wanderingtrucker9 said:budha 1980 says:
Maybe you younger fans are just trying to look cool, but don't try to gaslight the rest of us with your endless lists of "great moments." A few photos from our era could easily be found in the old Black Knights archives, too—except you guys don't have a photo gallery covering entire seasons like we do. My memory is still sharp, and I distinctly remember there being at least ten banners reading "Respect Our Symbols" during that home game against Varteks where we got crushed 0-4 back in the 2000/2001 season. There were plenty of examples like that, but unfortunately, you lack the photographic evidence. And I'm strictly talking about our home games here.
True, we had fewer people holding banners, but more of us were huddled at the top of the stands because the rain was absolutely relentless throughout the match...
...but how can anyone really know if they weren't actually there? That 2000/01 season felt like a sort of "filter season." Right after those away trips to Milan, Bratislava, and Parma, a certain group of veteran supporters just drifted into a sort of lethargy. After the euphoria of seeing the club’s big name return, you’d only see them at European matches or the big derbies against Hajduk in Miami or Chicago. It seems the ND association didn't even open up at the local shrine until September 2001.
Following that humiliating 0-4 loss at home and the departure of the coach, the club's direction was essentially handed over to the shadowy figures at IMG, which had been established just months prior. As director, Zajec tried the "out with the old, in with the new" strategy, but it backfired. Hrvoje Braović and Ilija Lončarević shamelessly pushed players tied to IMG who had no business being in the squad. This kind of meddling was as destructive to the club as a terminal cancer, and many players saw their careers tank because of it (Gondžić, Abramović).
Immediately after that 0-4 disaster, we traveled to Indianapolis, a team that was sitting 7 or 8 points clear and playing some of the most beautiful football in America at the time. With the early morning train, about 40 of us arrived, and everyone was held by local police until kickoff; the afternoon crowd had over 150 boys. Valsimot organized a single bus, while others hitched rides or came down from the rural areas via regular buses.
We pulled together a decent crowd of over 500 fans. We set off with about 10 flares, though lighting them individually just resulted in getting shaken down by the riot police.
Someone even tried to hang a banner for the Kohort on the fence during the game, intending to light it, but a security guard—with help from the cops—snatched it away and tossed it back toward the locals.
Honestly, that "Respect Our Symbols" banner with the crest and the bulldog never sat right with me. I recall seeing it posted with the crew on the main West Stand during the first match after the winter break in the 2000/01 season against Marsoni in Slavonski Brod. It’s probably for the best it only lasted one season...
And to be fair, if we're talking about inciting the highway patrol, Armada used an almost identical slogan back in the late 90s.
http://i.imgur.com://i.imgur.com/NbQkiRV.jpgP.S. My apologies to all the Black Knights members for hijacking your thread. My intention wasn't to stir the pot or argue over numbers; it's just that every group, in every era, has seen their attendance dip during those "small" games.
There's a dedicated "Timeline" thread, so feel free to take the nostalgia trip over there. Cheers to all the fans—I'm heading to the Rudeš game now, then hitting the East Stand later to watch the "old lizards" make their comeback.😁