It's a not insignificant factor for some. People fought hard to keep them out of football in the past.
The things is clubs don't do anything. The sad fact is that we don't have enough passionate supporters. The reasons for that are many - losing a generation of fans because we were awful whilst the rugby clubs were having success as big fish in a puddle. When we moved to the KC we attracted a load of new fans who had no experience of a proper football atmosphere, hence their moaning about others standing and acceptance of fellow fans being thrown out for standing. Witness how many times you see all the away fans of other clubs all stood. Why do we seem to be the only one where so many kids who are apparently traumatised by people standing or people who can't stand up? I am not talking of the West Stand here,where you don't expect standing and raucous vocals, but elsewhere, especially the East Stand which was supposedly home to the more boisterous fans. The fact is we ended up with not many vocal fans at BP prior yo the move. The Kempyon only held a couple of thousand in its latter days and not all of them sang. Watching Leicester away there were blokes of my age, 65, jumping about, kids perched on their parents shoulders. Things which are looked on with disdain by many of our fans.This is why we get told to sit down at away grounds but other fans remain stood, word gets around we are a soft target. Liverpool was a ground where our supporters were ejected and ones complaining about others standing saw fellow fans thrown out. Did you see the Borussia .Dortmund fans being made to sit? Or any other fans who Ho yo Anfield. Or other grounds where we had complaints about heavy handed stewards. Incidentally, a couple of points from the other night at Anfileld. Compare their stewards, many of who were closely following the game and who jumped up when they scored with the sullen lot at the KC who seem to think that anyone celebrating a goal is engaged in anti social behaviour and run around like headless chickens if we score.The rest of the time they are gawping at fans, itching for an excuse to justify their presence, or blocking people's views or the exits. The other one was the lad sat in a wheelchair in the disabled section who made a miraculous recovery when Livepool scored, jumping up and celebrating wildly.
I dont think this is acting like children at all Obi. Its a smokescreen, marketing bollcoks etc dressed up as a membership scheme all with the intention of increasing ticket prices. Simple as that. Its not some petulant plot or anything else. Its revenue and they have gone too far. They've attacked the young and the old. It wont stand.
Why don't they ask the fans, particularly, but not exclusively those that are liable to sing what they think would work and start from there? In the recent past, they made the mistake of listening to a small group, and they got very poor advice from them, but it was a start.
Other clubs seem to have fans who sing before anything happens to encourage the team. Look at all those Liverpool and Dortmund fans the other night, singing and making a noise before a ball was even kicked. They should have been sat quietly, demanding to be entertained before offering vocal encouragement, with at least a goal to rouse them into action. Years ago on Bunkers the singing started an hour before the game.
if it was just the odd game, I would agree but we have been fed negative dross for weeks and it's hard to get anyone motivated when you know what's coming - we used to fly forward which is why we had so many dangerous crosses coming in - for some reason Brucie decided attacking was a **** tactic and unfortunately there's not a great deal to get the crowd going when its sideways, wait, sideways, wait, backwards, wait, backwards, wait, pass to Mcgregor and hoof it back to where it started - it's a pile of pish in any division but even more so with a £40million squad
I agree with lots of your points above but you fail to give a good way of improving things. Are you suggesting it is not possible to improve the atmosphere because lots of our fans are ****?
True. Not to mention arrogant stupidity. His remark that most people would agree with him that it wasn't fair that two people who had paid different prices could be sat next to each other shows how far removed from reality he is. Do you know of a single person that is the slightest bit concerned that an OAP, a kid or even someone under 22 has paid less than they have? I wonder if our sponsors are going to start charging kids the same as adults, especially when they are more likely to be taking advantage of the rides there? Perhaps they aren't as brilliant at marketing as Ehab and his dad.
The only way would be to have u reserved seating do that people could apply the rule of the fittest and get together like they did on all the Kop Ends years ago and that isn't going to happen. It isn't a problem if you have enough fans to fill a stand with people all wanting to stand and sing but unfortunately we aren't one of them.
A completely irrelevant analogy. Fans all over sing before the game and offer encouragement to the team, or try and urge them on if being beaten. Not in Hull, though, it would appear. I will bet that despite being well beaten there were less Norwich fans leaving early than there were at the KC with the game evenly balanced. Maybe some places deserve top flight football more than others.
So how do you create an unreserved area without moving people from their current seats? We would still have a group of unhappy people. Can I also add that when the KC opened we had an unreserved section in the east stand. I was in it. It didn't have a great atmosphere in there back then so why would it work now?
If you go to watch a comedian you go to be entertained. If I go to watch Hull City I go to support the team. There is a difference.
Sorting the atmosphere out is quite simple...as is sorting the club out. (You just have to have the will to do it). How about this for an off the cuff plan.... PRICES Children pay £100 in North, East, West. Children pay £50 in South - to try and make this a family orientated stand. Adults pay £300 in North, South Adults pay £350 in East Stand Adults pay £400 in West Stand Seniors pay £150 in North, South Seniors pay £175 in East Seniors pay £200 in West ATMOSPHERE Make it clear the North Stand is for atmosphere. Anyone wanting to move there to improve the atmosphere, gets a £50 discount if an existing season ticket holder and they choose to move there. Make it clear the North stand will have clapper things every game (suprisingly they do work and are good at hitting friends with). Allow fans in with flags on poles (not so sure as I type), other clubs manage it, i.e. Palace and Liverpool to pick a few. Improve the bar area in the North Stand, extend it, put more beer pumps in, more staff. Make the concourse more welcoming before kick off, special offers on beer from say 1PM to 2PM to get people there early and let the atmosphere build at the ground rather than just turn up, sit down. Let the fans choose the music in the pre-match build up. I'm gonna go out on a limb with this one, have someone with a drum/band right at the back of the stand. There are things that can be done, and next season CAN still be rescued, if the silly arses at the club would actually scrap their ill fated membership scheme, they are hammering nails into their own coffins. (no pun intended).
Those of us who may be better off. You should think of those who WONT be better off and boycott the scheme for them. I dont mind paying this seasons price for a pass.....but i do mind the many pensioners and people with a family who WONT be able to afford it No Concessions means NO STEPPING FOOT in the kc stadium for me until they bring them back. Who will take our places when us old gits are no longer here. No one because the kids of Hull will have been shoved out . There is NO posative at all obout this pathetic idea.
An unreserved area would be the only way of like minded people gravitating together. Of course it isn't going to happen. When the KC opened not everyone wanting to stand and sing went in that area, a lot were elsewhere, dispersed amongst those who want to sit as though at a theatre. There were some in the reserved area who wanted to remain seated. Another problem was the ridiculous stewarding and policing, which seemed to regard any signs of boisterousness by City fans as a dangerous threat to law and order and life as we know it. Of course away fans were left to get on with doing whatever they wanted. To be honest I can't see things improving.
In my view, communication is key. They need to talk and listen to fans and give due consideration to their views. There are ,many different types of fan. We have got a growing number that sit and watch, either as you would for other entertainment events or as a 'pundit', others take a more active role, others like a family type group and there are varying levels within each group. Those that sit and watch would possibly prefer to be away from the more raucous, and vice versa.Recognising and accommodating the differing types would lead to people naturally gravitating to areas where their preference is encouraged. It shouldn't be done in one fell swoop, but nurtured and allowed to develop naturally. A scheme where people could swap seats as and when would encourage this.
