Ian Bendelow says…
If you’re offended by any of the below and leave early – good. Because I mean every word.
And if you don’t like it? Piss off and support Newcastle.
Three years ago a survey was carried out to find out which club had the most “early leavers.” Interestingly, the top six places were taken by the clubs considered the “big six.”
The reason why, I suspect, is that there are far more casual fans of their clubs who go as tourists, on a corporate ticket or simply because the wins don’t mean as much.
Though I’d
be willing to bet if this survey were carried out across the last three home games, Sunderland AFC would come out so far in front that it would be like the equivalent of winning the league in November.
It might be an excuse when the club is floundering at the bottom of the league, but when the stadium is emptying in front of a team that is the best we’ve had in decades, it’s a terrible look. The players notice it, senior club officials notice it, and it’s talked about; don’t worry about that. They see you, we all see you.
Rumours are that Granit Xhaka noticed fans flocking to the exit, in a mass movement that would have put the great Serengeti wildebeest migration to shame. When other players come to him, or any other senior player and ask whether they should sign for Sunderland, I’ll tell you now, the kind of nonsense witnessed against Fulham and Brighton will stick in their minds.
To all those early leavers, I ask you this: why do you do it? You actively harm the club’s chances of getting a result. The crowd can and does have an impact. Are you desperate to get the number 56 bus back to Concord? Do you like riding up front on the Metro and insist on nabbing that seat? Or are you just so desperate for a pint of Carling (because that’s what early leavers drink) that you just have to leave?
So, unless there is a good reason, your behaviour is pathetic. I hate it, and I hate you for doing it. It adds to the frustration felt in a game that is already maddening, as it was against Brighton. It also means I need to stand up to see the action.
It dispels the notion that this is a great club, with passionate fans that create atmospheres that make opposition clubs not want to come here. Conversely, it tells the away side that after 85 minutes, it’s job done, because these melts are a soft touch.
The club cannot call you out, but you should be held to account. You should have to scan your season card when you leave the stadium, so the club knows who is taking an early dart, and the bunch of helmets who do leave early should go to the back of the queue when it comes to away tickets, as well as for Wembley. You should have to pay more on renewal. You should get letters from the club reminding you of your responsibilities.
You leave a match early, you’re basically a fair-weather fan, with no cojones to see the game out. And you probably just don’t care as much. If that is the case, please – don’t bother coming in the first place.
Link to the survey: https://betting.betfair.com/football/90-minute-payout/betfair-90-minute-payout-yougov-survey-reveals-man-utd-and-arsenal-fans-the-worst-for-leaving-early-220823-1171.html
Lee Morrison says…
Personally, I find the concept of leaving early beyond baffling.
We demand that the team give everything they can until the final whistle blows. Why, then, can we not all show our full support until the end of the game? What’s especially confusing for me is how long we’ve waited and had to suffer to get to the Premier League. Now that we’re playing much stronger opposition, week in, week out, why would you choose to not support the team and sack the game off after 80 minutes?
Had you fucked off on 83 minutes against Coventry, you’d be expecting to be listening to a penalty shootout on your traffic-free journey back home.
Against Sheffield United, you’d be listening to an emotional Chris Wilder (or as emotional as you can get Chris Wilder), talking about his plans for next season in the Premier League with Kieffer Moore leading the line for 25/26.
Brentford at home? 1–0 defeat, but I got home in record time!
Arsenal at home? A disappointing result, but the drive back through East Boldon was blissful.
Against Newcastle, nobody would have dared to go home before full-time. I don’t understand, then, why it’s seemingly fine to do so against other teams in the league. We want to finish as high as possible this season in what’s been an amazing return to the top tier. To do that, we need every marginal gain to go in our direction. Part of that comes down to the home crowd.
Earlier in the season, we were buzzing to see players getting involved with the crowd at important moments, whether it be winning a corner or a crunching tackle. Now, it feels like they’re asking us to get involved in games.
We need to step up and stay. Til the end, and then assess where we are once the curtain comes down on this season. On a personal level, I want to be able to say I’ve done everything I can to get behind the lads.
You can’t do that and be leaving on 83 minutes.
Paddy Hayes says…
Recently, it seems we’ve reverted to type… at least, the type we became accustomed to during the years under Short and the subsequent drop to the third tier. Although early leavers had a much stronger argument back then.
This has been the first time in mine, and no doubt thousands of others’, Sunderland-supporting lives that we’ve really had a team and club to be proud of. And this is how some repay them?
