Bring the Noise

desperatedon said:
The 1894 group etc are doing a magnificent job, the flags, banners, singing section etc. I applaud everything they are doing and have done. I even applaud their attempt to experiment with the drum and megaphone, if it's not trialled then how will they know what response it provokes, both good and bad.

However, I think the drum in particular kills any atmosphere and is just not "City". The megaphone is slightly different, as we know in European grounds it is tediously used throughout the game. If it could be used now and again to gee up the crowd when things get a bit stale then it may have a small place. When the lad spoke into it and faced the pitch I couldn't hear it but when he faced the stand it was quite loud. I was surprised to see a couple of young people on the second tier join into the Guardiolas song.

But please, ditch the drum!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback. And to those of you who have also left feedback.
 
atmosphere cant be contrived it has to grow organically by the fans,unfortunately the fans who create atmosphere have slowly been driven away, with the type of people being attracted to the premier league its not going to happen unless we can get back to standing and cheap tickets,maybe even pay on the gate but thats never going to happen so no amount of drums,megaphones, so called "singing sections" is ever gonna create an atmosphere while the the gentrification of football carries on the ways its been going
 
jrb said:
Thanks for the feedback. And to those of you who have also left feedback.
Click to expand...
Keep trying mate......the atmospheres are fucked in some games. In the old days you'd have fitted in a treat but not needed drums or megaphones....

Times have indeed changed
 
  • Like
Reactions: jrb
To judge by this forum most wouldn't give a fuck about atmosphere and would rather sit and piss and moan about team selection, I'm afraid most city supporters are just too old to raise any kind of noise outside of bad ref decisions or a good hard tackle. "Bring the noise" is fighting a losing battle. "We don't do megaphones" . "We don't do fucking Drums". We don't do anything.......... Blame the tourist's. Bla bla bla..
 
I don't get the negativity about the drums. Even in the video posted above, the drums made it sound much better with only a small number of people joining in. When we get going for a big game and have drums alongside it will be a truly memorable atmosphere. Obviously we have to use it on the right songs. Again, if we want to be the 12th man we have to do better. We are making progress with the 1894 group and the club agreeing on trialing the megaphone and drums, but the rest of us have to do better. We have to be up for it every game, it's about having fun and supporting the team. If we can keep the flags up longer (I'm not informed on this) it will also be great. The world is changing and so is football. Complaining about it won't change it, all it can do is hurt our progress which will leave use behind other clubs in the coming years. This our chance to step ahead and really support the team. Organic atmosphere without drums and megaphones are great, but it's not happening. This way at least the people who join in are heard.
 
All seater stadiums were the death knell for atmosphere over here, aside from odd games. If you wanted a piss up, a fight, a sing song you went in the kippax. To a lesser extent small mobs camped out in the north stand and platt lane. Generally the elderly, posh, corporates and boring farts went in the main stand and the rest of the seats. People knew where they stood....or sat, no one whined and moaned if you got out of order in the kippax as it was expected it might get a bit rough in there. Now everyone is mixed in all stands together. Lads, kids, older people, women and just general boring fuckers, that is why the atmosphere is dissipated.

Palace, Sheffield United and Villa are pretty loud but for the latter two it's a bit of a novelty being back in the premier league. A couple of seasons when it wears off their atmosphere may fade.
 
jrb said:
I used a megaphone when I was in block 111 years ago. Only for about 5 games. Even there I didn’t get any abuse or negativity.

People will always be for and against a megaphone.

I think it’s how you use it. Occasionally, at the right times during a game, and with the right chants.

A European Capo would never work in England.

There are too many fans who want to start chants off themselves in England.

And I for one don’t think 1 person on a megaphone has the right to dictate chants to 100’s of fans throughout the match.
Click to expand...
111 years ago! You’re even older than I thought. What was Hyde Road like for atmosphere?
 
I think you need a better megaphone mate. From the family stand it sounded very weird, like a joke megaphone with someone taking the piss. I liked it
 
Fair play JRB for that tonight.

Too many atmosphere snobs in this thread tonight and seems there are tens of thousand at the games.

Imagine dismissing ideas trying to actively better the atmosphere when you create neither yourself.

The same people who marvel and take videos of opposition fans in the Champions League and whenever an English side do it it’s only good enough for Grimsby Town.....

The same people who moan about paying ticket prices yet continue to go.

Id rather a thousand kids singing through a microphone and banging on drums than that shite served up by 52k “supporters” tonight.

The views on here tonight and the atmosphere produced as a whole at most games shows you it’s a lost cause.

Introduce all the ideas, make it safe standing, cheaper tickets, the fact is our fan base apart from select few can no longer be arsed except for the big games.

I applaud you 1894group for fighting a lost battle.
 
WNRH said:
Fair play JRB for that tonight.

Too many atmosphere snobs in this thread tonight and seems there are tens of thousand at the games.

Imagine dismissing ideas trying to actively better the atmosphere when you create neither yourself.

The same people who marvel and take videos of opposition fans in the Champions League and whenever an English side do it it’s only good enough for Grimsby Town.....

