What Our Opponents' Fans Are Saying About Us 23/24

[bomberH]

I remember when Jol was in charge and we started getting into the UEFA cup (yeah I know the standard is much lower in the conference cup), but I still loved watching us against European sides. Not so much in the ECL but that was because we were crap.

West Ham won a trophy, and it may be the least of the European Cups, but it's something. For clubs like Villa, Brighton and West Ham I imagine it's great being involved in those competitions.

If we end up in the European conference league next year I'd like us to go for it and win it and I'd be happy if we did.

When you have 6 teams (NU, Chelsea, United, city, Arsenal and Liverpool) in the league who are spending ridiculous money, finishing 7th and winning a cup is a fantastic achievement. They should celebrate and sing champions of Europe.

Short of being owned by a country it's incredibly unlikely that these teams will ever get into the champions league.

The only (fair way) to do it is by growing the clubs income (like we've done), but this has taken a couple of decades and good ownership.

Anyway, I don't think we should belittle it, especially us.

As for the Forrest fans, they seem like a reasonable bunch and makes a fresh change to Villa and West Ham fans.

I don’t entirely disagree with most of what you’ve said. If we’re in it, we should try and win it for sure. But in my opinion, just because it’s a European trophy, it doesn’t make it any more glamorous. I’d genuinely rather win the fa cup or league cup than the europa conference. And I agree it’d be great for the likes of Brentford etc to qualify because 7th place is an amazing finish for them, but for us, even trophyless us, it is still seen as a failure to finish 7th because despite all the money everywhere else, we have still finished a lot higher than that almost every year for 15 odd years. I also loved watching us under Jol back in Europe for the first time in a decade or so and I would’ve loved playing in the Europa conference at that point… but not now. We’ve come on bundles since then and playing in that tournament now would feel like we’ve gone back 20 years. I’d still want us to smash it if we were in it of course, and much like every West Ham fan is doing now, I’d cut off people mid sentence to say ‘champions of Europe’ before letting them carry on, but deep down I’d know it’s a bit shit.

Opponents’ fans. Erm, yes I agree Forest fans seem nice.

 

[mil1lion]

This is it, we've progressed a lot over the last 20 years. Now it's CL qualification as a minimum. Anything less is a disappointment. Thing is now its been so long without a trophy I want the next trophy to be a big one. We came 2nd in the league and runners up in the CL under Poch. To then finally win something with a Conference League would not do it for me. That's not being ungrateful, I would celebrate any trophy still but just want something special. Even the Carabao doesn't excite me now. I want the FA Cup minimum.

 

[TheChosenOne]

I don’t entirely disagree with most of what you’ve said. If we’re in it, we should try and win it for sure. But in my opinion, just because it’s a European trophy, it doesn’t make it any more glamorous. I’d genuinely rather win the fa cup or league cup than the europa conference. And I agree it’d be great for the likes of Brentford etc to qualify because 7th place is an amazing finish for them, but for us, even trophyless us, it is still seen as a failure to finish 7th because despite all the money everywhere else, we have still finished a lot higher than that almost every year for 15 odd years. I also loved watching us under Jol back in Europe for the first time in a decade or so and I would’ve loved playing in the Europa conference at that point… but not now. We’ve come on bundles since then and playing in that tournament now would feel like we’ve gone back 20 years. I’d still want us to smash it if we were in it of course, and much like every West Ham fan is doing now, I’d cut off people mid sentence to say ‘champions of Europe’ before letting them carry on, but deep down I’d know it’s a bit shit.

Opponents’ fans. Erm, yes I agree Forest fans seem nice.

Nice as in they used to (maybe still) try and throw opposing fans into the River Trent adjacent to their ground ?

 

[Riandor]

That may be the case but it’s still a fact that as a bigger club, you have to fail in the league to qualify for this tournament. Apart from that covid season, the reason we wouldn’t have been able to qualify for this tournament over the last 15 years is because we finished too high in the league to do so (bar our abomination of a season last year). It’s for teams like Brentford, Wolves, West Ham and Villa etc… teams that tend to finish mid table at best and aren't generally challengers for the top 6. Villa would be devastated if they were in the Europa Conference league next season now they’ve tasted a bit of league ‘success’.

It’s not much different to organising a European tournament for the team finishing 17th each season. The ‘Just Avoided Relegation Europa Celebration Conference’.

If we were in it, I’d want to win it but if we were in it, it means we’re failing as a club. Whereas when West Ham were in it, it was seen as a massive upward step for them. So if you’re ever talking to a West Ham fan, even if they’re nice and sensible, you should always be thinking ‘looooooser’ in your mind otherwise you’re not doing them justice.

That's missing the point.
You can only win what you are in. If we are in the UCL then that is our level and we fail to win that. Ok, that one is tough, but that is the level we aspire to.

In the Europa, ok, slight downgrade, but that is a realistic level to win something at right? Failed.

Ok, down in the Conference. Ouch, ok, but NOW we can at least win that and...

West Ham played a tournament at the level they are at an won it. Well done them, that is all. I am not going to go overboard on that, but to belittle it as has been done is frankly snobbery. Of course "I don't want" to be in a position to win it, but we have to accept that despite all the great things about ourt club, the lack of any silverware is very poor.

On the flip side, I agree WH fans feel as though they are over egging it, swings noth ways. We need to accept the achievement and they need to accep the level of said achievement, but when were football fans rational?!

 

[Trix]

The European cup was a lot harder to get into as you had to be champions......however, if you did get in it (with all due respect to the smaller leagues) that also meant that there were really only 3 or 4 top teams in it (champions of England, Spain, Germany & Italy), so as long as you avoided them it was a pretty clear route to the semis. The current format means there are far more top teams from those top leagues, and less fillers.

