Here in the states there is a (mildly unsportsmanlike) tradition observed at various team sporting events when the game clock is about to run out and one team has no realistic hope of scoring enough points to win in the time remaining. The fans of the winning team will sometimes sing the chorus of “Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye” in these circumstances.
I recently heard there is a similar tradition with English football, where fans sing a certain song when the final outcome is painfully obvious.
Is this is in fact the case?
What is the song?
Is it the winning team fans that sing this song or is there some instance where the losing team fans sing their own song?
The song is by top 80’s popstrelles “Bananarama”. I busted many a “shape” to that during my peak teenage years.
It may be used now and again but it is far from a tradition. I’d expect it to be used more when someone was sent off or substituted rather than for an irretrievable position.
I may be wrong, I watch footy but rarely attend in person
I’m not the authority, but I’ve found this on the WikiP page for “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
“The song is also sung at association football clubs around the world, where it is performed by a massed chorus of supporters on matchday; this tradition developed at Liverpool F.C. after the chart success of the 1963 single of the song by the local Liverpool group Gerry and the Pacemakers."
Your thread title made me think of Pink Floyd’s version of the song, so I went searching this morn.
I’m not aware of any particular traditions along these lines, although if a team is losing badly in the EPL, particularly when the manager’s job is under pressure, then fans of the winning team will often sing “You’re getting sacked in the morning” to the tune of the Cuban song “Guantanamera”. I’m not sure how this song came to enter British football. It’s also used with other lyrics, such as “There’s only one Arsene Wenger”, or “You’re just a shit Arsene Wenger” (to Unai Emery).
I’m getting the impression there’s more fans singing various songs in general at English football matches. Does anyone know if singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” is tied to any specific game events, or is it just some sort of general “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” kinda fun-spirited song?
Fairly specifically tied to Liverpool FC - it is effectively their song. You do see that sort of thing - for example, I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles is the West Ham Utd song, and so on; though by no means every club has a song so closely associated with them.
FWIW, when I used to watch Workington Reds back in the seventies and early eighties, we used to sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, but with vulgar changes to the lyric. So it hasn’t always been uniquely Liverpudlian.
Well you learn something new every day! It will always be a 'rama song for me of course, such is the power of teenage memory. I can almost see Joanne Malherbe bouncing her way across the floor towards me…happy days.
My dad used to take me to Workington to watch the rugby when we visited his side of the family. The language and songs there were robust, to say the least and my dad was constantly mortified by it. He never swore himself and yet he was from Maryport if you can believe such a thing.
The Gerry & The Pacemakers’ 1963 version of the song is played on the stadium speakers at Liverpool’s ground before every game, and the fans sing along. Sometimes it’s spontaneously sung during the game when Liverpool are winning. While most closely associated with Liverpool, the song has also been adopted by other clubs around the world, including Celtic, Borussia Dortmund and FC Twente.
not every football club has an anthem, but i’d say the majority of big clubs have a song the fans will sing just prior to kickoff and at the 90 minute mark to finish out the match. they’re also sung in general when the team needs a pick me up or when the team is performing well. it’s the English equivalent of fans chanting USA, USA…
each team’s supporters will also have a repertoire of uplifting chants and songs for their own team, plus vulgar chants and songs they’ll sing to and about the other team, it’s players, the manager, and of course, the referee.
Football team fans have an array of songs - many are for their own team/history/players but there are many other songs - often crude but usually humorous that get chanted too. In answer to your question, the one that springs to mind is:
Can we play you
Can we play you
Can we play you every week?
Can we play you every week?
I forget the name of the melody - but you’ll know it when you hear it
There are very many songs sung at football matches, either generic ones sung by most clubs, songs specific to a specific club (you’ll never walk alone/Liverpool FC), or even songs specific to a player.
My club, Aston Villa, have a song which targets their traditional local rivals, Birmingham City (aka The Blues). They sing this song regardless of who they are playing.
To the tune of ‘Che sera sera’…
“When I was just a little boy
I asked my mother, what will I be.
Will I be Villa, Will I be Blues
Here’s what She said to me
Get your father’s gun
And shoot the City scum
For Villa are Number One,
Che sera sera.”
I also like the ing fans sing to the opposing fans, particularly fans known for sining who go quiet when they’re losing. Again to the tune of Guantamarera
“You only sing when you’re winning
Sing when you’re winning
You only sing when you’re winning”
One of the more robust was Man Utd’s ode to their well-liked South Korean player Park Ji-sung. Of course, it’s actually more of a dig at their Liverpudlian rivals
There is of course the classic Newcastle United song aimed at their bitter rivals in Sunderland. In fairness they were right, he has got a monkeys heed