The same people who moan about paying ticket prices yet continue to go.

Id rather a thousand kids singing through a microphone and banging on drums than that shite served up by 52k “supporters” tonight.

The views on here tonight and the atmosphere produced as a whole at most games shows you it’s a lost cause.

Introduce all the ideas, make it safe standing, cheaper tickets, the fact is our fan base apart from select few can no longer be arsed except for the big games.

I applaud you 1894group for fighting a lost battle.
Click to expand...

It isn't being an atmosphere snob to not want a drum or a megaphone.

1894 do a great job with banners and displays but the singing section has failed miserably. I think the guy who organised it explained why it has struggled. Often away from home 3,000 Blue's can be heard loudly all game, the same for away fan's at our place. So if you got 3,000 or more all like minded put together it should generate a huge din. Palace do it in one small corner of their ground.

I agree though we do have a load of miserable bastards or "Too cool for school" fuckers who won't participate in anything. One of the best things for visuals, fun and helping improve the atmosphere was the Poznan. It got people on their feet, laughing and talking, the players loved it and it improved the atmosphere. Sure it was a bit knackering at times but it was great. It lasted probably a season and a half before it was suddenly deemed old hat, out of date, people stopped joining in. Well we sure as hell haven't invented anything close to as good since.
 
paulchapo said:
It isn't being an atmosphere snob to not want a drum or a megaphone.

1894 do a great job with banners and displays but the singing section has failed miserably. I think the guy who organised it explained why it has struggled. Often away from home 3,000 Blue's can be heard loudly all game, the same for away fan's at our place. So if you got 3,000 or more all like minded put together it should generate a huge din. Palace do it in one small corner of their ground.

I agree though we do have a load of miserable bastards or "Too cool for school" fuckers who won't participate in anything. One of the best things for visuals, fun and helping improve the atmosphere was the Poznan. It got people on their feet, laughing and talking, the players loved it and it improved the atmosphere. Sure it was a bit knackering at times but it was great. It lasted probably a season and a half before it was suddenly deemed old hat, out of date, people stopped joining in. Well we sure as hell haven't invented anything close to as good since.
Click to expand...
The Poznań was a bit knackering Paul? You old fecker lol
 
Love it when people moan about this that and the other but unwilling to do owt themselves.The lad said they could hang a large banner from the top tier but cant get 2 volunteers to do it .Nothing wring with a drum & megaphonecif just used now and again
 
Well done jrb and the whole of the 1894 and the rest of those that tried to get the atmosphere going......

As for the rest of the crowd well they seemed happy to just sit quietly waiting to aplaud when a goal went in.

I am not blaming it solely on the fans last night because the team performance was flat and lacked intensity - the problem is, was the crowd flat because of this lack of intensity expecting a rout, or were the team flat because of the crowd ?

Due to my job i can only attend games now with my kids when work commitments don't get in the way. But my season ticket used to be East Stand Level 3....loved it. The view is awesome from there but the atmosphere i experienced is as described, blues happy to just sit and watch. Not once did this section break into a song.

It seems that the days of Maine Road i experienced as a kid growing up, the noise., the atmosphere have been lost but i dont know why

We should be thankful that people such as jrb along with 1894 and those that still strive to fix this issue are around, otherwise the stadium might as well be on the moon

This problem is not just jrb and 1894's to solve. It is the whole fan base's responsibility.

Maybe the rest of the ground feel isolated and too embarrassed to even try and start joining in, in fear of being moaned at or no one else joining in ?

It would be good to get feedback from all blocks of the stadium regarding their thoughts and feelings on the matter
 
  • Like
Reactions: jrb
WNRH said:
Fair play JRB for that tonight.

Too many atmosphere snobs in this thread tonight and seems there are tens of thousand at the games.

Imagine dismissing ideas trying to actively better the atmosphere when you create neither yourself.

The same people who marvel and take videos of opposition fans in the Champions League and whenever an English side do it it’s only good enough for Grimsby Town.....

The same people who moan about paying ticket prices yet continue to go.

Id rather a thousand kids singing through a microphone and banging on drums than that shite served up by 52k “supporters” tonight.

The views on here tonight and the atmosphere produced as a whole at most games shows you it’s a lost cause.

Introduce all the ideas, make it safe standing, cheaper tickets, the fact is our fan base apart from select few can no longer be arsed except for the big games.

I applaud you 1894group for fighting a lost battle.
Click to expand...
Not liking, sorry, hating(!) drums at football games is not being an atmosphere snob.

Every single time some set of Euro away fans have come to the Etihad with a drum, or any time I watch a CL game on tele on the nights when City aren’t playing or any time I watch Palace when they’re at home... within five minutes I’m fucking sick to death of hearing the drum.

And it’s not only the incessant smashing fuck out of it that nearly all of them do, it’s the dreadful monotonous boring chanting they do with no words that just drone on and on and on to it “ooooaaaah wooooaaahhh der der der oooaahh wwwoah woah laaa laaa an na na der der wwoaaah”.

