Booing achieves nothing
22/10/05 | by Mark Millar

As a Forest Fan, I truly felt the lowest of lows on April 9 earlier this year. Our relegation wasn't statistically confirmed, but when Plymouth Argyle's third goal rippled into the back of the net, the City Ground crowd's reaction told me all I needed to know: We were going down.

I am ever the optimist when it comes to my beloved Forest, people snigger at the mere suggestion that we could still win the League One championship this season, and yet I fully believe we still have as much of a shout as anyone. Yes, maybe it is unrealistic that I suggest that we can still walk away with this league, and perhaps there is more chance of pigs flying than Johnno bagging 40 goals without breaking a sweat, but I can hope can't I?

But that fateful day I had lost all hope. Chants of "You’re not fit to wear the shirt" rang through my ears, and told me the one thing I hadn't believed, not even for a second during that whole torried 04/05 campaign – that we were on our way too the third tier of English Football, and there wasn't a thing you or I could do about it. 

It does make me wonder though, did the "not fit too wear the shirt" chants really help anyone? After all it was that very chant that caused the last drop of hope I had of surviving to fade away and cause me to start looking at maps for Blackpool and Milton Keynes. So what's to say the players hadn't given up hope? I mean, when even your own supporters have given up, what is there too inspire you?

I have listened to several fellow Trickies give their reasons for booing, and no doubt they do have a good point when they say that we, as fans, spend hundreds of pounds each year on supporting the club, and therefore have the right to vent our frustrations, and indeed they are right. As supporters of Nottingham Forest who shell out our hard-earned cash on a faltering club on a regular basis, we have every right to tell the players and staff at the club, exactly what we think of them.

But my point is, what good is it doing really? Do any of the so-called "Boo Boys" really think their booing is going to inspire the players to victory? Of course it isn't. It tears into a players morale and kills their spirit. It takes away their self-belief and, nine times out of ten, results in another humiliating defeat.

Take the Swindon match as an example. Yes, we were pretty bad that day, but for the first half we looked to be the team that was always going to win. Not even the pissing rain and uncovered stands were going to put a downer on our day and during the first half our supporters were superb, even after we fell a goal behind. We quickly hit back and by half time looked as if we would come back out and gain victory. Instead Swindon got a second goal and our fans quickly turned against the players, the very same fans who had chanted us back into the game after the first goal. 

It's an old, very overused cliché, but I do believe we are the "twelfth man", particularly at home. And I do honestly believe we can win this division with our current cop of players, but only if we have that "twelfth man" there with us, because as soon as we turn against the players, you can bet your last pound that the day will end in only one way. Defeat.

Believe in your side and cheer them on – try it for a change, you never know, you might actually enjoy watching Forest for once!