogs!! Getting the Paxman treatment!! I'll have to go back and read them. Seem to recall a comment comparing me to Chairman Mao in one. Wild...
Yeah, some good points in there. I think the issue early on was I didn't really know what I wanted. I was happy with some kind of area where singing was encouraged, as I felt the NL had completely lost its way, but that was kind of it. It wasn't until Blue_Order (the real talent behind the operation. The Noel to my Liam, if you will) got involved that it started to take shape and form...
So yeah, I might have been dismissive of those hallmarks of the ultra scene in the early days, but the further into it we got, the more in that direction we drifted. If we weren't aspiring to be ultras, then what were we aspiring to be? I thought the organisation was unnecessary, but if you're not organised, how do those mental tifos and choreos get done? Or the 'corteo' marches, or the coach greets, or simply new and (more) interesting chants?
Socially, the English are much more individualistic than their European counterparts. We seem to have completely lost the ability to even conceive working collectively towards a common goal. Add in the grinding commercialisation of English football, where we're all encouraged to just passively consume the product, and it's no wonder so many fans are left yearning for something deeper and shoot envious glances across the channel...
You're right that we've moved away from trying to be a representative force - but that absolutely doesn't mean we now aim to be an oppositional one either, as some people imply from time to time. The reality is, as you say, that we were going to have to break away and do our own thing and hope that fans who think like us would make their way over and hope that the club would better facilitate that. If you can't take Mohamed to the mountain, or however the saying goes...
The age thing is getting annoying, and I regret making cheap shots in the past as a lazy shorthand for more passive fans. I'm 41 fer chrissakes. The older lads in the group are the backbone of it. We have got some solid younger lads, but for every one of them there have been 5 that we've had to boot for being utterly useless. Give me the mortgage paying dads... |
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Reply | FAO: Blue Action
at 13:21 3 Jun 2025
Couldn't agree more mate. And yet, at the Forest game, someone assaulted one of our members for waving a flag in play; and at the Brentford game, another bloke (might've been the same one) snatched the flag out of a member's hand and snapped it. The club just avoid the topic altogether, but the stewards are told that flags are not supposed to be waved in play, so we're completely undermined. I've even been notified before about complaints about the drum. And all this in A Block, which was supposed to be a designated section where the expectation was you create atmosphere..!
The problems stem from the fact that - in my opinion at least - the club never really wanted A Block to happen and it was probably just a sop to make me leave them alone; it was rushed through last minute and not really communicated with anyone. There was a pretty bland tweet I seem to recall, and then there's just the vague 'singing section' disclaimer added when buying A Block tickets. We suggested putting out a proper disclaimer on the ticketing portal, clearly saying what to expect (and what is to be expected), and we even went to the trouble of writing it for them, but they ignored it...
Despite this, it's still infinitely better than it was in the NL, but we can already see how it will peter out if the club don't really back it. In recent days we've approached them about moving us to the front, making us more prominent and allowing the capo to lead from the front (being able to face the fans and gee them up makes SO much difference); alongside this, creating a 'buffer' around us, which would allow fans from elsewhere to come in and remain part of the 'pack' if that makes sense, rather than being scattered around the section. This would involve moving something like 40-50 fans. Always controversial, but the club moved thousands to make way for the extra away fans last year, not to mention making space for the extra media suites or whatever it was; what's more, there are something like 200 free seats in A Block, so anyone moved could easily remain in the section, perhaps mere yards from where they already are! Either way, you've got to crack eggs to make an omelette. We've also talked about building a raised platform at the front of the section for the capo, not to mention a proper, unambiguous 'code of conduct'. I know the capo stand has been okayed by health & safety, and a code of conduct would eliminate all the aggro mentioned above with a sweep of a pen. It's all perfectly sensible, feasible and ultimately for the benefit of the club. It's just a question of will...
