Etihad Atmosphere - 2022/23

trevorriley said:
one last time, the north stand is looking extremely likely to be two tier. It is not going to be a stand focused on corporate. There will be enough room in the massive new stand to offer various ways to watch the game. We are having meetings with the club on what we can do to help it improve the atmosphere, but of course there are no official new shape plans submitted yet therefore it is early days.

i dont think we will improve the singing until fans realise that the reason why the atmosphere is quiet is because fans dont join in and choose not to sing. Cheap beer, getting rid of neon signs, not playing concourse music and so on wont change the atmosphere. Fans wishing to sing / improve atmosphere need to move in to areas where singers congregate and sing rather than rushing to the bar or looking at mobiles.

It is a culture in the premier league that we seem to have, tourists arent to blame, we have enough passionate noisy singers amongst the 55k crowd to make it work.


Over the next 12 / 18 months we will arrange meetings to discuss ideas, pre offer tickets in the redeveloped north stand. Please everyone buy in to it because this will be our l
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LEXSTARproject said:
Why do the club not come out and say this? An ultra section is needed at the ground, hopefully you are right
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‘Ultra Section’ ffs how old are you ???
 
Northerndave said:
I sing, I shout, I swear and I do it all without a drum or a megaphone.

I'll point to Copenhagen away as the absolute low point of what organised ultras can do to an atmosphere
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Why was that Dave?

On the contrary, I was both buoyed and impressed with FC Copenhagens supporters and their support. While they sang and supported the team for 90 minutes, driving them on, and also interacting with the other stands who joined in with the chanting, the City end barley raised a chant all night. TBF it was full of well off FOCs like me and new City supporters wearing River Plate shirts.

PS. I was well-off before the 4 day trip to Copenhagen.
 
I’ve said it before and have said it again. To improve the atmosphere in lower profile games the stadium needs one voice, one singing section where songs spread from. The current situation is a worst case scenario. There are various ways this can be achieved.
 
We need to issue every kid under 16 with a vuvuzela, that would really improve the atmosphere :-)
 
jrb said:
Why was that Dave?

On the contrary, I was both buoyed and impressed with FC Copenhagens supporters and their support. While they sang and supported the team for 90 minutes, driving them on, and also interacting with the other stands who joined in with the chanting, the City end barley raised a chant all night. TBF it was full of well off FOCs like me and new City supporters wearing River Plate shirts.

PS. I was well-off before the 4 day trip to Copenhagen.
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Did they really drive them on? It looked and sounded like 2 people on the PA shouting constantly at their own supporters and banging drums, not reflecting what was happening on the pitch at all. I remember at the time, someone making the point on Bluemoon that it felt like it was almost bullying of their home support.

The beautiful thing about British football is the reaction between what happens on the pitch and the stands, not a monotonous noise driven by a couple of narcissists who feel it is their duty to dictate what is sung and when. When an opponent slides in on our players I want to stadium to rise as one and scream ay him and the Ref, not be chanting along to yet another ultra hit.

It reminds me of the South African World Cup, it was brutal to watch with the noise bearing no relationship to what's happening on the pitch.

I think what has been lost in all this is will fans relocate to a singing area at all, or to an end? There's something special about the close interaction of away and home fans that drives singing, will people want to move from SS1 or the corner of the East Stand to the NS ?

Also what will our Ultras section actually sing? No offence, but there's maybe 4-5 songs that gets the stadium involved and that's it.

I love Edin Dzeko, but multiple times every match? So many people have no idea what the lyrics are either as it seems every new song is trying to be as complicated as possible. Follow Follow Follow (Although I love it) is the same. John Stones is the only new one that people can hear once and run with.

We haven't even got a song for Phil or Gundo, Ederson with He's Brazilian hasn't been sung for ages etc etc

Deep down though the problem is that for years now under Soriano, the cost of attending has risen over inflation and passionate fans have been priced out and to be honest the club hasn't shown much love to the vast majority of fans, it's all about day trippers and corporate.

Our fanbase is older and are less keen to bounce around on dodgy hips and knees than in their 20's. Around me up in EL3 me, my mate and maybe 10-15 others sing along to most tunes, get up and scream at the pitch etc but the support has felt better this year than the last decade, but it's a 2 way street, there has to be something to get psyched up for happening, this isn't the Beatles in the 60's, we don't scream constantly 'cos they are performing.

Lastly, the amount of half and halves, tourists, corporate, first time fans and those who can only attend 1-2 games a year who sit down and have no idea apart from a couple of chants of what to join in with.

It's a shame the club didn't ask their ST holders and Citizens if they want to relocate to an 'end' and get involved in singing to judge the demand, imagine creating a blue wall and then finding it's full of day trippers taking YouTube and TikTok videos.

p.s. do you need a GoFundMe for the Copenhagen costs ;)
 
Didsbury Dave said:
I’ve said it before and have said it again. To improve the atmosphere in lower profile games the stadium needs one voice, one singing section where songs spread from.
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If what @trevorriley said about a two tiered north stand expansion comes true, then we will get exactly this. As long as it is marketed and priced correctly, specifically encouraging those in the current SSL1 singing sections and Kippax Corner to move and bring their noise with them to the North Stand. It may also encourage singers from other quieter areas of the ground to move to the North Stand so they are with like minded people, not stuck in an area where they get shouted down for singing and standing.
 
