Etihad Atmosphere - 2022/23

[Manchester33]

Was quite excited to see Arsenal's "Ultras" today as my Arsenal mate ensured me that they've really improved the atmosphere. Turns out theres only about 20 people in this group, we couldn't hear them singing even though they're right next to the away end. But you could hear the bastard drum, did my fucking head in.

My point is today was the biggest deterrent ever to not try and start an Ultra movement at City. I would say Arsenal's Atmosphere is lightyears ahead of where it was, but I really don't think this group of 20 kids is the reason for that like a lot of Arsenal fans would have you believe. It was most telling when the whole ground erupted into "we've got super mick arteta", and the Ultra lot just kept singing their own Allez allez allez song by themselves, which meant the loud drum was also out of time with the rest of the ground.

I always admire the passion of european ultras and definitely think there are certain aspects from them which we could take to improve things, but if we just try and copy them we'll end up looking stupid like arsenal do.

I would argue that Arsenal's form so far this season has been the key contributor to the atmosphere. The fact Arsenal has been shit for two decades and now they're in with a genuine chance of winning the league is likely to get fans up for it.

I do think their ultras group might help in the games where the atmosphere would otherwise be poor. But last occasions like last night wouldn't need any helping hand. I watched it on the tele and the drum was driving me mad!

 

[Gary James]

Yep from the theme tune to the Kirk Douglas film The Vikings
Absolutely unique to City
@Gary James went into its history in quite mad detail at his City film show a few years ago. Trawling through old copies of the Radio times and cross referencing its broadcast against away fixtures

Yes I did. A long detective journey. More on it here:

The origins of the “Best Team in the Land and all the World” chant

On this day (23 October) in 1976 Manchester City fans first did their ‘Viking Call’. The chant eventually evolved into ‘The best team in the land and all the world’ but for …

gjfootballarchive.com

 

[Gary James]

What is the Viking chant?

You can hear the tune and me talking about it via this:

The origins of the “Best Team in the Land and all the World” chant

On this day (23 October) in 1976 Manchester City fans first did their ‘Viking Call’. The chant eventually evolved into ‘The best team in the land and all the world’ but for …

gjfootballarchive.com

 

[Bluesince1979]

I would argue that Arsenal's form so far this season has been the key contributor to the atmosphere. The fact Arsenal has been shit for two decades and now they're in with a genuine chance of winning the league is likely to get fans up for it.

I do think their ultras group might help in the games where the atmosphere would otherwise be poor. But last occasions like last night wouldn't need any helping hand. I watched it on the tele and the drum was driving me mad!

I try not to be a FOC when it comes to ultras and drums etc but im just not a fan of manufactured atmosphere.
Trouble with drums is, they end up with some self important bell end mindlessly twatting it all game, rather than just on occasion to help get a song going. In the end it just ends up annoying white noise.

Im a firm believer in the way a team plays dictating the crowds atmosphere.
Weve been very guilty of slow sideways passing for chunks of this season, boring. So the crowd reacts in kind.
I cringe a bit with the needy obsession with the german model, yellow walls, etc. we just arent that culture. Never will be. The germans love an organised march eh! ;)

The etihad atmosphere will come into its own as the season comes to its climax, have no worries about that.

And hey, maine road was a shit atmosphere when it wanted to be, not the constant bouncing cauldron some like to blue tintedly remember.

 

[trevorriley]

fair play to the 50 or so young arsenal fans trying something different, we have to try, we need change. It certainly looks better than fans on phones or sat there almost crying when a goal goes in against them.

i doubt the ultra stuff will take on like in Europe but i bet in a few years the 50 young fans bouncing around will increase. In time perhaps we will see an almost ultras in the sense that singers will group ( as they need to start doing more at etihad ), make themselves known, but react more to the games than a pre rehearsed song sheet.

 

[EastMidlandsBlue]

I would argue that Arsenal's form so far this season has been the key contributor to the atmosphere. The fact Arsenal has been shit for two decades and now they're in with a genuine chance of winning the league is likely to get fans up for it.

I do think their ultras group might help in the games where the atmosphere would otherwise be poor. But last occasions like last night wouldn't need any helping hand. I watched it on the tele and the drum was driving me mad!

Yeah the current form will definitely be getting them up for it, especially in games like last night.

I disagree about their ultras group helping when atmosphere is poor though, there really are only about 20-30 of them and no one around them joins in. I wasn't exaggerating either when I said you literally couldn't hear them from the away end, just the bloody drum.

For something like that, surely you need at least a few hundred like minded people to actually make a difference

 

[EastMidlandsBlue]

fair play to the 50 or so young arsenal fans trying something different, we have to try, we need change. It certainly looks better than fans on phones or sat there almost crying when a goal goes in against them.

i doubt the ultra stuff will take on like in Europe but i bet in a few years the 50 young fans bouncing around will increase. In time perhaps we will see an almost ultras in the sense that singers will group ( as they need to start doing more at etihad ), make themselves known, but react more to the games than a pre rehearsed song sheet.

That's what I mean about taking aspects from ultras, but not copying.

I absolutely think the singers should group, and I wouldn't be against more ultra style things such as a march to the ground to get the crowd going.

But we don't need a drum, we don't need to all mask up and we don't need to all wear black. Let's just be city

I think you blokes at 1894 have got the right idea

 

[supersonicblue]

Not being funny but you genuinely couldn’t hear the Arsenal “ultras” when it was just them singing, only when the whole ground joined in

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Not being funny but you genuinely couldn’t hear the Arsenal “ultras” when it was just them singing, only when the whole ground joined in

Exactly the same as at our ground: you can’t make noise spread from the front of a big, tiered stadium.

 

[halfcenturyup]

I cringe a bit with the needy obsession with the german model, yellow walls, etc. we just arent that culture. Never will be. The germans love an organised march eh! ;)

I remember Alan Coren in the 70s describing German dancing as sideways marching :)