I fully agree , we go on about our atmosphere but its nothing compared to most other Countries , terracing or safe standing is where you get atmosphere , dont be sold the crap that Anfield and Old Trafford have atmospheres as they dont bar the odd occasion , they have more prawn sandwiches and middle class than anybody else going .
Dre , the Old Firm is different and its not atmospehere moreso hatred and intimidation at their respective grounds . Eastern European and South American stadiums are crazy , we could not compete with that no way , culturally we are very different . We could compete with the Germans , French and Dutch though , the Spanish for all their bluster dont really have an amazing atmosphere as fans dont travel .
There's a team in Eastern Europe, I can't remember which, that do one of the spookiest chants I've ever heard. They all shout the same word with gusto, then there is absolute silence for about 5 seconds, (they must count in their heads or have some sort of conductor, with a crude baton) then they do it again. Very macabre indeed.
The trouble is that the corporate boxes are something which is used to increase sales and therefore income. If they can fill the boxes then there will be more in the future which is simple cost effectiveness. The days where owners bought a club as a hobby are long gone. Even a multi millionaire would struggle without a second serious income coming his/her way. Most owners are lovers of the game but they are all struggling to keep up with a select few who seem destined to become pilloried by one and all for over spending. We are lucky in so far as we have a chairman that is both ambitious and well organized. He has a plan and I fully expect to see him bring that same plan to fruition. Add to that the fact that he has a fair amount of backing and I can only see a bright future for our club. That said we all know how prices are rising and doing so much quicker than our wages/income in general. This will hurt those of us that are on low incomes but it does not mean that we are no longer of importance. I actually look forward to seeing our club doing well even though I will only be able to visit the ground on extremely rare occasion nowadays. My kids still get excited by our prospects and our all too infrequent visits are now treated as being all the more special, and that irrespective of the result. I will complain about things like our defence/ players when I feel the need but will never be less than 100% rednwhite. I miss some of those remarkable nights when the Dell rang out and am sad that the seating had to be implemented to our cost. I believe that before too long there will be a lessening of the rules and clubs will be allowed to have standing albeit in limited quantity. I hope that when we get a ground with larger capacity it will also help stem the rising ticket prices. Sorry for the length of this post but I have tried to cover several aspects at once.
The Dell had atmosphere , that difference , that individual bit of knowing it was our own , St Marys as nice as it is is inoffensive and completely at home with todays football .
Other fans have ultras, this is completely different to what we have. Ultras have a list of songs that they sing, they have a guy with a megaphone shouting at the other fans so they know what to sing, the songs are so monotonous and they just drone on forever. Old firm games offer great atmosphere.
Ultras are fans so there is no difference as we are also , the Old Firm is an atmosphere not of football but of sectarian division , that does not detract from it being a spectacle albeit a voyeuristic one . Look at these clubs , Marseille , Red Star , Lech Poznan .
Reading this from wiki of hooliganism , this is from the 1880's ! The first recorded instances of football hooliganism in the modern game allegedly occurred during the 1880s in England, a period when gangs of supporters would intimidate neighbourhoods, in addition to attacking referees, opposing supporters and players. In 1885, after Preston North End beat Aston Villa 5-0 in a friendly match, both teams were pelted with stones, attacked with sticks, punched, kicked and spat at .
You would! Pompey have some of the worst songs I've ever heard. Play up pompey, pompey play up... Must send the players to sleep
Ultras aren't really fans to be honest, a large section of them are hooligans. Ultras are an organised group of fans"", that already know what to sing, when to sing, how long to sing, they are like a choir really. It's much easier to get an atmosphere going when you use drums and a megaphone.
Well here we go again. Another thread about other clubs fans for not being passionate or noisy enough. Sometimes I wish we could have a look at ourselves in the mirror. Sometimes we sing loudly, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we pack out our ground, sometimes we don't. Do we really think that we can hold ourselves up as a paragon of virtue? No, but then some are happy to divide our fans into the deserving and the undeserving, the true and the plastic, the good fans and the bad. Well, if that makes you feel better, fine. For the record, I thought the Fulham fans were very quiet during the first half when we were playing them off the pitch, and rather more vocal during the second half when they had the upper hand. Just like Saints fans tend to be.
I've been to a few foreign games and it usually tells me that we Brits think we are the noisiest and the best, but it is not the impression I have gained. I went to a Roma game once and they were packed in the ground over an hour before kick off; our grounds are empty with ten minutes to go to kick off.
It isn't conducive to a better atmosphere, it just was! It was late sorry and didn't explain my point properly. That game gave me the impression that they were more committed. That was a one off though so hard to judge. Each game I've seen though has made me think to myself that we like to believe we are the noisiest and the best atmosphere creators. I believe that to be a little blinkered, that is all.
The Ground isn't empty, it is just that a lot of people are in the concourse area, watching the screens, quaffing refreshments, putting on bets and using the facilities, the seats tend to be filled in the ten minutes before and annoyingly after the kick off. The atmosphere is also affected by the poor acoustics in St. Marys. I listen to Radio Solent during the matches and am in the Kingsland, where the noise coming from the Northam doesn't really impact, I can hear it on the commentory, so I know it is happening, whether it really impacts on the players I don't know, but certainly after the second Fulham goal and the mini exodus, the noise level did rise throughout the last part of the game and really peaked when we got the equaliser. We are not the loudest in the game, but can do it given the right circumstances.
