Following on from my last blog I have to admit that I sensed a lifting in the atmosphere around Odsal last Sunday even before hapless Cas were put to the sword.

 

Spring was definitely around and there seemed to be a lifting of the spirits or at least the green shoots of recovery as the club did put on a bit of a show both on and off the pitch.  I was even astounded to see Mr Harry Gration erstwhile rhinophile of the Yorkshire Television parish urging the great Bradford public to get down and support their local successful team.

 

Once again the good people of Bradford responded magnificently in the only way they know how.  Total apathy!  As mentioned previously we appear to be in a downward spiral where the club appear to be unwilling to break the shackles and cut loose on the entertainment front and you can see all too clearly why.  Ten thousand out of a population of 492k on a comfortable spring afternoon.  Appalling.

 

Is this then the sole fault of the club?  Is it the fans?  Or is it something, to turn all Monty Python for a moment,  completely different.

 

Last weekend was the anniversary of the very first Super League game to be played.  The self same weekend just 12 years later and we are already a third of the way through the regular season.  Can you see where I am going with this?  Summer Rugby...where has it gone?

 

As we appear, as a club,  to have remembered our aim was to be a family club we now find ourselves with another layer of complexity.  Families don't bring toddlers/younger children out in conditions which have been, to be fair, approaching arctic! 

 

Whether this also affects season ticket sales when we see the first round creeping earlier week by week each year I can only speculate on but you can be certain when the temperature drops that fairweather supporters rather keep their brass monkey's inside rather than risk the alarming complaint they are prone to!  Carry on as we are and we'll all be having Christmas Dinner in the Touchdown, watching the Queen's speech before turning our attention to the pitch rather than James Bond.

 

I know people will be pointing to the Leeds crowds and asking if they can do it why can't we?  Answer, they have a whole different demographic.  Leeds' mostly male following are used to standing in the cold as United have never played Association Football in the summer .  I know it's controversial but you have to say that the coincidental rise of the Rhino's during the demise of United has swelled the crowd and these new fans are used to winter games. 

 

Cue howls of derision from the Rhino fans but true loiners will acknowledge that their crowd was as low as 3.5k during the Dean Lance days and will also question why they play a football anthem each time their team takes to the field.  Working in Leeds it always amuses me that there are ten thousand fans who'll tell you they were loyal during the reign of Lance despite the stats clearly showing the opposite...

 

That's enough bashing the Rhino's for the minute but the point is valid.  There is a large amount of floating fans at all clubs. These fans need all the ingredients to be there to attend games although they will claim to be loyal supporters.  One missing component and they may still attend, get two or more and they don't go.  Leeds are winning so the crowds remain despite the cold, Bradford are mis-firing, in addition to the cold, this is enough to keep people away.

 

So here we are, the fans who attend the games in all weathers and temperatures, we have that warm feeling inside knowing we support our club don't we?  Well actually we could do more.

 

It's us that make the atmosphere in the ground (hence Russ Abbott?!!?!?!) and I am sure we all remember the early SL years when the singing was constant, the chants were funny but clean and we all wanted to be at the ground to be part of it.  Going back to the floating supporters atmosphere could also bring them back.  Unfortunately, we just don't seem to be able to get any going anymore.  It seems to be an unwritten rule that you should not repeat the 'Come on You Bulls' chant more than three times.  Lord help you if you do! Everyone else stops, you are on your own and you get laughed at. You learn you lesson and next time you don't join in!

 

Those of us with tickets in the stand are hamstrung at this point but those with ground tickets I call upon you to join together for the Toulouse game (after a few nerve settlers of course) under Steve Macs box.  Introduce yourself to the BradfordsBulls.co.uk massive and sing.  'We love you Bradford', 'Come on you Bulls', 'Are you Keighley in disguise?', 'Who's your father referee? anything clean but sing! 

 

Let's get the atmosphere back and with it the floating supporters and let the team know we are about and getting behind them.