The Armada

That little bald guy standing next to the big dude (the second one from the right), I think everyone knows him... what a jerk.

We gotta hunt them down, wait in the shadows, and absolutely wreck anyone who acts out like this...

It’s all just a bunch of lowlifes, honestly... We dealt with a nearly identical situation last year, and they were kicked out of the stands for it,

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2130/...f956c605_o.jpg

Ethan Edwards39 said:It’s all just a bunch of lowlifes—honestly. We dealt with a similar mess last year, and they were kicked out of the stadium for it.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2130/...f956c605_o.jpg

So this is what passes for a fan base these days?😉

ae

I’ll see you all out in the stands—the Ultras are rolling in today!!!

electricheron12 said:Look, those guys from the East? They’re nothing but hacks and mercenaries. What does the East even have to do with the Boys? Nothing.🤷

🤮

Hey, this is my first time posting here. Honestly, I wouldn’t even bother responding if it hadn't gotten personal, but now I'm dragged into this. Just so we're clear, I'm a "casual"—yeah, yeah, I see how much that matters around here. I head out East for games pretty regularly, and I’m not here to play philosopher because there are plenty of people here way smarter and more plugged in than I am. But this kind of sweeping generalization? It sits wrong with me. Let me tell you about myself and the crowd I run with. I support the Lakers and I love Los Angeles. That’s why I show up. It’s about the atmosphere, the adrenaline, the camaraderie, the trash talk, and grabbing a beer with people who actually get it. I don't give a damn about the visiting fans; I'm there for my team, not to hunt down some random guy from out of town just to cause trouble, no matter how much chaos someone might want to stir up. But look, leave me and my people alone. If you come for us, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you regret it. I've seen the way you "punks" act when you think you've got the upper hand, and let me tell you, it isn't pretty. Sure, the stands are a mixed bag, but everyone knows exactly who shows up there—and I’m certainly not talking about the punks. At least, not the whole section.
I don't give a damn about mercenaries, nor would I ever want to be standing next to them, but this constant generalization is what really gets under my skin. They wouldn't fare well in a real situation anyway. Honestly, I couldn't care less about Mamić or his money, but hearing people talk like he’s some kind of hero—and seeing folks actually jumping to his defense—is just depressing. It’s enough to make you lose faith in everything.😠 And I’m sure there aren't any thugs or hired goons sitting in the other sections either. No, not at all... it's just the East Stand.😂
And that thing about the East? It’s got nothing to do with the Boys. I'm not even going to dignify it with a comment.
Look, man, why don't you actually show up to a game once in a while before you start chirping about who's in the stands? If you aren't there, stick to other topics. Sorry for jumping the gun and derailing this thread, my bad.

Look, man, you completely missed the mark here. Honestly, it’s a little ridiculous to be weighing in on what happened in the stands two months after the fact.

You're wasting your breath trying to break down the situation when my entire post was clearly meant to be sarcastic.😉

electricheron12 said:Look, man, you completely missed the point. Plus, showing up two months after everything went down in the stands is a little late to the party, don't you think?

You're wasting your breath trying to explain things when my whole post was pure sarcasm.😉

If that was irony, then you really pulled one over on me. I’m sitting here looking like a total amateur. Nice one. 🙏
Yeah, maybe it was a bit dumb, but I was actually at the game. I wanted to share my take on how things played out and why I'm even chiming in. Basically... it was a hell of a lesson learned, and I'm buying the beers. Don't be salty about it. 👍

America-Ukraine:

Does anyone know what happened to the armada forum... why it’s been gone since the end of last season? 🤔

Walter Moore37 said:Does anyone actually know why the armada forum just vanished... like, right at the end of last season? 🤔

It’s the exact same reason why those Ultras and Boys forums went dark... the main culprit is always the same—informants working for the cops...🙂

Larry Rivera83 said:It's the exact same reason you don't see the Ultras or the Boys around anymore. The main culprit? Undercover cops. 🙂

It was all just a joke anyway, nothing serious. They weren't even using real names when recounting what happened... though, I suppose it's a bit of a shame.

Thanks for clearing that up. 👍

http://www.armada-cleveland.org/report.php?id=381
☕

On the cohort forum, everyone’s been tearing apart the Armada’s downward spiral for a while now... here’s a comment from demon that I think is actually well-intentioned and critical enough to give us the real picture of what's going on.☕

