Home atmosphere - what's to be done?

[DJBlackandamberarmy(No4)]

Sack off the pre-match tunes and only play songs that we have chants for (gold, our house, spirit in the sky, etc), Coventry did this the last time I went and it got the fans going. Maybe a very controversial thing, but I'd also think about packing in wise men say.

Swap the fans in the north stand and the away fans around, have the whole of the east stand back to being the loud stand. People in the south end of the east stand will sing, it's just impossible to get chants going. Get the chants going in E1 and they'll make their way down to E11.

Swap everything around (dugouts, etc) so that we kick off from the north stand every game and attack the north stand in the 2nd half. Portsmouth got to run right over to their fans when warming up when they came here, it got them and their fans going out the gate. It also pisses me off that we allow teams to celebrate when they score late in the 2nd half with their fans, like yesterday. Deny the away team that at least.

Get a proper MC in, Steve Jordan used to get the fans going mental, he'd be screaming down the mic by the time the game kicked off, I thought he was great. People have said Hainsworth? at Boothferry park was also really good at it, but that was before my time.

Finally, play good football and win important games, the best atmosphere I've been a part of was beating Watford to get to Wembley. At the end of the day, even the biggest clubs have **** support when they are ****, it's a fact of life.

I understand logic of kicking towards North second half, i just cant get behind it. Not sure what i was like in the 60/70's etc, but City always attacked the South in second half last 30 odd years ive been watching and on the odd occasion it gets switched, it just doesnt feel right.

 

[HulltoHellandback]

Sat around E10/11 for 20 years and before the move to the north the noise from the nutters in E1/2/3 used to spread, as mentioned above by someone. Just doesn't happen now and it's like an extension of the south. Families etc which is fine but they're never going to contribute much noise. Bring back the old East Stand setup and it might make a difference, or maybe it's just nostalgia on my part.

 

[Tentotwo]

I know this subject has come up endless times in other threads in the past, but can't help thinking it's more of an issue than ever in a relegation struggle. Have seen people saying we'll be ok because a lot of our home games are against teams around us in the table, but on the evidence of the last year or so, we struggle to beat anyone at home and I do think the atmosphere is a contributory factor. I have the sense that some of the teams around us (notably Plymouth and Portsmouth) generate much greater passion from fans than we do. I couldn't make the journey up from London last night so don't know what it was like - it actually sounded on Sky like it might have been better than sometimes but the Sky commentators said how quiet it was.
I don't think its simply a case of 'if the team was playing better, the atmosphere would be better' and that actually we need a managing director of the club (is there one?) to really think through how to improve it. What do others think?

Atmosphere..or lack of it?

I actually think it’s down to continued success or failure as a club that’s embedded into supporters to be either passionate or Apathetic and that’s probably haunted City for decades.. Given the right amount of anticipation and the right team to get behind City’s crowd can be as volatile and loud as most others but.. it can also quickly fade away. Some will argue a club shouldn’t need goals or success to stimulate an atmosphere at home and will give examples elsewhere but given what’s happened off the pitch these past few seasons plus our current home form it’s hardly surprising the vibe in the terraces right now is one of nervousness rather then excitement.



UTT.

 

[Ajbtiger]

The onus falls onto the North Stand for me, fairly or unfairly- they are the designated singers who produce most the atmosphere.
on the occasion they are loud and racouse for sustained periods it does spread, like the Ipswich game last year, they were noisy, then east joined in, then south and it even made it up to the west upper where i sit.!.
too often they produce 1 or 2 songs then go quiet, the West or South are never going to get the atmosphere going, its just never going to happen- they have to take the lead and keep it up, then others will follow. this isnt a dig at North stand as at least they do sing, im just saying only way atmosphere ever going to kick off is if they make it and keep it up , just the way it is.
saying that, it has to be ignited by events on the pitch, like starting a fire....the crowd should start it , but then it needs events on the pitch to provide that spark and ignite it, an early goal, a crunching tackle, even a controversial decision against us, but preferably not that one.

It's not great positioning. When that pocket used to be in the East stand, others in the east stand that were not necessarily part of it would find it easy to join in and so it could spread, sometimes all the way around to the South. Now they are kind of disconnected and those in the west have never really got too involved and so there's no real potential for the spreading.

