Well, I remember Thierry Henry being given a standing ovation (during and after the game) by the Stadium of Light on the final day of the 2002-03 season. But I suppose it's easier to be generous of spirit when the player you are applauding has scored more goals in 38 matches than your whole team put together... http://www.guardian.co.uk/foot...ch.sport10

Not sure that using West Ham fans as an example is fair on the rest of us. They are not generally known for their sympathetic tone towards even their own players, let alone the opposition.

Oldham generously applauded Norwich at Carrow Road this Saturday, Crewe couldn't have been more accommodating to the Canaries when we played them in our last game before Premier promotion in 2004 at Gresty Road (they applauded our goals and let us invade the pitch at full time), and our home fans applauded every one of Arsenal's four goals when they took us apart at Carrow Road a few months later.

Chivalry is not completely dead Mr Plenderleith; one just has to look in the right places.

I am genuinely cheered to hear that.

I thought for once that West Ham could be used as an example without the usual comments but, oh know, underneath in these comments someone had to have a go.

Well considering the warm, sometimes damn right hot, receptions that certain ex-players get, i don't think West Ham are that bad. Plus i can remember a Sheffield Wednesday team teraing us apart for our second 4-0 defeat in a week about ten years back. Benito Carbine however (admittedly through the fans scarfs, hats and one season ticket being launched on the pitch) managed to gain a standing ovation for his performance.

It would only be the london teams and man utd that do not get the standing ovations, just like Norwich would never ever give a former Ipswich man a standing ovation. Sorry if West Ham just have a few more rivals than you.

But no, due to the Paul Ince thing which other people still think we should let go (he was in another teams shirt, no matter what anyone says, they would hate the man for just as long) and the quite frankly (no pun intended) excaggerated Frank Lampard story of our fans, we will forever be known as the team that boos its own and opposition players.,

I was quite surprised to hear the large number of cheers at Gary Neville pulling up. But I suppose he's never really endeared himself to supporters of any club other than his own, despite his 85 caps playing very reliably for England. I wouldn't expect a similar reaction to someone like Evra, Fletcher or Valencia.

It would be easy to put it down to the unending hype machine of the modern Premier League, so I will. But I feel longstanding supporters of lower league sides generally have a more balanced approach due to being made numb by year after year of disappointment. Still, I think Robbie Savage pulling up injured would be cheered at pretty much any ground in the country...

I remember United fans giving an ovation when Real Madrid ripped them apart at OT a few seasons back. I even remember us Enfield fans applauding the performance of a Barnet keeper back in the 80s! For those that don't know Enfield/Barnet is the greatest rivalry in the world of football. Yes.

Jimmy Bullard was given a sympathetic hand on Saturday when he went off against Villa.

I wonder if this is a trait of the higher league, or larger crowds, crowds where you are more anonymous among the many?

At the games we've been to this season, there's never been more than about 3000 fans, in fact mostly only hundreds and there are examples of corinthian spirit in almost every game. These are games where you can hear what the players say, what the ref says, what the fans say. There have been some unsavoury/annoying moments, of course, but they are in the minority compared to generous applause for the opposition when they do well. Indeed, we have even seen benches clapping at opposition goals/moves etc.

The anonymity of the larger crowd is less evident lower down the pyramid and fans aren't afforded the protection of the masses. Having said that, we have had less than Corinthian dealings with the hierarchy of certain teams this season and if the clubs themselves can't uphold such values, why should the fans bother?

Ta, Damon.

"God forbid that you fail to respond to an opposition player within hearing distance by not screaming abuse at him or making an obscene gesture. That would be shocking proof that you just don't care enough."

It seems that no matter where I sit at the football I always end up with a loudmouth prick like this behind me. I get more annoyed at his complete suspension of any reasonable judgement where refereeing decisions are concerned though.

If one of our team lynches an opponent, it's always a fair tackle, and any referee who suggests otherwise is subject to five minutes of solid, shouty abuse. Meanwhile the cleanest tackle by an opponent will have him screaming for a red card like the weedy kid in the playground running to teacher.

As well as wishing he'd just grow up for God's sake, I always wonder quite where the attraction lies in paying 20 quid to experience nothing but raw anger for 90 minutes. He derives no pleasure when we score, has no appreciation of positive play by either side, and still goes home whinging if we win. What's the point?

A few seasons back Steve Kabba turned out for Grimsby Town in a match a Bramall Lane. He was magnificent, and when he was subbed late into the game all four sides of the ground rose to give him a standing ovation. A few weeks later he signed for the Blades.

