Ex-Hull City star recalls time when KCOM Stadium actually had an atmosphere http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/ex-h...9887616-detail/story.html#Gp1ph4ggBkMT0scE.99 "When a crowd of 17,768 watched Hull City beat Southampton last Sunday an unwanted record was set for the third time this season. The attendance – or at least the one given out by the club on the day – was the lowest in the Premier League at the KCOM Stadium, with the bar having been previously lowered against Leicester and Stoke. The situation is a far cry from the stadium's early years. When it first hosted League Two football in the winter of 2002, the KC Stadium, as it was then, regularly attracted crowds of more than that seen in the Premier League this season. Former City striker Jamie Forrester remembers the venue being a key factor in his decision to join City. Forrester was enjoying the most productive spell of his career when Peter Taylor persuaded him to swap Northampton for East Yorkshire in the 2003 January transfer window. His debut came two days later against York City in front of 18,437. "I remember coming to sign," he said. "I drove up from Northampton and I'd not seen the KC Stadium until I was driving towards it. I got the biggest buzz ever as I was driving towards it to sign the deal. "Then I made my debut against York City on the Saturday and there were 18,000 people there. It was phenomenal. "The atmosphere was genuinely phenomenal. "When they mention your name for a debut, you get a bit of extra attention and, when they read my name out and the crowd cheered, I got goose bumps on the back of my neck. "Every match day, the atmosphere was special. Every time we even warmed up, it was something special. " At first, Taylor's team struggled to take advantage of the huge home support and the Tigers finished the 2002-03 season a disappointing 13th. The subsequent season, however, City finished second to secure the first of consecutive promotions. "For lower league players to play there, it was special," Forrester, 42, said. "To be fair, we struggled with that at times. "Sometimes teams would come who were nowhere near as good as us and it would be a massive match for them, with a big match. "They'd really want to beat us and they managed to do that in the first year. "It wasn't until the second year when we had a really strong squad, the mentality and the fans pushing us that we really managed to blitz it and go up. The club hasn't really looked back since. "I know they've been promoted and relegated back to the Championship but the overall progression has been fantastic." Anger with the club's owners over membership schemes and name changes lie at the heart of the current problem. Forrester, who left the Tigers in the summer of 2004, sympathises with City fans but believes they are not the only supporters struggling to find love for their club. "It's sad to see," Forrester said. "Obviously, there's lots of political situations at Hull City at the moment, which does affect fans' engagement. "Around that, there's the fact that the Premier League has changed. All the money that's come in, it's such a different environment now. "I would argue that there's such a big gap between the Premier League and everything else and that has brought certain drawbacks. "If you went around every stadium in the country and you asked fans what the atmosphere was like five years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago, they would say atmospheres were better. "I think it's because people are paying that much money to be a part of it that they expect to be entertained. "Technically and tactically, the product is fantastic but I think it's moved away from the fans. The fans now are as far away from it as they've ever been." Forrester knows from his own experience in 2004 just how vital the fans can be to success on the field. If City are to survive this season, surely the club needs to address the issues stifling the atmosphere on matchdays. "It's reciprocal," Forrester said. "The fans need something to cheer, they're always looking for something to get behind. "If you give them something to get behind, they will. I know every player and ex player says their fans are great but Hull fans are passionate, that is a fact. "If the club and the players can give the fans something to grab hold of and get behind, they will do it. "The consequence of that will really help the team on a match day, in the home fixtures. "It can be the difference." "
It's nice to hear Jamie say we we're a passionate lot. Hull City fans can be so self deprecating. I remember a Welshman saying what a great noise we made when we sang. High praise indeed. Good article.
This is true although some certainly more than others on here. Back at BP, read and heard lots from opposition players talking about the Kempton and the effect that would have on them. One of the better memories of the new ground for me was a game v Cardiff a few years back. I was in E2 (or E1) and Cardiff scored what looked like a legit goal. However, the nearby fans played a blinder, placed a load of pressure on the linesman (screaming that it was blatantly offside) which seemed to work and the linesman advised the ref accordingly. It felt good.
We moan about there being no atmosphere at games, but we don't want a fat bloke with a drum, goal music or lyrics round the outside of the advertising. Not saying those are good ideas, but we seem to put down anything the club comes up with and then accuse them of perpetuating a negative matchday experience. It would help if they came up with a decent idea, but I don't think it's for a lack of trying.
I have always said there's a limit to what can be done without good acoustics like in the Kempton but on South Stand before that the atmosphere was great I think once - OK, if - the Allams leave there will be a massive change in atmosphere
Drums, goal music or lyrics around the outside of the advertising: all ****'s tricks by folk who have no clue about their core customers or what makes them tick. You can't import atmosphere, it has to come naturally. Which means passion, enthusiasm and a committed crowd. If you deliberately set out to disadvantage the younger, noisier and less well off fans, then you end up with what we have now. A divided and demoralised fan base beefed up with PL consumers whose priorities are comfort, access to top stars of other teams and the vicarious thrill of being in the PL. The people who run the club, when they are not actively seeking to kill the former identity of it, basically only recognise, the new breed of quiet, affluent, neutral fan, and regard the old type of fan as outdated trash from the past.
Not sure that stacks up. If the owners favour quiet supporters, why show song words on the scoreboards? I think their problem is that they fundamentally misunderstand crowd dynamics. An atmosphere builds with a sense of common belonging and a common goal. City fans new and old don't have that just now.
The owners came up with a brilliant idea to improve the atmosphere. I think they called it "I'll be gone in 24 hours". They should give it a go, I'm 100% convinced it would work.
Getting bums on seats would definitely be the best way forward. The Allams are just not bothered by the low attendances now.
Quiet supporters as in passive, peaceful, non raucous, obedient, servile, malleable. This song lyric business only started when the crowd noise became almost non existent, and someone at the club (probably in PR or marketing) felt the need to 'reach out' to the masses to repair the damage. 'Please sing but only what we want you to sing' I imagine they have already moved to a similar post at Coventry or Barsley now for £2,000 a year more.
Exactly, with all the money, fans coming through the gate isn't necessary. However if we go down, they'll be ****ting themselves if they're still here. The money will dry up quicker than camel spit in the desert.
Eugghh this is the problem! For some reason, marketing ****s now have this obsession with 'ideas to improve the atmosphere'. They're always bollocks. Just sing louder and with more people, that's all that matters. All these artificial attempts to generate an atmosphere are just tacky as ****. And that includes Stoke's ridiculous PA noise.
But that falls down at people not bothering to sing. You can't deny somebody entry based on their prospects of improving the atmosphere. The club roll out new ideas, so they're obviously aware of the fact that our atmosphere is gash. Owners doing one aside, how do you actually get people singing?
'how do you actually get people singing' ? Simple. Play like we did against Leicester. My solution would be to make the North Stand 'unreserved seating' and make it the cheaper end of the ground. For example £20 max with genuine reductions for those who are under 21. Sit or Stand where you want.
But 'play like we did against Leicester' isn't up to the fans, it's not in our control. We need a good atmos no matter what's going on on the pitch.
