Etihad Campus, Stadium and Collar Site Development Thread

[Marvin]

Mate I am 43! I get wound up by people thinking they own their seat. Our ground is great and there is hardly a bad seat in the house. Your post about writing to the club and hundreds in the north stand was a bit of a joke to be fair. Do you not respect the fact that the club can’t keep everyone happy but they are holding workshop sessions and doing what they think is best? If I came across rude I apologise but you post was a bit mard in my opinion.

If I was in the Family Stand, and I was reading about a blue wall and new Kippax etc, I'd like to know what would happen to the Family Stand. For all we know Family Stand members might end up with a better stadium in a similar set up on similar terms. Some of the fans who will be part of a popular end will have started out in the Family stand so this to me is just about good communication and listening to people.

 

[waspish]

Looking at the picture of safe standing on page 146, does this mean when you are sat down, all you can see is a rail in front of you?

Yeah ideal for hanging your iPad on and watch the game

 

[HelloCity]

Looking at the picture of safe standing on page 146, does this mean when you are sat down, all you can see is a rail in front of you?

No one really sits in them.

Even in UEFA games when the seat has to be unlocked, everyone just stands anyway.

However, to answer your question:

 

[gkmcfc]

As bad as the atmosphere was today I could still hear 115/116 etc singing. Less audible was the corners. Have we really got the numbers of fans who are willing to transfer to a new home end in the North Stand. My educated guess is the high minority would prefer to be situated next to the away fans where they currently are. Thus rendering any potential mass exodus to the North Stand completely irrelevant. My intention is to write to the Club as it appears that supporters with the best intentions are sounding out the Club with their ideas that are totally out of context with what the vast majority of other supporters wishes are. Where is the representation of people who currently sit in the North Stand on these Fans Forums, if that's what the Club calls meaningful consultation then its not on. I can tell you that everyone I spoke to today about this was absolutely furious and I've promised them an update as to what the Clubs response is to me. Once we have the response if it isn't the one we want you can expect a coordinated action from many in the North Stand.

Have to say, I’ve sat quite happily with my lad in the North Stand for 7 seasons now. Disappointed not to hear from the club on this.

 

[whp.blue]

I think the problem is the Club want new younger fans to grow their business.

The fans want a better atmosphere the two things are not the same.
The fans know the best way to achieve our goal is cheaper seats and less stewarding. This flies in the face of the owners objective.

 

[supercity88]

Have to say, I’ve sat quite happily with my lad in the North Stand for 7 seasons now. Disappointed not to hear from the club on this.

If the north stand becomes a home end then the club has to offer value tickets in a new family stand to sweeten the move. It's a balance because the family stand is securing our future fans but equally we want thr atmosphere to improve and the stand behind the goal shouldn't be a family end when our side stands are three tiers and unlikely to ever generate the atmosphere to get the rest of the ground going. Not everyone will be happy regardless of what the club does but I think all would agree we need an improved atmosphere in the ground.

 

[Centurions]

I agree. ;-)

Isn't that from Mamma Mia?

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

As bad as the atmosphere was today I could still hear 115/116 etc singing. Less audible was the corners. Have we really got the numbers of fans who are willing to transfer to a new home end in the North Stand. My educated guess is the high minority would prefer to be situated next to the away fans where they currently are. Thus rendering any potential mass exodus to the North Stand completely irrelevant. My intention is to write to the Club as it appears that supporters with the best intentions are sounding out the Club with their ideas that are totally out of context with what the vast majority of other supporters wishes are. Where is the representation of people who currently sit in the North Stand on these Fans Forums, if that's what the Club calls meaningful consultation then its not on. I can tell you that everyone I spoke to today about this was absolutely furious and I've promised them an update as to what the Clubs response is to me. Once we have the response if it isn't the one we want you can expect a coordinated action from many in the North Stand.

First of all we (ie City Matters) are not “sounding out the club” to push our ideas. We were given a presentation by Sam from ISG same as everyone who attended the subsequent Focus Groups. That included the possible installation of rail seating in a redeveloped North Stand. Of course any major move will impact people and some won't be happy. But nothing is decided and I’m sure the club will take into account the views of supporters from the email consultation that’s being carried out. I do agree that there should be a representative from each stand and have made that point.

The facts are that the club want to expand the stadium and they also aren't happy with the current Family Stand as the area it's in constrains their ability to develop it in the way they' like. Another fact is that many of the seats in NS1 are kept back by the club for use by the CFA or various groups. They aren't moving people out of the Family Stand even if they aren't entitled to be there any more because their kids are too old. The problem is that they wanted to move the FS to EL3 as they said it was more suitable for what they wanted to do but we all felt that the kids wanted to be as close to the pitch as possible. We also had the discussion about the away fans and the general feeling was that there would probably be some who gain more pleasure from taunting the away fans than just watching the game but there was no good reason to have singing fans by them, as others have said. So there's still a long way to go on this.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

I'm not saying it does. I know most fans are opposed to it. But if it was contained within a specific block in the middle of the safe standing stand, and a drum and/or a megaphone was used at right times during the match, rather than constantly throughout the match, it possibly could aid the atmosphere? Example. During quiet periods in the match, etc. I fully appreciate a drum hammered for 90 minutes is shit. And even I wouldn't want 1 person telling me and everyone else what to sing for 90 minutes. I think an acceptable compromise can be found. Even if it was just trialed for a few games. If it doesn't work, so be it.

Please, never never NEVER!

Every single one of our good atmospheres without a drum show we don’t need one, we just need to group more people together in one place.

It’s not worked in the South Stand because the South Stand is a joke. Not the people in it, just what it’s always been - a block flippantly given the name “Singing Section” as an afterthought.

Just please never go with a drum. Every good atmosphere that doesn’t have a drum is infinitely better than any atmosphere with a drum. It’s the one thing we still have over all the cheesy Euro-pop atmospheres. We might not be as consistent but when we get going in this country without a drum we have by far the best atmospheres. Our aim should be to just do it in more numbers.

Whenever a set of fans have come to the Etihad I’ve been fed up to fuck with that same old *bang ba bang bang, bang ba bang bang* of the drum after five minutes. And all the “ooaaahh”s “wooooaaahh”s “der de de derr de derr”s are monotonous and boring n’all. English chants are so good because they have words.

 

[cleavers]

First of all we (ie City Matters) are not “sounding out the club” to push our ideas. We were given a presentation by Sam from ISG same as everyone who attended the subsequent Focus Groups. That included the possible installation of rail seating in a redeveloped North Stand. Of course any major move will impact people and some won't be happy. But nothing is decided and I’m sure the club will take into account the views of supporters from the email consultation that’s being carried out. I do agree that there should be a representative from each stand and have made that point.

The facts are that the club want to expand the stadium and they also aren't happy with the current Family Stand as the area it's in constrains their ability to develop it in the way they' like. Another fact is that many of the seats in NS1 are kept back by the club for use by the CFA or various groups. They aren't moving people out of the Family Stand even if they aren't entitled to be there any more because their kids are too old. The problem is that they wanted to move the FS to EL3 as they said it was more suitable for what they wanted to do but we all felt that the kids wanted to be as close to the pitch as possible. We also had the discussion about the away fans and the general feeling was that there would probably be some who gain more pleasure from taunting the away fans than just watching the game but there was no good reason to have singing fans by them, as others have said. So there's still a long way to go on this.

There's no solution that will make everyone happy PB, lets hope the club listen to all sides. We have many though that can't see the wood for the trees, particularly on safe standing for instance.