Heading into the season, I really thought witnessing fans streaming out of the stadium was behind us – a symbol of a bygone era. The familiar sight of empty red seats, discarded crisp packets floating around the pitch, and fans heading for the exits en masse – it was symptomatic of where we were as a club.
The current crop of players have given us everything we’ve asked of players in the past. They’ve been the embodiment of heart and desire, and they so visibly feed off the energy us fans give them. Not to forget an owner who has worked to relocate the atmosphere that became so synonymous with the club and Roker Park.
Unfortunately, success and positivity can breed entitlement and frustration. We go into games, especially at home, expecting a result, and anything less is often met with disappointment and reactions that simply aren’t warranted… i.e. fans leaving before the final whistle.
We were 1–0 down against Brighton on Saturday. A la Dan Ballard against Coventry, Tommy Watson vs Sheffield United, football is a game built on moments, and results can be determined at any second.
What do we expect from a side trailing by a goal in the dying embers? The customary launch of the kitchen sink is a final push that creates an unnerving ending for the visitors. It’s in these moments that our support is most crucial; we should be the 12th man the players can rely on to get them over the line when cramp and fatigue set in. So, when they look around and see that thousands have left early, it hardly instils confidence that’ll inspire a comeback.
From beating the traffic to getting that takeaway ordered a little earlier, there are all manner of excuses. Yet, I can assure you that curry will still taste as good, if not better, if you’ve stayed and cheered the lads on to pinch a result. After all, we are called supporters for a reason.
John Wilson says…
The whole topic is toxic/interesting, whichever take on it you want. You have the “It’s my ticket, I can leave when I want” lot at one extreme, and on the other, some have said that the early leavers aren’t as loyal as fans who stay to the end – and indeed can harm the team.
I view much of it as ‘sheep mentality’ – when people start to leave, others will follow. Whatever reasons folk have for leaving early (and make no mistake – there will be a few with legitimate ones), I personally don’t understand their viewpoint. I’ve never left a match early in my life – no, I don’t want a Blue Peter Badge – I go to a game of football to watch the whole game of football. I’d need to know the reasons some people leave early to address their perspective. The only one I’ve heard is concerns about beating the traffic. But again, purely from my own point of view, the travel time is all part of the match day.
I didn’t see a mass exodus before Christmas, so where were the ‘beating the traffic brigade’ then?
I think fans who leave early are naïve if they think they don’t have an effect on the players. It’s fickle, it smacks of entitlement, and it’s embarrassing in my opinion. If people want to have a go in the replies – feel free – at least we might get some idea as to why people leave early.
As I’ve said before, can you remember what you’ve done with the extra half an hour or hour that you’ve saved by leaving early? That extra cup of tea? That extra pint? How many late goals have you missed?
One way to keep bums on seats, of course, is for the team to be scoring goals – granted – but personally I don’t know why anyone would leave a game early, it’s not in my DNA, and I’ve passed that onto my son.
No one has the right to tell any other fan how to support their team – I just don’t understand people who leave early, and I’m entitled to my opinion. For sure, it’s probably been going on all my life, but you can’t say this has been one of the best sides and best seasons we’ve seen at the SoL – and then leave early.
The team has to entertain, but we also have to support; it’s a joint effort.
Joseph Tulip says…
To be honest, the matter of people leaving early is something I’ve become used to over the years at the SoL.
During the first two seasons in the late 1990s, the atmosphere was very different to what it is now – even in good times – due to the unique fact that it was a new stadium. Granted, we had a team that was scoring lots of goals at the time, but even during second-tier games, there was singing and chanting throughout, while it wasn’t uncommon for Mexican waves to spontaneously break out.
This changed early into the new millennium. Yes, the novelty of our new ground had worn off a little, but it also coincided with the team falling into decline.
Since those days, there has always been a tendency for people to either leave early or to show a bit of frustration when things aren’t going well in a match.
I don’t think people are generally disheartened about our current position. Yes, we’re on a poor run of form and the season is potentially tailing off, but the fanbase is generally content that we have achieved our aim of survival this season, and that we appear to be going places under the current ownership.
However, after years of unfulfilled potential, false dawns and tales of narrow misses passed down the generations, I think there’s a level of impatience across our fanbase. People are just desperate to see us do well and sometimes show their disappointment a bit too easily, whether that be with an early exit from the stadium or with a few moans and groans. I heard a few in the West Stand on Saturday.
Obviously, some people will have their own personal reasons for leaving, but with others, I think it’s just disappointment getting the better of them. They still love their club and still turn up for the next match.
