Etihad Atmosphere - 2022/23

bluemoon1981 said:
Maybe we have this thread because we feel like we need to justify the constant Emptihad comments. I'm on a whatsapp group with mates and find myself constantly biting to Emptihad comments and also find myself looking for gaps at other grounds to say 'look we are not the only one'.

For the gaps in the stadium I've always liked to think this is down to us being a less touristy club. Especially around holiday times perhaps we are not so used to giving up our ticket on exchange so just let it sit empty. For cup matches it does annoy me when those in the media do it because what they are really doing is mocking working people who probably have shifts, children and financial reasons for not coming.

When we are at home I'm fairly quiet, not sure why, perhaps it is just because your in the same seat for 20 years so it becomes the norm. Perhaps it is because it is 'me time' away from the other stresses of life so I take it a bit easy, join in some songs, spend time watching the match and chatting to people I've sat with for 20 years now. Perhaps it is because mid to lower table teams park the bus a lot of times which we have historically taken a long time to break down so I'm a bit nervous for a large part of the match.

When I'm away I'm a bit of a mixture, normally loud but not always. Perhaps that's because I'm surrounded by lots of people singing or perhaps it's simply because I'm in a minority and feel more of a need to because of this. It's more of a day out, not the norm because the ground and location changes each week. Also there is something different being as close as we are in some away sections. I do find the further away I am from the pitch the less inclined I am to sing for ages.

The reality is pretty much all clubs are the same. Not all matches will be like the Derby. Brighton mocked the atmosphere, as we do at most grounds we visit. Some are worst, some are better. Some are just down to acoustic (or lack of) design. Very few are exceptionally different unless they have some conductor driving the crowd.

I'll be honest, I'm surprised more don't stay until the final whistle but I'm not judging or have any ill feelings towards those that do. In fairness most the people I see leave around me early tend to be those 65+ but I'd be surprised if that is the biggest cohort.

Perhaps the club could poll why and help do something about it where it makes sense.

I drive back 180 miles south if not getting the train, so from the green car park unless I leave 10 mins early it makes no real difference. In fact for Brighton at home I opted to take my son to the chippy after the match so it was slightly less annoying trying to get out given most the cars had gone.

If City poll and find the reason is transport then maybe they can look into it better if it would make a difference. Selfishly it takes me close to an hour to get from the stadium to the m6 after the match. Mainly all the congestion getting through Princess Road to the M56. Maybe they should look at better congestion control, perhaps they already do and this is the best we are going to get.
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Brighton singing about our atmosphere was ironic they are worse than us
 
Brightwell Bros. said:
There was admittedly very little to cheer for and very little to get worked up about in those days. If it were a colour it would have been grey.
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Jesus, I remember of the few goals we scored at home all season, even fewer (if any) we scored towards the South Stand, it was torturous, made no easier by the cringy fucking horse mascot by the water bottles
 
Segga said:
We’ve even managed to ruin the original blue moon in recent years by upping the tempo as well fuck knows why. Listen to YouTube clips of it from blackburn or Hamburg it’s spine tingling and sang slower.
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We’re all agreed on that, so who are the City Matters Reps who post on BM and can bring it up with the club?
 
Dodgy Gangster said:
Before all the usual suspects pipe up with their daft videos and self loathing posts about being a City fan I would like to point out that a 25 minute monotone rendition of an old bananarama song does not constitute a good atmosphere
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Trick of the Night - now there's a fucking tune
 
Dodgy Gangster said:
Before all the usual suspects pipe up with their daft videos and self loathing posts about being a City fan I would like to point out that a 25 minute monotone rendition of an old bananarama song does not constitute a good atmosphere
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Spot on. Dortmund fans were fairly noisy (although only about 5% of that massive stand were singing whenever the camera went on them) but boring as fuck tonight!
 
Segga said:
We’ve even managed to ruin the original blue moon in recent years by upping the tempo as well fuck knows why. Listen to YouTube clips of it from blackburn or Hamburg it’s spine tingling and sang slower.
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Not just blue moon. All the songs are sung too fast.
 
Not the coolest kids in the world the Dortmund fans are they.

