The Candy Shop- St Roch's 2016-17

[Glenconner]

On 16 May 2017 at 15:37, ScottMcCorry said:

Squad for tomorrow up:
1 John Stark
2 Danny Irvine
3 Scott Burns
4 James McKnight
6 Jordan Halsman
7 Jordan Logan
8 Kieran Daw
9 Stephen McDonald
11 Martin Shield
13 Jason McCormick
14 Robert Maguire
16 Baboucarr Musa
17 Dom Febers
18 Przemyslaw Dachnowicz
23 Ryan Jack
27 Johnny Carter
67 John Sweeney

No Houston in nets...strong a squad as we can hope to have. Only Kieran Martin, Stephen Bryson an Steven Logan missing.

 

On 16 May 2017 at 15:37, ScottMcCorry said:

Squad for tomorrow up:
1 John Stark
2 Danny Irvine
3 Scott Burns
4 James McKnight
6 Jordan Halsman
7 Jordan Logan
8 Kieran Daw
9 Stephen McDonald
11 Martin Shield
13 Jason McCormick
14 Robert Maguire
16 Baboucarr Musa
17 Dom Febers
18 Przemyslaw Dachnowicz
23 Ryan Jack
27 Johnny Carter
67 John Sweeney

No Houston in nets...strong a squad as we can hope to have. Only Kieran Martin, Stephen Bryson an Steven Logan missing.

No. 18 Przemyslaw Dacnowicz???

Didn't he go back to Annan?

[Glenconner]

On 16 May 2017 at 21:04, larkyforever said:

Thanks. 

Agree entirely with you comments. 

For whats it worth, there have also been great posts from some Roch guys on here, such as Kinky Afro and Glenconner

Their community engagement is laudable

They have risen, but seem to have a lot of nouveau fans who dont seem to know what the Juniors is all about. Most are not interested- in this area- about middle eastern geopolitics, or long past Irish politics.

Piss off, ya patronising prat.

We were treated like Belfast Celtic on Saturday.

[Glenconner]

On 16 May 2017 at 20:50, Hillonearth said:

Good post. It's a difficult one...as recently as six or seven years ago, the Roch were a team on their last legs, with maybe just a couple of dozen regular fans. The turnaround has been remarkable, as has the level of community engagement they're now involved in - they deserve nothing but praise on those fronts - but I fear it's perhaps come at a cost.

Unfortunately, nailing their colours so unequivocally to the mast of another side will mean that trouble is likely to follow them, and in many places they're likely to travel to, the local mouthbreathers will be out in force to meet them - I'd be surprised if unconscionable racist p***ks like Monkeyman even knew where Gasworks Park was previous to Saturday for instance .

While trouble is likely to follow them, it's sad to say it's equally likely to be started by them - there now unfortunately seems to be an element of their support who regard their games as 1:72 scale models of another team's matches, and conduct themselves accordingly. They're in a degree of danger of becoming the team that cried wolf - it can't always be someone's else's fault...

The Juniors are thankfully by and large free of the poison generated by the Ugly Sisters that permeates society in the West of Scotland - on the rare occasion you see it, it tends to come from the one-game-a-season gloryhunters, but the last thing we need is for it to rear its head at our level.

 

 

 

In your dreams.

I'm a third generation St Roch's supporter dating back to the founding of the club and grew up in Springburn. I'll take no lessons in sectarianism from anybody at Petershill.

[jimbaxters]

2 hours ago, Glenconner said:

Piss off, ya patronising prat.

We were treated like Belfast Celtic on Saturday.

Hahaha!

[larkyforever]

6 hours ago, Glenconner said:

Piss off, ya patronising prat.

We were treated like Belfast Celtic on Saturday.

Sow the wind- reap the whirlwind. At least you didnt have locals draping flags over your dugout like what happened to us at your place.

Everybody out of step except St Rochs?

You seem to have had a meltdown in the last couple of days.

[larkyforever]

6 hours ago, Glenconner said:

In your dreams.

I'm a third generation St Roch's supporter dating back to the founding of the club and grew up in Springburn. I'll take no lessons in sectarianism from anybody at Petershill.

Maryhill?

His comments - right on the button.

[glensmad]

In your dreams.
I'm a third generation St Roch's supporter dating back to the founding of the club and grew up in Springburn. I'll take no lessons in sectarianism from anybody at Petershill.

