Soulless Stoop?

Got No Soul?
By Keith Jenner
February 10 2003

Something has been going wrong at the Stoop lately, and I don't mean on the pitch. Following Saturdays game against Sale, there was criticism on the message boards from opposition supporters about the conduct of the Quins fans. This isn't the first time it has happened this year either.

According to our opposition (and also according to some of our own supporters), we aren't interested in the Rugby, we wander about, we are rude to the opposition (booing the kickers), we let the kids run riot, we don't know anything about rugby, we leave the ground before the end of the game and we don't give our team sufficient support. We have let the team down as much as they have let us down.

Let's just go back to the end of last season (and the early part of this season). The Stoop crowd was making itself heard and was often complimented by the team and management as well as visitors. So what has gone wrong?

I believe that there are various reasons for this. Some can be fixed and some are a fact of life which we will just have to live with. Some are due to the design of the stands, and may be helped by better design when a redevelopment happens. Lets have a look at some of the factors.

Firstly, the support for the team. I personally thought that we were very subdued on Saturday, and also had been against Bristol in January. Whilst I couldn't make the game myself, I understand that it was a bit quiet against Leicester in the cup game as well.

So, why should the support have died away lately. Let me say to begin that I think that even at our best we are a long way away from having the sort of support at The Stoop that you get at places like Gloucester or Munster for example. There are a number of reasons for this. You don't just get that sort of support overnight (it takes years to build up), and we do have quite a large proportion of people at games who aren't that passionate about the team (more later...). In addition, I don't believe that the East Stand is the sort of stand which encourages vocal support. It's all a bit too comfortable. Finally, I wonder whether the sort of person who is attracted to Quins finds it natural so sing and shout. I certainly don't, and it takes a while to get into things. It is far more usual in London than elsewhere just to keep yourself to yourself and keep your head down.

What about last year then, I hear you ask. What about the start of this season? Well, the passion and support shown by supporters at the end of last season is easy to explain. We were scared of relegation. We all went to the games worried about going down and it made us shout. The early part of this season was also encouraging when we had something to play for. The first couple of home losses were disappointing, but the team played quite well and things looked hopeful. Our Premiership winning streak was worth celebrating. However, the teams continued failure away from home meant that fairly early on we didn't look like being in with a realistic chance of a playoff place. Lots of people don't really understand the Heineken Cup playoffs and (foolishly I think) people assumed that we were safe from relegation. What was there to play for then. We appeared destined for mid table obscurity and the support waned as a result.

If I am right then we should see a increase in vocal support at the remaining two games, as the mire we are in starts to sink in (assuming that we don't get ourselves out of trouble at Bristol & Irish).

So what about the other problems. Why do we constantly get criticised for having supporters who aren't interested in the game? Why is there always a constant stream of people strolling around the ground during the game? Is there anything we can do about it, or do we have to just lump it?

I can't believe that other teams don't have problems with people who aren't actually interested in the game. I have been to many different types of event, mainly sports or music, and you get these people wherever you are. The only places where you don't see many of the general public ignoring the event (I'm not talking hospitality types here) are those where tickets are hard to come by, and therefore generally end up in the hands of people with a real interest (i.e. Twickenham Internationals and Wimbledon). Elsewhere, there are always people who are only there for a day out. I actually think that this is good, as some of these will take an interest and may get into something that otherwise they would never have been exposed to.

If you go to a Cricket match, you will find a constant stream of people walking around behind the stands. At music concerts, the bars will be full while the band are playing, and I expect that at Sale and Leicester there are people who are not watching the game. The problem at The Stoop is that these people are walking around IN FRONT of the stands. This has the doubled effect of annoying those who's view is blocked, and making it look as if the crowd as a whole aren't interested.

I am sure that we probably do have a higher proportion of these people than some other clubs. The management have been successfully trying to increase attendance's, and some people will have been attracted by things other than the Rugby. The cheapest admission price is pretty low, and I wouldn't be surprised to find that there are quite a few people who turn up without any intention of actually watching the game. They want a few beers in a good atmosphere, and a band playing after the game. As long as they don't bother the true fans, where's the harm?

So how do we deal with this problem? With difficulty I believe. The East Stand is there now and so is that road. Maybe when the West Stand is developed, the pitch could be moved slightly to narrow the road, but there is nowhere else for people to go if they are on the move. The club is still building up its support and the gimmicks are necessary to try to get people along. Maybe in a few years time, when the supporter base has matured a bit more then these problems won't be as obvious, but for now we've just got to grin and bare it.

