WSW fans: Why focus on the negatives?

This story copped a lot of negativity from the Melbourne sporting media referring to it as another agenda being run by the rugby/rugby league heads in Sydney. I was staggered when I heard that blonde woman talking about this, and then excusing herself because she knows the backlash will be threats and abuse. Legal action by those persons falsely accussed by The Parrott and the Bimbo looks a certainty just in order to put a line in the sand. Comfort can be taken in that these persons are old Sydney and are quickly dying off. AFL knows only too well the nasty insular, paranoid Sydney media cognoscenti. Their days are numbered.

I opened this article anticipating a positive article, maybe even some stuff about what the Wanderers have done on the pitch, but it's just another echo-chamber of the poor persecuted Wanderers fans and the handful of people who got banned and their followers. They make up a small proportion of WSW fans, the families are the ones the A-League wants to keep, so excuse the rest of us if we don't give 2 sh!ts about a few scallywags missing out until they sort their stuff out, which the club has brilliantly allowed for them to do. The Wanderers club are doing a fantastic job on the pitch and in off-field organisation. It's the active fans who have constantly let them down by being poorly behaved and now reluctant to accept authority of any kind. Don't think for a moment that the club wouldn't be just as well performed if it weren't for the 'European atmosphere'. If the fans want to walk out, they should stay away altogether an let in some fans who will stay for the whole match, supporting their club.

I agree. But this whole things started getting out of hand when cops started getting heavy handed with innocent civilians.

I know. You said "flares...don't hurt anyone". I was just providing a retort. Active support have been told to stop it - "FFA hits Victory, Wanderers with suspended loss of points" The Australian Jan 2014 TBH, at the moment, I don't care if RBB/Nth Tce rip flares within their ranks. BUT, if RBB/Nth Tce flare actions start impacting on my ability to go enjoy a football match because police/security/FFA start really coming down hard ALL active fans elsewhere, RBB/Nth Tce will be known as the ones who wrecked it for everyone else.

Arnold I didn't say they shouldn't be there and I didn't say people who don't carry them shouldn't be charged. I just said I think people blow things out of proportion when it comes to the whole topic of flares. Again if supporters at the game felt so threatened by them, don't you think that the active support would be told to stop it, or do you believe everything the media tells you. Believe me that I was very anti-flare at the beginning as well. In my opinion things like assaults, racial abuse, alcohol abuse etc are much worse and have a much more lasting impact on society than the odd active support who lights a flare during a match. But that's just me.

Well thought out defence of flares SVB. RBB can keep their flares. they are safe! "Melbourne-victory-game-leaves-a-child-and-a-woman-burned" - The Age 2014 "Teen soccer hooligan burns two with flare" - Brisbane Times December 2014 "Perth Glory fan injured by flare at nib stadium" - PerthNow April 2015 "Polish football fan waving flare is turned into a human torch" Dailymail (UK) April 2014

AR - I'm not saying that there has never been anything positive in the media about the Wanderers, I'm saying that there is always something negative circulating in the media. Some of it is just if there is misbehavior by the fans. Most of it is hyperbole and exaggerated like the article on Sunday.

"The club as a whole has been attacked not only on Sunday, but since its inception." I'm not trying to be a contrarian Kaks, but this isn't entirely true. Phil Rothfield of the DT wrote a whole series of glowing articles about the mighty RBB and WSW, writing blogs, taking decibel readings, declaring that the atmosphere was unmatched etc. Also worth bearing in mind that News Corp own Foxsports - the largest benefactor the ALeague has had across its existence. Now, the recent article by Wilson I have strongly criticised, but I think it's wrong to say that the club as a whole has been attacked from day one.

if you had the displeasure of reading her weekly saturday column, more than 50% of the time it is negative NRL

That could also mean that police are becoming over aggressive at WSW games, which actually has been the case. Think about it. If it was actually dangerous at WSW games, would there be so families there? You don't think a lot of this is fabricated by the media and shock jocks? Kaks is right (in below post). It's because of the noise the RBB make and the passion they show. People feel threatened by this instead of viewing it as a person who just loves their club. Flares are illegal, but so is smoking pot. People act as if flares are up there with murder when it comes to crimes. In reality they don't hurt anyone. Judging on what I have seen AFL crowds are far more abusive and dangerous. But I agree if someone gets caught they have broken the law and should cop the punishment.

