Manchester City fans have recently adopted the celebration of Lech Poznan. They turn their backs on the game, link arms and bounce up and down.
In doing so, they have created a new celebration that is taking over Eastlands. It has been nick-named ‘doing the Poznan’ and has become increasingly popular in English football this year. But the phenomenon of mass crowd hopping has been popular in Europe for a while.
I have heard people bemoan Manchester City fans for this. They have said that City have resorted to copying other clubs’ celebrations because they are not used to winning and so have to learn new celebrations to go with their new found success.
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But, I think that is a bit harsh. Fair enough, they may have copied Lech Poznan, but for good reason. Any act that unites the supporters and gets them excited is a good thing. After all, the louder a crowd, the bigger advantage a side has at home.
No team owns a celebration. It was not so long ago that fans, all over the country, were chanting ‘easy-easy-easy’ while clapping their hands above their heads. This can hardly be said to be original to any team as it was a ‘Soccer AM’ dance. The point is that all crazes start somewhere, I am glad that this new one has brought new excitement to a game of football.
But Manchester City fans still have a long way to go before they can say they rival the Polish side in terms of sheer dedication.
Lech Poznan fans are some of the most committed in the world. Their ultras have pre-season warm ups, where they meet to practice their songs and dances.
For those who have not yet seen it, here is a video of such a ‘workshop’. The game is between Lech Poznan U-12’s and Tottenham U-12’s.
(wait until the 2min mark to really see it take off)
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I can’t believe the young kids seem so un-phased by what is going on around them, but I can assure you this video is not edited.
Tottenham themselves have created a reputation that White Hart Lane is an intimidating place for teams to travel to. This is in part due to the loud and passionate support. But even a 35,000 strong crowd singing “Oh when the Spurs…. Go marching in…” cannot rival the level of intimidation that the flairs and flags of Lech Poznan create.
Sadly, I doubt it will be long before this celebration gets banned in England as it clearly represents a health risk. Look at this video below to see the effect ‘ground-hopping’ can have on the infrastructure of a stadium.
[youtube Xfuc3nk5sA8]
So, while Man City might be ‘doing the Poznan’ they are really performing a watered-down and relatively tame version of the ‘Poznan’, this celebration is nowhere near the best in Europe, in terms of passion, commitment or craziness.
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