Just as well he's not a Petershill fan then, eh ?

What an unfortunate embarrassment this thread has become.

[Hillonearth]

7 hours ago, Glenconner said:

In your dreams.

I'm a third generation St Roch's supporter dating back to the founding of the club and grew up in Springburn. I'll take no lessons in sectarianism from anybody at Petershill.

You normally talk a lot of sense, but you're way off the mark on this thread. As for taking lessons in sectarianism, more and more it doesn't sound like you need any.

The Rosa Parks comparison was when you jumped the shark - comparing yourselves to a true heroine who stood up against true oppression by dint of the fact your opponents were required to open another gate in order to segregate two sets of supporters they feared - rightly - shouldn't be allowed to mix. Oh, and the pie stall wasn't open for either set of fans...a real Amistad moment there.

And yeah, Maryhill - half Catholic, half Protestant with a sprinkling of heathens like me, and all in red and black - a club that has links to Celtic (and for that matter Rangers) just as strong - if not stronger - and certainly more recent than the ones you're trading on, but thankfully sees no need to rename its ground the McGrain Silo or the Burns Unit - or indeed the Meiklejohn ArenA - after a player who spent a single season there as a kid a century ago in order to pander to one constituency.

 

 

[rednblack]

Stevie Chalmers played for us maybe our new place can be called Stevie Chalmers Park with a big picture of him at the entrance and we can change our colours in honor of him [emoji4]

 

Maryhill sound like ourselves and most others a half and half of either persuasion with a sprinkling of others in our case partick and well fans.

 

You can celebrate your history without going ott.

 

 

 

[Hampden85]

So, it seems that all the naked bigotry and racism that went on by the Larkhall fans on Saturday was actually the fault of the st.Roch fans. They have fans who also support Celtic so they deserve everything they get

 

I've read the excuses from Larkhall fans, and others, kind of reads like this..

We hate Catholics song - well, the majority of candy fans are catholic, so they deserve it. 

Up to our knees in ****** blood - well, the Roch fans have sung an IRA song before so that's OK, again, they deserve to have to endure it

The song 'we aren't sectarian, we are the UVF', sung by half a stand, including men in their 40's and 50's and not just wee boys - well, again, the Roch fans must support the IRA because they take Irish flags, so that was their fault and they deserve it. The Roch fans seem to forget that its so disrespectful to fly a flag that the bigots and intolerant folk detest.

Monkey chants and gestures (let's try denying it happened first though)- the guy has 'probably' or 'maybe' never been to gasworks before, so if St.Roch's never existed he wouldn't have been there. Intact, maybe if there just weren't any black people in the world it wouldn't have happened. Let's blame the black folk for this one. 

Paedo chants- its ok it was sung towards Candy fans and the larky fans, well, they're all good staunch men and a right good laugh, nothing to see hear.

Abuse directed at players - that's fine because one wears no 67 which represents the year Celtic won the big cup, so he deserved the abuse. f**k, he should probably deserved to be water boarded and sent to Guantanamo for such a crime. How dare that papush c**t do that.

 

Or is it all just a case of the Roch fans are a shower of dirty ****** b*****ds who deserve everything they get because people within their club have crossed a line in the past? 

 

Can't help but also notice when people bring up the trouble at the kilwinning game, they deliberately go out their road to not mention it kicked off after one of our players was racially abused. Ye see, that wouldn't sit well with their bigoted agenda, would it?

 

Tolerant lot, eh????

 

So can I ask, what RESPONSIBILITY do Larkhall actually take for what went on with THEIER support on Saturday???

 

My guess is none...it was all Jimmy McGrorys fault for having a stadium namedf after him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ScottMcCorry]

31 minutes ago, Hillonearth said:

You normally talk a lot of sense, but you're way off the mark on this thread. As for taking lessons in sectarianism, more and more it doesn't sound like you need any.

The Rosa Parks comparison was when you jumped the shark - comparing yourselves to a true heroine who stood up against true oppression by dint of the fact your opponents were required to open another gate in order to segregate two sets of supporters they feared - rightly - shouldn't be allowed to mix. Oh, and the pie stall wasn't open for either set of fans...a real Amistad moment there.