It spreads further than simply not acknowledging good play. I was at Fulham v Man Utd a couple of years back and 4 Japanese students had gone in the home end. When Man Utd scored they celebrated. For this crime they were escorted out of the ground. I asked a steward why, the answer was to prevent a fight. So the offence is not to strike someone, as in every other walk of life, but to do something that might encourage it. The fact that fans are so partizan they can't even stand for someone to cheer in the 'wrong' section of the ground upset my dad enough to send a letter of complaint to FFC, which is probably filed in a land fill site somewhere. Mind you it turns out the stewards were right because at the Fulham V Roma game, Roma scored a last minute goal where a fan in the 'wrong' section celebrated (his English Fulham friend had brought him) and was punched and wrestled to the floor by a seemingly well to do middle age man in glasses and a suit. It is a sad reality of football now that celebrating a goal scored by the other team is akin to calling someone's mum a whore while flashing them.
That said, the Crewe game mentioned earlier by a Norwich fan stands out because the Crewe fans actually made the effort of staying behind to clap the Canaries and join in the party, and clap the soon to be leaving Iwan Roberts in his final game after he bagged two goals.

Here are further examples of your point from League 1.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/charlton_athletic/8400297.stm

Deco was given a standing ovation when substituted earlier this season at the SOL. The Chelsea staff in the boardroom apparently commented that it would never happen to a visiting player at Stamford Bridge. As did a few of their "lads" in the pub afterwards.
Alex Sabella also recieved asimilar farewell when subbed with a few minutes to go while losing 6-1 against us for Sheff Utd at Roker. He thoroughly deserved it as his still remains the greatest outfield visiting performance Ive seen at either of our places.
I dont think weve ever had anyone good enough to be applauded off by our fans never mind the oppositions.

On the final day of the 2000-01 season Liverpool played away at Charlton having just completed their historic cup treble the Wednesday before. After a comfortable 4-0 win the Liverpool players celebrated with the 3 trophies in front of their supporters and then preceeded to walk past all 3 home stands acknowledging the Charlton fans applause.

Whilst some Wednesday fans are no paragons of virtue, (especially when it comes to ex-Blades) Chris Brunt received an almost rapturous welcome back from with West Brom last week (unforunately for us, the players also gave him a nice welcome; the freedom of our defence) and Dion Dublin was visibly taken aback for 4 sides of Hillsborough chanting his name as he was subbed off in his last ever game for Norwich having announced his retirement from playing.

I am often criticised by my son for being "too neutral" by acknowledging good opposition play and commenting on tackles as I see them rather than through blinkered spectacles. He is a Dunfermline fan and we have witnessed three Cup Final defeats to Celtic but we have stayed to watch Celtic lift the trophy on each occasion and applauded their players. One of the reasons for this change in behaviour is the introduction of segregation. I understand that because of serious hooligan problems segregation was felt necessary but in truth it could be abandoned for all but a few teams especially in Scotland where crowds are generally quite low. My football supporting education was on the old terraces at Firhill (Partick Thistle) which I suppose was a desperate football education but mingling with opposition fans meant you could support your team but had to accept that they had a right to support theirs. It also prevented all but the seriously stupid from commenting on any play too outrageously. Points were debated sometimes feverishly but other than on very rare occasions punches were not thrown. Mobile police within the crowd soon spotted likely problems brewing and nipped them in the bud. In some ways segregation bolsters the mob mentality whereas integration fosters a more accepting culture. One of the most ridiculous examples of segragation occurs in Dundee. Dundee has two football teams with loyal supporters but it is not a divided city so an the occasions when the teams meet supporters travel into town together, drink together, get seperated for the duration of the match and then meet up again afterwards. Obviously Dundee has its nutters like any place else and some people will take things too far but the more we set the game up as "us v them" by seperating fans the more the poison of the mob will spread. I read recently that one team was bringing back a mixed stand for families. (Can't remember who). Let's hope it is a success.

Gianfranco Zola scored one of the best goals ever against Shrewsbury, in an FA Cup game at the old Gay Meadow. When he came to play in an exhibition match to open the new stadium he was greeted with rapturous applause by Shrewsbury fans.

I think Chelsea fans applauded him the first time he took West Ham to Stamford Bridge.

Generally there is an acknowledgement among lower league fans when other teams' players are good. I'll often hear someone as they flick through a programme going "Shit, he's a good player, shit, he's a good player, we're in for it today."

Or maybe that's just at Shrewsbury.