Sitting in the wrond end

[Herd]

Been in many an away bit ,keeping quiet is the problem ,remember going to Scotland in 1978 and stupidly jumped up when Alan Ball scored ,we were in the open end which was heaving ,8 of us and 80,000 pissed up scots singing we'l skin u all alive ........was a nightmare but we got rescued by some big lads frtom stonehaven who were truly amazed that 8 englishman would dare to stand amongst them.
Leeds away sitting in the South stand when we won 5 - 0 80 ?? kept it together until the 3rd went in then up i went ,got vegetable soup in the hair and it was rather hot but otherwise OK.
Spurs away managed to get 4 seats in the 2nd row upstairs the year they gave us only 1000 or so tickets .
I guy is a no show so we are three . Ian Wright scores in the 87th min and up I go and am still up as a coin whizzes past my head and as I slowly turn around the baying hordes from the back are climbing over seats to get at us whilst all the normal spurs fans are diving for cover .
Its a long story and involves packets of Arsenal Sugar going everywhere but all I will say further about that is that if u are in the first row with your back to the pitch even nutters will think twice before trying to throw themselves at u .

[nut flush gooner]

In the early 90s, not being able to get a ticket in the Arsenal end for a NLD at WHL, I sat in the scum end lower tier below the shelf. Got the ticket off a tout for just under £100.

The plan was to keep schtum for 90 mins almost come across as a neutral, but being sat with a complete bunch of ignorant fuckers who know nothing about football you just couldn't help but get swept along with the emotion and every arsenal attack was greeted by a silent cheer in my mind. The weird thing about this game was I worked with a Tottenham fan whose nickname was "the colonel". Not because he was in charge of any firm of note, but he was looked up to by a group of teenage kids who followed him up and down the country.

The nickname came about because he would religiously tell us about the trouble he'd seen with the spuds away and yet he never got into a scrap himself. So whilst in a work situation we could rip the shit out of the colonel, at WHL on my own it was a pretty horrific site to turn around and see him stood in the shelf with his merry men.

The spuds won 1-0, and it was just my luck that the players ran to exactly where I was sat to celebrate. We came close to an equaliser in the second half, and I swear there was a good smattering of Gooners in their end. Would have been interesting if we had scored. So getting close to the end, I knew I didn't want to be seen by the colonel on the way out so I sneaked out early.

I told the colonel about this at work the following week and fair play to him, he said he wouldn't have made a big deal out of it if he had seen me on the day.

[TeeCee]

I've done it many many times over the years. It's both exhilarating and frustrating!!
Worst thing these days is that they will chuck you out if you show the slightest hint you are an opposition fan, so be careful!

[I Hate Hleb]

Done it at Spurs, West Ham and Chelsea during the early 80's but had the sense to keep my feelings under control - difficult as it is. As it happens, we lost all 3 times so there wasn't that much to get excited about anyway!!

[azz91afc]

I use to do it often, i could always get free tickets for games but only in the home end.

The worst time was the 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford in 2009.
When RVP 'equalised' in the last minute i jumped up cheering, i think the only reason i didn't get the shit kicked out of me was because they presumed i was cheering due to the offside flag being raised .

I haven't done it since, i find it too hard to sit down & keep quiet

[Ryanswannell]

This video would suggest that you can sit wherever you like and do whatever you like at the Grove and the majority of fans wont care a jot, not that fans should be arseholes about it anyway. (jump to 3:17)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoT4x4v0rRg

[northbank123]

Never done it and for me unless in absolutely exceptional circumstances it's not something I'd consider. I rarely get the chance to go to away games but always cherish the atmosphere amongst our following which is such a contrast to home games, I certainly wouldn't enjoy the restrained experience anywhere near as much.

I've not really got much of a problem with it if people are keeping their mouth shut but I remember two West Ham fans sitting somewhere in the vicinity a few years back at our place and they were right dickheads.

[Daycat]

Only once in the Man Utd section at Villa park 1999. Don't remember properly celebrating our goal but think my reaction to Giggs goal gave it away, burying my head in my hands whilst everyone around me celebrating.

[Lee1]

To the left of the Paxton at the Pleat inflatable game. Scored - jumped up as couldn't resist with mate. Amazingly 15/20 around us did the same. Feared the worst but incredibly nothing happened during or after! Thank fuck!
Last year - Fulham away. Wife borrowed season tickets from Fulham supporting colleague. Seats right by the away end - with my wife and two 7 year old daughters. We score, one of my daughters cheers....quietly and no emotion from me or mum - fat mong fuck tries to get us chucked out! Luckily we weren't and he was less courageous when I had a quiet word at half time.

[GranadaJoe]

Win or lose it's a nightmare.
Saw us lose 3-0 at Anfield in the early 80s. Sat amongst a few funny Scousers and a lot of Neanderthals.
Horrible experience, darts and marbles were popular.
Even worse was watching us beat Villa 4-0, only yards from the away Gooners going mental. I kept it together until the last one went in. Fortunately, I was with two mates, one a Villa fan, and plenty of the home fans had left.
For me, not being able to celebrate is worse than sitting in misery.

[wibble]

I've done it a few times-obviously not as enjoyable as sitting in amongst your own fans, but would consider it again if unable to get a ticket in away end (much easier these days with internet and ticket exchange)

Most difficult time for keeping quiet was at sunderland. was 1-1 when they scored a goal in the last minute which was then ruled out for offside! Sat clapping quietly whilst everyone around me was going mental to then jump up to celebrate when it was ruled out!

[Goonuz71]

Done it a few times .....As im quite well know around the town once got thrown out of Portman Road 10 minutes before the game "for just being me ".......As the police said we know you a Gooner so out before we nick you !

[safcftm]

Not worth it, and certainly not for a big game. I've done it at Arsenal (when as wibble off here will tell you I was outed after about 5 minutes but it was all just good banter with the gooners in the north bank, especially since they knew i was with an Arsenal fan) and I've done it against Blackburn (me and my mate changed our ringtones to "wild rover" but were still found out quickly). That's all well and good but against Newcastle I could never do it, score a goal and you cant celebrate, concede and you have to try and look happy, I'd much prefer being in a pub going mental with my own fans than sat amongst them bastards. If its a rare trip over and your only chance to watch Arsenal then go for it but I really don't see the appeal for those who go to all/ most of the home games

[QuartzGooner]

Just once, at Anfield in 2009 when Arshavin scored all four for us but we drew.

Just myself with a Liverpool friend in the Anfield Road end, I got clocked after 10 minutes but no one cared, I suppose one fan on his own is not exactly an attempt to take the stand and there was little at stake for that match.

Was hard not to cheer when we scored, was not hard though to just keep silence when they scored.

[DB10GOONER]

Most away games have been in with Arsenal, but done the away home end at a couple of "safe" grounds. Never tried to pretend to be one of theirs but then I also kept quiet and didn't act like a dick... Did Anfield a couple times with a Mouser mate in the 90's and got good banter and no hassle once they saw I was a guest of a Mouser. I also think after '89 with the flowers from the players and the respect etc the Mousers don't mind us much. Fulham away in their end was actually quite good, decent banter, more of a family atmos and they all knew my mate and I were Arsenal.

Only dodgy one was Old Shatford in the 1980's as a schoolkid on a football trip to see Filth v Mousers. Never seen so many fights in my life.