Without fans, last day drama is a almost emotionless experience

[depechedingle]

Today's been a strange one for me, love the last day of a season and watched the Championship and League 2 seasons finish today, the Championship as usual was incredibly bonkers.... but though it was good it felt empty and as I am now out and about walking The dog up Towneley in totally unforecast clear weather, it hit me why.

You can have all the drama you want a 3-3 where both sides have the possibility to get relegated, but it's missing a core ingredient, the fan.

No fraught chewing of fingernails, no tears, no ecstatic celebration of a crap season where you've stayed up by the skin of the teeth. It's almost emotionless, there is almost a perverse pleasure in watching the highs and lows in the stands as a vital chance is missed or a defender fails to do basic defending as long as your team isn't involved.

To conclude imagine 9th May 1987 without a crowd, no lady sobbing in the Bob Lord, no Phil Malley sunk to his knees, no conga.

Imagine no Burnley fans at Wembley on the 29th May 1994 and the 25th May 2009, yes we'd still love the result but a large part of the emotion would be lost.

Congratulations to all the successful teams and to the losers and fallen commiserations, today it's hit me more than I realised, football is nearly nothing without it's fans. Be that from Morecambe to the Manchester giants.

I've never had such a disconnect as I do currently with football and sometimes I have had little interest this season even in my beloved Clarets and the realisation is we need our band of brothers our fellow supporters no matter how much you might disagree with their views and they might antagonise you, because there is nothing quite the same as the match day camaraderie be it at a home game or in a bar full of Clarets in Istanbul.

Can't wait for a new some sort of normal match day experience wherever it maybe.

Sorry this is a long winded read, but maybe the connect is starting to return.

UP THE CLARETS.

[Steve1956]

Without fans football is pointless....we are what makes football what it is...the greatest game on earth.

[gandhisflipflop]

If I was a fan of Fulham or WBA I’d almost feel cheated having been robbed of a chance to celebrate going up in the first place and then when they do return it’s back where they started.

[jdrobbo]

Well put, Depeche. Hope your walking is going well.

[ksrclaret]

Agree with every word.

As relieved as I was when football made it's comeback last June in "Project Restart" - if only to give us something to think about other than death and despair - I've found myself totally indifferent and apathetic in my attitude towards this season.

I cannot stomach another season like this one. Without fans, football is just about money and precious little else.

[ClaretTony]

Don’t apologise for the lengthy post - that’s how most of us feel I’m sure. Like so many of you I miss going to our matches, I miss seeing my friends each week and this season really has been strange with the only positive being that we’ve at least been able to see the games.

It was after the Sheffield United game at the end of December that I texted jdrobbo & MDWat and said that I’d realised that I don’t like football but like going to football. That sums up this weird 2020/21 season for me. I hope we get back soon what I love about football.

[cricketfieldclarets]

As it stands it’s more like a soap. Something to distract. And watch. And get into. But it’s why I’ve barely watched any game aside from Burnley since March last year.

[dsr]

The Sheffield Wednesday players weren't emotionless. Crying like babies, some of them. I haven't seen anyone crying as badly as that since Jack Grealish broke a fingernail.

[superdimitri]

It's only temporary, and being able to have those good memories certainly let's you remember how it should be.

Nonetheless, there may be nothing to show for it in the grounds but the sentiment and nerves are still there.

In fact, I find it worse watching on TV in terms of nerves compared to being at the match.

For every fan who isn't at the ground there's someone watching at home in their living room. The emotions are still there, but just not on public view.

Won't be long now guys. Chin up.

[fatboy47]

There must be 100 armchair viewers for every one that would have been in the stadium.

These are the punters the money men are interested in, and they won't have a clue about the real fan experience. The management of the game is now clearly focused on the TV cash cow...people in stadiums are becoming more of a nuisance than a necessity.