The Twelfth Man

It never ceases to amaze me- the loyalty of the Aberdeen support. I was a t Tynecastle at the weekend and despite our team being 4-1 down the majority stuck it out to the end and the off-field result was ever more conclusive than on-field. With some admirable members of the red army continuing to the final whistle with chants like: “Deveronvale sing more than you”

Yet these fans, who open their wallets to easily sell-out our allocation, make the long journey and then sing their hearts out for ninety, depressing, minutes go home disappointed. An embarrassing defeat which sees us fall from contention into the lowly bottom six. Is it any wonder then that our home attendances are slowly falling? And why does our travelling support remain arguably the country`s finest?

For me the answer to this first question lies with Pittodrie`s lack of atmosphere for many league matches, especially when facing the league`s weaker teams. When you combine this with the fact results are unpredictable maybe a Saturday afternoon could be better spent elsewhere. Take the recent encounter with Falkirk for example, 10399 supporters gave up their Saturday afternoon to see the dons slog out a 1-1 draw with the struggling Bairns, an adult sitting in the RDS or South stands would have paid £21 for that ticket! Money well spent?

In contrast to this our away support remains large and loyal. My explanation would be the guaranteed atmosphere in the away at end at say Tannadice, Easter Road or Tynecastle (3 of the stadiums I have visited this season while following Aberdeen) In all three of these games I have left disappointed but not deterred because despite the result, the away support was great to be a part of.

Perhaps if this atmosphere could be replicated at Pittodrie attendances would improve, or maybe more consistent performances are required? What do you think?

Are you a diehard fan who follows travels with the Red Army to all the away games?

ive us your thoughts on the reasons why there is such a great atmosphere anytime we play away as opposed to the Pittodrie “sweetie rustlers”.

Head to the Vital Aberdeen Forum and share your thoughts.