Etihad Atmosphere - 2022/23

[Norbert D]

The atmosphere yesterday was shit, of course not helped by the factors others have mentioned. But the main factor is we turn up knowing it will take a fluke for us not to win. It’s expected, we turn up, we win ( most of the time!).

I guess if we go on a long run of shit results we would be chomping at the bit. Look at the gang from Trafford, they celebrate beating anyone like a World Cup win! Go back to the days when everything and I mean everything was tilted in their favour and it was the same for their fans, turn up, watch a win, go home.

another factor is our possession based football, we unlock massed defences through patience, the days when we could break at speed and score lots of exciting goals seem fewer and far between.

anyway, happy new year !

 

[Beaker]

Cant get my head around the expanding long list of excuses on this thread.

The latest additions blame the ref, corporate seats, expensive tickets etc.

Bizarrely one post was blaming the cost of tickets for the Spurs game for the crap atmosphere yesterday !!!! Genius

One post blamed no singing section ??? Can somebody please explain to me what happened to the 1894 singing section in the South Stand which asked people to relocate a few years ago and made no difference to the atmosphere.

The problem is 45000+ sit in silence every week. You could close down every corporate section, make tickets a £1 and have Pier Luigi Collina reffing every week and it won’t get the mute 45000 to make a noise.

It would appear you have missed the point with regards to the complaint of ticket prices for the Spurs game (deliberately or otherwise I’m not sure). It is one example of an upcoming game used to illustrate a wider point that the club are pricing out local working class and young supporters from attending. Whilst this continues there is no point in having a discussion around atmosphere because it won’t change.

 

[Prophet of Doom]

How are corporate seating and pricing an excuse? If you make more of the ground corporate and price out fans, that leads to less atmosphere. Do you honestly think doesn’t make a difference .

If you had a large home end with affordable tickets it would make a huge difference in my opinion.

Of course more people need to join in - I agree on that, but the club haven’t helped and pricing and corporate are two very legitimate reasons.

Are you seriously blaming 3000 corporate seats for the shit atmosphere - and not the 47000 mute non corporate seats ??

And I’d love to know how reducing prices would make a difference. The same people that buy tickets now would be buying the tickets for the lesser amounts. The idea that those attending now would be replaced by thousands of priced out lapsed supporters that bring an atmosphere is fantasy.

 

[mexico1970]

Are people seriously still complaining that the Etihad isn't turned into a singing section when the game has been sanitised to death and the demographic of match goers is changing week on week?

This isn't the 60's 70's or 80's that atmosphere has left the building, unless we employ ultra like drum thrashers and go all continental the vocal support is going to be sporadic at best.

 

[Prophet of Doom]

That’s the spirit mate!

Blame all us in 1894 (the only people proactively doing anything), nice on

I’ve no issue with 1894 and fair play for doing what you do.
My comment was a response to people saying they need a singing section when I thought the South Stand had a relocation to a singing section when then 3rd tier was built.

 

[MrCheeseGrater]

FWIW, 1894 have been getting complained about by fans (I says fans, but we think it is one person - if anyone at all) in the wheelchair bays at the back of 115, so we are having quite a lot of hassle from stewards threatening to eject us for ‘being too rowdy’ (singing).

Rather than help move the one unhappy fan out of the singing section…

That's pathetic. Why would you chose to sit in a singing section then complain about the singing??? Baffles me. Also those stewards can fuck right off, since when was singing 'too rowdy'.

 

[herrock]

Just turned the spurs game on, they were trailing 1-0 and all you can hear are villa fans. We are no different to anyone else.

 

[jrb]

Cant get my head around the expanding long list of excuses on this thread.

The latest additions blame the ref, corporate seats, expensive tickets etc.

Bizarrely one post was blaming the cost of tickets for the Spurs game for the crap atmosphere yesterday !!!! Genius

One post blamed no singing section ??? Can somebody please explain to me what happened to the 1894 singing section in the South Stand which asked people to relocate a few years ago and made no difference to the atmosphere.

The problem is 45000+ sit in silence every week. You could close down every corporate section, make tickets a £1 and have Pier Luigi Collina reffing every week and it won’t get the mute 45000 to make a noise.

It’s not and has never been the ‘1894 singing section’. It’s block 115.

The club organised and implemented the new singing section in block 115.

Fans were offered the opportunity by the club to move to and to take up available seats in 115. Note: Available seats.

A mixture of fans did this. Clearly not all singers, even though the club tried to frame it as a (new) singing section. Not properly and successfully enough in my opinion.

SSL1 will always have a mixture of singers, fans who sing occasionally, and fans who don’t and won’t sing at all. The club will never change that mixture due to the volume of season ticket holders and match tickets sales in 115.

Yesterday.