 

[bradymk2]

in the last 91 home games

we have won 26 games.. thats 28% win rate

thats the answer right there

 

[AlRawdah]

They were doing rigorous searches for drugs and flares last night. Might have played its part.

 

[bradymk2]

It's not great positioning. When that pocket used to be in the East stand, others in the east stand that were not necessarily part of it would find it easy to join in and so it could spread, sometimes all the way around to the South. Now they are kind of disconnected and those in the west have never really got too involved and so there's no real potential for the spreading.

yep, disconnecting the north fans from the east fans is a big mistake
like you said, e6 would always join in the singing, now theres a huge disconnect and it happens far less often

 

[dennisboothstash]

part of problem, joking aside, too much like the theatre with all these posh meals, surprised there isnt interval ice creams..
get it back to cold meat pie and luke warm Bovril, get some passion back into people- and bellyache

I’ve said the same previously

You can’t sing and clap if you’re holding a bloody great bowl, and have a mouth full, of whatever it is they all eat

 

[Party Hull!]

I spent most of the second half last night watching someone in the front row of the east stand vomit repeatedly into a bucket between his legs.

Grim, but couldn’t turn away from it. Resolutely stayed in his seat, people everywhere around him, persistent convulsion spewing. People just left him to it. Pleased to say I was in the south stand.

He must have got the same katsu/madri ‘deal’ I got.

Along with the match, created a truly harrowing atmosphere.

 

[Bunny]

it should get louder when the North stand creche's balls drop.

 

[originalminority]

Sat around E10/11 for 20 years and before the move to the north the noise from the nutters in E1/2/3 used to spread, as mentioned above by someone. Just doesn't happen now and it's like an extension of the south. Families etc which is fine but they're never going to contribute much noise. Bring back the old East Stand setup and it might make a difference, or maybe it's just nostalgia on my part.

We need to encourage our youth who mostly congregate in the north. However the more mature 'nutters' in the East can still spread atmosphere, pensioner nutters like Taff still try to their credit. East now has an aging and quieter demographic but chants still spread the length of East against L**ds.

 

[Bunny]

atmosphere at away games isn't much better. When teams come here 'everyone' stands and sings. Our away fans are 50% sit down shut uppers

 

[Trumpton Tiger.]

They were doing rigorous searches for drugs and flares last night. Might have played its part.

Never saw that but it doesn't surprise me. Add to that the constant warnings about standing up etc and the amount of over fussy stewarding and policing at games, and the general atmosphere soon becomes flat. I'm usually in the ground a good hour before kick off and I cannot for the life of me see what good the resident DJ does with his play list. It has nothing at all to do with City or even football in general and is just a racket. Also, and I've posted this before, why do we allow the away team to warm up in front of their own supporters? It becomes almost like a home game for them whilst City do their warm up to the virtual silence of the home crowd in the family stand aka South Stand.
I also fail to see why we just don't try for once kicking towards the North stand in the second half, instead of always allowing the away team to attack the goal where their fans are. Just try it.
Perhaps the club should try and encourage all those who do want to stand up and vocally support the team, like at an away game, to congregate in the same stand, just try it for one game and see if it makes any difference. It might be a bit of messing about with membership cards etc but bend the rules for once, let them walk into the stand and use the empty seats without all the 'you can't sit there, you can't go there' bollocks we usually get.
The Kempton at Boothferry Park was the best atmosphere I've know at City home games and that took some time to take off but when it was on song it was a tight intimidating stand and as loud as anywhere I've been, support for City and intimidating for the away side, which is what going to a football match should all be about and it worked too.
Lets be honest 250 QPR fans took the place over on Tuesday night the minute they scored and after that the result was never in doubt, they ruled the place.
That should never happen when we have nearly 20,000 in the ground.
But it happens far, far to often at our place

 

[Tentotwo]

Personally feel the idea of moving the (supposedly) more vociferous section from the East Stand to the North Stand has failed. We must be the only club in the country who choose to attack the opposite end from where our (supposedly) vociferous fans are in the second half. People have commented on how the team as a team we seem to be too accommodating and I sometimes think we extend that to away fans. Put them in the Upper West maybe, so the whole of North, East and South stands are home support. Got to try something. But as I said at the start of this thread, I don't have any sense that any of our Directors are really thinking about this. For me , it's a bigger issue than who the next set of players will be in the 6 monthly churn.

