Mike Ward in last nights programme..

[London Irish]

No, what makes football GOOD is the quality of what happens on the pitch and the pleasure of supporting YOUR team ... not "hating" some other club.




you just don't understand (like Ward).

Are you saying that we should get no more pleasure in beating Palace that we did in beating Plymouth?

No, I don't think even Mike Ward would say that. The interesting question is not whether we should have a rivalry with Palace, obviously we should, but whether people take that rivalry unhealthily too far at the moment. I think there is a case for saying that's true.

 

[Hunting 784561]

I'm still not sure what the actual objection is. Is it :



a) its absolutely wrong to hate anybody/anything/any football team ?

or

b) We should be setting our sights a LOT higher than hating those donkeys from Croydon.




If someone can give me a credible anwser, I'd be a whole lot happier.

 

[El Presidente]

I want Palace to be relegated, and Simon Jordan to catch the clap off a transsexual hooker in Croydon, followed by a Jake Robinson hat trick when we play them later this month and dick them 6-0. I have been to Selhurst in the 80's and know all the stories, the history, the legacy. I want to see them suffer, both on and off the pitch, but in no way does that involve lobbing bricks, coins, grown men kicking people half their size etc.

As for 'hating' them, can't be arsed. If Mike Ward thinks I am a goon for paying £835 for McShane's shirt at Selhurst I don't have a problem with that at all ( I am far more worried about my wife finding out the price I paid for it). Having read his article I don't agree with all of it, but the last sentence I agree with.

When it comes to enemies of the Albion, I would put them in the following order:

1. Archer
2. Bellotti
3. Stanley
4. Falmer NIMBY's
5. Norman Baker
6. Palace

 

[sir danny cullip]

I'm still not sure what the actual objection is. Is it :



a) its absolutely wrong to hate anybody/anything/any football team ?

or

b) We should be setting our sights a LOT higher than hating those donkeys from Croydon.




If someone can give me a credible anwser, I'd be a whole lot happier.

I think he's just saying he doesn't understand why we have such rivalry with palace. He also says he dislikes cardiff more than palace. I think he's trying to make the point that we should set our sights higher than palace, or that although its a good result were making our selves look small by celebrating so much about it, he thinks we should only celebrate when these kind of results become routine.

 

[timbha]

rivalry is one of the fascinations of football - nothing to do with violence - just a healthy battle for supremacy and bragging rights. Setting our sights a bit higher misses the point by a country mile.

You have your rival club and they are rivals forever, hence Sheff Weds long awaited on the pitch battle with Sheff Utd, Burnley/ Preston, Hibs/Hearts, Watford/Luton. There are no rules although it's often geographic.

As for hating Reading and Cardiff, this is short term - we've disliked Sheff U (re Prosser), Chesterfield, Orient, Gillingham, in recent years but in no way would they replace Palace as our rivals.

Go on Mike Ward, hate Reading, berate Coppell, rubbish the Madjeski (sp?) Stadium, ridicule Kitson - but you'll be on your own and look very silly. Hang on, let's be rivals with Chelsea, then everyone will know we are a big club.

 

[Tooting Gull]

I don't agree with Mike Ward over Palace, and I think he's clearly stumbled into some of the perennial problems of a) writers too closely associated with one club, and b) anyone who sticks their head over the parapet of anonymity at any club, and ours in particular (viz threads too numerous to mention slagging off various club 'personalities').

But what I find really odd is having to explain to any other real football fan the strange brew of emotions a proper rivalry stirs up. I'd expect to have to explain it to my mum (although she wouldn't understand anyway). I wouldn't expect to have to explain the completely irrational loathing I and many others have of Palace to another Albion fan of similar age. I find it very weird that anyone, not just Mike Ward, doesn't get that.

 

[Simster]

You have your rival club and they are rivals forever, hence Sheff Weds long awaited on the pitch battle with Sheff Utd, Burnley/ Preston, Hibs/Hearts, Watford/Luton. There are no rules although it's often geographic.

It's Burnley/Blackburn or Preston/Blackpool. The Burnley/Preston thing is more like Albion and Portsmouth used to be back in the 80s.

 

[Seagulls over Lewes]

Arsenal fans f*** em all

 

[Pavilionaire]

Beating Palace at Selhurst will be every true Albion fans highlight of this season. In reality it is likely to be the highlight of the next 5 years as well.

I'd rather take the 3 points vs Palace and wear 4 dropped points v Ipswich and Wolves, rather than have the 4 and lose to Palace simply because that game at Selhurst will stay with me for the rest of my life. If we get relegated by 1 point I can live with that.

Palace is life and death - every other fixture is just about 3 points.

If you take the passion out of football then what have you got?

 

[Bozza]

Not read the article because:

a) I wasn't at the game
b) ignore (a) above, I never buy the programme when I am at games

but it seems to be that Mike is missing the point by a country mile. Or ten.

Cardiff? Palace? He's having a huge f***ing laugh. I take my 2 year old daughter to Cardiff away games. We get treated like royalty. Gay royalty, obviously. There is no way on earth I would take my daugher to Palace away. I value her health and stuff.

Mike - f*** off away from our club. As above, I say this as someone who hasn't read the article. But you have failed to read the Albion, and your comments are valid. So are mine.

 

[Yorkie]

f*** me, I'm not wading through 6 pages.

For my two-penneth, I can't BELIEVE how much some people get their knickers in a twist over absolutely f***-all. Whats the big deal ? So Ward doesn't "get" the rivalry between Albion and Palace, and dared to write this in the programme. WOW - hold the front page. I've just glanced out of the window, and amazingly, the world does appear to still be spinning on its axis and life as we know it has not yet been adversely affected, at least not so's you'd notice.

Get a grip for christs sake. There are FAR bigger issues facing this club than what a columnist thinks of the Albion/Palace rivaly. Demanding apologies ? I can't believe what a load of precious, pious old bollocks is being spouted here. Truth be known, theres a section of people who've never liked the bloke, and have been waiting for something like this to jump all over in full-on self-righteous mode.

What a bunch of ARSE.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

No, I don't think even Mike Ward would say that. The interesting question is not whether we should have a rivalry with Palace, obviously we should, but whether people take that rivalry unhealthily too far at the moment. I think there is a case for saying that's true.

Yet again I find myself in agreement with what your general premise is....worryingly

Rivalry is about lots of things and not just about going out and twatting someone because they wear a different shirt.....although football mentality all over the world dictates that neanderthals will do just that.

As you will see on ATC, I have been asked to write a reply, which I will. I am not in your league when it comes to the written word, buy I hope I can put my point across as you do, and people agree generally with what I say.

BTW comparing ward with Archer and belotti is just plain silly and I am sure most people agree with that.

 

[Barnet Seagull]

I don't think I actually hate palace.

It's more superciliousness than anything else.

I'm not a protagonist, but there's something deeply satisfying about having a conversation with a lone stripey nigel and belittling the "team" he supports.

 

[London Irish]

Yet again I find myself in agreement with what your general premise is....worryingly

Rivalry is about lots of things and not just about going out and twatting someone because they wear a different shirt.....although football mentality all over the world dictates that neanderthals will do just that.

As you will see on ATC, I have been asked to write a reply, which I will. I am not in your league when it comes to the written word, buy I hope I can put my point across as you do, and people agree generally with what I say.

BTW comparing ward with Archer and belotti is just plain silly and I am sure most people agree with that.

Look forward to reading your right of reply Dave, should get decent coverage as they might put it in the Palace programme?


Be interested to see how you handle the "hate" issue.