Speaking on Kammy and Ben’s Proper Football Podcast, Mark Noble has been speaking about how football fans have changed.
Noble has seen it all during his playing career. He played for West Ham for almost two decades, and he’s noticed a lot of change over that time.
Sadly, Noble is of the opinion that fans are getting worse and having more of an influence due to the press and due to social media, suggesting that extreme opinions are getting more airtime these days.
Noble actually pointed towards some recent discussions he’s heard about Jurgen Klopp’s future at Liverpool, stating that he’s heard some fans calling for the German to leave Anfield amid the Reds’ poor run of form – labelling these supporters as ‘madmen’.
Noble on football fandom
The West Ham legend discussed how fans have gotten worse in his opinion.
“Kammy, the crowds over the years have gotten worse. Now they pick the managers and the team at times because of the press and because of social media,” Noble said.
“There are high and lows for every manager at every club. You get some lunatics right now saying that Jurgen Klopp should leave, what sort of madman says something like that?” Noble said.
Too many voices
The main problem with football fans isn’t that fanbases are changing, it’s that controversial opinions get so much more traction due to the nature of social media.
If one or two high-profile Liverpool fans tweet that Klopp should go, thousands upon thousands of replies will be generated arguing the issue, but, at the end of the day, that original tweet is what will be seen on many people’s timelines.
These outlandish opinions are nothing new, but in this social media era, they’re highlighted so much more.
Noble is right, you have to be crazy to want Klopp gone if you’re a Liverpool supporter.
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