1882 Made Me Feel at Home

In the days before I became a season ticket holder the Park Lane is where I would always buy my tickets. I would sing and celebrate wildly whenever Spurs scored. However, it’s been four years since I got my season ticket in the East Lower close to Paxton Road and in that time I have turned from a supporter singing all the songs to one whom rarely opens his mouth. Only when celebrating a goal will I rise to my feet and cheer.

If I stand for longer than a minute I am told to sit down and if I start singing everyone stares at me like there is something wrong with me. Everyone has different ways of expressing themselves and while I would not criticise anyone for not singing, I myself DO want to sing.

A few weeks ago I went to the Villa league game and luckily was stood next to people that sing – naturally joined in and had an amazing time.  At our next game,  home  vs. Hull, things were very different. It was there and then that I promised to myself to attend an 1882 event.  My friends were uninterested, so I plucked up the courage and bought a ticket for myself. I would go to the game alone and experience an 1882 event solo.

[linequote]Everyone has different ways of expressing themselves and while I would not criticise anyone for not singing, I myself DO want to sing[/linequote]

Even though I have been listening to The Fighting Cock Podcast, read the tweets and watched the YouTube videos, I still wasn’t sure what to expect. I have only started listening at the start of last season, therefore with the amount of support and backing this movement gets, I was quite nervous.

1882 have put on many events and many people have been part of it, therefore the obvious questions were running through my mind as the day approached. Would they be looking at me? Would they consider me an outsider? Did I belong amongst them?

These are possibly natural questions for anyone going somewhere or attending an event solo, but still I couldn’t shake them.

[linequote] My friends were uninterested, so I plucked up the courage and bought a ticket for myself. I would go to the game alone and experience an 1882 event solo [/linequote]

I arrived at WHL by 19:30 and my seat was right on the last row in the corner, to make it there I had to pass groups of 1882 “friends” who were singing some songs and sharing some banter with each other. With no one to talk, I opted for the easy defence mechanism, I took my phone out and pretended to be checking emails, whilst thinking perhaps staying at home watching it on TV with a cup of tea would have been better.

With 5-10 minutes to kick-off the block started filling up with more 1882 supporters. As kick off got closer the songs began in earnest. I was now stood in the corner, but hadn’t joined in yet as a few of the people around me were quiet and I was feeling quite shy.

By the time the teams came out and I still hadn’t joined in the singing – what has happened to me I thought?

I decided I am just going to sing something – so I joined in the customary “Oh when the Spurs” and “Come on you Spurs”. My confidence grew as the minutes passed, and I found myself joining in with the “Eriksen sen sen”, “Lamela” and “Nicola Berti”. I was now in full voice and so were the others around me.

Nobody was looking at me with strange looks and everyone was having fun. I removed my shoes and held them in the air, like the You Tube videos, I held my phone in the air and pretended we scored! It was one of the best nights at WHL that I had experienced.

[linequote]My confidence grew as the minutes passed, and I found myself joining in with the “Eriksen sen sen”, “Lamela” and “Nicola Berti”. I was now in full voice and so were the others around me[/linequote]

We hadn’t beaten the Scum 5-1, or the other scum 5-1. We hadn’t scored a last minute winner, instead we had beaten an unknown team from Moldova in the often mocked Europa League.

So what made this night so special? It was 1882 and the atmosphere amongst Block 35. I was singing and dancing with complete strangers who accepted me into their group and treated me as one of their own. We were all there for the same reason because we love the club, we love the shirt and we came to sing for it.

Would I go again? I’ve already booked my ticket for Anzi in block 35 and that says it all!

[author name=”Hussein Pirbhai” avatar=”https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000661789029/069435dce95fdfef50a2c2bdf2ba8747_bigger.jpeg” twitter=”huss_THFC” tag=”HusseinPirbhai[/linequote]