Post-Protest debrief and discussion

[Parkdale]

Hey guys,

let's keep all the post-protest talk in this thread

Here's a post-game thread on actual game talk
And here's the news thread with some write ups from the press

So what was your take on the day's events?






my opinions now...

I was incredibly pleased with the response the actions got. There were tons of people in green, a huge amount of compliance inside 112 and (most importantly in my opinion) a great deal of banners and signs built just for the occasion. It was great to see all the efforts that people took on by themselves in order to voice their opinions. We showed that we are well organized as a group, but also that people are pissed off as individuals, and are willing to express that. Great stuff!

referring back to the news thread links, it's become very clear that the press hears our frustrations. Now let's just hope that MLSE brass hears it and does what they have to do (build a winner at all costs and understand that rising ticket costs will kill this club)


so what was your take on the day's events? From the other sections? From 112? From TV at home? What made an impact with you?

[London]

this should be continued untill we are forced out of the stadium or change happens

if they want to sell there product on my shoulders, i at least want a cut of the profits.


who wants to be my agent?

[H Bomb]

Great job. Nee and 112 really did a good job yesterday, giving the whole place an early feel. I will say I was disappointed there werent more two sticks. Theyre easy and cheap...and more would have been better. I also was/am embarrassed for u sec. They looked like a bunch of monkeys yesterday. Overall well done, dont let it stop here.

[Parkdale]

who wants to be my agent?

me, but my cut is 90%


Personally, I can't wait to put all this behind us and move on to cheering for the reds, so my hope is that BIG things happen in the off season that give me a reason to believe.

If TFC's first game is out in Vancouver this year (please please please) I will be there, but NOT if I feel that nothing has improved over the off-season.

[Yeoman]

Great job. Nee and 112 really did a good job yesterday, giving the whole place an early feel. I will say I was disappointed there werent more two sticks. Theyre easy and cheap...and more would have been better. I also was/am embarrassed for u sec. They looked like a bunch of monkeys yesterday. Overall well done, dont let it stop here.

so what's your reason for not making one hbomb?

[H Bomb]

I made three

[Yeoman]

so...............................i saw our three, and i saw one in what was 110?
just don't think you can come out on here and say that and think you're getting away scott free.
you want it? do it yourself and stop riding our coat tails.
we will do what we want, to the level we want.

[Parkdale]

let's not make this about who made what.

lots of people put in lots of work for this one. I think HBomb's statement was more of a general observation - that i agree with - more people can make more banners - which I think is also yeoman's point. We all need to step up for things like this.

[sulfur]

Yeoman: Talk about what went right, stop accusing people and beating them down. That's what pisses people off and makes them not want to get involved.

In terms of seeing the game on telly, as I noted in both the game and post-game threads:

It was quiet. The CBC guys kept talking about it. Kept showing the banners. The only singing that could be heard was Dichio23, and it was a shadow of its normal self. I'm told that U-Sector was singing for much of the game -- on telly it was not audible. The TRN drumming started around the 25th (or so) and was audible on and off throughout the match.

[H Bomb]

Hey man. One in 112 was done by me. 2 in 115. im not a member of the group and did that without much effort or cost. Is all im sayin.

[H Bomb]

Parkys right, its a generalization. And dont worry guys, what yoeman wasnt offensive at all. Its true, just up to yall to figure out what that level will be.

[London]

Hey man. One in 112 was done by me. 2 in 115. im not a member of the group and did that without much effort or cost. Is all im sayin.

and we thank your efforts!!

hopefully people that did not hear of this will join next match, and on and on and on.

lets leave a GREEN STAIN on them

[denime]

so...............................i saw our three, and i saw one in what was 110?
just don't think you can come out on here and say that and think you're getting away scott free.
you want it? do it yourself and stop riding our coat tails.
we will do what we want, to the level we want.

H-Bomb had two in 115

[CoachGT]

Hearing (or not hearing) the stadium yesterday was surreal and it should have shaken a few trees. I wonder if any of the higher ups realize that strong, vocal fan support might have been what was needed to push TFC to the win instread of settling for a draw? When cbc start using the prawnie seats for the displays of fan emotion you know that they were hard up.

The concentration of green in the corners was noticeable. The smattering of green elsewhere less so, but I saw more greeen in the central areas than I expected.

It felt like going to a hockey game yesterday.

[wzhxvy]

Congrats...I thought it was excellent and meaningful. Good job to everyone who participated and helped.

[Workie]

so...............................i saw our three, and i saw one in what was 110?
just don't think you can come out on here and say that and think you're getting away scott free.
you want it? do it yourself and stop riding our coat tails.
we will do what we want, to the level we want.

Blow that right out your ass
Hbomb made 3!

You need to pry your self off the cross one day and come walk with the paupers some time.

Get a grip.

[Bluenose13]

Hey man. One in 112 was done by me. 2 in 115. im not a member of the group and did that without much effort or cost. Is all im sayin.

Well done Matt!

I know you don't agree with all things RPB but it's nice to see when you do, you step up to make a difference.

[sully]

I was glad to be a rpb member yesterday.

It's up to MLSE now.

[maximo_rpd]

Until we see MLSE relent and provide a MLS-only ticket package at 2009 pricing, we cannot be sure of success, but the results of the protest to date have been fantastic - nobody could even dream of the coverage...