I normally stand at the back of 115. I just sing. I’m not rowdy. I don’t cause any trouble or hassle for the people at the back of the stand. I have always been able to and allowed to stand up there starting songs off and joining in with songs. For the 1st time yesterday I was told to go to my normal seat by a steward. I know the steward. He’s ok. I’m not going to slag him off. He is doing his job. Yes, I have a seat elsewhere in the stand. I get on with the people I stand next to. But it’s not a part of the South stand where I can start a chant. The singing around there is very hit and miss at best of times. There used to be quite a few 1894 singers and singers in general at the back who would start and join in with songs, creating the noise and volume that would spread the songs across the South stand. Yes, it did get a bit rowdy at times. There were only 2 1894 lads up there yesterday. 1 singer, who shall remain nameless. I’m not going to slag him off because 1, I get in with him, 2, he tries his best to get the chants going, which he does. Unfortunately it’s the same chants every match.

For whatever reason, which Manchester 33 has touched upon, the club has decided to move singers from the back of 115. Which means that core of singers that were up there are now dispersed across other parts of 115 and the South stand.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Embarrassing atmosphere again. Haaland trying to get the crowd up. Gone are the magic days in the Kippax when it wasn’t an effort to sing but a joy. It’s very flat most of the time unfortunately. I used to get the songs going go back in the day. I’d start then 50 odd voices would join in immediately then it would go straight into thousands of voices in unison. I can’t get my head around why folk don’t join in. It’s weird. If a guy started singing next to me back in the day.. Id help it carry and jump on it straight away. That’s how we did atmosphere back then it’s so easy

It is weird. But it’s not even about just singing. Singing is only a small part of an atmosphere, the major part of an atmosphere is when fans give it all the ‘GO ON’s, ‘COME ON’s, ‘FUCK OFF’s, ‘YYYEEESSS!’s ‘BOOOOO!’s and ‘AAAAAAHHHH’s.

Yesterday - similarly against Brentford - it was 1-1 late in both games and City were shit and sort of trying to get a winner but playing very slowly and negatively for us, constantly going backwards… but while half a dozen of us were giving it the ‘COME ON CITY, WE NEED TO WIN THIS!’ and just getting on our feet and clapping while bellowing ‘COOOOOOOOOME OOOOOOOOOOOOON’ every time a fresh attack looked like starting… hundreds of people around us were just sat there, utterly emotionless. They weren’t contributing anything to get behind the team whatsoever.

Most of our songs are player songs or celebratory songs or songs that take the piss out of ourselves and aren’t the kind of songs that would get the whole stadium singing to get the team going when we aren’t playing well or aren’t winning, so we kind of struggle in terms of songs in games like yesterday as we lack proper City songs… but there’s no excuse for not joining in with the general atmosphere and the peaks and troughs of the game.

 

[jrb]

If you thought the atmosphere was bad yesterday at the Etihad, you should have watched the Spurs v Villa match at the new Spurs stadium, followed by loud boos at full-time.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Are you seriously blaming 3000 corporate seats for the shit atmosphere - and not the 47000 mute non corporate seats ??

And I’d love to know how reducing prices would make a difference. The same people that buy tickets now would be buying the tickets for the lesser amounts. The idea that those attending now would be replaced by thousands of priced out lapsed supporters that bring an atmosphere is fantasy.

It’s part of a wider problem. Having a corporate section in the middle of the south stand effects level 1 and 3 joining up. Having more corporate areas usually means quieter sections of people.

Reducing prices and allowing younger fans to attend has already made a difference at away games. I’d argue ss3 is the loudest part of the ground aswell and cheaper tickets have allowed fans to group together in there.

If you reduced the ridiculous match day prices it would allow younger fans to attend and that could help improve noise levels. When we expand, let’s say the north stand is all standing with cheaper tickets - are you saying that would make no difference?
L

Cheaper pricing won’t instantly fix things and there are plenty of other issues, but it would help. You seem to just dismiss all ideas.

 

[jrb]

The lounges and padded seats on L2 certainly haven’t helped the atmosphere.

When we first moved to the Etihad from Maine Road L2 was full of fans who would Sing and get behind the team. I used to sit in 215. We used to give it some up there. Not to mention giving the away fans plenty of stick. What used to be 215 or part of 215 is now the Legends lounge outside seating block. Almost every stand and level has been diluted with new corporate seating and areas. People in those areas aren’t going to sing or join in with any singing. That has a knock on effect on other seating next to and close to those areas. In the end you end up with no singing. You end up with people watching the match, wanting to sing, but they know nobody around them is going to join in with the singing, so why bother.

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

Eh , its still up to the people that fill it tho rather than the funding, the yellow wall is brilliant in full flow, i know people hate YNWA on here , but Dortmund do a miles better job than Liverpool fans, was thinking that in the Liverpool v liecester game , there were a few flags but hardly anyone put their scarves up and more often follows 90 mins of silence , totally different at the yellow wall.The Yellow wall of Dortmund crushes the kop every time
.