So we'll see. It's still in the discussion stage so it's not fair of me to talk about it, but let's just say I don't feel optimistic. The reality is, as I mentioned in a previous post, English football is specifically geared up to suppress independent fan culture, and ITFC - albeit better than others - is no different. Who knows, maybe something substantial will come with this Cobbold rebuild (and i'm constantly in the club's ear about that) or maybe even the introduction of this independent football regulator... |
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Reply | FAO: Blue Action
at 13:32 2 Jun 2025
The other point worth making, is what would a proper atmosphere section look like? You cite Dortmund's Yellow Wall, or what HF are doing, but do you think Ipswich fans really want that? Because let me tell you, we get plenty of kick back even in A Block. Would you want me up on a scaffold screaming at you to keep singing even when we're 3 nil down? Would you want your view obscured by flags? Would you want your view obscured potentially by an in play tifo? Because that is utterly normal not only on the continent, but in Scotland, lreland and in the 'new' leagues like MLS, A-League and J-League so gleefully sneered at by English supporters. Holmesdale Fanatics waved at least 2 flags for the entirety of that cup final - imagine the uproar if we'd done similar... |
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Reply | FAO: Blue Action
at 13:18 2 Jun 2025
I hear what you're saying and I think we're kind of making the same point. It's not exclusively about us: it's about having an area - ideally behind a goal - where the express purpose is to sing in support of the team. How would this be enforced? Well, I guess that's where we'd come in. If we had a hardcore leading the rest of the section/stand - and a club that would support that (i.e not siding with fans who moan about it, which is what they consistently do in A Block) - then the fundamentals are in place...
(As a quick aside, having a 'group' leading also helps in the introduction of new songs and singing of the 'right' songs (i.e no anti Delia Smith sh1te). Left to their own devices people will just introduce quick, easy chants usually based on whatever one of the big clubs happens to be singing at that moment, or, again, resort to anti Delia Smith sh1te)
But, as it stands, the singers - as you rightly say - are scattered to the wind. This was still an issue while we were in section 6, remember. I still shudder at staring back at an ocean of disinterested, apathetic faces, trying to link up with the other oases of singing dotted around the stand. A Block, as it stands, is still the best attempt we've had so far in creating a proper atmosphere section... |
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Reply | FAO: Blue Action
at 12:16 2 Jun 2025
What's ironic is having a massive block of, say, 2,000 ultras behind the goal, flags waving, smoke bombs billowing, non-stop drumming and singing, big choreos and tifos would look and sound incredible both live and on tv and would thus enhance the business..!! They could even tack a premium on some of those executive seats to account for the better experience. It is in English football's commercial interest to empower groups like ours. Never ceases to amaze me how these successful businessmen show such poor business acumen in this area. Then again, I guess what they'd prefer to do (see Sunderland most recently) is enable a puppet group to crowd fund some tifo and have it knocked up in a Chinese sweatshop while a Marketing bod types something into ChatGPT for a banner. The club can then give the illusion of an independent fan scene, get some cool snaps for the socials, whilst not having to have any deal with uppity fans like me... |
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Reply | FAO: Blue Action
at 09:26 2 Jun 2025
Absolutely - but it's not allowed! The green guide I think it's called has something like 14 stipulations to get a licensed 'safe standing area'. I'm paraphrasing, but the salient points are:
1/ person per standing space
2/ a named person per standing space
3/ a seat must still be offered per standing space. I'm not making it up: an FC must offer a seat in order to qualify for a standing area!
To reiterate what I said before, the entire English game is hardwired to stifle any sort of independent fan culture. It's not about - and never had anything to do with - 'safety', but control. Call me a massive conspiracy nut, but I fail to see how it can be interpreted any other way... |
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Reply | FAO: Blue Action
at 21:41 1 Jun 2025
Yeah, completely agree re age and, indeed, sex. See plenty of women getting stuck in, but are often dismissed as part of the problem. Again, spot on calling out the youngsters who like to look the part in their CP and Stone Island clobber but don't actually want to do anything...
