After the not unusual sight of City fans swapping platitudes with the South Wales Police at Ninnies Park St Marys witnessed something much stranger as Citys fans welded the Burberry bags on each other. What caused this outbreak of lairiness one could ask? Well some put it down to fans blocking others views but it was more a case of how fans want to support the team.

For sometime away from home it is has been very apparent that there is some antagonism between Wurzel groups. There are quite distinct groups amongst BCFC support where some fans adopt a attitude of "I have paid as much as you to see the game and my money is a valuable contribution to the club and who cares if I am silent", "its up to the players to motivate the fans not us as they earn a million pounds a week" and "we are six nil down but if I continue bawling constantly we can still pull this out of the fire".

V Southampton the fans handbags inevitably finally came out as City put in a abject display on the pitch and off the pitch the atmosphere from 3200 was in stark contrast to the Managers call for 100% support. This rankled the "We are six nil down but if I continue bawling we can still pull this out of the fire" who simply could not understand how the "I have paid as much as you to see the game and my money is a valuable contribution to the club and who cares if I am silent", "its up to the players to motivate the fans not us as they earn a million pounds a week" and another group in the shape of the "If the players can't be bothered neither can I" along with the "I am passionate as any about my team but I am very very passionate in silence now f##k off" could not bring themselves to get behind the team by singing for a team in its highest position for over twenty five years.

This antipathy may have come as a shock to some but it is not new and there has been geniune frustration without the flying fisticuffs at Leicester, West Brom and Wolves and for many of the Great Red Tribe away games are a trial and not that enjoyable.

So how about something hardly radical but will keep most of polar opposites apart? Singing and non singing seats like on the graphic of St Marys above should become a part of City away support. Why not accept that fans are different and reflect this when selling tickets? Do nothing and bury heads up Colons and it will be pulling hair like St Marys again.

It may be hard for BCFC to accommodate as there are not many away ends with unreserved seating but it is a possible and practical approach. BCFC need to take a stance of "lets make this happen Chaps" instead of any "difficult to manage, administrative nightmare, our support is excellent, not necessary, I have a brick in my middle ear ..! It is hard to see how singing and non singing seats would NOT improve the vocal backing of the team and restore the feeling of we are all City fans no matter how loud or quiet we are. We have fans embarrassed by what they see as a lack of passion via vocal support and dislike being around those who are not like minded shouters. We have fans who genuinely do not like being round those who can't stop leaping up and down and roaring every time City cross the half way line like hyperactive children snorting additives. So lets have to the right blocks of the "we are six nil down but if I continue bawling we can still pull this out of the fire" and to the left blocks for all the rest and stop all this City v City shenanigans. It really could be that simple.

UP THE CITY