English football is much different than German football where teams appear to be happy to languish behind Bayern Munich for eternity. I’m pleased for them but in my opinion I wouldn’t want to be playing for second place behind the rags every year, even if the atmosphere was the best in the world. Dortmund specifically built the yellow wall stand for the vociferous home support but they have had state help for much of the rest of their stadium but we probably won’t get such assistance. Plus clubs in the UK have to get as much out of ticket sales as they can to continue to be competitive so no £15 tickets with free transport is happening either. Not sure why you don’t understand that tbh. The people going to City, and other UK grounds, are much more mixed in ages because UK prices put off younger, more boisterous individuals going week in week out.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

Thought we were reasonably good in 315 yesterday.

Few handbags leaving after the game and stuff chucked from the Everton fans so I suppose you could say we were 'passionate' at the very least.

What the fuck were they singing when they kept doing a Rick Flair type wooooo in the middle of some dolphin chant?

 

[Eric Hitchmough]

Do we have to wait the 80-odd years left on the stadium lease before we can build a new one?

Nuclear option obviously, but sometimes feels like best bet is starting from scratch, with a proper plan for singing sections etc, good acoustics, and somewhere with satisfactory transport links while we’re at it!

And no, I don’t blame the current atmosphere purely on acoustics. There is a long list of factors.

 

[Tolmie scores]

Do we have to wait the 80-odd years left on the stadium lease before we can build a new one?

Nuclear option obviously, but sometimes feels like best bet is starting from scratch, with a proper plan for singing sections etc, good acoustics, and somewhere with satisfactory transport links while we’re at it!

And no, I don’t blame the current atmosphere purely on acoustics. There is a long list of factors.

We were rarely very load at Maine Road in all honesty..of course a few big games etc,, and when it all got a bit frilly but generally we were pretty quiet there

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

Well, that's that other end of the spectrum. But same, those gimps can spoil the experience in a different way.

I have an old woman behind me who spends the whole game calling City players 'useless'. The same players who've won numerous PL titles and more.

She's another type of fan that gets on my nerves but she's entitled to her opinion. No matter how shit they may be.

Oh god, I had a guy like that behind me for a few years. He moved seats a this season thankfully. Did my head in.

“FUCK OFF NAVAS” was replaced by “FUCK OFF STERLING” etc etc.

Particularly bad on late Saturday kickoffs of course when everyone’s had a few pints of extra confidence.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

English football is much different than German football where teams appear to be happy to languish behind Bayern Munich for eternity. I’m pleased for them but in my opinion I wouldn’t want to be playing for second place behind the rags every year, even if the atmosphere was the best in the world. Dortmund specifically built the yellow wall stand for the vociferous home support but they have had state help for much of the rest of their stadium but we probably won’t get such assistance. Plus clubs in the UK have to get as much out of ticket sales as they can to continue to be competitive so no £15 tickets with free transport is happening either. Not sure why you don’t understand that tbh. The people going to City, and other UK grounds, are much more mixed in ages because UK prices put off younger, more boisterous individuals going week in week out.

Also worth pointing out the obvious that Germany, and Dortmund in particular, still has something that resembles an industrial working class and controlled rents. Manchester is a service economy with runaway rents.

 

[Blue_Ketchup]

one of the lads i know had some smoke bombs ready to let off but was 'advised' by a steward not too as there was bit more of a focus on south stand yesterday due to what went on last week.

I know its not everyones cup of tea but imo it does help the atmosphere and if done correct in certain sections it would't cause any issues.

think city are trying there best to sanitise it even further, emails before every home game telling you what you can and can't do, report any offensive chanting etc.. (one persons take on offensive is someones else's 'just banter' ) so bit of a grey area.

won't be too much longer until the whole of the 2nd tier is corporate with different levels of packages. (like Wembley) maybe why the push for 3rd tier north stand expansion so they can boot legacy fans out of their prime seats and charge 3x as much.

 

[jrb]

one of the lads i know had some smoke bombs ready to let off but was 'advised' by a steward not too as there was bit more of a focus on south stand yesterday due to what went on last week.

I know its not everyones cup of tea but imo it does help the atmosphere and if done correct in certain sections it would't cause any issues.

think city are trying there best to sanitise it even further, emails before every home game telling you what you can and can't do, report any offensive chanting etc.. (one persons take on offensive is someones else's 'just banter' ) so bit of a grey area.

won't be too much longer until the whole of the 2nd tier is corporate with different levels of packages. (like Wembley) maybe why the push for 3rd tier north stand expansion so they can boot legacy fans out of their prime seats and charge 3x as much.

We’ll soon find out if the North stand expansion is going to mirror the South stand expansion.

If it is North stand Level 2 will become another corporate area/lounge including seating in one of the current Level 2 centre blocks, just like block 215 in the South stand.