And yeah, Maryhill - half Catholic, half Protestant with a sprinkling of heathens like me, and all in red and black - a club that has links to Celtic (and for that matter Rangers) just as strong - if not stronger - and certainly more recent than the ones you're trading on, but thankfully sees no need to rename its ground the McGrain Silo or the Burns Unit - or indeed the Meiklejohn ArenA - after a player who spent a single season there as a kid a century ago in order to pander to one constituency.

 

 

So thats where we have got to...ok got ye.

James McGrory, a local lad from an Irish background, much like those who attended the games...has 1 single season when he leads the club to its only Scottish Junior cup win as welll as the league. He then goes on to represent his country and his people with distinction at Celtic.

He is our highest profile player by an absolute stretch...you might no like it, and i expect a lot more wont like it. 

We aren't ashamed of our history, no matter how some choose to look down on it.

Pander nothing.

[Hampden85]

Sun is shining,  and a wee trip to Yoker later on beckons. 

 

Can't wait, Saturday seems such along time ago (thankfully). 

 

Hope their pies are nice

 

MTC

[larkyforever]

12 minutes ago, Hampden85 said:

So, it seems that all the naked bigotry and racism that went on by the Larkhall fans on Saturday was actually the fault of the st.Roch fans. They have fans who also support Celtic so they deserve everything they get

 

I've read the excuses from Larkhall fans, and others, kind of reads like this..

We hate Catholics song - well, the majority of candy fans are catholic, so they deserve it. 

Up to our knees in ****** blood - well, the Roch fans have sung an IRA song before so that's OK, again, they deserve to have to endure it

The song 'we aren't sectarian, we are the UVF', sung by half a stand, including men in their 40's and 50's and not just wee boys - well, again, the Roch fans must support the IRA because they take Irish flags, so that was their fault and they deserve it. The Roch fans seem to forget that its so disrespectful to fly a flag that the bigots and intolerant folk detest.

Monkey chants and gestures (let's try denying it happened first though)- the guy has 'probably' or 'maybe' never been to gasworks before, so if St.Roch's never existed he wouldn't have been there. Intact, maybe if there just weren't any black people in the world it wouldn't have happened. Let's blame the black folk for this one. 

Paedo chants- its ok it was sung towards Candy fans and the larky fans, well, they're all good staunch men and a right good laugh, nothing to see hear.

Abuse directed at players - that's fine because one wears no 67 which represents the year Celtic won the big cup, so he deserved the abuse. f**k, he should probably deserved to be water boarded and sent to Guantanamo for such a crime. How dare that papush c**t do that.

 

Or is it all just a case of the Roch fans are a shower of dirty ****** b*****ds who deserve everything they get because people within their club have crossed a line in the past? 

 

Can't help but also notice when people bring up the trouble at the kilwinning game, they deliberately go out their road to not mention it kicked off after one of our players was racially abused. Ye see, that wouldn't sit well with their bigoted agenda, would it?

 

Tolerant lot, eh????

 

So can I ask, what RESPONSIBILITY do Larkhall actually take for what went on with THEIER support on Saturday???

 

My guess is none...it was all Jimmy McGrorys fault for having a stadium namedf after him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you are in a hole- stop digging.

Playing the victim card wont wash.

I havent seen a single post from any Larkie fan condone it- if you read my previous post correctly, you will see that I condemned it without reservation.

You also appear to be excusing violence by your own fans, very unwise.

Unfortunately you cannot see that actions will produce reactions, however unsavoury. I dont think there is another club who would allow any player to wear number 67 or any number referring to another team. You will see from above that plenty of clubs have contributed to Celtic more than yourselves- in our case an awful lot more.

Is it always the other clubs fault?  Kilwinning, Thorniewood, Wishaw , Larkhall?

 

[SaturdaySammy]

5 hours ago, Hampden85 said:

So, it seems that all the naked bigotry and racism that went on by the Larkhall fans on Saturday was actually the fault of the st.Roch fans. They have fans who also support Celtic so they deserve everything they get

 

I've read the excuses from Larkhall fans, and others, kind of reads like this..

We hate Catholics song - well, the majority of candy fans are catholic, so they deserve it. 

