Jacob Newman74 said:It automatically contributes to the apathy of those "casual" fans drifting toward the West. No matter how much people try to spit on them, belittle them, or push that "if you don't show up for Inker, don't bother coming at all" or "you aren't Armada, go sit in another section" attitude, these situations clearly show how much the Armada actually needs them. Without them, the core of the Armada isn't enough to keep from sinking even further... whether they want to admit it or not.
I’m not talking about those casuals, though. They aren't going to crawl toward the Kop anyway, let alone join in the singing. Nobody is forcing them to be there, and nobody is giving a damn about them. Even if they did pull away from the West, they haven't really filled the other sections to make up for it...🤷
Jacob Newman74 said:Furthermore, a lot of people drifted away from the West during the "Zilic situation." I wouldn't want to reopen that can of worms, but in a city where 80% of people lean left, where the war was barely felt, where most people couldn't care less about the Axis-occupied territory or old wartime factions, and where most people stopped seeing certain groups through that lens fifteen years after the war ended... starting this massive push for extreme nationalism and right-wing rhetoric in a city like that is a complete disaster. It's all just an attempt to prove something to other groups who have successfully convinced us we're living in a "hostile city." Whether anyone admits it or not, for most young people in Cleveland, that kind of behavior and those attitudes are just plain stupid. Naturally, it kills their desire to show up at the West and cheer.
Moving on... regarding the Zilic case, let's just say some people felt threatened or pushed out. Regardless of how it ended, while that whole thing was going down, you could still see the West and the Kop packed with over 500 hardcore fans, and the away games were better than ever...
Here we go again with the mentions of left-wing vs. right-wing demographics... personally, I'd say 70% of the people in this city don't give a shit about old political divisions, and you can run whatever math you want with the remaining 30% who actually care...☕
It's also pretty dumb to bring up the nationalist stuff now, because everyone knows the Armada was at its absolute best when it was led by guys who leaned into that identity—guys who actually had shrapnel in them from the war. Back then, at small local matches, some guy would just stand up and lead a chant that half the crowd would follow without question...
Besides, your constant bringing up of that old-school extremism just doesn't sit right with me. We have a new leadership now that couldn't care less about politics or these left-right divides. Honestly, they find the whole topic repulsive.☕
Jacob Newman74 said:The generational shift is just another mess the armada is dealing with. Over the last three or four years, the younger crowd has basically taken the reins, and everything has started moving in a totally different direction. They aren't necessarily good or bad, but we used to pride ourselves on being different from everyone else, whereas now everyone else is deciding who we should be. That’s a massive downside for the new armada—slowly but surely losing its soul and identity. And let's be real, you can't live off past glory forever.
I don't even know what to tell you. We're living in this new era where the internet makes everything instant; everyone knows everything, and everything is accessible. It's hard to come up with anything fresh, and the smaller groups end up taking the hit because they lack the sheer numbers to make an impact.🤷
Jacob Newman74 said:I've seen just about everything when it comes to the cops, but if they pick someone up preventatively just for having two beers, well, screw it—that's the law, and then people won't drink. If they grab someone for setting off a flare, fine, that's the law, and then nobody's lighting flares. If the law says "don't disturb the peace," then we won't disturb the peace. Anyone thinking differently doesn't really have a leg to stand on, because you have to ask: aren't those people just showing up to games to drink beer, light flares, and look for trouble? Nobody is stopping you from showing up, standing there, singing, clapping, doing choreos, having fun, and loving your club—whether you're heading to Miami, NYC, Chicago, or wherever else to do the exact same thing. No one is banning that.
Regarding the beer thing 😁 and all that... I'll start with myself. Personally, lately, I wouldn't even show up to a game if I'd had a couple of beers, or even if someone in my group just slipped me one and I ended up smelling like it.😁
And if you've been at any home games in the last three or four, you definitely noticed the police pulling aside some of the more prominent guys from the armada as a precaution. They immediately told them there was no reason to even come near the stadium and deal with unnecessary harassment, while anyone else looking even slightly suspicious had to wait around for ID checks right in front of the cameras. Anyway...
Basically... I just hope none of this is actual targeted repression and that things will turn around once the leadership settles in and the Cleveland situation gets sorted out.😍