Flav said:
Not for nothing "there is no such thing as society" as a sentiment comes from old Albion.
The level of supporter organisation into unified wholes seems to have no real parallel in England outside of firms that tend not to have a custodial interest of the sport and club in mind. Who on earth could orchestrate the shirt shame parade we saw in Italy in England, even if stewards/ob were not an issue? Do those kinds of networks with confirmed membership exist? I doubt it. The only way supporters actually seem to have leverage in the PL is if they have a stake in the property, like at Chelsea, and even so, it's possible that Abramovich has figured out a way to outmanoeuvre them.
That's why I was so excited about the #Tottenhamultras project, since it suggested a kind of collective body that could organise itself into one of many potential supporter groups that can exert pressure on the club. I don't think that was your motivation at all, at least not in a formal sense, but it was interesting to see it as a proof of concept.
In France (but not anymore at PSG), often a person not only supports a club, but is also associated with a specific supporters' group, with a specific section of the stadium reserved for the group. So you used to be not only PSG, but then also Auteuil, and then also Lutèce Falco. In São Paulo, you're not only Corinthians, but you're also Gavioẽs da fiel, which has 93k members and operates sort of like a supplemental government. Even MLS manages this; when the Chicago Fire was inaugurated, they immediately gave "Section 8" to the organised supporters, and there were quickly a few groups—Barnburners, Ultras, etc. And I also know that these groups met repeatedly with the GM of the team and discussed concerns, etc. with him.
I'm not saying anyone here is up for that sort of thing (organising an army), nor do I know if it's even possible. But this is the context in which the supporters have to think.
Incidentally, it seems (to me) like supporters in England these days coalesce into action groups over specific objectives: getting rid of Steve Kean, saying no to Stratford, wanting our Woolwich back, demanding the truth about Hillsborough. The above groups have no such political raisons d'être. They want the club to succeed and do well, and they sing for the shirt in good and in bad (which is part of why the PSG groups felt so betrayed when they were kicked out of the stadium).
So though it's risky (stadium bans for everyone!), greater organisation—in good and bad—seems the only way forward. Maybe TFC should take a page from GdF and organise a samba carnival down Tottenham High Road to celebrate finishing
nth. :gomes:
