Etihad atmosphere

[Wilfried Chicken KFC]

The atmosphere is ridiculous and there's no point in defending it. I was sat in 117 for the Celtic game and bar a few guys it was clear that nobody was arsed in singing or trying to create an atmosphere.

Safe standing isn't the answer. Of course it means fans can move freely to stand with their mates but the whole of 116/117/118/111 was standing anyway, standing does not equal singing.

I don't know what the answer is. Plenty of fa cup matches have reduced ticket prices, which still don't seem to affect the overall atmosphere.

It's frustrating looking back on the Hamburg game, one solitary game in almost 14 years in a stadium where our fans have created a proper atmosphere (taking the derby and QPR match in 2012 out of the equation as both matches had a much much different sort of atmosphere).

Why then and not now?

It absolutely MUST have some sort of effect on the players at times. Hostile atmospheres don't always win games, but they can help.
We've lost plenty of away matches in recent seasons where the atmosphere created by the home fans has certainly played it's part.

I'm a supporter of creating an actual home end. Other than that I have no idea what can be done.

Do we just accept that nobody is interested in creating an atmosphere, or at least not enough people are interested enough to perhaps make it happen?

..This breaks my heart but you right,we sound better away from home on tv at least I'm to poor to attend myself in Ireland but if i could I'd lose my voice for sure,...on a side note i did have a dream before if i kissed the outside of our stadium we would win the league so loan shark later on few to many pints in new surroundings Piccadilly? Lost,would love to say the hole lot,but got my kiss and tour just me and the buddy anyway we won the league under bobby.

 

[cyberblue]

The atmosphere is ridiculous and there's no point in defending it. I was sat in 117 for the Celtic game and bar a few guys it was clear that nobody was arsed in singing or trying to create an atmosphere.

Safe standing isn't the answer. Of course it means fans can move freely to stand with their mates but the whole of 116/117/118/111 was standing anyway, standing does not equal singing.

I don't know what the answer is. Plenty of fa cup matches have reduced ticket prices, which still don't seem to affect the overall atmosphere.

It's frustrating looking back on the Hamburg game, one solitary game in almost 14 years in a stadium where our fans have created a proper atmosphere (taking the derby and QPR match in 2012 out of the equation as both matches had a much much different sort of atmosphere).

Why then and not now?

It absolutely MUST have some sort of effect on the players at times. Hostile atmospheres don't always win games, but they can help.
We've lost plenty of away matches in recent seasons where the atmosphere created by the home fans has certainly played it's part.

I'm a supporter of creating an actual home end. Other than that I have no idea what can be done.

Do we just accept that nobody is interested in creating an atmosphere, or at least not enough people are interested enough to perhaps make it happen?

 

[cyberblue]

Talking about it having an efect on the players .i am sure seeing half the ground leave with 10-15 min to go does not help there confidence

 

[BurnCK]

The notion that every game (at any club) should be a rip-roaring cacophony of noise and excitement is ridiculous. It never was and never will be. All seating and not enough away fans doesn't help, and neither does having 20k gawping at a massive telly for 90 minutes.
Games with brilliant atmosphere are few and far between but they are never forgotten by those that were there.

This is true. However, when the only game with a great atmosphere that sticks in your mind is Hamburg in 2009 there's clearly something wrong (excluding the obvious games against QPR and West Ham when we won the league...oh and the derbies).

Just any atmosphere would be nice. Seriously, there's about 10 people, in hundreds surrounding where I sit, that actually sing. The only time any of the rest of them join in is when 'Stand up if you love City' is sung....but most don't join in the singing, they just stand up for a few seconds applauding. Not exactly what I'd call atmosphere.

 

[Mike N]

As said by a Celtic fan, 90% of our fans sit there in silence with their arms folded. We've got loads of lazy fans.

 

[kevin horlocks wand]

We did it.

All the runs that Kinky makes are winding.
All the goals that Rosler scores are blinding.
And after all you're my Alan Ball.

Now that was a song....

 

[stonerblue]

This is true. However, when the only game with a great atmosphere that sticks in your mind is Hamburg in 2009 there's clearly something wrong (excluding the obvious games against QPR and West Ham when we won the league...oh and the derbies).

Just any atmosphere would be nice. Seriously, there's about 10 people, in hundreds surrounding where I sit, that actually sing. The only time any of the rest of them join in is when 'Stand up if you love City' is sung....but most don't join in the singing, they just stand up for a few seconds applauding. Not exactly what I'd call atmosphere.

The Vinny derby was electric, a wall of noise but a simmering tension that exploded with the goal.
Leeds in the cup- Game over after 20 minutes but their fans never stopped and gave us a good laugh.
Arsenal, Porto, Dortmund, Poznan, Stoke on their return all of the top of my head and i've got a memory like a sieve..

 

[kevin horlocks wand]

why does it have to literally link to city ? its more of a fans song. west ham sign I'm forever blowing bubbles, its not really about the club is it, we also sing were not really here - nothing to do with the football club.. a few years ago everyone was singing wonder wall against united. i think that would be a great fan anthem we could start singing.