It also meant the EUFA cup was far harder back then as you had the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place teams from all the big leagues, meaning there was a higher proportion of good vs fillers.....it was arguably a more difficult competition to win than the European Cup.

I think the Dutch and the Portuguese would argue that point. Were also some strong eastern block sides around as well.

 

[TheChosenOne]

Nice as in they used to (maybe still) try and throw opposing fans into the River Trent adjacent to their ground ?

 

[Sp3akerboxxx]

View attachment 135280

Considering that you took a photo of your computer screen in order to post a 'screen shot:.....

I'm pretty sure you watched those football matches live.

 

[TheChosenOne]

Considering that you took a photo of your computer screen in order to post a 'screen shot:.....

I'm pretty sure you watched those football matches live.

Not quite that old, I took a quick screen shot as I was off to the Doctor for a 6 month MOT and was running late

 

[HNIM]

Considering that you took a photo of your computer screen in order to post a 'screen shot:.....

I'm pretty sure you watched those football matches live.

Streaming porn on another tab and doesn't know how to crop it out.

 

[CantSmileWithoutYou]

My favourite ground.

 

[BehindEnemyLines]

I think the Dutch and the Portuguese would argue that point. Were also some strong eastern block sides around as well.

There were, but I would argue that the period that Benfica or Ajax (You could make a good case for teams like Legia Warsaw and Red Star too) were succesful correlates with one or other of the big leagues being poorer (mainly the German league).....so the principle that there were less top teams involved kinda holds and you only really played a really good team from the semi.

I thought I was going mad, so had a look at the years Liverpool/Forest won it in the late 70s & 80s:

For comparison, the year we got to the final we played:
Barcelona > PSV > Inter Milan > Dortmund > Man City > Ajax > Liverpool

1977 Liverpool won having played:
Crusaders > Trabzonspur > Saint Etienne > Zurich > Muchengladbach

1978 Liverpool won having played:
Dresden> Benfica > Muchengladbach > Brugge

1979 Forest won having played:
Liverpool > Athens > Grasshopper > Koln > Malmo

1980 Forest won having played:
Oster > Pitesti > Dynamo Berlin > Ajax > Hamburg

1981 Liverpool won having played:
OPS > Aberdeen > Sofia > Bayern Munich > Madrid

1982 Aston Villa won having played:
Valur > Dynamo Berlin > Dynamo Kyiv > Anderlecht > Bayern Munich

 

[Trix]

There were, but I would argue that the period that Benfica or Ajax (You could make a good case for teams like Legia Warsaw and Red Star too) were succesful correlates with one or other of the big leagues being poorer (mainly the German league).....so the principle that there were less top teams involved kinda holds and you only really played a really good team from the semi.

I thought I was going mad, so had a look at the years Liverpool/Forest won it in the late 70s & 80s:

For comparison, the year we got to the final we played:
Barcelona > PSV > Inter Milan > Dortmund > Man City > Ajax > Liverpool

1977 Liverpool won having played:
Crusaders > Trabzonspur > Saint Etienne > Zurich > Muchengladbach

1978 Liverpool won having played:
Dresden> Benfica > Muchengladbach > Brugge

1979 Forest won having played:
Liverpool > Athens > Grasshopper > Koln > Malmo

1980 Forest won having played:
Oster > Pitesti > Dynamo Berlin > Ajax > Hamburg

1981 Liverpool won having played:
OPS > Aberdeen > Sofia > Bayern Munich > Madrid

1982 Aston Villa won having played:
Valur > Dynamo Berlin > Dynamo Kyiv > Anderlecht > Bayern Munich

But you have to remember those clubs from lesser nations usually had the best players from their respective countries playing for them. They weren't all hoovered up by the bigger leagues. They weren't all the cannon fodder they are now.

 

[BehindEnemyLines]

But you have to remember those clubs from lesser nations usually had the best players from their respective countries playing for them. They weren't all hoovered up by the bigger leagues. They weren't all the cannon fodder they are now.

Oh yeah, which is why Red Star were such a great team.......but at the same time you can't tell me that our run to the final wasn't notably harder than any of those that I listed that actually won it.

 

[Ausp]

From forestforum

• Willy Boly looks like he would enjoy a good scrap, so my money is on „Big Willy“ to boot the ponce over the advertising hoardings with an early „reducer“.

Should have made the bet on him doing so with the ball

 

[Nine while nine]

Arse Mania

Yes.

Yes, it does, actually.

 

[Worthy]

Always feel like we should reply with "Champions League music you'll never hear that" to some of those chants. It was so long ago and Champions League is totally different level now, the likes of Villa and Forest haven't even been in it. Then you get these West Ham fans chanting about Champions of Europe which would mean we could actually sing that with our UEFA Cup or cup winners Cup. I guess every club just thinks up ways to brag about their own club without necessarily any logic.

I know success is rated differently over the years but but comparing winning the European Cup to hearing the champions league music is way off

 

[Frank Blank]

From Arsemania

Sapient Hawk said:


"This f*cking cesspit loves to fawn over whatever eventual trash player is starring for Sp**s. Some times I feel I'm on one of their disgusting forums."

Well you are now, matey.

 

[spurs mental]

From Arsemania

Sapient Hawk said:


"This f*cking cesspit loves to fawn over whatever eventual trash player is starring for Sp**s. Some times I feel I'm on one of their disgusting forums."

Well you are now, matey.

Still tickles me that they censor the word Spurs over there.

 

[Marauder]

WOOOHOOO, let's hear now the Villa prats! Bring them on.

 

[spurs mental]

This thread will be a lovely read over the weekend while the football is on elsewhere. Love a win to start the weekend.