Tomorrow is shaping up to be a really critical day for GB. On our half of the draw Kazakhstan are 2-0 up v Australia. On the other side of the draw Argentina are 2-0 up against Serbia and Belgium are 2-0 up against Canada. If they both progress, Argentina v Belgium would be played in Argentina.

Jeff Stelling wrote:

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Thought the French outsung the English first up, but were muted second time around. Hardly surprising considering the tone of the two matches.

Shame the chanting on the GB side remains as banal as ever ("Let's go Wardy, let's go" ad nauseam). Those lads starting that "Christ he's a sidewinder, he's a....Sarasota king" song about Ward deserve a medal for ingenuity (think it was a Chili Peppers tune, maybe Parallel Universe).

They certainly didn't deserve a load of part-timers turning around and whispering to each other that the song made no sense. The one that had something about "He's been no great shakes in the club at West Lakes" certainly needed a bit of work.

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 erm, I was there.  The 'let's go Wardy let's go' Chants weren't frequent, there were plenty others. AND we made as much noise as possible but most of it came from the EAST stand where 95% of GENUINE FANS  are located.   The North and South stands (service ends) occasionally clapped, cheered and waved flags but in the main show considerable reserve.

You have to bear in mind BBC bias.   I've been gonig to DC for donkeys years and without fail the BBC will show all or any of (a) overseas fans (b) empty seats (c) people pulling faces and not cheering - just as the home side has lost a point and (d) NEVER A BUNCH OF DEDICATED FANS CHEERING ON THE GB TEAM LIKE CRAZY. 

The only way to verify this is to be at the next DC tie in person and see for yourself.  Instead of moaning about the support I suggest you get off your armchair and book a ticket before you make sweeping criticisms about the fans who follow the GB team year in, year out.  And that goes for a lot of others on this forum ... not just the guy whose post I quoted.

 

I think the most important thing is not how innovative the chants are (that can be fun, of course, but takes some co-ordination) but how much noise the fans make in general. Whenever I've been with the AMFF group (i.e. daisy's group), they've been great, as have the Stirling Uni barmy army, but there have always been swathes of the crowd sitting there pretty inanimate. That's their right of course, but it is annoying how often the TV cameras focus on the negative side.

Actually, the loudest tennis fan I've ever heard is lankster from AMFF - unbelievable! I was standing next to him in Coventry when we beat Russia and I was completely hoarse after the tie yet I could tell that as loud as I was shouting, I wasn't getting anywhere close to his decibel level.

steven wrote:

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I think the most important thing is not how innovative the chants are (that can be fun, of course, but takes some co-ordination) but how much noise the fans make in general. Whenever I've been with the AMFF group (i.e. daisy's group), they've been great, as have the Stirling Uni barmy army, but there have always been swathes of the crowd sitting there pretty inanimate. That's their right of course, but it is annoying how often the TV cameras focus on the negative side.

Actually, the loudest tennis fan I've ever heard is lankster from AMFF - unbelievable! I was standing next to him in Coventry when we beat Russia and I was completely hoarse after the tie yet I could tell that as loud as I was shouting, I wasn't getting anywhere close to his decibel level.

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I concur.  Our friend Lankster is so loud and has such a distinctive accent, that when I am watching on TV, I can still pick out his voice in the crowd from time to time.  He is a great guy.

It's the empty chairs that is the most upsetting.

I know people have said it about Wimbledon too but it seems to me far more relevant for Davis Cup where home support is so critical.

What about a rule that if the seat was not occupied half an hour after the start of the match then it could be re-sold (at a major discount) to people queuing outside. Or maybe by the end of the first set (to create the least disruption)

At the end of that match, they would have to leave and the same rule would apply for the next match. (would take a bit of monitoring - not quite sure how best it would work).

So lucky loser people, so to speak, would know when to come and queue.

The original owners of the tickets would know that if they're more than 30 mins late/even longer if it were end of the first set, they've blown that match (but can still come to the next one).

Hmmm. Not wholly convinced - but trust Leon Smith's judgement, whichever way it goes.

Interesting dilemma for Australia following the Groth/Hewitt win in doubles: go back to the young players? Or put in older ones who may not be as highly ranked (in Hewitt's case) but are battle hardened?

My first reaction was that Andy should be rested.

But then, I can't see Wardy beating Tsonga in a final rubber. I thought he might have a chance against him if he had played him on the first day, but both would be very fired up in a deciding rubber, and I think I'd be more afraid of Tsonga fired up than James, in spite of his earlier heroic endeavours. If Jamie and Dom won the doubles it wouldn't matter, but it seems safer to play Andy and have a better chance of winning the doubles. If we don't win the doubles we are pretty certain to lose the tie.

So on balance I think winning the doubles is more crucial than Andy being tired on Sunday. Even tired he has a chance of winning.