“Nah nah nah nah, Nah nah nah nah, Hey heyyyy…Goodbye!!!”
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ve always HATED that bloody song that Montreal fans use to taunt teams that come to Montreal and have the misfortune to lose.
Maybe I’m a dinosaur from a forgotten past…but I was taught to be neither a sore loser NOR a sore winner.
It is an embarrassment…and I hide my head in shame every time I hear it. If I am at home with someone who roots for the losing team…or I’m out somewhere taking in the game…or in a chat room “surrounded” by fans around the league…I can’t suppress the urge to apologize for the poor sportsmanship of my fellow Montrealers. Invariably someone sheepishly thanks me for my kindness.
And now…to make matters worse…they’ve taken to piping the childish taunt-music in at full volume…drowning the shame of anyone ugly enough to express the sentiment. I hope I’m not alone in this feeling…maybe a poll would be a better approach…but i just felt I had to say something.
No need to apologize! Montreal fans, except for the Habs, are not great fans! We already lost the Expos! I was out of Quebec for about 25 years, so I don't know exactly what happened there, but the fans surely stayed away in droves. Remember the Bronx Cheer during Leak's debut? I look at many NFL stadia with struggling teams and they're FULL - 80,000-100,000. Let the Als go into a bit of a losing streak to see if we continue having sellouts at Molson Stadium!
What you are adressing, however, is a thing called sportsmanship. The "Bird Dance" also has to stop as well as over-the-top end-zone celebrations. These, too, are taunting tactics. TDs can indeed be celebrated, but in a more professional manner. The League and the individual teams should fine players for doing such things. I no longer watch NHL hockey because of fighting. To me, that is the complete breakdown in discipline and sportsmanship, despite what Don Cherry thinks or says. Now, we have all seen "rowdies" at various sporting venues, but these could usually be explained away by overindulgence of their favourite beer.
Somehow, the world seems to have drifted into "extreme sports" (if you can call them sports!). Anything that is over the top, bizarre, "out there" seems to pack 'em in! I guess a well-disciplined team moving the ball systematically down the field is not exciting enough for some people. I like the "Oskee wee-wee, oskee wah-wah" cheer in Hamilton. Some might consider that corny, but it is an old cheer and absolutely football-appropriate; not over-the-top, either. I would hope that the Als ownership would put something about demeanour on their website, teach a good cheer for the fans, and otherwise help to "educate" them. That, at least, would be a "touch of class". That's my opinion on the matter.
I agree that the fighting in the NHL should be offside. His Worship, Dalton McGuinty has just approved the OK for extreme fighting in Ontario. He is desperate for tax money which the Province needs because of the stupid spending of this government! Too bad about the Expos- I think the sixty cent dollar had something to do with their demise.
The nah, nah nah thing dates back (believe it or not!) to a number composed by the James Last orchestra. The words have "good bye" in them. Translated to sports, it's an insult to the other team meaning - "get outta here - you're toast!".
On the other hand, the ole ole thing is more attuned to soccer and is heard in many soccer stadia, particularly in Europe. I don't think it has exactly the same level of vitriol that the nah, nah, nah thing does. Further, it's the custom for soccer fans to sing in almost all of the European soccer leagues. In this sense, Montreal, being a predominantly French-speaking city having affinities to France, it's not unusual for the fans to sing. BUT I would much prefer that they sing something with a little more class.
Yes but...elegance aside..."We will rock you" takes the form of a threat...or a promise.
It's not a post/victory picking of one's nose at the opposition.
Or "farting in their general direction"
I never cared much for the chant either. It is completely out of sync with the image of humility our team and coach present and frankly comes across as a little weak and arrogant.
it's the way of the world!! a result of the baby boomers after WW2!! and it will only get better(?)!! american inner cities that offer choices that far to often lead down that path of prison!! the jackson family & guzman family among others have unfortunately gone down that path of destruction!! it's called GREED fueled by addiction!!
I hate that chant! I always thought it was more of a Canadians/hockey thing. I find it aggressive and condescending. The atmosphere at hockey games can get very aggressive. In my experience, the atmosphere at football games can be intense, but there is usually a respect for the opponent. The chant should be thrown in the garbage, or left to the Bell Center crowd...
yes north side to the right near the end zone near the old clubhouse where the mcgill scoreboard is now!! plus the majorettes which were the fore runners of today’s cheerleaders!!