Where
have they come from?
With Hampden set to be over half full of Hibees, Caldwell looks for a
fuller Easter Road...
IT IS ALMOST AS PREDICTABLE AS IT
IS DISAPPOINTING AND ANNOYING. The petty internecine squabbling over
tickets for the up-coming League Cup Final has something of a surreal
air about it. I mean, when was the last time that you heard such a mad
scramble, verging on panic for tickets to a game at The Holy Ground? It
is simple, or so it would seem. Because it is pretty apparent to me at
least, that there are not in excess of 30,000 Hibs fans. Fan, an
abbreviation of fanatic, is unfortunately not a word that sits easily
with at least half of those who will descend upon Hampden on the 14th
of March.
So why the mad scramble? Surely it
is easy for all true Hibernians to get a ticket for Hampden, and I have
to say that I do not see what more the club could have done to
prioritise. Season Ticket holders of course get priority, and then came
those that attended the semi-final. I fail to see what else they could
have done. The forth-coming membership scheme will hopefully put an end
to such problems, but any future initiative will be of little interest
to any that miss out this time.
A few more set to watch than a normal
home game! (hibs.net)
But as I say, the fact that we are
even talking about supporters missing out on a ticket is ludicrous. I
know it is obvious and even a little boring to say, but where are these
people every other week? Even allowing for the usual caveat that
excludes exiles from such questions for obvious reasons, and that
football is a tremendously expensive activity, it is still disappointing
that it appears nothing short of a Cup Final will bring thousands of
pseudo-supporters out of the woodwork.
I suspect that this sort of thing
annoys all true Hibernians. It is annoying because we all no the true
Hibernians who bust a hump and make sacrifices to support their team. I
used to have a season ticket next to two guys in the main Stand. One of
them, an elderly gentleman travelled up from Gretna every home game, and
had to leave 10 minutes early to catch the last train home. The other
guy travelled up from London every other week to see his beloved team,
no doubt at great personal expense. Both season ticket holders, both
true supporters of their team, and both guys that deserve to see
their team lift the Cup.
But therein lies the dilemma.
Because while part of you may feel that it would be just if there were
only tickets for those deserving of one, and that the glory hunters
would have to watch from their well worn 'arse-groove' on their
favourite seat, there will also be another part of you that is
altogether more inclusive and reconciliatory. Because no matter how
strong the bitterness may be, it will still be matched by a sense of
pride at seeing the National Stadium three quarters full of fellow
Hibernians. A sense of pride that your club can still attract such
numbers along to games, no matter how infrequently.
And there lies the great
contradiction, and perhaps the most compelling reason why there must be
a membership scheme that would leave no room for ambiguities as to who
deserves a ticket and is actually a Hibernian fan. Because unfortunately
turning out for a cup final once every few years does not constitute
being a fan, a fanatic. And subliminally sending out good
thoughts on a Saturday afternoon simply does not cut it as a supporter.
Supporters have to actively support their team, especially when the
tough times come along like just now.
However infuriating and frustrating it is to see all
these Hibernians appear like Scotch mist, that will not stop us all
revelling in the vast green army hopefully lifting the roof off of
Hampden. And you never know, maybe, just maybe a couple of hundred of
the Cup Final pseudo-supporters will feel compelled to join the actual
supporters down the Holy ground every so often.