creedence said:Unfortunately, I don't have the time for a massive essay, but if you want to know why the Armada is struggling, it boils down to one thing: laziness, laziness, and more laziness. Also, if you ask me, the biggest issue is the disconnect between the different generations within the group. The older guys haven't really worked with the generation taking over the ORGANIZATION side of things. Organization is the backbone of any supporter group, and the Armada has been making this mistake for 15 years straight.
The Cleveland fans who are now in their early 30s—the ones who basically built the Armada into our top group back in the 96-01 era—did their job perfectly, except for one thing: mentoring the younger kids. Because they didn't, we're left with maybe 20 people showing up in the stands whenever Cleveland hits a rough patch. And I mean 20 figuratively. For a group with our history, we should have at least 300 people at smaller games when things aren't going well. That’s the bare minimum. I remember back in the 96/97 season, Cleveland was sitting right in the middle of the standings, but the Armada had 500+ people at every minor game, with huge flares displays every single match. We were even the first ones in the American league to pull out those double-pole flags—total pioneers. That vibe lasted until about 2001, then key figures started stepping away or becoming inconsistent, and the group just started sinking. It's been a series of gaps ever since.
But that’s ancient history; we need to look forward. We need more dialogue within the group, we need to tighten the ranks, and we need to move on. Like my buddy Kirac always says, every small game should feel like a new derby.
To be honest, I feel embarrassed when my friends living abroad ask me about the Armada. I don't know what to tell them, so I used to dodge the question, but now that they have the internet, I can't lie to them anymore.
The whole scene depends on it. No matter how much I push the importance of the smaller clubs, everything relies on the big players—and by that, I mean the top three (if bbb and the Armada keep sliding like this, I don't know where we'll end up).
Long live the scene.

That said, I don't think the core issue is just laziness from the new generation or the current leadership. This new leadership is actually one of the most ambitious and competent sets of people we've had; they definitely know how to talk the talk... it's just that the Armada was the first group to get hit by this modern system designed to kill off the traditional fan lifestyle, all while ignoring whatever results Cleveland is putting up on the field.☕

Terry Lee3 said:I don't think the issue lies with laziness from the younger generation or those currently leading the armada—honestly, the new leadership is some of the most ambitious and competent talent we've seen, people who actually understand the grit required... it’s just that this specific armada is the first group to really feel the impact of this new system designed to dismantle the supporter lifestyle, all while completely ignoring what's happening on the field with Cleveland...☕

With all due respect, I think you're just struggling to navigate how things work now—there's clearly a massive, unbridgeable gap between the old guard and the new crowd...

rustypanther said:it’s just your inability to handle new situations, plus that massive gap between the older generation and the younger ones...

Just our ignorance?...🤷
Look, man, you can't stop the inevitable. You can try to paper over the cracks for a while, but if things keep going this way, well... I really hope I'm wrong about this...☕
It sucks, buddy. It sucks when we have to give heads-up to certain groups to stay away from the stadium because they’ll definitely end up in a police van instead of the stands, just because they're a little more high-profile than everyone else...😢

Pretty soon, all we'll have left are the good old memories... 🙏 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhTTw3XI-Zg

Prika, looks like depression really took its toll on you. It’s a rougher road ahead, but I suppose...

You can't pin the downfall of the armada on just one person; there are multiple culprits, and they’re all equally to blame. Right now, the club is hitting rock bottom—three different coaches, a new front office, terrible play, garbage results, and so on. All of this naturally kills any interest from the "fair-weather" fans in the West stands. No matter how much the core group tries to belittle them or push those "If you don't show up to Inker, don't bother coming back" or "You aren't real armada, go sit somewhere else" vibes, these situations prove exactly how much the armada needs them. Without them, the core isn't enough to stop the slide... whether they want to admit it or not..

Furthermore, way too many people in the West stood up during the "Zilic situation." I wouldn't want to reopen that wound, but in a city where about 80% of the population leans left, where the scars of the war weren't even felt deeply, where most people couldn't care less about Axis-occupied territory or old-school extremists, and where most don't view their neighbors through the lens of wartime divisions fifteen years later... in a city like that, trying to force a sudden surge of ultra-nationalism or right-wing politics is a total disaster. It was all done just to prove a point to other groups who have successfully made us feel like we're living in an "enemy city"... whether they admit it or not, for most young people in Cleveland, that kind of behavior and those attitudes are just plain stupid. Naturally, they lose all interest in showing up to the West stands to cheer.

The generational shift is another mess the armada is dealing with. Over the last three or four years, the younger crowd has completely taken the reins, and things have 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 today, everyone else is deciding who we should be. That’s a massive flaw in this new version of the armada—slowly but surely, it’s losing its soul and its identity. And you can't live forever on past glory.

As for the "crackdown" on the fan lifestyle—that can't and won't be used as an excuse for anything. I get it; if a guy in his 50s comes to watch a game, he’s probably going to be annoyed by the heavy police presence, the checks, and the constant surveillance. But that shouldn't bother a 19-year-old kid who shows up to the West stands with his crew to cheer and then heads downtown for a beer. That’s nonsense. I’ve dealt with my fair share of cops, but if someone gets picked up preventatively just for grabbing two beers, well, that’s the law, and then people won't grab beers. If they get picked up for lighting a flare, that's the law, and then people won't light flares. If the law says "don't disturb the peace," then we won't disturb the peace. Anyone thinking otherwise has no right to complain, because it raises the question: aren't those people just coming to games to drink beer, light flares, and look for trouble? Nobody is saying you can't show up, stand there, sing, clap, pull off a choreographed display, mess around, love your club, and then head to Chicago, New York, or Atlanta to do the exact same thing. Nobody is stopping that. So, you can't blame "repression" for why fewer people are showing up or why the armada is declining. You have to look for the reasons in your own backyard, no matter how hard or impossible that might be to face..