The thread is about trying to get the atmosphere going, blue moon is not that song when we are playing Watford Leicester etc etc etc.

 

[stonerblue]

Now that was a song....

Certainly was.

 

[BigBluey]

I have read a lot about the atmosphere at City. I used to watch from the Kippax back in the day and yes the crowd noise was greater than the sterile atmosphere of today. However we have never really had an "end" to call our own.
Away fans used to occupy the right hand side of the Kippax near the Platt Lane stand.

As times have changed to all seater stadia and the average age of match going fans is going up (read some stat saying it's now over 40) it's hardly any wonder the atmosphere is poor.

I also think our long and illustrious history is partly to blame. Back in the 60s and 70's we didn't really have sustained success. Most other fans liked us back then for being the great unpredictables. Some other clubs around the same time eg Liverpool had sustained success and built up its fan base quickly. The manager at the time (shankley) forged a bound and cause with the fans. It started the ball rolling and the Kop figured in creating an atmosphere that often beat opposing sides before the set foot on the pitch.

I realise today the atmosphere is not the same at Anfield as it was yester year but what I think I am trying to say here is, as much as some of our fans are trying to manufacture a good atmosphere and well done to those that are trying - it's not a cause.

Most of the best atmospheres I've experienced as a long standing City fan is when we are being treated unfairly eg Taylor's referring decisions or when a crunching tackle wins the ball etc.

I hope a long period of sustained success coupled by an area designated for standing goes some way to contribute to a better atmosphere in future and that we make either the south stand or expanded north stand a purely designated city end

 

[ayrshire_blue]

I have read a lot about the atmosphere at City. I used to watch from the Kippax back in the day and yes the crowd noise was greater than the sterile atmosphere of today. However we have never really had an "end" to call our own.
Away fans used to occupy the right hand side of the Kippax near the Platt Lane stand.

As times have changed to all seater stadia and the average age of match going fans is going up (read some stat saying it's now over 40) it's hardly any wonder the atmosphere is poor.

I also think our long and illustrious history is partly to blame. Back in the 60s and 70's we didn't really have sustained success. Most other fans liked us back then for being the great unpredictables. Some other clubs around the same time eg Liverpool had sustained success and built up its fan base quickly. The manager at the time (shankley) forged a bound and cause with the fans. It started the ball rolling and the Kop figured in creating an atmosphere that often beat opposing sides before the set foot on the pitch.

I realise today the atmosphere is not the same at Anfield as it was yester year but what I think I am trying to say here is, as much as some of our fans are trying to manufacture a good atmosphere and well done to those that are trying - it's not a cause.

Most of the best atmospheres I've experienced as a long standing City fan is when we are being treated unfairly eg Taylor's referring decisions or when a crunching tackle wins the ball etc.

I hope a long period of sustained success coupled by an area designated for standing goes some way to contribute to a better atmosphere in future and that we make either the south stand or expanded north stand a purely designated city end

Good post mate, our fans are definitely at their loudest when decisions aren't going our way or such like.

When the North stand is done I'd like to see the singing section and the 1894 group move to the North, along with those who usually sit round the 111 section. Relocate the family section to the opposite side of the south stand to where the away fans are sat.

It's only a possible solution to help things and I've no idea whether it would work, but it can't get a single bit worse than it is just now.

Plus, imo it would make more sense for the team to be shooting towards the more vocal of our fans in the second half, that extra bit of encouragement won't do any harm either.

 

[BrianW]

It starts and finishes with the fans. And the blunt truth is that a large percentage of City's crowd want to sit and watch, rather like a county cricket match. It's a major effort for some of them to break into applause, let alone chant.

You can't conscript people into singing and chanting if they basically don't want to.

The old Kippax (on a good day) was made up largely of young, pissed-up lads with their mates, who had the freedom to do what they wanted with little fear of getting chucked out, and still less of being banned from the ground. There are a dozen different reasons why that scenario could not be replicated today, some legal, some just a matter of changed social climate.

You can try anything you like, from banging a drum to handing out song sheets, but I'd be amazed if it made all that much difference.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

The thread is about trying to get the atmosphere going, blue moon is not that song when we are playing Watford Leicester etc etc etc.

thats your personal opinion. as i said not every song has to link to city and not every song has to be uplifting. if everyone sang blue moon it would get the atmosphere going, unfortunately barely anyone does. going round in circles here so ill just leave it at that. :)

 

[franksinatra]

thats your personal opinion. as i said not every song has to link to city and not every song has to be uplifting. if everyone sang blue moon it would get the atmosphere going, unfortunately barely anyone does. going round in circles here so ill just leave it at that. :)

To be honest every home match I attend singing Blue Moon is generally the loudest and most sustained chant of the day.Particularly as it is the 'go to' song to herald a victory. Also as the song is synomonous with the club and is easier to sing than chants like 'Argentinian Blues ' etc (Which I like) it is easy for others to get involved who maybe do not sit in certain areas of the ground

 

[Blue Feather]

Blue Moon has its place but is generally pretty boring and hardly inspiring if we need to really get behind the team.....I'll say it a million times but the old 'City, City, City, City' war-cry is the one that would do it AND shut the away fans up.....but we'd need more than 50 to join in of course (was always done after the Poznan and it was fuckin electric.....)