I wasn’t a cool kid myself hence I recognise their Bananarama and Bonnie Tyler songbook
 
Tim of the Oak said:
Fairly noisy lol. The Dortmund fans gave great vocal support.
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They were average. Just a small group at the front near the middle (the camera went over a few times and nearly all of the Sudtribune wasn’t joining in) singing boring songs all game then everyone in the stadium got up when the board went up at the end with their version of ‘stand up for the champions’ and that was it.

They were nowhere near as good as Copenhagen fans.
 
Psychedelic Casual said:
They were average. Just a small group at the front near the middle (the camera went over a few times and nearly all of the Sudtribune wasn’t joining in) singing boring songs all game then everyone in the stadium got up when the board went up at the end with their version of ‘stand up for the champions’ and that was it.

They were nowhere near as good as Copenhagen fans.
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They were good tonight and the Copenhagen fans were very good. Yes, not very exciting songs but yku could hear them loud and proud.
 
I know this has been mentioned before, but the club really needs to sack off the ‘organised fun’ etc and try to let an atmosphere grow organically.

Not claiming for one minute that this is the silver bullet, but it is one part of the overall clusterfuck of a problem.
 
It was a lot more than 5% of the yellow wall that was singing. And it was a significant chunk of that wall in the middle jumping up and down creating a great atmosphere. The periodic back and forth between the stands was also great. Credit where credit is due...

I don't think it is just down to our ground, most grounds are the same in the UK. We should be looking at clubs where it works and ask ourselves why.

Personally I think a large factor is the ability to drink in the stand and the ability to easily get beer around the ground at Dortmund that contributes to a buzzing atmosphere. All standing also is a factor because if you want a good position you have to get there early. Even the City standing area was packed an hour before kick off. People won't want to do that if they can't have their beer with them and take 6 in at a time like last night.

Of course there is a counter angle here, people with beer need to behave, especially in a standing section but maybe if people don't feel like they need to neck 6 pints before kick off there would be less problems.

Transport is also something we can learn from. Yup, I hear trains were crap last night, not the usual German efficiency expected, but bottom line it is free for most of them. Couple that with lots of free parking around, scooters to hire, etc, just makes it easier on people's wallets so they don't have to make a choice.

So maybe extend the north stand into a proper home stand with all standing, much cheaper seats, change the rules on beer and sort out transportation such that there is an incentive to stay or get there early.
 
bluemoon1981 said:
Of course there is a counter angle here, people with beer need to behave, especially in a standing section but maybe if people don't feel like they need to neck 6 pints before kick off there would be less problems.
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There's the flaw in the solution right there, what could possibly go wrong in a standing section of boozed up fans in a very big game?

The authorities engineered this problem out so they didn't have to deal with it and although it may come back as a trial it'll be put straight back in the box.

Looking at most other crowds in Europe and away fans at the Etihad some smoke and drink while the games go on, this rebellious attitude left the building a decade ago in the premiership.
 
bluemoon1981 said:
It was a lot more than 5% of the yellow wall that was singing. And it was a significant chunk of that wall in the middle jumping up and down creating a great atmosphere. The periodic back and forth between the stands was also great. Credit where credit is due...

I don't think it is just down to our ground, most grounds are the same in the UK. We should be looking at clubs where it works and ask ourselves why.

Personally I think a large factor is the ability to drink in the stand and the ability to easily get beer around the ground at Dortmund that contributes to a buzzing atmosphere. All standing also is a factor because if you want a good position you have to get there early. Even the City standing area was packed an hour before kick off. People won't want to do that if they can't have their beer with them and take 6 in at a time like last night.

Of course there is a counter angle here, people with beer need to behave, especially in a standing section but maybe if people don't feel like they need to neck 6 pints before kick off there would be less problems.

Transport is also something we can learn from. Yup, I hear trains were crap last night, not the usual German efficiency expected, but bottom line it is free for most of them. Couple that with lots of free parking around, scooters to hire, etc, just makes it easier on people's wallets so they don't have to make a choice.

So maybe extend the north stand into a proper home stand with all standing, much cheaper seats, change the rules on beer and sort out transportation such that there is an incentive to stay or get there early.
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You're right, free standing and beer on the terraces would immediately improve the atmosphere, but it's off the table in English grounds and will remain so for our lives.
 
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