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As I watched yet another superb performance from the Wanderers this weekend – this time in Melbourne against the Victory – there was obviously nothing but good signs for the league’s newest club.
On the park they were excellent, securing a 2-1 win. Off the park, their fans were equally sublime, as they have been all year.
A corner of AAMI Park was completely Red and Black, an away day infiltration into Melbourne that even Sydney F.C fans would have been proud of.
Which brings me to my point, and I’m sure I’m going cop some flak for this…but how long is this support going to last?
I don’t question the passion of Wanderers fans. I do sort of get confused when I think about why these people have not been attending Sydney games all this time (and yes, I’m from Western Sydney).
Had the Wanderers existed at the start of the A-League, I probably would have supported them. Why I never jumped ship is a story for another time…
I was wondering why, after ignoring a 40 minute commute to the Sydney Football Stadium for seven years, they could so passionately support a football club that was plucked out of thin air less than 12 months ago.
Anyway, interesting questions, but it is not my place to judge.
My point is that in every game this season that end of Parramatta Stadium has looked excellent, regardless of what the rest of the stadium looks like. It’s been an absolutely great advertisement for the A-League having such a passionate and loud presence at every single Wanderers game.
You know, it sort of reminds me of a different football supporters group from Sydney…
I’ve been a Sydney fan since inception. I’ve watched the crowds get lower inexplicably, as the standard of football has improved.
The one thing that’s been a constant is the presence of The Cove, in full voice…just as the Red and Black Bloc sing for the Wanderers, The Cove has always been there to sing for Sydney.
And the place is always rocking for marquee fixtures. When the Victory, Wanderers or even the Central Coast come to town, bays 23-27 are rocking. You usually can’t get standing room unless you get there early. The problem comes when there’s a less glamorous opponent in town.
To make my point, this is a photo from a game against Adelaide in the 2006-07 season.
And this is from a game against the same opponents in 2010.
And just to hammer home my point, this is from a game against the Gold Coast in 2012.
This sharp decline in attendance has nothing to do with the fortunes of the team. People get older and don’t want to stand and jump around at football games anymore.
Some have families and don’t want to subject small children to the swearing and drunkenness that comes with standing in the Cove or RBB (which is absolutely not a bad thing, by the way).
And some just get bored. It’s a sad reality. I know since I started going to games with a few of my more ‘casual supporter’ friends, it’s been a lot less Cove, and a lot more sitting on the sidelines at Allianz Stadium.
By no means am I saying people aren’t allowed to move on – the fans sitting and watching the game quietly buy their tickets just like the Cove-ites – and there’s nothing wrong with that.
But I’m sure I’ll offend not one, but two fan-bases if I don’t address the fact that the RBB are NOT The Cove.
For the purposes of this article I spoke with my friend Matt who has been at every Wanderers home game this season, in the RBB of course. He said “The RBB will sing for 90 minutes, before the 90 minutes and after the 90 minutes. It’s like a cult they’ve created.”
He makes a pretty compelling point. Perhaps my memory is just clearer now than it was when I was 15 but I cannot remember the Cove being quite this boisterous.
Or it was, it was a different kind of atmosphere. A little less grittiness and a little more flash. Seems appropriate given the clubs that each supporter group represents.
Considering that active support groups like this simply don’t continue forever, it’s difficult to see the RBB being quite as omnipresent at Wanderers games in five years time as they are now. I hope I’m wrong. I hope that everyone there now is here to stay, and that the number continues to grow.
I just hope all the Bulldogs and Eels fans that composite a fair share of the RBB don’t forget about them again once the NRL season starts.
Twitter: @TheMattBungard
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