 

[trevorriley]

The good atmosphere fans sing totally different from what we do or most PL clubs. Our songs are short and before one song finishes another starts and before you know it two songs are going at the same time. It causes confusion and fans then stay quiet not knowing what to sing.

The good fans, mainly from abroad ( dare i say celtic did it well ) have long songs that go on repeated 3 or 4 times not just once then die off. This gives fans a chance to catch the song and sing it loud throughout the block. There is 30 seconds or a minute break quite often with good atmosphere fans, gives fans a chance to re group. They are also far more visual with hand clapping, arms waving etc, this gives fans again the chance to get rhythm and in time. Our fans say well we dont want to be like bayern or dortmund, but the truth of it is our old style of singing songs is never going to get any better than the way it is, infact more likely worse.

We go on about the old kippax days, I think we romance a bit on how it actually was because i went to games their that where flat from time to time. But the truth is the new style of (hate to use the word ultras ) singing is far better and louder than the Kop and Kippax put together.

Unless we can sing longer songs, repeat them 3 or 4 times, be more visual, we wont improve. We do have good songs "guardiola" "oh what a night" and others that when we sing allow fans to pick up momentum, we need to stop trying to sing 90 songs in 90 minutes which often consist of an old song from the 70's that nobody knows the words to and "bluemoon" sung 5 times in each half. Yes sing it every game but when you bore the fans with it to much the stadium gets fed up and ignores it. A bit like stand up if you love city twice in each half, then we say you boring cluntz stand up !

 

[Wrighty Wrexham]

Made me think on Saturday I have always been vocal at matches and I enjoy the match day experience win lose or draw. Saturday when Otimedi made one of his usual dive in tackles and then actually redeemed himself with a last ditch tackle in the penalty area I shouted "You dick Oti but you redeemed yourselve" a guy about six rows in front of me turned around and said I was right on both accounts it was like a conversation in a pub!. I could not believe it always thought my comments etc was drowned out it the general crowd noise etc obviously it wasn't!!! By the way Oti reverted to type about two minutes later dived in on Costa missed and let him have a clear run at goal!!

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

The good atmosphere fans sing totally different from what we do or most PL clubs. Our songs are short and before one song finishes another starts and before you know it two songs are going at the same time. It causes confusion and fans then stay quiet not knowing what to sing.

The good fans, mainly from abroad ( dare i say celtic did it well ) have long songs that go on repeated 3 or 4 times not just once then die off. This gives fans a chance to catch the song and sing it loud throughout the block. There is 30 seconds or a minute break quite often with good atmosphere fans, gives fans a chance to re group. They are also far more visual with hand clapping, arms waving etc, this gives fans again the chance to get rhythm and in time. Our fans say well we dont want to be like bayern or dortmund, but the truth of it is our old style of singing songs is never going to get any better than the way it is, infact more likely worse.

We go on about the old kippax days, I think we romance a bit on how it actually was because i went to games their that where flat from time to time. But the truth is the new style of (hate to use the word ultras ) singing is far better and louder than the Kop and Kippax put together.

Unless we can sing longer songs, repeat them 3 or 4 times, be more visual, we wont improve. We do have good songs "guardiola" "oh what a night" and others that when we sing allow fans to pick up momentum, we need to stop trying to sing 90 songs in 90 minutes which often consist of an old song from the 70's that nobody knows the words to and "bluemoon" sung 5 times in each half. Yes sing it every game but when you bore the fans with it to much the stadium gets fed up and ignores it. A bit like stand up if you love city twice in each half, then we say you boring cluntz stand up !

the guardiola song has been sung to death now. and oh what a night, i think its a bit shit tbh. unless its against united most fans aren't gonna join in. we could bring back songs that everyone knows and carry on for more then 30 seconds.

city til i die
blues go marching in
you are my city

all songs everyone knows, but are barely sung in the south stand. more songs just about city.

 

[Shirley]

I always thought the poznam broke the ice with surrounding fans and created a good atmosphere, should we bring it back?

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Long enough to last long enough to not die out before it's reached even the end of a block, everyone will know the words, one that can be repeated and repeated, not about a player so it won't matter when they leave and doesn't mention United:

"I'm free to be whatever I
Whatever I choose and I'll sing the Blues if I want
I'm free to be whatever I
Whatever I choose and I'll sing the Blues if I want

Whatever you do
Whatever you say
Yeah City's alright
Whatever you do
Whatever you say
Yeah City's alright"

(Repeat)