Didsbury Dave said:
I’ve said it before and have said it again. To improve the atmosphere in lower profile games the stadium needs one voice, one singing section where songs spread from. The current situation is a worst case scenario. There are various ways this can be achieved.
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Indeed. At times, between just five blocks of fans in 111-115, there can be three different songs being sung at the same time by about 1,300 people.

On Saturday from where I sit (and it’s the same every week no matter who we play) you could hear, ‘oh we never win at home, WHOOO Everton, follow follow follow, and we never win away, you’ve never shone so brightly, we’ve got the best football team in the world, we lost last week and we lost today, Everton the spirit of the Blues, we’ve got Rodri and Gundo, we don’t give a fuck, Everton you’ve never shone so brightly, Phil and Bernardo, cos we’re all pissed up, Everton the spirit of the Blues, Kevin de Bruyne John Stones, MCFC OK!’

What the hell do you join in with there? If you can even make out what’s being sung, because most of the time when that happens it just sounds like a mass din you can’t pick anything out from.

One voice away from the away fans, under the roof, and the rest of the ground would know what to join in with for certain.
 
GrumpyLegacyFan said:
As I say to the Missus, size doesn't matter. I remember going to Santander away in 2008 (capacity 20,000) - atmosphere was electric in a dead rubber European game.

I go to most away games, and the excellent idea to give tickets to the youngsters has definitely made our already excellent away support even louder (although I would like them to lay off the coke and concourse instagram nonsense). So we know when we are compact and together, we can be as loud as any support.

The problem is all the shite (DJ music rubbish, light shows, announcers, etc) that's become part of modern top flight football. The tourists love it (god bless them and their half and half scarves), and the total saturation of football on every handheld device and TV. The 'uniqueness' of the game has gone for most, and the poor design of the Etihad with the prawn sandwich eaters (who only ever appear 10 mins after half time) slicing through the tiers means its never going to happen. We will never have that sense of the Kippax - or even the old Main Stand at Maine Road (I used to sit) which still rocked on Derby day.

Thats 'progress' I am told. And as much as I love what's happened to us since the take over (and I honestly am very grateful for the last decade), its all about CFG creating a global content platform. A year without fans, showed them its possible to still sell shirts and football TV subscriptions in Malaysia, so as much as I would like to think otherwise, any new stand will just be about more corporate space and more expensive seats for tourists.

Controversial point, but I have always thought we were a 40,000 or so club of loyal, mad, loud fans - and I am very happy with that. I really don't care how big my stadium is, or how many shirts we sell in Singapore. I would have never have built the South Stand - and it recalls a conversation with the great David Bernstein who told me once that the moment a fan sees an empty Blue seat on telly, they know they can more or less pick and choose what game to go to, and both atmosphere and attendance can be impacted. I think he was right, and that is a big worry with the new extension - but then I am just an old grumpy legacy fan who would rather be watching us play Chesterfield in front of 40,000 loud and proud Blues than Barcelona in front of 60,000 silent tourists.
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Psychedelic Casual said:
Indeed. At times, between just five blocks of fans in 111-115, there can be three different songs being sung at the same time.

On Saturday from where I sit (and it’s the same every week no matter who we play) you could hear, ‘oh we never win at home, WHOOO Everton, follow follow follow, and we never win away, you’ve never shone so brightly, we’ve got the best football team in the world, we lost last week and we lost today, Everton the spirit of the Blues, we’ve got Rodri and Gundo, we don’t give a fuck, Everton you’ve never shone so brightly, Phil and Bernardo, cos we’re all pissed up, Everton the spirit of the Blues, Kevin de Bruyne John Stones, MCFC OK!’

What the hell do you join in with there? If you can even make out what’s being sung, because most of the time when that happens it just sounds like a mass din you can’t pick anything out from.

One voice away from the away fans, under the roof, and the rest of the ground would know what to join in with for certain.
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You ain’t gonna get thousands relocating to the North Stand. Most are in their existing seats cause they want to be close to the away support and they won’t be giving up a seat on tier one for one up in the gods of the new stand.

The net result of the few that do relocate is that you will end up with yet another pocket of singers in the North stand and remaining pockets in the other areas. Any relocated North Stand singers will be surrounded by tourists and new fans with half and half’s sat down for the entire game filming it on an IPAD. Don’t see how that is gonna make a difference.

I just don’t get the fantasy that 40k plus supporters that haven’t made a noise for years are suddenly gonna burst into voice because of a new stand.
 
Psychedelic Casual said:
Indeed. At times, between just five blocks of fans in 111-115, there can be three different songs being sung at the same time by about 1,300 people.