Home teams usually kick toward its own fans behind the goal second half agreed. Our home supporters have been f’cked around from pillar to post as the club sought a way of improving the noise levels. The East Stand was the place to be when the Stadium first opened and was always the noisiest part but as new Chairmen arrived those who knew better altered this time and time again to what it is now. If I had my way I’d f’ck the away fans off to South/West Corner out of view of the TV Camara’s similar to Bellend Road.




UTT.

 

[TwoWrights]

I spent most of the second half last night watching someone in the front row of the east stand vomit repeatedly into a bucket between his legs.

Grim, but couldn’t turn away from it. Resolutely stayed in his seat, people everywhere around him, persistent convulsion spewing. People just left him to it. Pleased to say I was in the south stand.

He must have got the same katsu/madri ‘deal’ I got.

Along with the match, created a truly harrowing atmosphere.

Mr Creosote?


The views expressed in my posts are not necessarily mine.

 

[kingstontiger]

As the initiator of the thread, thanks for all the replies. I get the argument that if the product was more exciting , the atmosphere would be better, but clearly there are also others like me who think there's more to it than that. I do feel now there's a sort of nervous resignation among some of us (might include myself) that we don't look like scoring and sooner or later we'll concede, and also there are plenty to who I think the result just doesn't matter that much as long as they have an afternoon out. I used to run creative workshops with businesses where a whole range of people would be involved in trying to generate solutions to a problem. I fear there is nobody in our club at the moment who would consider that worthwhile. I also repeat a point I've made before that I really don't know who in the club is thinking about addressing these off the pitch issues. Can't believe it's the Sporting Director's remit. Feels like the sort of thing an Adam Pearson type would have addressed in the past.

 

[TIGERSCAVE]

As the initiator of the thread, thanks for all the replies. I get the argument that if the product was more exciting , the atmosphere would be better, but clearly there are also others like me who think there's more to it than that. I do feel now there's a sort of nervous resignation among some of us (might include myself) that we don't look like scoring and sooner or later we'll concede, and also there are plenty to who I think the result just doesn't matter that much as long as they have an afternoon out. I used to run creative workshops with businesses where a whole range of people would be involved in trying to generate solutions to a problem. I fear there is nobody in our club at the moment who would consider that worthwhile. I also repeat a point I've made before that I really don't know who in the club is thinking about addressing these off the pitch issues. Can't believe it's the Sporting Director's remit. Feels like the sort of thing an Adam Pearson type would have addressed in the past.

I feel sure there are some avid retired gardeners amongst our fans who could sort the pitch out in return for tickets...

 

[Noggin The Nog]

It was poor last night and for most of the season, but there wasn't and hasn't been much to get excited about. Need to consider attacking the south stand first half and the north in the second. This will also mean that the away side won't be going to the end where their fans are in the crucial 2nd half. City are frankly rank amateurs when considering things like this. Need to be far more up to speed on the dark arts. Also the ballboys and ballgirls, aren't up to it. Need to slow the game down when City are under pressure, but quicken the pace when City are on top, but, lets be fair, thats not very often.

 

[originallambrettaman]

I spent most of the second half last night watching someone in the front row of the east stand vomit repeatedly into a bucket between his legs.

Grim, but couldn’t turn away from it. Resolutely stayed in his seat, people everywhere around him, persistent convulsion spewing. People just left him to it. Pleased to say I was in the south stand.

He must have got the same katsu/madri ‘deal’ I got.

Along with the match, created a truly harrowing atmosphere.

Welcome back, have you just finished a five year stretch?

 

[springtiger]

We need to encourage our youth who mostly congregate in the north. However the more mature 'nutters' in the East can still spread atmosphere, pensioner nutters like Taff still try to their credit. East now has an aging and quieter demographic but chants still spread the length of East against L**ds.

I shout and ball and sing at 67 I can see taff over to my right but the snooker watchers around me don’t sing anything at all , sit with their hands under their legs