The Poznań

The Poznań Celebration or Grecque is a form of sporting celebration that involves supporters standing with their backs to the pitch, linking shoulders side-by-side and jumping on the spot in unison. It is mostly associated with supporters of the football clubs Lech Poznań in Poland, with whom it originated, Manchester City in England, Celtic in Scotland and the Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia. Its first use is thought to have been as a protest against club management while still supporting the team.

Manchester City fans doing The Poznań.

Usage

The Poznań Celebration involves the fans turning their backs to the pitch, joining arms and jumping up and down in unison. It originated in 1961.[1] In Poland, and among many fans across Europe, it is not called "the Poznań" but is known as a "Grecque", and it is performed by fans of many teams.[2]

Despite initially failing to impress Manchester City fans when it was done during the teams' meeting in the UEFA Europa League on 21 October 2010, it was subsequently adopted by City supporters during a game early the following month.[3] The activity was coined 'The Poznań' by Manchester City fans, in homage to the club that inspired them to celebrate in this way. Apart from odd occasions, it died out as a regular celebration within a couple of seasons.

The Poznań was briefly adopted by other English football supporters, notably those of Leicester City after their clash with Manchester City in the third round of the FA Cup in January 2011, and is referred to by English football fans as "doing the Poznań".[4]

It has also been used to mock Manchester City fans, such as when newly promoted Cardiff City beat them 3-2 in August 2013. More examples include when Arsenal supporters did the Poznań celebration after Mikel Arteta scored the winning goal for Arsenal in April 2012 and when Arsenal beat Manchester City in the Premier League.[5] Manchester City's local rivals Manchester United supporters did it during a Manchester derby game during the 2011–12 FA Cup as well as Bayern Munich fans during a Champions League group match against them in October 2013. Arsenal supporters also did the Poznań in January 2015, when Arsenal beat Manchester City by 0-2, as did Crystal Palace fans at the 2016 F.A. Cup Final against Manchester United.

Initially the supporters group of Australian club Western Sydney Wanderers, The Red and Black Bloc, performed it in the 80th minute of matches to represent the first football match played in Western Sydney in 1880. Subsequently, this has grown into an all stadium celebration.[6] In return their local rival, Sydney FC and their hard-core supporters "The Cove" have performed it in retribution when they are in a winning position as the 90th minute nears during their local derby.

The supporters of The San Jose Earthquakes are also known to engage in it.[7]

Alternatives

Fans of the Scottish club Celtic have a similar celebration known as "The Huddle", whilst also facing away from the pitch; the words sung by the fans are "Let's All Do The Huddle". The "Huddle" performed by Celtic fans is closely linked to the on-field huddle conducted by the Celtic team prior to kick-off which was introduced by Tony Mowbray during his playing career at the club in the mid 1990s.[8] Over the years Celtic fans have carried out various versions of the huddle,[9] although the first example of it being performed by large numbers of the club's supporters at a game was during a 3-0 win over Rangers at Celtic Park in February 2011.[10]

Supporters of Deportivo Alavés, a La Liga team, have been known to celebrate most of their team's goals with a variation of "The Poznań" since at least 2014, in which they stand with their backs to the pitch, linking shoulders side-by-side and jumping on the spot while they sing the tune to the Pippi Longstocking TV series.[11][12]

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See also

References
  1. "Video: Poznan, Selebrasi Sindiran Gooners Untuk Manchester Biru". Bola.net. 9 April 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  2. "The "Poznań" and the Death of the Goal Celebration?". Modern-football.co.uk. 20 May 2011. Archived from the original on 15 January 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  3. Pitt-Brooke, Jack (20 April 2011). "Poles apart: how fans of Poznan inspired City's unlikely dance craze". The Independent. London. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  4. https://manchestercity.vitalfootball.co.uk/history-of-the-poznan/
  5. Jacob Steinberg (8 April 2012). "Arsenal v Manchester City - as it happened". London: Guardian. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  6. "RBB Poznan at the A-League grand final". Youtube. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  7. "1906 Ultras Poznan in Palo Alto 2012".
  8. Murray, Ewan (16 June 2009). "Tony Mowbray confirmed as new manager of Celtic". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  9. "Celtic fans Huddle". Youtube. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  10. "Celtic 3 - 0 Rangers (20 February 2011)". Youtube. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  11. Juan carlos gonzalez (26 October 2014). "Afición del Alavés celebrando gol en el Sardinero" – via YouTube.
  12. Tribuna General (30 August 2015). "Grada de animación del Deportivo Alavés. Temporada 2015-16" – via YouTube.
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