But it isn't just the casual visitors who are moving about during the game is it? There are also a number of people who are making a trip to the bar/pork roll van/toilet during the game. Again, I don't have a problem with this in principle (I do it myself), but people must be more considerate when they do. If you have to get up during the game then wait until play has stopped (line outs and scrums usually cause play to be delayed long enough to make a decent getaway) and move QUICKLY (run if necessary) to your destination. You can have a chat with your mate once you get to the bar, so there's no need to do it whilst walking along. When coming back to your seat, again wait for play to stop and get a shift on.

And what about the kids then? Well, again I believe that they are essential for the future of the club, but parents and teachers must take the responsibility for keeping them under control. The club provides lots of facilities for children, and there shouldn't be any reason for them running riot during the game.

We have been criticised a few times lately for booing the kicker. I know people have different opinions on this one, but it does strike me as a bit rude. Generally, however it isn't the kicker who is being booed, but the referee or another player who has upset the crowd (did you hear the Newcastle crowd when the conversion was being taken after Ace's incident with Wilkinson). I'm not necessarily defending it but you can see how it happens (again, I've done it myself in the heat of the moment). It is a fact that if crowds are going to get more involved then there is more chance of them overstepping the mark (a parallel with Ace's disciplinary record maybe).

Maybe the biggest problem at the Stoop is people leaving early. I believe that it is anyone's prerogative to leave any event for which they have paid for admission whenever they want. Again there is a problem at the Stoop due to the fact that the spectators move in front of the crowd, blocking the view and distracting people. As I often drive to places, I have become something of an expert in making a quick getaway, and usually wait until the final whistle has blown before making a dash for the car. This way I can usually avoid the worst of the traffic. However, when things are going badly, you can see the exodus starting, and know that you will have to make a move early or get caught. This results in even more people being on the move. I don't know what the answer is, and the number of people involved on Saturday meant that people in the front few rows were going to have their views blocked (maybe that was actually a blessing). By the way, I wasn't driving on Saturday, so stayed in my seat until the end, but if I had been driving, it is possible that I would have left.

The final point is the criticism (I think mainly from Leicester supporters) that we are ignorant of the rules and details of the game. Well, I'm sure I speak for many when I hold my hand up and plead guilty. I have never played Rugby in my life. I haven't had lessons in the laws of the game. Everything I know about the game has been picked up through watching, both on TV and live. As every game passes I learn more, and hopefully in a few years time I will reach a standard of knowledge that would entitle me to attend a match if these people made the rules. This snobbery is in my opinion one of the worst things about Rugby, and any criticisms about lack of knowledge are totally unjustified. These people may want to live in a world where Rugby supporters are all ex players, but in the professional world the game would die. The game must attract new supporters and if this means a few people will be puzzled at times with what is going on, or if they are more excited about the band than the game then we've got to live with it.

The days of a couple of hundred people turning up at a game are long gone, and in order to survive, clubs have to attract as large a crowd as possible. This will obviously mean that there will be conflicts of interest between casual visitors and hardened supporters. People must learn to live with it, and be as considerate as possible to others. Don't loiter in peoples way, and if you just want to chat then go to the bar and do it.

The club also have a responsibility. The stewards should be more active in moving people along, and certainly should make sure that inappropriate behaviour (both racism and foul language have been mentioned since Saturday) is dealt with strongly. The club should also make sure that the mistakes of the East Stand aren't made again, and people can move around without causing disruption. But we also have to make the effort. Stewards don't necessarily hear and see everything (think of them like touch-judges), and things should be pointed out to them if necessary. If they still don't react then report them to the club.

The main thing we have to do though is support the team. We must forget our inhibitions and shout encouragement from the first kick of the ball. Last season we managed a few verses of The Mighty Quinn, but I don't think that it has been heard this year. Let's show the team at the next home game that we can do it, and then maybe they will show what they can do.

So, are the criticisms from opposing fans justified? I think overall they probably are, but they would be for most clubs. The East Stand design highlights problems which other grounds hide. The criticism of lack of support is rather harsh though. I don't believe that the relative lack of noise we make, compared to other clubs is due to lack of commitment to the club. As I said earlier it is hard to build up this vocal support from nothing, and we are improving slowly. It is quite easy to join in a chant, but completely different to start it off. That's why people like The Horned Helmet are invaluable. We will get there in the end, I'm sure.

What does everyone else think?