On Saturday from where I sit (and it’s the same every week no matter who we play) you could hear, ‘oh we never win at home, WHOOO Everton, follow follow follow, and we never win away, you’ve never shone so brightly, we’ve got the best football team in the world, we lost last week and we lost today, Everton the spirit of the Blues, we’ve got Rodri and Gundo, we don’t give a fuck, Everton you’ve never shone so brightly, Phil and Bernardo, cos we’re all pissed up, Everton the spirit of the Blues, Kevin de Bruyne John Stones, MCFC OK!’

What the hell do you join in with there? If you can even make out what’s being sung, because most of the time when that happens it just sounds like a mass din you can’t pick anything out from.

One voice away from the away fans, under the roof, and the rest of the ground would know what to join in with for certain.
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I’ve a theory that it is this mud of multiple songs , without a roof, that is making those that do sit in the singing sections keep singing the clapalong songs which you’ve listed there because it’s the claps that get them heard within their own area. And don’t get get me going again about that fucking Follow Follow. Yet it again it was the first one on kick off. I hate it.

When there was that long delay and everyone stood up for the champions it started in the upper tier.
 
Didsbury Dave said:
I’ve said it before and have said it again. To improve the atmosphere in lower profile games the stadium needs one voice, one singing section where songs spread from. The current situation is a worst case scenario. There are various ways this can be achieved.
Click to expand...
my last post on this thread,its just a waste of time.
re arrange everything,do whatever any group wants to be done.
if the average fans sat on his/ her arse wont join in and support the club,they have paid money for,to sit vitually lifeless,nothing can be done.

Like others have said and i know from experiance,we can be fantastic,on the odd game or two over a season,but the rest,for an unfathomable reason we just cant be arsed.
chat on and on and on.
but none of it will change our lethargy alas.
up the blues.
 
blue44 said:
my last post on this thread,its just a waste of time.
re arrange everything,do whatever any group wants to be done.
if the average fans sat on his/ her arse wont join in and support the club,they have paid money for,to sit vitually lifeless,nothing can be done.

Like others have said and i know from experiance,we can be fantastic,on the odd game or two over a season,but the rest,for an unfathomable reason we just cant be arsed.
chat on and on and on.
but none of it will change our lethargy alas.
up the blues.
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It’s not just lethargy. It’s crowd psychology. There are thousands who would sing more if those around them did. Watch how songs spread around stadiums-that’s it in action.
 
Something that does piss me off… why, when ‘stand up for the champions’ goes round the stadium, do most of the crowd sit down again straight after it?

Stand up and stay stood up!
 
GrumpyLegacyFan said:
As I say to the Missus, size doesn't matter. I remember going to Santander away in 2008 (capacity 20,000) - atmosphere was electric in a dead rubber European game.

I go to most away games, and the excellent idea to give tickets to the youngsters has definitely made our already excellent away support even louder (although I would like them to lay off the coke and concourse instagram nonsense). So we know when we are compact and together, we can be as loud as any support.

The problem is all the shite (DJ music rubbish, light shows, announcers, etc) that's become part of modern top flight football. The tourists love it (god bless them and their half and half scarves), and the total saturation of football on every handheld device and TV. The 'uniqueness' of the game has gone for most, and the poor design of the Etihad with the prawn sandwich eaters (who only ever appear 10 mins after half time) slicing through the tiers means its never going to happen. We will never have that sense of the Kippax - or even the old Main Stand at Maine Road (I used to sit) which still rocked on Derby day.

Thats 'progress' I am told. And as much as I love what's happened to us since the take over (and I honestly am very grateful for the last decade), its all about CFG creating a global content platform. A year without fans, showed them its possible to still sell shirts and football TV subscriptions in Malaysia, so as much as I would like to think otherwise, any new stand will just be about more corporate space and more expensive seats for tourists.

Controversial point, but I have always thought we were a 40,000 or so club of loyal, mad, loud fans - and I am very happy with that. I really don't care how big my stadium is, or how many shirts we sell in Singapore. I would have never have built the South Stand - and it recalls a conversation with the great David Bernstein who told me once that the moment a fan sees an empty Blue seat on telly, they know they can more or less pick and choose what game to go to, and both atmosphere and attendance can be impacted. I think he was right, and that is a big worry with the new extension - but then I am just an old grumpy legacy fan who would rather be watching us play Chesterfield in front of 40,000 loud and proud Blues than Barcelona in front of 60,000 silent tourists.
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Dunno think the atmosphere at Champions League games is fine. I think FOC’s yearning for the old days doesn’t help. Think I missed the Chesterfield game though.
 
Prophet of Doom said:
You ain’t gonna get thousands relocating to the North Stand.
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If prices and marketing are right, I'm sure at least 4k people would move up there which would be enough consistent singers in my opinion to make an impact and be heard clearly all over the stadium which encourages the rest to join in. There are 3k away fans that can be heard clearly in most areas of the stadium so I think we could easily get more than 3k in an expanded two tier North Stand to create the noise like away fans do.
 
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