Its ridiculous how much power the Timbers Army have. It helps having a fan-oriented owner, but wow, this article blew me away.
http://www.wweek.com/portland/articl...ang_green.html
Its ridiculous how much power the Timbers Army have. It helps having a fan-oriented owner, but wow, this article blew me away.
http://www.wweek.com/portland/articl...ang_green.html
i believe it.
certain owners understand supporters culture, certain owners dont. its been a constant criticism of mine throughout the years that got lost in the sea of "blame MLSE", emphasized on my banner on the south end last year on the final game of the season:
"last one out get the lights
Love, MLSE"
aside from the town halls, which were a last minute resort to avert all hell breaking loose, what have MLSE done to acknowledge the diehard support they receive from groups like this? the supporters gate (don't worry.. we'll get that iron fence someday..)?
i said it at the town hall and i'll say it again, except this time i wont have my hand up for an hour and a half, we're called "a very vocal minority" by our owners and "the most important x-factor imaginable" by jimmy b. whenever we net a goal, whenever we're scored on, whenever they need promotional material or whenever they want to point out reason to buy stock to the folks up in the VIP seats.. they're ultimately pointing their cameras on us.
thats all i have to say about that.
Wow. I am shocked that they get a portion of the proceeds from sales in the North End.
A lot of what they have merely stems from having a competent owner that knows where the money will consistently flow in year after year.
We should have a timber army section on the board.
MLSE giving a rebate on ticket prices to a Supporters Group???? We've got a better chance of beating Man United 10-0....
They don't get a rebate, they control the tickets in their section. Getting commision on sales made in their section.
you cant fault threads like this especially when they're started in downtime between matches. if they were started and given precedent over match threads or TFC news, then we'd be in serious trouble.
in the meantime, and this is a serious question, why do you bump threads by posting you distaste for them? i know this is a public forum and we all have our say, but seriously.. if youre not going to contribute anything other than "this again?" why bother?
We could go back to discussing The Matrix rumours
Did this thread distract you from the NHL thread, Owen Hargreaves thread and the Ontario Hockey League thread (which are the three treads with the latest posts)?
Fine, no more Timbers Army discussion in this thread. We'll keep this strictly on RPBs other favourite topics: DeRo, ML$E, Winter, system, Plata, DeRo, former player, Interwebz thread.
because this getting annoying. I get it, TA are well organized and a large group and that's great. Its awesome that this is happening in NA. But I'm getting sick of all the love being thrown their way.
We could be better IF we had $ thrown at us from our front office and help to make our displays like a pulley system like they do. And don't forget the biggest thing, our supporters actually put supporting the team ahead of themselves during the match like they do.
So while I respect them, I still don't like them and I'm certainly not going to blow them under the bleachers like some here.
All the sexual tension between some of our members and the TA perhaps they should just fuck and get it over with.
This in here lies the problem.
For Portland one would say ..'rebate on ticket prices to the Timber Army'.
In Toronto we say supporters group(s).
There are too many groups for TFC. Too much disunity. Each faction pulling there own way doing their own thing.
In Portland you see what you get when everyone is under one unified voice.
Most of the Portland fans arrive before the anthem(s) ... unlike BMO where it is cool to show up 10+ min. after the game has started... but, oh yeah, it's because of the GO Train schedule...
Portland Circle Jerk... Wooooooooo
I suppose some of the hard-core supporter types in each of the groups are 5 years into supporting a losing team hard-core and are slowly but surely sliding into a new phase of their lives which doesn't include being a hard-core supporter of a losing soccer team in Toronto...
It's gotta be the corn field maze...
Last edited by s2cazz; 08-31-2011 at 08:00 PM.
lmao joke of a club.“Guys, you’ve got to come out, you gotta get your log slices,” Paulson recalls saying as he dragged Jewsbury and Perlaza back on the field. “The fans want to recognize you.”
I get the harsh sentiment, I don't agree with it but it's obviously shared by a lot of folks here. I think it's good seeing what a lot of the other supporters groups are doing in the MLS, and it only makes us step up our game. Hopefully MLSE takes note of how some of the other supporters are treated by their owners and takes note. No use arguing about it because everyone has their opinion on matters like this, but I've stated the positives above. Threads like this aren't gonna die down anytime soon, so all I'm saying is that there's no use shooting it down and getting pissed about it.
I've got tons of respect for the Portland supporters, and the sublime atmosphere they have created at their stadium. I don't mind talking about them on this board - this is the TFC/MLS news section, after all.
That said, I do wish we'd spend a little less time having constant envy for anything other supporters get. That part gets tedious.
- Scott
“Heroism breaks its heart, and idealism its back, on the intransigence of the credulous and the mediocre, manipulated by the cynical and the corrupt.” ~Christopher Hitchens
It perks one's eyebrows to read:
"Its founders rejected the slick, team-approved branding that goes along with many booster clubs... The Army wants an identity independent of the team it loves—like a teenager who rebels but will never move out of the house."
And then read that they are "taking a cut of the ticket sales from the stadium’s North End."
So, they desire independence yet in their desire to grow and be financially sustainable they have hitched their wagon to team ticket sales.
The desire for money and power will need to be tempered if they are to stay true to their roots. It is a tricky path ahead for the TA.
To support their desire to grow and "one up themselves" each year in terms of their support and TIFOs, they may reach a point where the ticket sales piece becomes a necessity in their financial model. If so, power shifts back to the club.
And like any organization, you need to be extremely well organized to support rapid growth. Without a solid, well working foundation... well, the foundation simply crumbles as the weight it carries grows.
Last edited by Pookie; 08-31-2011 at 08:46 PM.
There's more people complaining about the "Timbers jerk-fest" than people "blowing them under the bleachers." Come on guys, get a grip. If you actually read the article you'd realize that it's definitely worth talking about (especially during a two-week TFC break).
I can't believe they get a cut from the tickets sold in their section. Is this common in leagues overseas? Seems kinda crazy to me, the group has revenues of over $200k. I don't know what a supporter's group would be doing with that kind of money.
Also interesting to know that players are uncomfortable with the influence of the TA. I tend to agree with them. The article was right to bring up what would happen in a few years once the novelty wears off for the casual fans. It's going to be a tough balancing act for the owner. The Timbers Army is essential for promoting the brand but the majority of ticket buyers are not supporters. Hopefully something can be learned from the TFC situation.
For now, let's show the Timbers Army some respect for putting on the best atmosphere in the MLS. Dick sucking optional.