Is it true about "We'll Let You Know"

[Shadowplay]

I read somewhere that it's about Football (Soccer) Hooligans. Wtf?

 

[Almodis]

> I read somewhere that it's about Football (Soccer) Hooligans. Wtf?

Well, partly I think - or at least the tendency within football hooliganism that identified itself with extreme nationalism. For example "We're all smiles/Then, honest, I swear/it's the turnstiles That make us hostile" - degrading conditions and the treatment of fans at some grounds were argued as contributory factors by some social commentators on football violence. Also "And the songs we sing/They're not supposed to mean a thing/La, la, la, la ..." - which was a common rationalisation of sectarian or racist football chants. But I think Morrissey is saying he doesn't really believe either explanation.

 

[Patrick McCann]

Not forgetting "We will descend on anyone unable to defend themselves..", and the nationalistic "we are the last truly british people you will ever know".

Both examples are typical of the mindset of many UK football hooligans.

ps. a crowd of The Forces Of Darkness fans once descended upon me as I ambled along wearing the hoops once. Fortunately, there were only seven of them so I didn't have any problems.

happy days.

 

[Chill]

Read "Among the Thugs" by Bill Buford.

After that, the whole football hooligan level of "We'll Let You Know" made a whole lot more sense to me.

 

[Speed]

Re: Read "Among the Thugs" by Bill Buford.

Talking about that, I wonder... has anybody ever spotted Morrissey at a soccer game?

 

[Weiß]

What's soccer?

Soccer is what late-30 year-old suburban American mothers take their 9-year old daughters to in mini-vans.

Football, on the other hand, might be of interest to Morrissey.

 

[The Enquirer]

Chill, what prompted you to read THAT book?

 

[Chill]

It was actually on a reading list for one of my classes.

We were studying crowd theory and mass hysteria, so the book fit in well.

 

['Radar' O'Reilly]

> Not forgetting "We will descend on anyone unable to defend
> themselves..", and the nationalistic "we are the last truly
> british people you will ever know".

> Both examples are typical of the mindset of many UK football hooligans.

> ps. a crowd of The Forces Of Darkness fans once descended upon me as I
> ambled along wearing the hoops once. Fortunately, there were only seven of
> them so I didn't have any problems.

> happy days.

It is possible to lose the will to live if you go to a football match, I think it is compulsory to transform yourself into a complete moron. Probebly one of the few environments that is more unhealthy than a Strokes gig.

 

[Joe McEwan]

Re: Read "Among the Thugs" by Bill Buford.

> Talking about that, I wonder... has anybody ever spotted Morrissey at a
> soccer game?

He was spotted at and spoke abou being at Chelsea V Liverpool think it was about `94-95-ish judging by the players he was talking about Ruddock, Rush

 

[Bluenose]

> It is possible to lose the will to live if you go to a football match, I
> think it is compulsory to transform yourself into a complete moron.
> Probebly one of the few environments that is more unhealthy than a Strokes
> gig.

So you're a Notts County fan then, Radar

 

[King Leer]

Moz definitely dog eared some pages in this book...

Intriguing book -- hard to believe a lot of it (smuggling people onto flights to the continent, doing coke on traytables, etc.) Funniest passage outlined the big-bellied yob's daily food and booze intake.

Quite sure Morrissey got the "National Front Disco" concept from here. Most of the book just made me glad not to live in England (though I was born there), but Buford's theories on crowds and violence were fascinating.

 

[Patrick McCann]

> It is possible to lose the will to live if you go to a football match, I
> think it is compulsory to transform yourself into a complete moron.
> Probebly one of the few environments that is more unhealthy than a Strokes
> gig.

A certain Mr.Roy Keane would beg to differ. His comments about the prawn sandwich brigade last season obviously showed his dismay at the gentrification occurring within certain stadiums.
The all-seated development has drastically reduced moronic behaviour ,but, along with that, the general atmosphere.
You'll hear daft chants and see plenty of twisted faces during particular flashpoints, but on the whole there are long stretches during games now when you could hear a pin drop.

I know when celtic park was redeveloped into a 60,000 all-seater a few years back, the change in general behaviour was instant.
Whenever I felt an uncontrollable urge to hurl abuse at one of our under-performing players (let's call him Peter Grant), I found myself standing up, saliva flying from my mouth, going purple in the face, and then discovering, to my horror, that there were about 5,000 people in the vicinity, sitting eating crisps and looking at me as if I was some kind of uncouth, well, moron.
The dramatic rise in season-ticket holders ,from 17,000 to 53,000 (the highest in Europe) brought in a whole new army of comfortable, disposable-income fans who had previously balked at the old ramshackle stadium.

Anyway, where was I?
I've forgotten now. See what you've done?

 

['Radar' O'Reilly]

I'm really not into football, but surely if there was no prawn sandwich brigade than there would be no big fat millionaire contract for Roy Keane.

Are you from Glasgow then, I don't know why but I assumed you were from London, then again you've probebly travelled about a bit during your many years

> A certain Mr.Roy Keane would beg to differ. His comments about the prawn
> sandwich brigade last season obviously showed his dismay at the
> gentrification occurring within certain stadiums.
> The all-seated development has drastically reduced moronic behaviour ,but,
> along with that, the general atmosphere.
> You'll hear daft chants and see plenty of twisted faces during particular
> flashpoints, but on the whole there are long stretches during games now
> when you could hear a pin drop.

> I know when celtic park was redeveloped into a 60,000 all-seater a few
> years back, the change in general behaviour was instant.
> Whenever I felt an uncontrollable urge to hurl abuse at one of our
> under-performing players (let's call him Peter Grant), I found myself
> standing up, saliva flying from my mouth, going purple in the face, and
> then discovering, to my horror, that there were about 5,000 people in the
> vicinity, sitting eating crisps and looking at me as if I was some kind of
> uncouth, well, moron.
> The dramatic rise in season-ticket holders ,from 17,000 to 53,000 (the
> highest in Europe) brought in a whole new army of comfortable,
> disposable-income fans who had previously balked at the old ramshackle
> stadium.

> Anyway, where was I?
> I've forgotten now. See what you've done?

 

[david]

Re: It was actually on a reading list for one of my classes.

> We were studying crowd theory and mass hysteria, so the book fit in well.

Read the Cardiff Soul Crew book if you've got nothing better to do Mindy, its quite entertaining in a very sad sort of way.

 

[Chill]

Re: It was actually on a reading list for one of my classes.

Thanks David, I'll try to look into it over the winter hols.