Be warned though, safe standing is NOT the answer. You're still locked into your specific standing spot and would therefore be potentially hemmed in by a load of non singers. Also, simply ambiguously declaring it 'singing section' isn't enough. It needs to be clear what that entails and the club would need to find ways of enforcing that... |
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Reply | FAO: Blue Action
at 21:33 1 Jun 2025
You're right to reference Holmesdale Fanatics. They are the blueprint for English ultras - the only English group that can get near their European counterparts. But it's taken them 18 years of graft and determination to get to that level. You, me and 90% of English supporters would want that at their club, but English football is designed specifically to oppress independent fan culture. That said, I had a relatively positive meeting with the club a few months back who seemed more receptive to what we're trying to do, so we'll see... |
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Reply | FAO: Blue Action
at 21:26 1 Jun 2025
I'd also add there's a bit of revisionism with regard to our time in section 6. It was awful, and if we were still down there now the group probably would've petered out and died. The club - again - made a half -ar$ed attempt to accommodate us. They held back around 16 seats at the front of the big block (right on the rail behind the disabled bit). They were scattered about, so no chance to congregate; and there were no 'extra' frees to allow other singers to join us. I was also stunned at how passive it was. Every game i'd be screaming into several hundred utterly disinterested faces - and this was the League 1 promotion season!
Anyway, conscious of coming across offensive in my other post. Genuinely didn't mean it as such. Conscious of how things can come across on social media... |
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Reply | FAO: Blue Action
at 21:17 1 Jun 2025
I'm honestly not trying to be rude, but I wish anyone in SAR would stay out of these discussions. We sing non-stop, but with the best will in the world you're never going to hear us over the 3,000 away fans stood right next to you! I've barely heard the away fans all year. I can certainly SEE that they're doing something, but can barely hear them... |
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Reply | FAO: Blue Action
at 21:11 1 Jun 2025
It depends what you mean by ineffective though mate. All we can do is create a space where the 'active' supporters can congregate and express themselves. This is a particular issue in all-seater stadia where fans have no freedom of movement (something which 'safe standing' does nothing to address). In that regard, A Block has been a triumph. In a trying season, the noise has been relentless in there, with only a few exceptions. The noise carries consistently to section 5 NL, despite what the denizens there will tell you...
If by us going over to A Block you expected us to have all 4 sides of PR going nuts like the bombonera, then perhaps your expectations were too high! As has been mentioned many times before, you cannot make people sing if they don't want to. We're doing our bit - it's up to everyone else to join in...
That's not to say it's perfect. A Block has a LONG way to go. The club only begrudgingly went along with it and kind of rushed it through. This meant a lot of the passive fans hung around and weren't really incentivized to move out. Many good NL singers (and there are still plenty in there) are still clinging to what the NL was and are not moving over. As it stands, they're dotted about throughout NL, completed diluted, when we could be united in A Block - something that was just not possible anywhere in the NL...
So if you want to sing mate, A Block is the place for it, at least more so than anywhere else in the ground. But remember, you NEED to contribute. Remember also that it's about creating an experience, which means yours might be affected. We aim to wave flags at all points in the game. If you want a completely unobstructed view of the game at all time, then A Block might not be for you... |
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Reply | Blue Action - Move?
at 22:13 19 Mar 2025
It's funny, it used to really annoy me - even pre BA - that the club would never countenance putting the most vociferous Town fans next to the away fans. But now, I can't think of anything worse! As Reuser said above, you can just concentrate on supporting the team. If the away fans were right next to us half the block would be too busy trying to rile them. Would be a complete mess...
As for all the 'football in a library' nonsense, jeez, it's become such a tired old cliche, along with 'your support is f**king sh*t' and '_____ is a sh*thole, I wanna go home'. Something some desperate, unimaginative fan starts up just to sing something, anything. The away fans can barely hear us, we can barely hear them, is what it is. In Germany the away fans are always put at the polar opposite end from the home ultras and doesn't stop any of them having a good time... |
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Reply | Blue action
at 11:28 16 Feb 2025
We'll do a big full stander again at some point, but it's a lot of time, effort and financial cost. After the reaction to the Liverpool one it's just not something we're rushing to go through again. The club would also be wary in sanctioning anything of that scale again seen as how the complaints they received numbered in the hundreds. But the time will come again, i'm sure. Until then we'll stick to A Block ones - can produce them a lot quicker, can do more creative and intricate designs and get a lot less kickback. Forest at home in the 15th of March next one earmarked... |
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Reply | KM asks for unity?
at 15:47 13 Feb 2025
I meant more like every club's main atmosphere block should be behind the goal. It just looks better...