Up to our knees in ****** blood - well, the Roch fans have sung an IRA song before so that's OK, again, they deserve to have to endure it

The song 'we aren't sectarian, we are the UVF', sung by half a stand, including men in their 40's and 50's and not just wee boys - well, again, the Roch fans must support the IRA because they take Irish flags, so that was their fault and they deserve it. The Roch fans seem to forget that its so disrespectful to fly a flag that the bigots and intolerant folk detest.

Monkey chants and gestures (let's try denying it happened first though)- the guy has 'probably' or 'maybe' never been to gasworks before, so if St.Roch's never existed he wouldn't have been there. Intact, maybe if there just weren't any black people in the world it wouldn't have happened. Let's blame the black folk for this one. 

Paedo chants- its ok it was sung towards Candy fans and the larky fans, well, they're all good staunch men and a right good laugh, nothing to see hear.

Abuse directed at players - that's fine because one wears no 67 which represents the year Celtic won the big cup, so he deserved the abuse. f**k, he should probably deserved to be water boarded and sent to Guantanamo for such a crime. How dare that papush c**t do that.

 

Or is it all just a case of the Roch fans are a shower of dirty ****** b*****ds who deserve everything they get because people within their club have crossed a line in the past? 

 

Can't help but also notice when people bring up the trouble at the kilwinning game, they deliberately go out their road to not mention it kicked off after one of our players was racially abused. Ye see, that wouldn't sit well with their bigoted agenda, would it?

 

Tolerant lot, eh????

 

So can I ask, what RESPONSIBILITY do Larkhall actually take for what went on with THEIER support on Saturday???

 

My guess is none...it was all Jimmy McGrorys fault for having a stadium namedf after him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Give the sarcasm a rest eh - its getting boring now.  No-one sympathies...

[Hampden85]

9 hours ago, Glenconner said:

 

No. 18 Prz. emyslaw Da. cnowicz???

Didn't  he go back t o Annan?

The terms of his loan allow him to still play for us

Think it might be something to do with age The young lad Nesbitt who Celtic loaned to Morton was allowed to play in the development final the other week then went

[Kinky Afro]

I thought i might try to write tomorrow's match report today and in turn perhaps address some of the issues over the last few days. However... just read the last few posts and I'm not convinced... however, cornflakes and satire were eaten for breakfast so here goes.. sim ready for whatever comes!! [emoji23]

St Roch's marched into the semi-finals last night without the help of their mutch criticised CandyFans as 99.9% were marching to another drum with St Patrick's GreenYin Band, celebrating their tradition and roots. One Green and White clad face painted bigot spouted, "Wur no just fur oor ain't, but ma maw's a Palestinian any whye... Whye? That sounds a bit like White.. mon Craigie Boy"....

 

The game almost never finished as the Candy had 3 players sent off after a first half run in with Yoker fans. A Bull Heided candy centre midfielder head butted 4 Yoker players before being lifted by the police whilst holding up his open hand on one side and a middle finger on the other hand. Five Wan. * NB The candy have said they will appeal this red card on the grounds of mistaken identity as the police were there to level common assault and imitating a footballer charges against his central midfield partner, both charges brought by someone who wasn't even there last night. He got his much saught after red anyway as he punched the ref off the ball and then asked the ref how he knew if he never saw it..?.. a final red card after 40 mins saw the Candy goalkeeper run the length of the pitch to back up King Henrik7 who appeared in the away shed despite promising to never watch the candy again. "The King" had picked a fight with Yoker fans, again despite never seeing them before but his mates played for a team they played so "Fk em" he declared. The Candy keeper, upholding the old adage of "if your gon doon take a few a thae cnts wae yay" a la Cantona.. C'Est la Vie for this Seagull chasing fan inciting Trawler Brawler.

The quiet Candy Crowd were polaxed.. down to 8 men as the half time whistle blow, although clinging on to a goalless parity. A brave triple substitution just on 50 minutes saw Big B replaced by Chris Coach and Skip replaced by Gillian the fitness coach (not before Skip gave the gaffer pelters, stormed into the clubhouse smashing the door on the way and promised to see him after the game ) and a final Master

Stroke as Ken the linesman was replaced by Graffiti on the Wall who, after pinning up a bigoted picture of his kids, began running the line. Ken the linesmen then replaced Sherman who had struggled with sunstroke in the early summer sun.. this combined with a bright orange head of hair meant it didn't mix well with the Green strip or the staunch republican support.

