Atmosphere tonight

[dom]

Last night was par for the course. I don’t think we’re generally the most vociferous of crowds and I include Maine Rd in that. Yes, we can have our moments - Boro in League Cup semi was especially memorable but, by and large, we’re fairly average when it comes to getting behind the team. Not the loudest, not the quietest, just average. Games when you’d expect it to be absolutely bouncing - QPR in 2012, West Ham last season, neither were especially “loud”, Hamburg was v.good, there’s been a few derbies to get the nerves a tinglin’ with the passion but overall, nowt special. And last night was no different.

And let’s not conflate good backing with good attendances. That’s not my point. We have and have had some of, if not THE best followings over the last 20-30 years. But we’re not noticeably vocal - at home anyway.

I truly believe a lot of that is down to City fans becoming rather philosophical about it all over the years. It's not that we're not passionate, but if you've had umpteen ups and downs, you become impervious, or at least, far less susceptible to drama, and there's still more than a whiff of pessimism amongst us that can't be fixed with a relatively short spree of success. Obviously, this isn't true for every fan, but as a collective, I think it's a factor.

I think that you have a point there , FC...

There's an extensive research literature on 'defensive pessimism' i do often feel that a large chunk of longer term City 'fans' have developed a self protective shell of 'cynical calm indifference'... (I have to confess that it' tempted me at times)....

The burning question is how long can this mentality dampen the passion of more active supporters ??

We need to be bypassing these passengers .. and I will not be sucked into some crap ... 'longer supporter that you' debate

You either get behind the fookin team or you don't...

 

[FanchesterCity]

Atmosphere last night wasn't to bad, Roma sang all night as do most euro away teams that travel,
It's laughable that a lot who have commented are doing so at what they heard onTV.
Also the ticket prices was reasonable last night so don't think that's why people stayed away, people can only afford what they can afford, so if day trippers take up the tickets that regulars can't afford then that's not a problem, can't expect the owner to throw all that money at the team and facilities and expect them to give the tickets away, think some are becoming a little ungrateful at the amazing investment we have had, would they be happy paying £20/£30 to watch us play the likes of Crewe , Forrest etc or pay that extra for the class we get to watch.

Regarding the singing sections being split, by away fans, iv said it plenty of times before and I recon we only have 2 singing sections because of the away fans, since I can remember going back to the Kippax / platt lane and Kippax / north stand our singers gathered either side of the away fans, it gives the singers something to bounce off , and no reason why the singers haven't / couldn't relocated to just one section of the ground since we moved there, there not being forced to be split..,

I'm not sure about this logic that day trippers are just taking up tickets City fans don't want.... when it's been a packed house in CL, there's still loads of away and day trippers...

It's something else. I don't know what, but I'm bloody sure it's something to do with how we are selling tickets (or how touts are grabbing loads of them). I accept that lots of ST holders might not take up the option to buy a CL ticket... I know that from the missing faces that sit by me, but it still seems that tickets are being snapped up by tourists well before City fans can get them. I can't be sure about that, it's just a feeling, especially when 8 Roma fans behind me all get seats next to each other.

 

[shemnel]

A must read
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.standingalone.co.uk/?p=179" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.standingalone.co.uk/?p=179</a>

ah you see now that was quite good, hit on most of the things ive been thinking saying. good read.

 

[trevorcitytilidie]

I'm a season ticket holder since 1973 and sit in E1 block 102 and whilst it's not the most vociferous block I did notice last night that the atmosphere was appalling however no different to most of the last few seasons of CL games. A couple points I just wanted to make.

1, Attendance - I think the attendance is the major reason for the muted atmosphere, however looking back to the 70s when I enjoyed my first European games I can see the apathy of a lot of City fans to European competitions. Our first game back in Europe for over 5 years was a glamour tie against Juventus in the UEFA Cup (This was seen as virtually akin to The European Cup at the time) in 76/77 season. The game was not live on TV, Football was still very much financially accessible for the 'working class' and the attendance was 36,955 that season at home to Stoke their were 39,878 present and the average league attendance was 40,058. In 77/78 in our first European home game we played Twente Enschede and only 29330 fans turned up in a season where our average league attendance was 41,687 again the game wasn't on TV.
I think we have to realise that we have, and for many years had, a core fan base of between 28k and 30k who will attend at all odds a home game. The rest is made up of fans who take in one or two league games a season (possibly due to cost) and then the 'tourists'.

2, The Myth of the Champions League - Before we qualified for the CL in 2011/2012 I sat in front of my TV watching endless mind-numbingly boring CL group games being told by Sky and ITV that this was the greatest football tournament in the world..... really?? I would think to myself 'surely if we get into the CL one day the group games will be different' How I was wrong! I can't think of any home CL game I can say I have left thinking 'I Enjoyed that' I would much rather watch a Premier League game against Leicester or Swansea than a group game in the CL. And although I will always sacrifice everything to ensure I can afford to get to the Etihad on these 'dream European nights' I can totally understand that those slightly less fanatical or those even scrimping on everything possible but still can't attend for financial reasons don't turn up.
From my own point of view the CL just gives me more chances to watch the team I love but I can take it or leave it, and if we don't qualify personally I don't care, however I'm made to care, because I am a supporter of Pellegrini and of the ethos of not changing a manager every 2 years, and if we are to believe what we hear that Pellegrini will face the same fate as Mancini if he fails in Europe for the second time, then I am forced to hope we at least qualify for the QFs just to keep the status quo.

Ok I'm rambling

Cheers.

 

[lancs blue]

Weren't the rags last Season exploring 'piped' cheering at the swamp.......Poor atmosphere is mainly a consequence of people being seated rather than standing, the change from male dominated to mixed gender and age of attendance.
However I do recall many games at Maine Road where you could here a pin drop.

So do I, what I don't recall is anyone saying they weren't coming any more because the atmosphere was shit.

 

[FanchesterCity]

Last night was par for the course. I don’t think we’re generally the most vociferous of crowds and I include Maine Rd in that. Yes, we can have our moments - Boro in League Cup semi was especially memorable but, by and large, we’re fairly average when it comes to getting behind the team. Not the loudest, not the quietest, just average. Games when you’d expect it to be absolutely bouncing - QPR in 2012, West Ham last season, neither were especially “loud”, Hamburg was v.good, there’s been a few derbies to get the nerves a tinglin’ with the passion but overall, nowt special. And last night was no different.

And let’s not conflate good backing with good attendances. That’s not my point. We have and have had some of, if not THE best followings over the last 20-30 years. But we’re not noticeably vocal - at home anyway.

I truly believe a lot of that is down to City fans becoming rather philosophical about it all over the years. It's not that we're not passionate, but if you've had umpteen ups and downs, you become impervious, or at least, far less susceptible to drama, and there's still more than a whiff of pessimism amongst us that can't be fixed with a relatively short spree of success. Obviously, this isn't true for every fan, but as a collective, I think it's a factor.

I think that you have a point there , FC...

There's an extensive research literature on 'defensive pessimism' i do often feel that a large chunk of longer term City 'fans' have developed a self protective shell of 'cynical calm indifference'... (I have to confess that it' tempted me at times)....

The burning question is how long can this mentality dampen the passion of more active supporters ??

We need to be bypassing these passengers .. and I will not be sucked into some crap ... 'longer supporter that you' debate

You either get behind the fookin team or you don't...

Yep. this is as good as it gets really. We are playing the best teams in the world and we want to be amongst them. We have the stadium, we have the players. The rest is up to us. Like it or lump it, if we're going to start filling 60K and possibly more, and become an elite club, we are going to be capturing new fans, I'd just like them to be grow up with City having a scintillating atmosphere and not a lukewarm one.

 

[franksinatra]

Atmosphere last night wasn't to bad, Roma sang all night as do most euro away teams that travel,
It's laughable that a lot who have commented are doing so at what they heard onTV.
Also the ticket prices was reasonable last night so don't think that's why people stayed away, people can only afford what they can afford, so if day trippers take up the tickets that regulars can't afford then that's not a problem, can't expect the owner to throw all that money at the team and facilities and expect them to give the tickets away, think some are becoming a little ungrateful at the amazing investment we have had, would they be happy paying £20/£30 to watch us play the likes of Crewe , Forrest etc or pay that extra for the class we get to watch.

Regarding the singing sections being split, by away fans, iv said it plenty of times before and I recon we only have 2 singing sections because of the away fans, since I can remember going back to the Kippax / platt lane and Kippax / north stand our singers gathered either side of the away fans, it gives the singers something to bounce off , and no reason why the singers haven't / couldn't relocated to just one section of the ground since we moved there, there not being forced to be split..,

I was going to write the same thing earlier. As soon as Maine Road became all seated the two singing ends became the North stand and Kippax AA/BB lower. When we moved to the new stadium as you have highlighted the trend has continued with two unofficial singing sections either side.

That is why I think it is pointless to criticise the club re: singing sections being separated as fans have chosen to create two banks around the away fans. Even if that was not the case ample opportunity over the years to alter this has not been taken. Not sure why some fans expect the club to evict fans from their seats to create a singing section when the fans have been the decision- makers in the current ground composition.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

you can see how many people care about the atmosphere. Cant 1894 contact the club and get a block sorted out full of singers for the expansion

 

[Marvin]

I'm a season ticket holder since 1973 and sit in E1 block 102 and whilst it's not the most vociferous block I did notice last night that the atmosphere was appalling however no different to most of the last few seasons of CL games. A couple points I just wanted to make.

1, Attendance - I think the attendance is the major reason for the muted atmosphere, however looking back to the 70s when I enjoyed my first European games I can see the apathy of a lot of City fans to European competitions. Our first game back in Europe for over 5 years was a glamour tie against Juventus in the UEFA Cup (This was seen as virtually akin to The European Cup at the time) in 76/77 season. The game was not live on TV, Football was still very much financially accessible for the 'working class' and the attendance was 36,955 that season at home to Stoke their were 39,878 present and the average league attendance was 40,058. In 77/78 in our first European home game we played Twente Enschede and only 29330 fans turned up in a season where our average league attendance was 41,687 again the game wasn't on TV.
I think we have to realise that we have, and for many years had, a core fan base of between 28k and 30k who will attend at all odds a home game. The rest is made up of fans who take in one or two league games a season (possibly due to cost) and then the 'tourists'.

2, The Myth of the Champions League - Before we qualified for the CL in 2011/2012 I sat in front of my TV watching endless mind-numbingly boring CL group games being told by Sky and ITV that this was the greatest football tournament in the world..... really?? I would think to myself 'surely if we get into the CL one day the group games will be different' How I was wrong! I can't think of any home CL game I can say I have left thinking 'I Enjoyed that' I would much rather watch a Premier League game against Leicester or Swansea than a group game in the CL. And although I will always sacrifice everything to ensure I can afford to get to the Etihad on these 'dream European nights' I can totally understand that those slightly less fanatical or those even scrimping on everything possible but still can't attend for financial reasons don't turn up.
From my own point of view the CL just gives me more chances to watch the team I love but I can take it or leave it, and if we don't qualify personally I don't care, however I'm made to care, because I am a supporter of Pellegrini and of the ethos of not changing a manager every 2 years, and if we are to believe what we hear that Pellegrini will face the same fate as Mancini if he fails in Europe for the second time, then I am forced to hope we at least qualify for the QFs just to keep the status quo.

Ok I'm rambling

Cheers.

City's games aren't the best because we continually underperform, and it becomes a night of frustration. That's not something that's part of the make-up of the Champions League, but maybe it's a hang-up we've got about the Champions League?

Support in Europe is possibly the worst in Europe in terms of noise. It's just non-existent. Might be all kinds of explanations for it, but up to us to put it right

 

[ballinio]

Atmosphere last night wasn't to bad, Roma sang all night as do most euro away teams that travel,
It's laughable that a lot who have commented are doing so at what they heard onTV.
Also the ticket prices was reasonable last night so don't think that's why people stayed away, people can only afford what they can afford, so if day trippers take up the tickets that regulars can't afford then that's not a problem, can't expect the owner to throw all that money at the team and facilities and expect them to give the tickets away, think some are becoming a little ungrateful at the amazing investment we have had, would they be happy paying £20/£30 to watch us play the likes of Crewe , Forrest etc or pay that extra for the class we get to watch.

Regarding the singing sections being split, by away fans, iv said it plenty of times before and I recon we only have 2 singing sections because of the away fans, since I can remember going back to the Kippax / platt lane and Kippax / north stand our singers gathered either side of the away fans, it gives the singers something to bounce off , and no reason why the singers haven't / couldn't relocated to just one section of the ground since we moved there, there not being forced to be split..,

I'm not sure about this logic that day trippers are just taking up tickets City fans don't want.... when it's been a packed house in CL, there's still loads of away and day trippers...

It's something else. I don't know what, but I'm bloody sure it's something to do with how we are selling tickets (or how touts are grabbing loads of them). I accept that lots of ST holders might not take up the option to buy a CL ticket... I know that from the missing faces that sit by me, but it still seems that tickets are being snapped up by tourists well before City fans can get them. I can't be sure about that, it's just a feeling, especially when 8 Roma fans behind me all get seats next to each other.

This is true, City are either keeping tickets back then putting the `SOLD OUT ` signs or theyre are feeding thousands to agencies who then sell them to away fans ...how else could away fans be all over the ground ? Happened v Barcelona & R.Madrid....if they are they are a fucking disgrace & must live with the consequences like stay away local fans & shit atmospheres.