Quote ItchyandScratchy="ItchyandScratchy"I totally agree with your thoughts re this issue. Success brings bigger support for Leigh which is always needed. But at the same time there is the possibility that it attracts followers who give the Club a bad image. Anyone who looks at the Club both on and off the field can see that the level of professionalism has improved beyond anything we have seen before. We are a SL Club in every way. However, the fans also need to match this level of professionalism through their general behaviour and conduct on match days. At the end of the day we all represent Leigh Centurions in whatever capacity that we can. Okay, most of us are not on the Board of Directors or some other important role, and don't have a say in important decisions. But we are a part of the Club in our own small way. We are ambassadors for our great Club. If we behave badly then it reflects not just on the individual responsible for such behaviour, but it also gives Leigh Centurions an equally bad image. The Flute Song is something that should be stuffed in 'Room 101' with immediate effect. Not only is it totally out of date and irrelevant in today's society, it is rude and offensive. Disliking Wigan RL is one thing, but the IRA too? It's not like the IRA are currently in the news, although I am sure they still exist. It's also a crap song. The chances are that if you asked one of the 'vocalists' who sing that song what they know about the IRA, or even what the initials stand for, they wouldn't know a thing. Rubbish like this, as you rightly point out, rubs off on our kids also and sets a bad example of what it is to be a proper well behaved supporter. The new songs that we have recently adopted are much better and hopefully the fans will stick with these.
I went to the Wigan game a few weeks ago and the same old hate chanting and general abuse reared its ugly head again. Friendly banter is one thing, but some of the abuse that was shouted at the Wigan fans, albeit they had no chance of hearing it because they were too far away, was just pathetic. The people in question were adults and I wonder if they ever realise just how bad they appear to others who were there just to watch what was a good tough game of RL.
I think that the best that Derek can do regarding the issue of bad behaviour by some fans is to make a press release through the main Leigh Centurions website on his Blog page, or through the Club matchday programme. Fans need to understand the role that they play by supporting the Club and the negative impact that poor behaviour has. We are being watched by the RFL and we need to show that we deserve to be at the top table for all the right reasons. It's not all about getting behind the team on the field. The tannoy message warning about bad language is something that the Club will have to maintain to show to the RFL and other visiting Clubs that it is something they are trying to sort out. Derek can only do so much and he is doing plenty from what I can see. We all have a responsibility to project a positive image of our great Club and most of us thankfully do.'"
An excellent response to this thread.
I take my 85 year old mother to all the matches - we have season tickets in the west stand - I find it an embarrassment with some of the chanting which is quite frankly boring.
Many of the new chants are funny and sound great even the dodgy rendition of "something good"