After this the Candy dominated and our only threat came when Gillian was fortunate just to receive a yellow for a last ditch two foot shin snapper, the resulting free kick went tamely over the bar as the lad thought he was playing for Barcelona not a Yoker and his "up and dooner" just went up and up.

In the 89th minute the dream became reality as the formation changed to a 1,0,7 because no one would go anywhere near Guillotine Gillian and with Starkie sent off and no sub keeper, it was The Gallant Garngad Gill at the back and everyone else up front. I say everyone as perhaps old habits die hard, but Ken just stood on the same spot on the sideline talking to fans and not watching the game. The impactless

Englishman however did pick up his win bonus of a half bottle of Buckie and a hooky Wolfetones concert DVD courtesy of "Barras Books...Audio and Visuals also done". A deep cross by Halsman who missed the original bounce but whipped one in having retrieved it was met like a rising Salmon by Jason McCormick who had elbowed his marker then climbed over the back of their Centre half to scuff one off his ear and into the top corner... the CandyFans erupted as the echo of a far off cheer wafted over the Clyde... "Kilwinning have been beat. Or somebody like that." Commented another bigot reading the Tonight's Scores P&B thread. ... God Bless Whoever it was that beat them" .

 

That just doubled the joy and as the ref blew a minute early and ran down the tunnel to get changed for late night mass, the riotous and criminal and bigoted and hard done to CandyFans walked off towards the exits.

Surisingly, back in reality, good words were exchanged with Yoker fans who commented on the performances of our players and wished us luck for next season and for the rest of the cup. Handshakes were shook and everyone parted with the promise of a wee half up at JMcG next time you are there. Even Larky9 made an appearance as he wanted to experience a crowd again after Saturday and secretly likes us but "don't tell them in our shed fur fk sake"...

 

Kinky Afro and his auld man headed out and into the Afro Mobile... he sat and shook his head. "Whit's the matter?" The Septogenarian asked him.. with a sigh the sectarianly naive gob shite mused "I usually have a few things I can write about, but not tonight. Nothing ever happens... it's boring watching the Candy"

 

See you all tonight.

 

MTC! [emoji172][emoji460]️[emoji106]

 

[roch]

I thought i might try to write tomorrow's match report today and in turn perhaps address some of the issues over the last few days. However... just read the last few posts and I'm not convinced... however, cornflakes and satire were eaten for breakfast so here goes.. sim ready for whatever comes!! [emoji23]
St Roch's marched into the semi-finals last night without the help of their mutch criticised CandyFans as 99.9% were marching to another drum with St Patrick's GreenYin Band, celebrating their tradition and roots. One Green and White clad face painted bigot spouted, "Wur no just fur oor ain't, but ma maw's a Palestinian any whye... Whye? That sounds a bit like White.. mon Craigie Boy"....
 
The game almost never finished as the Candy had 3 players sent off after a first half run in with Yoker fans. A Bull Heided candy centre midfielder head butted 4 Yoker players before being lifted by the police whilst holding up his open hand on one side and a middle finger on the other hand. Five Wan. * NB The candy have said they will appeal this red card on the grounds of mistaken identity as the police were there to level common assault and imitating a footballer charges against his central midfield partner, both charges brought by someone who wasn't even there last night. He got his much saught after red anyway as he punched the ref off the ball and then asked the ref how he knew if he never saw it..?.. a final red card after 40 mins saw the Candy goalkeeper run the length of the pitch to back up King Henrik7 who appeared in the away shed despite promising to never watch the candy again. "The King" had picked a fight with Yoker fans, again despite never seeing them before but his mates played for a team they played so "Fk em" he declared. The Candy keeper, upholding the old adage of "if your gon doon take a few a thae cnts wae yay" a la Cantona.. C'Est la Vie for this Seagull chasing fan inciting Trawler Brawler.
The quiet Candy Crowd were polaxed.. down to 8 men as the half time whistle blow, although clinging on to a goalless parity. A brave triple substitution just on 50 minutes saw Big B replaced by Chris Coach and Skip replaced by Gillian the fitness coach (not before Skip gave the gaffer pelters, stormed into the clubhouse smashing the door on the way and promised to see him after the game ) and a final Master
Stroke as Ken the linesman was replaced by Graffiti on the Wall who, after pinning up a bigoted picture of his kids, began running the line. Ken the linesmen then replaced Sherman who had struggled with sunstroke in the early summer sun.. this combined with a bright orange head of hair meant it didn't mix well with the Green strip or the staunch republican support.
After this the Candy dominated and our only threat came when Gillian was fortunate just to receive a yellow for a last ditch two foot shin snapper, the resulting free kick went tamely over the bar as the lad thought he was playing for Barcelona not a Yoker and his "up and dooner" just went up and up.
In the 89th minute the dream became reality as the formation changed to a 1,0,7 because no one would go anywhere near Guillotine Gillian and with Starkie sent off and no sub keeper, it was The Gallant Garngad Gill at the back and everyone else up front. I say everyone as perhaps old habits die hard, but Ken just stood on the same spot on the sideline talking to fans and not watching the game. The impactless
Englishman however did pick up his win bonus of a half bottle of Buckie and a hooky Wolfetones concert DVD courtesy of "Barras Books...Audio and Visuals also done". A deep cross by Halsman who missed the original bounce but whipped one in having retrieved it was met like a rising Salmon by Jason McCormick who had elbowed his marker then climbed over the back of their Centre half to scuff one off his ear and into the top corner... the CandyFans erupted as the echo of a far off cheer wafted over the Clyde... "Kilwinning have been beat. Or somebody like that." Commented another bigot reading the Tonight's Scores P&B thread. ... God Bless Whoever it was that beat them" .
 
