Etihad Atmosphere - 2022/23

[MrCheeseGrater]

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.

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.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

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.

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.

 

[Prophet of Doom]

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.

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.

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.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

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.

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.

 

[blue44]

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.

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.

 

[Edghill OG]

We need to issue every kid under 16 with a vuvuzela, that would really improve the atmosphere :-)

Rather go back to empty covid stadia and watch with the sound off than those things unleashed in the UK. Haha.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

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.

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.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

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!

 

[CPPSC]

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.

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.

 

[MrCheeseGrater]

You ain’t gonna get thousands relocating to the North Stand.

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.