Atmosphere 2024/25

[NickyWeaverTheMagician]

Can’t be arsed making its own thread, but they really need to sort the queues out otherwise we’ll have people leaving earlier and earlier before half time. Worst they’ve been, and looks like it stems from having to scan your season ticket for the poxy discount.

100% the queues in 115 were twice as long as last season due to the scanning rather than just showing it to them. Will cost themselves more by people just giving up and not getting a pint.

 

[NickyWeaverTheMagician]

I actually thought SSL was decent today, thought 115 was good could be better but definitely not the worst. As everybody knows though noise just doesn't travel in the ground. It is what it is at the end of the day and personally I stopped bothering years ago about what reaches other sections as on the whole it is pretty good in south lower.

Kippax corner isn't normally heard by south stand lower (other than the digs latter in the game!) and vice versa. Up top in ss3 can't hear down below and the same back. Other than them 3 sections nobody really bothers so it is always going to end up with a split of songs etc. Nothing is going to change on the front.

I'm on the opposite side where I thought the Ipswich fans weren't that bad either, our away section has to be one of the worst in the league for getting atmosphere going cos of the split (bar the likes of wolves etc) and they were right up for it.

 

[Betterdeedthan red]

The same old story, i'm afraid the horse has bolted. This is modern football, daytrip fans spending fortunes in the club shop, atmosphere not helped by the rowdiest supporters disappearing 10 minutes before half time etc. On the pitch it's amazing, but in the stands it has lost its edge. Victims of our own success I suppose.

I was in ss lever 1 instead of 220.
OK atmosphere.
A lot less tourists than in my normal seat

 

[train man]

The other recurring theme is our fans need to sing.

So true, and blaming the tiered set-up doesn't entirely wash with me, the away section can be very loud, Villa were for a lot of the title decider before our incredible 3 goals in 6mins, so it should be possible for the rest of SS1/2/3 to at least equal that, and the idea that a 'home end' in North Stand will be a panacea just won't be the case unless more people put the effort in to sing and shout. Problem, also, is the more diluted any traditional vocal support becomes with (quieter) newbies or tourists, the harder it is for even the most vociferous to generate noise, to the point where even they might become disillusioned and give up a losing battle.
This is not to say that home games cannot be a bear pit, as we know they can be in those games where the jeopardy is highest. Also the away effort* continues to usually be quite astonishingly good, even with a degree of ticket dilution (something the club really need to address, pause, or preferably reverse)...

edit: *here I mean OUR away fans...
and edit2: we know that all grounds lose the 'edge' without a degree of jeopardy, whether directly in the match on show, and/or what the result will do to league position, and if the team are cruising, playing game-management, then the crowd inevitably have less to react to.

 

[Ducado]

It was a bit muted but considering we were playing a team that in reality shouldn’t be anywhere near this level of football it was ok, it was a bit like an early round FA cup game against a D1 side, it meant more to them than us, let’s face Ipswich will be nothing more than point fodder, and then relegation will come and chances are they will never get back up, they are this seasons Blackpool

 

[Abattoir Blue]

The other recurring theme is our fans need to sing.

Yep.

We can ask the club to tweak things to help, and we should continue to do that. However, supporters going to the game should fundamentally ask themselves what is the point of them being there if they sit in silence.

I sit in SS218 (not the quietest part of the ground) and yet most fans around me were entirely silent except for cheering goals and Ilkay coming on.

 

[GOULDYBOBS]

115. Left at 40 to get a pint and barely got it with 2 minutes until teams come back out.

Thought atmosphere was OK considering the competition. There's only so many tractor boys songs we could make up

 

[blue44]

The atmosphere stands or falls on SS3 as they sing the songs that the ground join in with. It didn’t bode well for the rest of the season today up there.

I was pretty surprised how quiet and indifferent the atmosphere was.I thought with it being the first home game for months it would be loud.
I was knackered after starting work at 6am and having to rush down in time,plus my seasoncard not working as is the norm for me.
As usual,when we need it,our fans deliver,and we will as the season progresses.Up the blues.

 

[Citycity76]

Is SSL3 why don’t they sell the half time tokens away from the bar at a separate booth.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

If the away fans were moved we’d have an extra 1000+ City fans in SSL3. We’d have the whole of SSL3 full of City fans.

Just as importantly, we’d have an extra 1000+ safe standing seats that are already installed in the SSL3 away end, that City could push as a new singing section in SSL3.

We’d end up with the new 8000 capacity North stand home end, a 6000 capacity SSL3 with a 1000+ capacity singing section, and the SSL1 singing section.

Obviously we’d lose the singers in 111, 110, and 109 if City put the away fans there, but that would also lesson the effect of their vocal support. The away fans in blocks 111, 110, and 109 would still have access to the coach park, so that wouldn’t be an issue.

Unfortunately I don’t think it will happen as I think the club are happy with the current away fans set up.

In a ideal world we would carry out all of your suggestions above, but as you say realistically the club aren’t going to move the away fans.

For me the focus should be on what we can do in the short term and then look at the bigger picture. For instance we could easily make the back 8 rows or so of ss3 safe standing. That could be a big difference as people who stand tend to get more involved in chants. When ss3 chant that gets the rest of the ground involved.

In the long term we need to focus on creating that home end in the new north stand.