That just doubled the joy and as the ref blew a minute early and ran down the tunnel to get changed for late night mass, the riotous and criminal and bigoted and hard done to CandyFans walked off towards the exits.
Surisingly, back in reality, good words were exchanged with Yoker fans who commented on the performances of our players and wished us luck for next season and for the rest of the cup. Handshakes were shook and everyone parted with the promise of a wee half up at JMcG next time you are there. Even Larky9 made an appearance as he wanted to experience a crowd again after Saturday and secretly likes us but "don't tell them in our shed fur fk sake"...
 
Kinky Afro and his auld man headed out and into the Afro Mobile... he sat and shook his head. "Whit's the matter?" The Septogenarian asked him.. with a sigh the sectarianly naive gob shite mused "I usually have a few things I can write about, but not tonight. Nothing ever happens... it's boring watching the Candy"
 
See you all tonight.
 
MTC! [emoji172][emoji460]️[emoji106]
 

I'm gutted Ken got a game before pete the physio and Gary the assistant manager

[Glenconner]

On 17 May 2017 at 08:05, Hillonearth said:

You normally talk a lot of sense, but you're way off the mark on this thread. As for taking lessons in sectarianism, more and more it doesn't sound like you need any.

The Rosa Parks comparison was when you jumped the shark - comparing yourselves to a true heroine who stood up against true oppression by dint of the fact your opponents were required to open another gate in order to segregate two sets of supporters they feared - rightly - shouldn't be allowed to mix. Oh, and the pie stall wasn't open for either set of fans...a real Amistad moment there.

And yeah, Maryhill - half Catholic, half Protestant with a sprinkling of heathens like me, and all in red and black - a club that has links to Celtic (and for that matter Rangers) just as strong - if not stronger - and certainly more recent than the ones you're trading on, but thankfully sees no need to rename its ground the McGrain Silo or the Burns Unit - or indeed the Meiklejohn ArenA - after a player who spent a single season there as a kid a century ago in order to pander to one constituency.

 

 

Last good thing to come out of up there was Maryhill Harp.

[rednblack]

So thats where we have got to...ok got ye.

James McGrory, a local lad from an Irish background, much like those who attended the games...has 1 single season when he leads the club to its only Scottish Junior cup win as welll as the league. He then goes on to represent his country and his people with distinction at Celtic.

He is our highest profile player by an absolute stretch...you might no like it, and i expect a lot more wont like it. 

We aren't ashamed of our history, no matter how some choose to look down on it.

Pander nothing.

Afraid you are. Are you all inclusive as a junior club should be?? I will answer no , how can someone who is a Rangers or Aberdeen fan who lives in the area and looking to support a local team feel welcome to come support you. That's no junior football that's giving something for Celtic fans to do on a Saturday another option.

 

[ScottMcCorry]

Well why do we have Rangers fans and Motherwell fans who attend the matches?