"WSW don’t like what’s happening, then start self policing the agro’s & flare rippers." Why when the police do the policing and catch and ban the people that do it? AZ and I have said time and time again, we are not here defending those that have been rightfully banned. We want an appeals process for those that are wrongfully banned and have no avenue to appeal that ban.

Jake, The club as a whole has been attacked not only on Sunday, but since its inception. Why? I cant tell you exactly, but obviously people feel threatened & people dont like the fact that the WSW are making noise in 'rugby league' heartland. When you look at the comments made by the NSW police and their commissioner, you realise how out of touch they are when they attack us. When you look at the fact the NSW Police force re-tweeted anti-football tweets and the Rebecca Wilson article, and the fact they wanted to introduce draconian rules to counter that minority of fans which you mentioned - which aren't real fans - you start to get feel disenchanted. Rebecca Wilson's article didnt really do much for me other than the fact that she published private information and photos of underage people. People like her and Alan Jones are shock jocks who are set in the old ways and should not be listened. But the fact that the FFA came out with an underwhelming response after sitting silent for days shows you that we have a federation with no backbone and no care for the fans or the situation that occurred due to the leaking of confidential information which they had a duty of care to protect. On top of that, we know plenty of WSW fans who have been unfairly banned and have no channel to appeal this ban. We dont want those that received legitimate bans for violence to come back, good riddance to those bad apples. We want those unfairly punished to be able to appeal their ban so that they can support the club they love and watch the sport they love. There is no positive in this Jake, thats the reason why we are so negative. The only good thing that came out of this was that us WSW members have seen that our club cares about the fans and the club as a whole, it was evident in the statement made yesterday. Again, the FFA have let a lot of fans down and have a lot to answer for.

90 odd of the 180 odd banned fans are from WSW. Enough said really. WSW don't like what's happening, then start self policing the agro's & flare rippers.

I have to say reading your comments on this issue (and having had a few discussions with you on other aspects of football where we disagree) I have come to the conclusion that their are more things that unite us the divide us as football fans. I may disagree with your politics and your economic/cultural views and your vision of football in Australia but I can honestly say you are trying to argue for the benefit of the game.

Ok Jake a few things. You seem to want the club to accept an behavioural issue. Why only us? In my few short years as an ALeague fan I've been to most away grounds and none have been angels. In my many years of going to NRL I can recall countless incidents. Where's the call for all these clubs to accept a behavioural issue? Have any AFL clubs accepted their racial issues? So far there isn't a single sign of a positive from this. WSW used to communicate with the police but the new commissioner has made no efforts to do so. Same issue with the local area command. You say this should be a catalyst for change. That's exactly what we're protesting about. This should be a catalyst for change but none seems likely any time soon. FFA simply isn't interested I hope there are positives eventually. But there haven't been in any.

Easy there buddy. Jake has done a lot of ALeague live blogs and I've always found them useful to follow. Yes the article has an alarming number of mistakes but his integrity should not be questioned

I am just a little disappointed that anyone in football gives a damn what Rebecca Wilson thinks. This article is not her first attack on football, it wont be the last. She is irrelevant to our sport. Her and the Terrorgraph are both League billboards and take every opportunity to drag down the reputation of any other sport. Unfortunately that passes for journalism in some quarters these days.

"These fans are being called out for violence, albeit thanks to a small percentage of “football louts”" So if its a small percentage why are wanderers fans as a whole being called out? This my friends is the consequence of Cultural Collectivism....taking the actions of a couple of people, the actual seriously violent ones ...and applying that to the whole group. Its the stock in trade of rags like the DT as well as a tendency some folks have, which is why the tele engage in it.

Valid comments.

Oh stop being so negative RBBA@