National TV coverage, many large write ups in the newpapers including a two page spread in the Star and NY Times coverage today. The "green" and the "silent" protests have been noted and covered on national TV and newpapers. MLSE greed has been noted as well - All media commentators are asking Tommy A about the pricing of the ticket package and the inclusion of the extra games. A 2 1/2 hour national show case coverage of the product on the field - I doubt there has ever been a professional football game WHERE BOTH GOALKEEPERS SCORED! Not only that but I went to the fights yesterday afternoon and a soccer game broke out... The game itself rested our case on the quality on the field - 30% increase on the ticket package? Even the public is saying - only a donkey would renew... This will have grave, grave impression upon this mythical waiting list...

110% success so far! The question is: can MLSE lumber around fast enough to salvage the fan base ... only financial pressure by not buying season tickets and bad press can move them off the pot...

Don't give up! They could do one of their "sorry" emails in November with a much better package, in order to get us back - Don't lose hope and don't give in! They could delay going to the waiting list until January if they have to....

[koryo]

Until we see MLSE relent and provide a MLS-only ticket package at 2009 pricing, we cannot be sure of success, but the results of the protest to date have been fantastic - nobody could even dream of the coverage...

National TV coverage, many large write ups in the newpapers including a two page spread in the Star and NY Times coverage today. The "green" and the "silent" protests have been noted and covered on national TV and newpapers. MLSE greed has been noted as well - All media commentators are asking Tommy A about the pricing of the ticket package and the inclusion of the extra games. A 2 1/2 hour national show case coverage of the product on the field - I doubt there has ever been a professional football game WHERE BOTH GOALKEEPERS SCORED! Not only that but I went to the fights yesterday afternoon and a soccer game broke out... The game itself rested our case on the quality on the field - 30% increase on the ticket package? Even the public is saying - only a donkey would renew... This will have grave, grave impression upon this mythical waiting list...

110% success so far! The question is: can MLSE lumber around fast enough to salvage the fan base ... only financial pressure by not buying season tickets and bad press can move them off the pot...

Don't give up! They could do one of their "sorry" emails in November with a much better package, in order to get us back - Don't lose hope and don't give in! They could delay going to the waiting list until January if they have to....

^^ + 1. No amount of "sorry, we're crap because we don't know what we're doing. Here's a reduced ticket package at the same rate of price increase" should be good enough. Nothing less than a prize freeze on 2010 tickets, until that lot upstairs learns how to build a good football team, will suffice.

[Parkdale]

one thing I noticed that was very different.....

shots of babies in TFC gear on the video screen (and presumably on the broadcast)

guess they got the directive not to show the corner as much as possible

[Sullivan]

The protest is winding it's way through the American soccer community too. Emails from my USSF, NSCAA and NCAA contacts all make reference to what's happening around TFC and in BMO.

They want to know more.

And I expect that when I go later this week to take in some NCAA games, I'll be hit with a lot of questions about the summit and the cup final.

My kid tells me that even some of the older "prawns" in our section took spells standing silent yesterday. And I'm talking about 3 guys in thier 60's.

[koryo]

one thing I noticed that was very different.....

shots of babies in TFC gear on the video screen (and presumably on the broadcast)

guess they got the directive not to show the corner as much as possible

Gobi and I buggered off in the 51st minute out of sheer boredom. Watched the rest of the game at Joe's and couldn't help but notice that the CBC kept most of their crowd shots to a tight-angle of the 20-or-so U-Sectors who were doing their cheering-ostensibly-to-support-the-team-but-really-just-out-of-spite. They would throw their toys out of the pram. Muppets.

[canadian_bhoy]

Blow that right out your ass
Hbomb made 3!

You need to pry your self off the cross one day and come walk with the paupers some time.

Get a grip.

+1

Get over yourself.

[Roogsy]

I was late to the game, walked in about 10 minutes late. Right up to the gate of BMO Field I could not hear anything coming from the crowd. It sounded like a golf tournament. I think it was highly effective.

As for the green, great compliance from 112 and I saw spatterings of green througout the all the sections of the stadium. This shows that the unhappiness does not specifically dwell only with RPB but with fans everywhere. I went to the game with a group of non-RPB who never visit their board and when I told them of the green initiative, they all joined in and wore it because they agreed with the message. There was probably a good 1000 people that wore green and to me that is successful. But more successful was the silence. If the front office does not get the message after this, they're deaf, dumb and blind.

[Darlofletch]

I really liked the NEE, during the anthem, holding up money rather than scarves.

[ManUtd4ever]

RPB protest being discussed right now on Talk 640...

[Keyman]

Props to everyone within RPB who organized this and got word out prior to yesterday. It went about as well as it could have gone. There's such a diverse array of opinions regarding what is an appropriate form of protest, and even though they were present throughout the match yesterday we managed to stay united. One announcer described the stadium as feeling like a morgue, which I thought was perfect.

[ochos]

^^^ any interesting points?

[Eastend]

I was late to the game, walked in about 10 minutes late. Right up to the gate of BMO Field I could not hear anything coming from the crowd. It sounded like a golf tournament. I think it was highly effective.

As for the green, great compliance from 112 and I saw spatterings of green througout the all the sections of the stadium. This shows that the unhappiness does not specifically dwell only with RPB but with fans everywhere. I went to the game with a group of non-RPB who never visit their board and when I told them of the green initiative, they all joined in and wore it because they agreed with the message. There was probably a good 1000 people that wore green and to me that is successful. But more successful was the silence. If the front office does not get the message after this, they're deaf, dumb and blind.

That, and the fact that there are RPB all over the stadium, not just 112. It was very strange sitting and not singing....caught myself shouting at Hesmer a few times though....couldn't help it.