Minutes applause at Gretna game

[tm4tj]

Official site is stating there will be a minutes applause in memory of Phil O'Donnell at tomorrows game :clapping03:

[+CaleyD]

It's all getting a bit out of hand IMO, the club paid it's respects at the Aberdeen game and it's time to move on.

[Johnboy]

It's all getting a bit out of hand IMO, the club paid it's respects at the Aberdeen game and it's time to move on.

I agree...

Perhaps the idea is to allow the 30 or 40 Gretna fans an opportunity to pay their respects....

[Dmacca]

Is it just me? personally I get pissed off with this minutes applause thing, why all of a sudden cant we pay our respects the correct way (IMO) minutes silence.

Every thing in life is noise, its easier to be noisy than silent, be quiet and reflect.

Phil O'D no disrespect meant in bringing this opinion up.

[The Mantis]

Perhaps the idea is to allow the 30 or 40 Gretna fans an opportunity to pay their respects....

Never realised it was such a big game for Gretna.

[+The_Sponge]

Maybe the club thought it would be a good idea to enable those fans who couldn't make it to the game in Aberdeen to pay their respects?

[davieB]

Applause is *****, and, on Wednesday, I didn't think it had anything like the mark of respect a minutes silence would've had.

It's just pandering to the knobheads who're incapable of staying silent for a minute.

[tm4tj]

Agreed that all spl clubs will do it.

official link

[Proctor]

Its only been a week, if they wanted us to do it next week then mabye its too far but his funeral was only today.

[Guest TinCanFan]

I'm not really a fan of these minutes applauses.  Is it really too much to ask for some moron to keep his mouth shut for one minute?

[+L_G]

I received an e-mail from the club advising me of the minute's applause.  It is at the request of the SPL as there were a lot of teams who didn't have the chance to show their respect on Wednesday.  The teams will also wear black armbands.

I think a minute's applause is quite fitting for someone so young and so popular.  Heartbreaking to see his wife and young family arriving at the funeral today. 

Don't think it's too much to ask that we take a minute out of our day to recognise him. I happily joined in when we were in Aberdeen and will do so again with pride tomorrow.

[Guest TinCanFan]

I see Brewster was at the funeral today.

[Alex MacLeod]

Along with representatives from every other club in the country.

As for the clapping v silence....I believe that was a family request and its happening again tomorrow to allow the six teams who didn't play on wed to express their respects.

[TomCaleyJag]

I'm surprised that the club is having the minutes applause after Wednesday.

Personally whevever I see there is going to be a minutes applause it makes you see what a sad state the game is in. They can't trust a few morons to keep quiet for a minute. Its not the SPLs fault its the people who couldn't honour people's memories in previous silences.  :020:  Makes you sad that football fans can't be trusted :33: :33:

[Guest TinCanFan]

It takes a really sad individual to shout something during a minutes silence.

[Mrs Pauliebee]

I see it as a way of celebrating a life rather than blocking out morons!

It's a chance for the fans to give a final round of applause to the player, and celebrate who they were and what they achieved.

I quite like the applause.

Mrs PB

[TomCaleyJag]

It takes a really sad individual to shout something during a minutes silence.

Yeah mate but the sad thing is its happened. Quite a lot of times

[Scotty]

Dont see what the problem is ...... on any level

Personally, I prefer a minute's silence myself, especially when it is observed by all and then followed by deafening noise as everyone applauds everyone else for being respectful, but apparently the O'Donnell family preferred to have applause in memory of Phil and as far as I am concerned, the wishes of the family would always over-ride my preference as a fan. so that should remove the argument about silence/applause.

As for doing it tomorrow as well as a few days ago. As has been pointed out, the funeral was only today (streamed live on the BBC website I might add) and so many players/teams will still feel quite emotional and want to mark his passing on a traditional football day (ie. a Saturday). Add to that the fact that a number of teams did not play on Wednesday, and for those that did, their fans might not have made it to a midweek game so its only fitting that the whole of the SPL does it tomorrow.

Even if you blow the last paragraph away, the other thing to consider is that the current tenants of Fir Park - who are our opponents tomorrow - are likely to have encountered Phil at some point this season both on and off the park and because their game was postponed on Wednesday, none of them - or their fans, whether 40 or 400 - have had the chance to pay their respects.

[+jagster]

I agree - it's a sad reflection on the times that a minutes silence is rarely adhered to and spoiled by a minority, however I think the minutes applause is how they've done it abroad for quite a few years and I think it's applause in celebration of someone's life which I've always thought thought was quite a good idea,

Celebrate the memory

[Caley Mad In Berks]

Going off at a slight tangent, I'm surprised the Motherwell v Celtic game has been called off.  In my book, what better tribute could there have been than for these two clubs, for whom Phil played most of his football, to jointly remember him and celebrate his career . Re the minute's silence re applause issue, I'm for the silence.

[tm4tj]

Called off pretty quickly.  I have no problems with any of the games being called off and I have no issues with the applause either.  Quite frankly people should surely accept what is being asked of them without question.  We are talking about the SPL asking clubs to have a minutes applause for a decent pro and a decent human being and great husband and father to four children.  I for one will be doing whichever is asked of me without question and I fully expect everyone else to do the same.  Remember, it is not the club asking this, it is the SPL asking for this to be carried out as a mark of respect for a well respected fellow professional.  I am also certain that if they had asked for a minutes silence it would have been observed impeccably throughout Britain.

[davieB]

  Quite frankly people should surely accept what is being asked of them without question.    I for one will be doing whichever is asked of me without question and I fully expect everyone else to do the same.  .

Not aware that anyone has said any different have they?

[tm4tj]

Hold on till I read over the previous posts again.  I am getting the impression that one or two are not reading the article on the official site but pointing the finger at the club for asking the fans to applaud again.  Amongst this I have put my own slant on what I would do and I expect every other rational human being will do.  carry out the SPL ask, it's not difficult.

[+CaleyD]

I will honour the request, but when it comes to rationality I would say that the constant need to force people to pay respect to someone who they barely knew isn't exactly rational.

If the SPL intended to hold a minutes applause tomorrow then they shouldn't have requested it last week...are we to expect another minutes applause next week when Motherwell and Celtic are back playing just so everyone can join in as a whole then too?

Where do you draw the line?

[TheresNoEsInBlack]

Dont see what the problem is ...... on any level

Personally, I prefer a minute's silence myself, especially when it is observed by all and then followed by deafening noise as everyone applauds everyone else for being respectful, but apparently the O'Donnell family preferred to have applause in memory of Phil and as far as I am concerned, the wishes of the family would always over-ride my preference as a fan. so that should remove the argument about silence/applause.

Well said Scotty.  Generally a really negative thread this :(

The way I see it from what I've learned about Phil O'Donnell this week is that the applause is celebrating his life and what he stood for, namely the love of his family, football and the way in which fans from all clubs have come together to mourn someone who by all accounts was a top guy.  These are all things everyone can relate to.

Its a minute of our lives, just get on with it!  I can't believe folk have even discussed the issue it to this extent because the reasons for having it are so feckin obvious!!