Ban the hooters. A fan calls for singing, not hooting.

Last updated : 16 May 2003 By Michael Morris

Huw says ban them hooters
I think I can safely speak for all Cardiff fans when I say that Sunday, May 25th will be the biggest single occasion for all of us - unless, of course, there will be one or two present on that day who also made it to Wembley in 1927 !

I was there for Real Madrid, Man City, Leeds - and any other single occasion you'd care to mention over the past 35 years. I was there at Cambridge when we drew with 8 men, I was there for Aldershot's last game when the couple of thousand of us on the Bob Bank had a bucket collection for the soon to be
defunct opposition, and then cheered them on their final lap of honour around Ninian. I've seen, and idolised Tosh, Brian Clark, Ian Gibson, Bill Irwin, Willie Anderson, Tony Evans, Adrian Alston, Jimmy Gilligan, Phil Dwyer, Dave Bennett, Jason Perry, Carl Dale, Phil Stant, Chris Pike and Nathan Blake. But nothing, in all that time, has got me as excited as the occasion of May 25th will be.

I've been to the "Arms Park" before to watch City - Rhyl, Wrexham and Hednesford in the Welsh Cup Final. 50 scousers in t shirts screaming "Sunny Rhyl" was all very nice - but hardly a valid comparison with the atmosphere that 30,000+ equally fervent QPR fans will be helping to create on the 25th along with a similar number of my fellow Cardiff fans. I've been to the Arms Park/ MillStad to see Wales play (and beat) Italy, Germany and Brazil. I was there for the ill fated Romanian game. Great atmosphere every time - but very much a one way thing with few opposition supporters. Never before will I have been to the MillStad following my team, the team I've followed up and down the country since the 60's, playing a big, competitive game against a good team whose supporters will make up almost half of the crowd.

It's going to be immense. But for those of you who've been to the MillStad, with me, for some of the more recent games, there is one thing which I'm sure all of you acknowledge is a huge downer on the day - not the sound of wet rubber squeaking, not the sound of chalk screeching on a blackboard, not even the nerve annoying noise of teeth being gnashed in your partner's sleep - but a noise far more insidious, unnecessary and downright pain inducing than all of these noises put together - that spine cutting, brain frazzling cacophony of bloody horns that permeates every other moment at the MillStad these days.

Cardiff City are a singing club - we sang our boys to victory at Ashton Gate (and at various pubs and clubs and homes throughout South Wales and beyond) earlier this week, and our boys got to where they are WITHOUT the accompaniment of a thousand frenzied klaxons. For the sake of our nerves,
our migraines and our general sanity on the 25th, let alone the support our players receive from us, can I implore the powers that be to ban those hooters from the ground on the 25th.

I haven't yet heard a voice of discord to my plea - everyone I've discussed this with over the past few days are a 100% with me (and many of these people include young kids who are traditionally the worst perpetrators) - on the 25th, we don't want any hooters at the MillStad.

So win, lose or draw, let's enjoy our "day in the sun" without that dreadful
high pitched cacophony - Hooters Oot!