And to top it off that stupid US high school cheer leader choreographed clapping they all do where they start with their arms really wide and clap above their head.

I hate it!

When Atalanta came a few months ago they were a breath of fresh air for a set of Euro fans. They sounded brilliant! They had no drum!

They ruined themselves with a drum where we played them away. But they were great at our place.

I feel very very passionately about being anti-percussion at football games. Me and my group of mates can’t stand them.

I know we don’t have all those shit “woah woah” songs with no words but I think I’d we had a drum it wouldn’t be long until they appeared.

I’m all for banners, flags, displays (although I think they sometimes kill the atmosphere as the players come out because people are concentrating on holding things up rather than making noise), smoke bombs, flares, standing up, the Poznań, the Yaya/Kolo... and obviously singing our traditional songs... but we do not need to be just another copycat cheesy Euro bollocks fanbase with no imagination, stooping down to having a drum.

It’s the one thing English fans still have over those Europop Ultras. Yes they are much more consistently louder than English fans, but whenever any set of drumless English fans turn up with a proper atmosphere, we have the best atmospheres in football! There’s no distinguishing between any of them, from Portugal to Russia, they’re all the same - same drum beats, same songs with no words, they’re fucking boring. Yes silence is also boring but when we switch it on, we are great!

We've just got to keep trying to get a bigger singing section away from the away fans in an area where the noise will spread around the stadium well and encourage the rest of the stadium to sing more.

And we’ve got to get the club to stop increasing ticket prices. The amount of fans who’ve left our fanbase because of this sole reason must be huge. I know well over two dozen fans who’ve stopped going due to price increases over the years. A few gave up after Pearce and a few have died (not from being FOCs before you wonder how old I am, one of the lads was 24 when he died) but the rest have been priced out or the continual price increases means they drop out of the Cup Schemes.

A drum isn’t the answer. It’s enough to stop many fans going if we turned into a drum fanbase.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
WNRH said:
Fair play JRB for that tonight.

Too many atmosphere snobs in this thread tonight and seems there are tens of thousand at the games.

Imagine dismissing ideas trying to actively better the atmosphere when you create neither yourself.

The same people who marvel and take videos of opposition fans in the Champions League and whenever an English side do it it’s only good enough for Grimsby Town.....

The same people who moan about paying ticket prices yet continue to go.

Id rather a thousand kids singing through a microphone and banging on drums than that shite served up by 52k “supporters” tonight.

The views on here tonight and the atmosphere produced as a whole at most games shows you it’s a lost cause.

Introduce all the ideas, make it safe standing, cheaper tickets, the fact is our fan base apart from select few can no longer be arsed except for the big games.

I applaud you 1894group for fighting a lost battle.
Click to expand...

I've disagreed with you on other topics in the dim and distant past but this is pretty much spot on. The bolded bit in particular says it all. Many of those criticising drums and megaphones marvel at some of the atmospheres created by fans on the continent and plenty of those use drums and megaphones, yet as soon as we try it then it's suddenly beneath those same people or too small-time for a club the size of ours. On these shores, Palace are pretty much lauded across the country as having the best atmosphere in the Premier League and guess what? Yep, they use a drum and they use it often. North of the border, Celtic have arguably the best atmosphere of any fanbase in the UK and they have a drum and a megaphone. Boro's Red Faction ultras group are the same and it goes down well on the occasions I've been there recently.

To be fair, I've probably been as big a hypocrite as anybody on this topic in the past - if someone had mentioned drums and megaphones to me 5 years ago, I'd have told them to do one, but having been involved with 1894 for a good while now, we've all had to compromise and open our minds to different ideas. Drums in particular have been a divisive topic for us. Someone mentioned earlier that in Italy they don't have drums but I'm sure they're quite widely used over there. We had an Italian guy who did a lot of work in helping set up 1894 and for years he was the lone voice amongst us banging the drum (pardon the pun) for a drum. In the end, we decided to give it a go but only for European games as the atmosphere tends to be worse at those. I'm still not overly fond of the idea myself but it seems the megaphone, while drawing criticism, has had more positive feedback than the drum. Any banter that went on last night over the megaphone was a lot more light-hearted than the abuse we get over a drum. Also, as @jrb says, he used a megaphone in Block 111 for a few games back in 2011 and no-one in there complained.

Anyway, put simply if more fans joined in with the singing then there would be less need for props.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jrb
ricardo said:
well done to the couple of hundred kids in the south stand 3 last night singing and shouting seemed to enjoy it get them in get them hooked
Click to expand...

I think Gary James posted a few weeks ago that we need to encourage the youngsters, teach them the songs etc and that seems quite a good idea to me.

btw Those Blues who became too cool for the Poznan don’t want us to have a good idea.

Credit to JRB and 1894 for experimenting with the megaphone and drum. I’m in 209 and I could hear the drum but not the megaphone. It’s probably due to the volume and positioning issues that JRB explainer.

A further positive was the large number of fans at the game who aren’t regulars meant we still had plenty of fans in the ground when the ref blew the final whistle.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top