Etihad Atmosphere - 2022/23

[Manchester33]

This has nothing to do with cost of living or helping younger fans to go to games. This is everything to do with the fact that the atmosphere at most City homes games is just dire - compared to almost every other premiership club. As a fan that goes to all home and away matches and have done so for 20+ years, it is always noticeable how 'dull and bland' the atmosphere is at the Etihad. At so many other clubs, when the home team goes down a goal, it is not unusual to hear the home fans actually ramping up their support straight away. Of course, it is not always the case that other club atmospheres are always rocking, but without a shadow of doubt, City compared with most other premiership clubs is generally dire.
Pep was 100% on the money. It was not just about the first half & the fans being quiet. It is much more about the general atmosphere at the Etihad for the entire season - and before. A large proportion of the fans have become 'comfortable and beige' and most certainly, alot of the players are in the same zone. And as to the booing at half time - in all my years of watching and supporting City, for the first time ever, I was actually embarrassed hearing those boos. I was embarrassed to be a City fan.

You have to remember that we’re a cup final for the 19 other Premier League teams. Obviously, as away fans, we’re going to witness better than average atmospheres most of the time (compared to if we supported Bournemouth as an example).

I’ve seen us play away from home hundreds of times, and I don’t think our atmosphere is that bad. I’d actually say it’s above average (but we’re very critical).

It wouldn’t take much for us to have an unbelievable atmosphere though.

 

[Jazzyblue]

Watched it last night on telly. It wasn't terrible, I could hear singing throughout, but it's nothing like the Away sound and we all know it could be better as we're always talking about it on here!

I do hope we but on a decent display at Wolves but I'm not optimistic of the culture changing in a big way unless/until the club step in with that home end. East Stand and CB have loads of fans who act exactly as they would in a quiet local and many will be oblivious to what Pep has said.

They are not prawn sandwiches or tourists, just ordinary, respectable 'Main Stand' Manc supporters who have been going for years. If you are 60 and go every week with your Mrs and off the beer are you going to behave the same way you would if you were sat with your mates in the 80s? Lovely people, devoted Blues, just not going to be vocal for 90mins straight twice (or more) a week.

I am not mocking or knocking and I see loads of Berts, both sexes, who really know how to give it some and will take the lead, I'm just being realistic about how things are in some parts of the ground where everyone has sat in the same place for years and naturally got into a habit. Younger fans learn by example and if they don't see people making a noise around them, are not in a group or with a vocal relative, they will retreat into being passive and watching the 'content' in front of them.

We have multi-generational support and that is a good thing, because a fanbase should bring people from different ages and walks of life together. But it also means that people aren't going to behave as they did in the ways when football was dominated by men and unaccompanied young people, was cheap, drinker friendly, and had less to compete with as a source of distraction.

 

[PPT]

Someone on here mentioned people ‘filming’ the match on their phones!! Welcome to the real world. If you go to a concert people watch the concerts on their phones recording the bits they want.

And that to some degree that is the problem Fred. The 'real world' as we know it today is to film wherever you are be it a football game a pop concert or whatever and post it on your social media account so loads of people you have never met or will never will meet can see it and give you a 'like'. It's that what stops people becoming emotionally involved. I went to see Pete Tong at the Arena just before Christmas. The whole place was literally jumping to some serious house music being pumped out with a 42 piece orchestra behind it to back for good measure, along with a laser light show that was unbelievable. But when I took a good look around to try and take it all in, there was literally thousands of people just stood there, motionless, recording on their phones and hardly moving a muscle. They were not participating at all. They were observing. We have all seen that at the Etihad, especially at CL games. Obviously, the real world as it is today is not the old world where you went to a football game to watch AND participate. It's the same now wherever you go and it's crap to be honest.

 

[Fred_Quimby]

And that to some degree that is the problem Fred. The 'real world' as we know it today is to film wherever you are be it a football game a pop concert or whatever and post it on your social media account so loads of people you have never met or will never will meet can see it and give you a 'like'. It's that what stops people becoming emotionally involved. I went to see Pete Tong at the Arena just before Christmas. The whole place was literally jumping to some serious house music being pumped out with a 42 piece orchestra behind it to back for good measure, along with a laser light show that was unbelievable. But when I took a good look around to try and take it all in, there was literally thousands of people just stood there, motionless, recording on their phones and hardly moving a muscle. They were not participating at all. They were observing. We have all seen that at the Etihad, especially at CL games. Obviously, the real world as it is today is not the old world where you went to a football game to watch AND participate. It's the same now wherever you go and it's crap to be honest.

Well said. I can't believe people pay lots of money to watch it on their phone.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

The media and other wanker fans have plenty ammunition now over the idiots booing last night

Good. It might be exactly what we need to kick us into gear.

When Klopp had two moans at the Liverpool fanbase (one for leaving early and one for being quiet), after years of having the most overrated atmosphere, they sorted themselves out massively had probably had the best atmosphere in the Prem in the three years leading up to their league title.

They’ve not been as good since coming back from lockdowns, while, ironically, we have been much better since the lockdowns than before them until this Winter.

However, I think everybody attached to the club (like Pep said, ‘the whole organisation’) from fans to players to management team, have just drifted into this comfortable relaxed blandness recently.

The last time we’d really got behind the team until the second half last night was Bonfire Night against Fulham. Since then we’ve been as bland in the stands as the team has on the pitch and as Pep’s tactics have been.

The World Cup didn’t help but I think the whole organisation’s blandness came to a head at half time last night. We all made the first step in sorting ourselves out: the fans were good second half and drive the team on to win, the team were good second half and gave the fans something to enjoy and cheer about, Pep must have been a man possessed at half time and created the whole comeback with whatever he said in the changing room and then came out with the rallying cry to the whole organisation just to make sure we don’t just slide back into that blandness we’ve been in a rut with recently.

