I was at Sunderland early this year for our 1-0 win and the place was a morgue , their fans were unhappy with their footie similar to ours now - wins and passion on the pitch will switch it v quickly .
Yepp. I've been there a few times and can't recall it being anything special.. Also Chelsea on a few occasions and it was as quiet as the cemetery next door. Even Liverpool when they are struggling can be quiet.
We regularly go through spells in the second half, where we seem unable to get the ball off the opposition and are under the cosh. Portsmouth was an extreme example but we don't seem to have any answer other than "more of the same". I just don't think this approach is going to work in the Championship. Every team will know how we play and how to counteract it, we need to try something different but I can't see it happening under Tim.
Every team has spells in a game home and away where they or the oppos appear to dominate for maybe 10-20 minutes. It just seemed second half Saturday we had only about 10-15 of the second half where we had some possession but it was ineffective .
I felt it was absolutely rocking last year at home vs Ipswich. A proper end to end game, attacking football and the crowd absolutely loved it. If attacking football is played and lots of chances created, the atmosphere will get better. We aren't a good fan base for watching patient, slow, passing it out from the back football. It just doesn't suit our demographic.
If we play football like chess, the crowd watches like it's a chess match. Give it some grunt and we come alive.
I think the problem for the fans is the lack of success of it, rather than the style itself. If we play out from the keeper and create chances people will like that. That Ipswich game you mentioned we still played out from the back as we always did under LR. The problem is that often we see no reward for all of the patient play (that's happened under both managers), and sometimes like on Saturday we try to play out but just get forced into the corners near our own goal and lose it over and over. Regardless of style preference, no one would've enjoyed that second half on Saturday, it was just ****e. I'm as happy to believe in this style as anyone, but that performance of it was horrible. Whether the best solution is to play a different style or to just be less **** at the one we're trying, that's more debatable I think.
Agree. The game has to excite the crowd. Normally there is plenty of noise at the start of every game as expectations are high. Then if the boring (chess) stuff starts that quickly leads to the drop in noise. Football should be entertaining but sadly most of modern football isn't. For much of the match watching City at the moment isn't entertaining. Having watched round one of the FA Cup at the weekend the lower league clubs, while lacking some of the skills of the higher league teams showed passion and grit which generated a great atmosphere with much smaller crowds.
I agree with all this - but it’s also easier to get a crowd going when a game has something riding on it The Ipswich game was make or break and fantastic. Even if we have boring success earlier in the season by the time you get to the big games in the spring you have an easier time creating an atmosphere
Think I read somewhere that when the north stand was first built it was the biggest covered end in the country.
Funnily enough that's the exact game I cited on the podcast today as an example of a brilliant atmosphere due to supporters having something to get excited about!
Chess isn't boring and that isn't why it's quiet. It's just like snooker in that it's watched by a crowd taking in every move and thinking about what might happen next. It's a patient anticipation from the crowd and that shouldn't be mistaken for a lack of interest. Similarly, our home crowd might be quiet, but that doesn't mean they find it boring.
He was really good I thought. But I think WhoScored is based purely on data metrics rather than anything more nuanced, so although his lovely touch probably isn't considered, he must've stood out enough on other metrics. An assist and another big chance created probably plays a big part.
