Thetownend.com

Here's something I've noticed...

When I first went to the county ground about 10 years ago I used to here chants from our supporters identifying themselves as west country. Since I've been going again in the last few seasons I never hear these chants anymore. You know the ones I'm thinking of - West country la la la and fight, fight wherever you may be, we are the boys of the west country etc.

Do our supporters no longer wish to see themselves as part of the west country? Do they not like the ruralness that maybe they would think that implies?

We still sing them nearly every game, especially away from home.

Well I had a season ticket in the town end last season and I didn't hear this. By "we" do you mean you and one or two mates?

I have definately heard this in the town end last season.

Are we west country at all?

Nope, we are South Midlands.

South Midlands, la la la

Hmmm. Strange I have not. I usually take note of whats being sung epecially if its unusual eg. there was one game in particular where some of the old oxford songs were sung like "If I had the wings of a sparrow..." and "Turn the Manor Ground into a public lavatory..." That chant is so retro. Not only are oxford not in the league anymore but that ground hasn't existed for years!! :soapy tit wank:

Are you serious?

A lot of people in the South West don't consider Wiltshire a part of the West Country: 'Thames Valley' and all that.

I consider Wiltshire a part of The West Country.

I'd say Wiltshire is definitely part of the West Country. It's a largely rural West Country county is it not? OK so it's not as far West as Bristol but the accent and slang is still a bit West Country.

Do a fair amount of people see us more grouped in with Oxford and Reading than Bristol, Chippenham and Bath? I guess economically we are, what with the M4 corridor thing but not geographically surely? Going by a train journey on the London line I see it as Swindon is the first West Country stop, then Chippenham, Bath and Bristol then you get to Wales. Going the other way Reading is getting towards London way.

We are West in terms of regional TV.

I consider Wiltshire to be in the West County, because it's in the West Country :)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d6/Westcountrymap.png

I've heard both West Country songs at every away game I've been to this season. Not so much at home, but then I've barely heard any singing at home. So I think it's a bit of a null question really

Justified! Yeah like I was saying Swindon is at the beginning of the West Country pretty much if you're travelling West. None of this South Midlands bollocks!

To be fair the only away game I've been to this season has been Rovers.

I have heard singing at home games. Less so when Malpas was here. I was talking about over the last 3 seasons tho anyway.

Well it would have been pretty damn silly to sing West Country la la la at Rovers

Thats true. I went to Millwall and Bournemouth the season before and didn't hear it. Used to hear it at home games too.

Maybe it's your hearing that's the problem? Have you tried having your ears syringed? :)

To be fair my hearing isn't great due to years of going out raving right next to big sound systems. But I still think think these chants don't get sung very often at home games. Maybe its due to where I stand in the ground. You def don't get the whole town end singing them or surely I'd notice.

We've definitely sung we are the boys of the west country at home. Most of last season there was hardly any chanting though, but towards the end the Town End was getting its mojo back.

All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, Swindon rule the west country. And Oxford rule Fuck all, Fuck all, Fuck all, Fuck all.

That's still sung.

See it must be where I sit cos I haven't heard that one for ages either. I'd pretty much forgotten about it til now. Maybe I've heard it once in recent times if at all.

I sit in the town end at the south stand end.

Born and bred in Wiltshire, and proud to call myself a West Countryman!  Fucking South Midlands! ::)

I had a friend from Devon once who thought it was plain daft that I could think Swindon was in the West Country.  From the eyes of someone from down there, Swindon is well over half way to London.

I've always thought Swindon was West Country, but it's in no man's land for a lot of other people.  Rather like Peterborough, for example...not really in the East Midlands, not really in East Anglia.  Just nowhere.

I'm West Wiltshireman which I think is undisputed West Country territory. Wiltshire is the 'Gateway of the West Country' :D

We're nearer to the western border of England than London or the middle of the country.

on my trucking travels i've had my swindon accent commented on numerous times.
i was even nicknamed ooh arrrrr at one depot in jest.

There used to be alot of us in the 80s who used to venture to the County Ground from the Stroud and Gloucester area. As time went by this group dwindled due to multiple factors including growing up and getting married and also the draw of rugby at Gloucester. Not sure whether this contributed to the dwindling chants or not, but it may be a partial explanation.

Also, Gloucester City got promoted to the Conference South this year.

Its weird..you dont really know how strong your accent is untiill you hear it on a recording.

Don't really give a fuck how you'd describe where we are. I'm Swindon, I'm Wiltshire, I'm English - end of. All the rest is bollox.

According to the NHS, Swindon is part of the South EAST!
Fucking hope their knowledge of anatomy is better than their geography I does

But definately south west according to the railways, which is why it costs a fortune to get to London.

It's called the Great Western Hospitals NHS Trust though.

I like this pointless little debate :)

I keep telling them that Peterborough is the North.

The South is the M4 & Below, the Midlands from the M4 to the Top of the M25, the rest is just the Frozen Wastelands of the North :D

 I'm voting in the South West Euro constituency on Thursday...

so that makes swindon in the midlands,and wroughton in the south?

yep, that sounds about right to me, in fact come to think of it all of you lot from Swindon are Northern Monkeys really. ;)






I just like to wind up the boys up here that they are Northern really :D

I'm not voting!

Too young?  :baby:

I wish!! :w00t:

In terms of regional TV it depends where you live.  I used to live on the croft hill side of old town and got west country ITV - my nan lived on eastcott hill and got central.

I think really we are neither one thing or the other.  Although when I first moved to Cardiff people did say I sounded like a farmer.  Still, I would call it more Thames Valley than west country - I think we can often try to tag on to the west country thing to add a bit of identity and character that isn't really applicable.

Or something.

Deffo West Country as far as railways go.

Not just the GWR thang, but the fact that a peak hour day return to London from Swindon costs £110. Go to Didcot and it drops to £40.

That makes me think that we are 'over the border'.

Yes that's the local trust, but it was in a strategic health authority document (regional) that I saw swindon described as being in the south east along with southampton and other places. Swindon just dosen't neatly fit anywhere....

Wiltshire (including Swindon) is in the South West  :nod: