Etihad Atmosphere - 2022/23

[Fordyboy46]

But when did we lose our passion and why?
Some people on here may not like it but for me it has happened since the takeover. Kicking lifelong match going fans out of their seats to shoehorn in a few more corporate seats. Those fans who sat together, sang together, cheered together are now not going anymore or are dispersed all over the stadium. The relentless increase in ticket prices has driven out a lot of hardcore fans and will continue to do so. The clubs disneyfication of stadium and its cringeworthy pre and halftime match day ‘entertainment’. The idea that you have to have a ‘match day experience’ (whatever that is) as to just attending the game and supporting the team. The club have to take a significant slice of the responsibility for what the Etihad has become on match days which is a sanitised, homogenised, flat, family day out experience. And as I have said previously, regardless of what they say the club don’t give a fuck as long as the pound notes keep rolling in. They actually give more thought and consideration to the away fans than they do us. It’s just to easy to blame the fans and say they don’t sing, shout and support the team when the environment has been deliberately designed to ensure it’s extremely difficult for them to be heard. You reap what you sow and we are now experiencing the harvest of the focus on corporate money. Until that changes, and I don’t believe it ever will, the atmosphere on match days (with the exception of the United & Liverpool games) will simply continue to get worse. We won the lottery with the Sheik rocking up - we all know that and I for one will always be eternally grateful for what he has done. But there is always a price to be paid and this is part of it unfortunately.

It happened when we left Maine Road mate

 

[Edghill OG]

But when did we lose our passion and why?
Some people on here may not like it but for me it has happened since the takeover. Kicking lifelong match going fans out of their seats to shoehorn in a few more corporate seats. Those fans who sat together, sang together, cheered together are now not going anymore or are dispersed all over the stadium. The relentless increase in ticket prices has driven out a lot of hardcore fans and will continue to do so. The clubs disneyfication of stadium and its cringeworthy pre and halftime match day ‘entertainment’. The idea that you have to have a ‘match day experience’ (whatever that is) as to just attending the game and supporting the team. The club have to take a significant slice of the responsibility for what the Etihad has become on match days which is a sanitised, homogenised, flat, family day out experience. And as I have said previously, regardless of what they say the club don’t give a fuck as long as the pound notes keep rolling in. They actually give more thought and consideration to the away fans than they do us. It’s just to easy to blame the fans and say they don’t sing, shout and support the team when the environment has been deliberately designed to ensure it’s extremely difficult for them to be heard. You reap what you sow and we are now experiencing the harvest of the focus on corporate money. Until that changes, and I don’t believe it ever will, the atmosphere on match days (with the exception of the United & Liverpool games) will simply continue to get worse. We won the lottery with the Sheik rocking up - we all know that and I for one will always be eternally grateful for what he has done. But there is always a price to be paid and this is part of it unfortunately.

Around 07 or 08 I think we were top 3 in some study for atmosphere in the league?!!
There is definitely a correlation between ticket prices and atmosphere. Everybody refers to that Hamburg game and I took a number of mates to that game who support other clubs and they said it was the best atmosphere they'd been at. Obviously fiver tickets or whatever it was at the time isnt sustainable but neither is £85 for a working class family. As POD suggested though, that horse has bolted. The same people that have been priced out are unlikely to return and the ones that are currently buying tickets will just buy up the cheaper ones.
I really don't think the club itself care about atmosphere. Unfortunately that's very shortsighted and could have cost us a number of points already this season.

 

[Fordyboy46]

We just need an end with no tiers, impossible for that to happen now so we'll be stuck with what we've got

 

[Jazzyblue]

Pretty much all of that is spot on.

There is no single reason as to why the atmosphere has worsened over the years, but it does appear to be the case for most clubs.

Where City haven't helped themselves is with the turfing of a lot of Platt Lane old boys from the North Stand back in 2010. Having a whole end for families is just a bad idea.

Sometimes too, you just have to admit that prolonged success brings about more blasé attitudes.

It appears to be a demographic issue at the club. There simply aren't enough young fans in a concentrated part of the ground to whip things up. It used to be the case that CL nights were quieter, but the knockout games with a more cosmopolitan support seems to generate a better atmosphere.

Two years ago I'd have said no to an ultras group but I've now changed my mind. We need a better atmosphere and if that involves orchestration then so be it. We had a drummer at Hyde Road so it's not without precedent.

Turfing out old boys doesn't help but in my experience is the Family Stand isn't the worst, and it's not really a Family Stand - there are just more kids in there then there are elsewhere. I can guarantee if I go in Colin Bell I will be around lots of Blues who do not make a noise, and that stand is full of old-time season ticket holders.

 

[Jazzyblue]

Around 07 or 08 I think we were top 3 in some study for atmosphere in the league?!!
There is definitely a correlation between ticket prices and atmosphere. Everybody refers to that Hamburg game and I took a number of mates to that game who support other clubs and they said it was the best atmosphere they'd been at. Obviously fiver tickets or whatever it was at the time isnt sustainable but neither is £85 for a working class family. As POD suggested though, that horse has bolted. The same people that have been priced out are unlikely to return and the ones that are currently buying tickets will just buy up the cheaper ones.
I really don't think the club itself care about atmosphere. Unfortunately that's very shortsighted and could have cost us a number of points already this season.

It will cost us points because despite our football we are not an intimidating ground to play at.

 

[GaudinoMotors]

Around 07 or 08 I think we were top 3 in some study for atmosphere in the league?!!
There is definitely a correlation between ticket prices and atmosphere. Everybody refers to that Hamburg game and I took a number of mates to that game who support other clubs and they said it was the best atmosphere they'd been at. Obviously fiver tickets or whatever it was at the time isnt sustainable but neither is £85 for a working class family. As POD suggested though, that horse has bolted. The same people that have been priced out are unlikely to return and the ones that are currently buying tickets will just buy up the cheaper ones.
I really don't think the club itself care about atmosphere. Unfortunately that's very shortsighted and could have cost us a number of points already this season.

There may also be a correlation between reserved observing and being Mancunian. We're not a particularly demonstrative people, unless extremely riled. Giddy, nothing else in their lives, scousers or sheep like Geordies, we are not.

 

[Jazzyblue]

There may also be a correlation between reserved observing and being Mancunian. We're not a particularly demonstrative people, unless extremely riled. Giddy, nothing else in their lives, scousers or sheep like Geordies, we are not.

I've wondered about this.

 

[Raskolnikov.]

It’s nout to do with acoustics or singing areas or style of play or stewards. It’s the fans.

We made a Faustian pact. We got the best team in the world with the best players and the best manager. We also got the best number crunchers in the world who know full well that rowdy, passionate, young working class lads from Manchester won’t spend as much on tickets and merch as shiny happy middle class families do and so a series of initiatives were introduced to change the profile of the average match goer.

Enjoy the football, don’t fret about the atmosphere, the old days have gone.

 

[jrb]

But when did we lose our passion and why?
Some people on here may not like it but for me it has happened since the takeover. Kicking lifelong match going fans out of their seats to shoehorn in a few more corporate seats. Those fans who sat together, sang together, cheered together are now not going anymore or are dispersed all over the stadium. The relentless increase in ticket prices has driven out a lot of hardcore fans and will continue to do so. The clubs disneyfication of stadium and its cringeworthy pre and halftime match day ‘entertainment’. The idea that you have to have a ‘match day experience’ (whatever that is) as to just attending the game and supporting the team. The club have to take a significant slice of the responsibility for what the Etihad has become on match days which is a sanitised, homogenised, flat, family day out experience. And as I have said previously, regardless of what they say the club don’t give a fuck as long as the pound notes keep rolling in. They actually give more thought and consideration to the away fans than they do us. It’s just to easy to blame the fans and say they don’t sing, shout and support the team when the environment has been deliberately designed to ensure it’s extremely difficult for them to be heard. You reap what you sow and we are now experiencing the harvest of the focus on corporate money. Until that changes, and I don’t believe it ever will, the atmosphere on match days (with the exception of the United & Liverpool games) will simply continue to get worse. We won the lottery with the Sheik rocking up - we all know that and I for one will always be eternally grateful for what he has done. But there is always a price to be paid and this is part of it unfortunately.

Great post.

We’ll soon find out if the people running the club care about the atmosphere or not.

If the North stand expansion mirrors the South stand expansion and a new corporate/dinning area is created and shoehorned into the back Level 2, the people running the club don’t care, even though they‘ve been reading this thread and the Etihad Campus, Stadium and Collar site thread, and they do know what the vast majority of the fans want

If the people running the club create a large 2 tiered North stand with a new and proper singing section located strategically within the expanded stand, they do care, and they do want to improve the atmosphere at the Etihad.(why I’m led to believe they do!)

 

[give it to gordon]

People say that the atmosphere was better in the 'old days'
Here's a thought in the 'old days' away teams didnt park the bus against us because they fanced their chances of beating us. This lead to a game of football.

Now alot of away teams dont fancy their chances so park the bus. This causes a training game of attack v defence, to be honest it can be fucking boring.

I have been to some great games with a cracking atmosphere, but they have been great games of football.

I have been to some god awful boring games where the atmosphere has been shit.

We can blame us the fans for the poor atmosphere, we can blame City for the poor atmosphere. But if one team doesn't want to play football its difficult to get going.
We have alot of games were City play against the bus. It becomes boring and its possible that all our home games become attack against defence.

I dont expect teams to go toe to toe but some teams have taken the bus to a new level ! But I think the away teams play a big part in the Etihad atmosphere. I know the bus, the time wasting, fake injuries really piss me off. I get angry after playing hard earn money to watch cheating.

City can over force the play and try and get the game going. Than we get the away team one shot one goal or two shots two goals situation. It cant be interesting for the players to play week in week out against anti football teams.

Some of our best atmosphere over the last decade has been in the CL. Teams dont tend to park the bus so we get a game of football.

Before the premier league the difference between the 1st and 2rd divisions was much in terms of money etc. I think this lead to more open games.

Perhaps as a society we have changed. Perhaps people believe the press/media. I dont believe the Etihad is any different all other clubs.
I have watch the dippers, rags, barcodes spurs etc and they are no better than City. We seem to have more songs !. But the press/media bang on about the great atmosphere at Anfield when in fact its shit if the dippers havent got the ball. If you read the press/media ( I dont ) and dont follow football, you would believe Anfield/Swamp etc is fantastic and City loads of empty seats.

Trying to compare to the 'old days' of working class fans is long gone. If I cant get tickets in the south stand or the east stand by the away end I wont buy any. Everywhere else can be abut boring ! I have been in all the standards and the worst for me was top tier CB stand.