So, from the first whistle on Sunday, let’s be as one with Pep and the team and create a proper atmosphere from the off!

 

[Deleted member 77198]

I swear to God I've been going to City for 46 years and I've never taken, or even thought about taking, a photo during match.

I fact I'm lying. For some reason when Tevez went up to lift the FA Cup I got my camera out and videoed it. I regret it to this day because I don't have a proper memory of the first trophy we won in my lifetime. What a stupid idea it was and I still don't know why I did it.

Bloody hell, same here!

I too video’d Tevez lifting the FA Cup and regret it now. That was the last time I ever got my phone out at a match.

You can only live that moment live in real life once and the memories you have of it are what you lived. So - in the words of Martin Tyler - ‘watch it, drink it in’ and don’t do it with a bloody phone in your hand.

 

[staffsblue]

Another weird aspect of last night was the number of Korean tourists & students who turned up in the home end to watch Son play. Whilst I don't consider this to be a massive problem, there was even a couple of Korean young ladies on our tram trying to teach some FOCs some Korean words, they obviously don't contribute to the atmosphere & won't join in with any City related songs.

 

[kippax_blueboy]

Another weird aspect of last night was the number of Korean tourists & students who turned up in the home end to watch Son play. Whilst I don't consider this to be a massive problem, there was even a couple of Korean young ladies on our tram trying to teach some FOCs some Korean words, they obviously don't contribute to the atmosphere & won't join in with any City related songs.

Well if locals don't buy the tickets, rich students and tourists will. I don't care but they should at least cheer and shout.

 

[mexico1970]

Another weird aspect of last night was the number of Korean tourists & students who turned up in the home end to watch Son play. Whilst I don't consider this to be a massive problem, there was even a couple of Korean young ladies on our tram trying to teach some FOCs some Korean words, they obviously don't contribute to the atmosphere & won't join in with any City related songs.

Not to worry mate, it'll be like visiting the pictures in a decade or two with nobody supporting a side in particular. Maybe vibrating chairs when an attack takes place and ice cream music battering over the tannoy system ;)

 

[danmcfc01]

Getting home at 1am only to be labelled as shit fans. Cheers.

To be honest I only went last night as a friend let me have his spare season ticket. It was the first league game I was going to miss this season as I wasn't prepared to pay £70 plus all my other additional costs for the privilege.

The atmosphere is always better when there's a sense of jeopardy. I think a lot of our atmosphere now is reactionary and not pro-active. When the lads came out the second half it's clear they'd had a dressing down and came out and played as though they'd had a much needed rocket up their arse. No coincidence the crowd noticed, were receptive to that and consequently the atmosphere improved.

It's inevitable some complacency and expectancy sets in when you've steamrolled teams in recent years. We've gone from that to the 70% possession based game and barely passing it forward. It certainly doesn't help. One shot on target a game isn't going to excite anybody.

It's amazing how effective it was just going route one last night and using Haaland as a target man with the quality of the likes of Alvarez picking up the pieces. I'm not saying we should be doing that all the time but it gives the opposition something else to think about. Not the easy to defend slow build up play and giving them the time to get organised and stick 10 men behind the ball.

Atmosphere was quite good second half and honestly didn't hear any booing in the 3rd tier of the East Stand. Pep's comments regarding the fans came as bit of a surprise.

Tbh he’s right though. I’ve been a season ticket holder for 20 years and i honestly just wish i could talk to someone who works inside the club. Everything about the pre match display that the club puts on kills any sort of atmosphere before the players come out.

Those pre match light shows are sh*te! Whoever’s behind that needs sacking quickly cause how do you expect a “proper atmosphere” to build when we’re sat there watching a light show with a djay playing. Also whilst the players are warming up, we’re always listening to people talking over a microphone which is always shown on the big screen, from either pitch side or city square. Stuff like doesn’t exactly help build an atmosphere.

I’d rather they play music and 2 minutes before the players come out turn off all the music and leave it to the fans. If the fans don’t chant, then that’s on us, but it’s better than forcing an atmosphere and in the big games, you’ll definitely hear some noise before the players come out. If the fans get going from the start, the players are more likely to as well. Luckily Pep sorted it out at half time and because of it the mood in the stadium changed completely which in turn affected the noise and atmosphere. But it should be good from the get go and that’s partly the clubs fault & partly us to blame.

Plenty of times over the past few years I’ve heard chants ringing out from the lower south stand and the noise doesn’t travel up or around the ground. Again partly the clubs fault for putting a nice posh 93:20 bar with comfy seats right in the middle of our singing section. People in that section don’t join in with chants, and they leave 5-10 minutes before half time and don’t get back until at least the 50th minute. No wonder noise doesn’t travel up. If it did then the noise would sound immense and i want one person on here to try and tell me I’m wrong.

Then on the other side of the ground, we’ve got a huge family stand covering the whole lower tier of the north stand. We need to get rid of that asap and keep it to the second tier of the north stand. Then make that first tier safe standing as well just like they have with the south stand. More noise would be generated again and look how many people/families are leaving with 10 minutes to go, which is in plain sight of the players and tv cameras.

Another point is the £67 tickets which is killing off any chance of a proper supporter going and instead tourists/day trippers going instead, not chanting and on their phones for a lot of the match. It’s an absolute joke, might sound like an overreaction but pricing people out and playing that cringe along with everything else is the reason a lot of people are fed up and don’t enjoy the matchday experience as much anymore.