Club Memorials

[houseboy]

Given what happened on Saturday it has got me to thinking (not for the first time) about memorial type services/ceremonies at clubs. A minutes silence here and there for things like natural disasters or mass murders or other things that affect everyone I totally agree with, it's respectful and right, but I am starting to think that 'club based' things should be banned. It sounds a touch harsh I know but Saturday was a classic case in point. When there is an outpouring sentiment at a club (any club, including ours) that is based purely around the club does it affect the way the referees and officials see things? I think someone else has touched on this on here but this is a serious question. Given the atrocious VAR decision ruling out Wood's goal on Saturday, involving the slightest of unintentional touches that in no way affected the players ability to stop the ball going in, dare we conclude that the VAR operatives/adjudicators/referees (what are they called anyway?) made the decision on the basis of not wanting to spoil Leicester's 'special day'?
It all reminded me of the X-Factor type situation where the contestant comes on and tells a 'tear jerker' about his dad/mum/brother/sister and how he wants to do well for them because they are deceased or in some way unwell etc. The sympathy vote as it has been called for this kind of thing. I could be wrong but in this day and age where the need for refereeing to be absolutely transparent is so important I can't help thinking that anything that even remotely gives a club the edge should be stopped.
I know many will disagree with me on this but we should at least think about the consequences this kind of thing can have. Maybe I'm just not a sentimentalist and maybe I am wrong but I think that there is a least some basis for considering banning such things or at least keeping them away from match days (they could be done at another time, such as the actual day of the anniversary and not at the match itself if they coincide).

I have to say that I am not one for mass outpourings of grief anyway (I think the Dianna effect was actually temporary mass insanity) and that people just get caught up in things that really seem almost a fad so I declare that I suppose I am not being that detached here but it would be interesting to hear what others think. I am not being purposely controversial here and I don't write this to start any arguments, just out of interest in seeing how others view this.

[dsr]

The VAR man wasn't at Leicester. I can see how it might be thought that the referee in person could be affected, but I don't think he would. But the man in the studio wouldn't.

[ClaretTony]

As I think everyone knows, I'm not in favour of these applauses during a game but as far as our club are concerned, we do things in the right way I think by having a minute's silence AHEAD of a selected game to remember all those Clarets who have passed away in the previous year.

This season it will be ahead of the Leicester game on Sunday 19th January.

[NottsClaret]

I'm sure it had no effect on Saturday, that's just VAR being s**t as usual.

But I'm on board with taking out the mawkish tributes every two minutes. I honestly can't see the connection with an individual grieving for a personal loss and thousands of strangers with the same leisure pursuit pretending to look glum for a bit or clapping in unison like it's North Korea.

[houseboy]

The VAR man wasn't at Leicester. I can see how it might be thought that the referee in person could be affected, but I don't think he would. But the man in the studio wouldn't.

I see what you are saying but even the VAR man/men (persons?) would know what is going on and the effect might be the same, i.e. not wanting to spoil the day.

[houseboy]

As I think everyone knows, I'm not in favour of these applauses during a game but as far as our club are concerned, we do things in the right way I think by having a minute's silence AHEAD of a selected game to remember all those Clarets who have passed away in the previous year.

This season it will be ahead of the Leicester game on Sunday 19th January.

Agree with this as it is not a mass grief thing just a mark of respect and that shsould not affect things in any way really.

[AlargeClaret]

The club has it just about right , showing respect without it turning into some mawkish sludge . As mentioned above re:Leicester ,we really don’t need an almost North Korea esque pre ordained identikit display to show our respect for fellow clarets no longer with us .

[houseboy]

The club has it just about right , showing respect without it turning into some mawkish sludge . As mentioned above re:Leicester ,we really don’t need an almost North Korea esque pre ordained identikit display to show our respect for fellow clarets no longer with us .

Agree with this.
Whether in football or just in everyday life there is a marked difference between dignified respect and the almost theatrical showing of public grief. A minutes dignified and respectful silence for those departed is right and proper but the public shows of almost false grief that are now 'fashionable' are a little sickening. It did start with the Dianna factor and has gained in 'popularity' over the years. A complete stranger dies and hundreds or sometimes thousands of other complete strangers start laying wreaths and even crying - why? Because it is like a contagious disease that can grip a whole nation and it is probably down to the mass media world in which we now live.

I'm not being critical here, I just genuinely don't understand it.

[wilks_bfc]

Don't have a problem with minutes respect before the game for those with club connection (former players/managers etc) or even those associated with the game at a high level.

It's the minutes applause we have during the games for fans that, without wanting to sound harsh, have become a little tiresome now.

[beddie]

I prefer a minutes silence. Rather than applause. Can I suggest to the Club that when they intend to do applause they make it perfectly clear to everyone what's intended, often somebody starts to applaude and others follow suit when infact silence was required.

[houseboy]

The applause thing instead of the silence started from Europe (Italy I think). I remember years ago a club playing an Italian club in Europe (can't for the life in me remember who they were) and there was a minutes silence and the Italian fans started clapping. The commentator had to explain that they weren't being disrespectful it was just what they did. It seems to have moved on from there as what we seem to be good at these days is adopting things from abroad. Whether it's a good thing or not is, I suppose, down to personal choice. I prefer the respectful silence but whatever floats your boat I suppose.

[superdimitri]

Of course Leicester used it to their advantage!

It doesn't matter if Andy "Computer says no" Madley or Dan Robathan weren't at the stadium. It was pretty damn clear watching the premier league TV production that they were buying into it. Plastic scarfs given to every fan, a big banner with his name on. Close shots throughout the game with Mr Srivaddhanaprabha giving hi fives to fans and getting up off his seat. I think if Mike Garlick should come dressed as a Tomato to our next game to get some camera time.

They should have had a separate celebration away from the game, I bet all of their fans would turn up to that (not).

Keep politics and memorials out of football, it has no place at all.

But then again, every team is at it some way or another, it seems every other away game now that there is some sort of celebration, a past cup final win, a past players death. Different teams try to make the day special and we should only learn to do the same at Turf Moor and give teams a taste of their own medicine.

Its all well saying we are doing the better thing, but unless there is a rule, teams will exploit it.

I said to the wife before the game started that they were using it to their advantage and she could even tell from the footage. I don't wish death on anyone but you have to say the late Srivaddhanaprabha had no need to take off from the centre of the stadium in his helicopter after every game. If you are landing, taking off like that just for the sake of making a statement then you really are tempting fate.

Dyche will always say you have to rise to the occasion, to expect teams to do that and be able to take the game to them. We did and we were cheated, as if it isn't hard enough already battling against teams with all the money in the world to have such blatant celebrations used to swing a game to their advantage.