Maybe we remember it differently, but I myself was in section 5 for about 7 years before I started this Blue Action caper and there were few, if any, noisemakers. It was pretty roundly accepted that the atmosphere was mediocre at best and I certainly wouldn't have felt compelled to start BA if the North Stand was an absolute bear pit every week. That last season BA had in section 6 - when we were promoted from L1 and romping to victory most weeks - was screaming in the faces of hundreds of disinterested fans for 90 minutes. People lament us going up to A Block but, honestly, it was a struggle most weeks to get anything going where we were...
THAT BEING SAID - and I really want to emphasise this in case anyone comes piling in accusing me of thinking i'm better than everyone else - there are definitely great atmosphere generators in the NL. But you've alighted upon the problem yourself - they're all spread out across the entire stand. This is the fundamental problem with all-seater stadia: fans of different temperaments are lumped in together and fixed into place. Once upon a time all the singers would've converged in the middle of the stand. We can't do that anymore, so A Block kind of acts as a reset, an opportunity to create an area where only singers go... |
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Reply | KM asks for unity?
at 22:51 12 Feb 2025
If it's not loud enough, it's because there are still too many fans in the block who don't join in. We asked the club - and continue to ask them - to be more proactive in 'engineering' the section (i.e encouraging non-singers to go elsewhere and encourage singers to come in). But they just ignore us. There are 800 spaces up there - if every space was filled with a singer it would make a helluva racket...
The whole thing about 'uniting the fanbase' was always a a bit of a fantasy. The significant majority of fans at Portman Road - and I dare say at every ground in the country, maybe even the world (they're not all rabid ultras at German grounds - it's only ever one section of fans who make the noise) - are too self-conscious or inhibited to sing, or indeed, just aren't bothered. And that's cool. So all you can do is create a space where fans who do want to make a din can congregate. This is even more essential in all seater stadia where fans don't have the freedom to move...
In that regard, A Block has been a resounding success. The noise in there is constant and, considering there're probably only ever a couple of hundred of us going at it, we project the noise pretty far, certainly as far as the NL section 5, and even at times across to the West. If the song peters out somewhere in the North, or further across the Cobbold, there's not a lot we can do. Yes, we should be behind the goal in the North Lower, because that's proper and was the preferred option from both the club and the survey we put out. But neither the club nor the existing NL st holders were willing to go through the ballache of making that happen. So A Block it was...
I've said it before and i'll say it again: if you are someone who likes to sing at football matches, switch your ticket into A Block. I think a lot of fans are sentimental about the North Lower as the main partisan 'end' and are reluctant to leave it behind. And I get that. But change happens, and honestly, A Block is the future of engaged, active support at ITFC. No-one who has ever come in has left disappointed. As long as you're willing to put a shift in yourself, you'll have a great time...
Now...the club do have a once in a generation chance to really tackle this problem head on. We've lobbied them incessantly about building a new 'singing section' as part of the Cobbold rebuild - perhaps even filling in that corner where the club shop is. They could have dedicated, 2,000 capacity block where the express expectation is to sing non-stop; the club could make efforts to ensure the right culture is maintained in there and not weakened over time. But i'm just not convinced they take the idea of atmosphere at games seriously enough... |
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Reply | Interesting
at 14:56 20 Jan 2025
Whoa, used to teach Charlie..!! Lovely kid, hope he goes onto great things... |
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Reply | FAO Blue Action
at 08:32 18 Aug 2024
Swept up, put into bin liners and stored in the storage area for re-use. We try to be as 'green' as possible... |
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Reply | FAO Blue Action
at 08:01 18 Aug 2024
Yeah you're probably right, and we're normally pretty good at keeping our counsel (certainly won't have this carry on over X or facebook. TWTD just so much better for reasoned debate). But is this going to keep happening? Can we now assume that any display that obscures supporters' views - for however short a period of time and during however inconsequential a passage of play? You say I shouldn't use emotive language like 'sacrifices', but should we bother sweating in a sports hall to make a banner only to have it yanked about and ripped? |
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Reply | FAO Blue Action
at 07:54 18 Aug 2024
Mark Ashton has literally said to us that he shows pictures of our displays to prospective signings. Phillips perhaps not the best example, but this isn't us being self-important or self-aggrandizing... |
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