Timbers Tid Bits: Timbers Army Edition

There’s nothing in it that’s factually inaccurate. It’s just written in such a way as to try to stir up controversy where there isn’t anything to be stirred up. Everything referred to in the article between the TA and the Timbers has been addressed, and both sides seem really happy with where things are at the moment.

I kind of cringe at writing that seemingly suggests that the TA is an anarchistic group that’s all about punk fashion, as this article does towards the end of the interview with Goldman-Armstrong .
For myself and my friends the TA is a place where you can stand and get rowdy while watching a soccer game, not make political/fashion statements.

POre came across a little bitter. not sure if it was the context he was going for or , if it was written for him to seem like he no longer feels part of the Timbers

and as a foil:
Whitecaps fandemonium reaches fever pitch

One is closer to the truth than the other.

and also found it interesting and a little bit disappointing.. For some reason I never heard of the logo change (or barely noticed) and thought the older version was fine, but agree it looks better now as well. Even still, most shocking was the comments by players and other anonymous people that said they thought the Timbers Army “held too much power”.. as The_Rel said, it’s a good thing, not a bad thing that the fans have so much input since we’re their primary source of revenue! It’s like going to a restaurant, asking for say, a steak to be cooked medium rare, and then be brought out a charred hunk of meat, sending it back, with the cook throwing up his hands and saying “Ugh! The customer has too much power! How dare they!”

I also kind of detest the way they depict some TA members as some sort of exclusive club that you’re not allowed to be part of if you only started following the club post 2005 or whatever. This isn’t Green Street Hooligans and we shouldn’t be trying to be that, either. TA should be thankful people want to be part of them (I thought the motto was “If you want to be Timbers Army, then you already are”?) and for the most part, I’ve found guys in those sections when I’ve sat there to be very welcoming, although I’ve been following the club and going to games since about 08 or so (I moved here in December 2006) and got into soccer along with following the international game at that time, which spurred my interest.

It’s one of those things I hate about sports: stupid fan culture. “I’m more a fan than you are because I’ve been following the team since 2001!” “I know more players than you do and more history!” Why does it have to be a pissing match about how hardcore you are? If you love the team, you’re a fan. Keep it simple.

Trying to ignore, but it’s hard to not get offended. They’re trying to offend, and are doing a great job. Disappointed with Pore’s comments; didn’t we sing for him enough? Maybe he’s bitter about being loaned? Plain and simple, Ryan, you weren’t up to MLS snuff.
And this just came to me…if we were secretly pulling the strings, wouldn’t we have traded Cooper? Just sayin’

WW is probably just trying to get a response. Ruffling feathers can be really effective (see Canzano, John or any number of conservative talk show hosts), especially for an alternative weekly.

One of the annoying things about Portland culture is the way people create and play up any social, cultural or moral high ground in the things they do (captured pretty well at times in Portlandia). I’m sure it’s there in some individuals, but I’ve never experienced that with TA, and the Army certainly can’t be generalized that way.

It’s not like the TA is organizing bare knuckle brawling at the Bitter End Pub. None of the WW article was news. It’s the faux hipster version of Canzano’s column back in March. People will browse through it while they sip coffee somewhere and then forget about it as soon as they check their Twitter feed. It’s nothing.