I don't know if this has been mentioned anywhere else.

Well done to everybody at Belle View last night for not making any noise at all during the minutes silence for Leon Walker.

Lets hope that this is the same at every game this weekend.

I thought the Leon Pryce songs might have been given the night off though. Poor Eddie was trying his hardest to talk over "You're getting b*mmed in the shower".

Why? He is an embarrasement to the game

it was the same at wigan, the silence was fully respected by all, a good fitting tribute IMO

I wonder if anyone thought about doing a minutes applause instead.

Some cynical people claim it was purely invented at soccer games where fans couldn't be trusted to remain silent, but I think its a fitting and uplifting way to celebrate a life. That said, if Leon's mum and dad wanted silence then of course its their call.

Does anyone else thing appluase has its place in this context?

i would think all rugby fans would respect the minutes silence, and rightly so, and well done to all last night.

I'd say applause is only fitting when paying tribute to someone who passed at a grand old age having being able to live their life to the full.

Silent remembrance under these tragic circumstances is more appropriate imo

apart from the fluttering of a flag the silence was very well resp[ected at the JJB/DW/WHATEVER last night
proof again that RL supporters are the dogs!

well done to all

I know what you mean. I'm trying to think where I've heard the applause and it probably is someone like Trevor Foster. As you say, the death of someone in old age.

i dont like minute's applause's

leave that for the disrespcectful football lot i say

Think we got both last night to be honest, after the very touching video of Leon's parents on the big screen there was a great applause around the stadium, then followed by a very quiet 5 mins or so til the players came out.

Don't think an away team will ever come out to the reception Saints came out to from the home fans either, but the team and their fans fully played their part on the night.

Then the 'proper' minute's silence was very touching and emotional and meant 10 times more than the previous applause for me personally. I'm not ashamed to admit I had tears in my eyes for the first time since my mum passed about 4 years ago, I didn't know Leon from Adam, but still felt the pain and hurt suffered by the whole rugby league family and felt immensely proud to be a fan of Wakefield and rugby league last night.

They had one for Vinty Karalius and Frank Tobin Snr at Widnes too. Nothing disrespectful about celebrating their lives and achievements like that.

A one minute applause is for fans that are incapable of showing respect.

I think for RL fans a one minute silence is more than acheivable.

Definately not. Its merely a different way of showing respect. As mentioned above it happens all the time in affirming and celebrating the long life of an old-timer.

I accept in the context of Leon's tragic death that silence was the appropriate way to manifest our collective loss and sadness.

Agreed. The applause thing doesn't feel right to me.

Its second rate, chavvy, common and lame.

You want to show respect, use a minutes silence, anything else is nothing short of abuse.

I can understand why you make such reasoned, calm and reflective posts but it wouldn't harm to break that robotic stance and emote once in a while.

Surely this is true?

In my opinion, a minute's silence is a far more fitting and touching tribute to someone than applause.

People at a sporting event will spend the next 80+ minutes applauding and making noise. So to me there is nothing special, celebratory, or respectful about doing it for one minute more. It just lacks any emotion for me.

But a large group of people remaining silent, though, is out of the ordinary and has much more of a resonance.

I find it a shame that some people seem to think silence cannot also be a way of celebrating someone.

Michael.

Actually I think this thread has two camps.

1. Those who think silence and applause are both methods of celebrating a life depending on the context; and

2. Those who think ONLY silence is appropriate.

I'm very firmly in No1.

Well I was not referring to this thread or anyone on it, it was a general observation directed towards a particular attitude that often comes up on this debate, usually used alongside George Best's name.

As for your two camps though, they are not mutually exclusive. You can think applause is a way of celebrating someone life but never find it appropriate at a sporting event.

In something like a church you could very easily use the exact opposite argument to the one I made where applause would be out of the ordinary and carry far more emotion.

Michael.

Sometimes families request it, and at the end of the day there opinion is the only one which should count.

i'd never heard of a minutes applause as a mark of respect until west ham fans spontaneously applauded when goerge best appeared on the big screen after his death.since then it seems to have become the latest fashion

i also feel uncomfortable applauding someone's passing i dont know about anyone else

It's very common on the continent, that's where the FA got the idea from. It was probably taken up by the FA to cover disrespectful football fans, but that was not it's original purpose, it's just from a different culture.

I don't see the problem with it myself, it's a mark of celebrating someones life. As has been said, it's possibly more in tune with someone who has died in old age rather than suddenly though.

Agreed wholeheartedly.