BrianW
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 6 Mar 2006
- Messages
- 5,266
- Team supported
- There's Only One City
I think this attendance issue - which in some ways is exaggerated by people who claim we have 'no fans' because they are wankers - has a number of roots. If the Sheikh sat me down in front of him I could probably make some suggestions, but I'm by no means certain I would cover all the ground. Some of these issues can't be solved quickly, or without investment. Others are a consequence of legislation, some of which is near paranoid, but boil down to 'them' wanting to be able to identify who is in which seat - so no cash admission or unallocated seats. Cost is certainly one issue - the STs are OK, so are cup matches, but if you want to go to a PL match on a one-off basis it's expensive.
Atmosphere? It's created by the crowd, and cannot be artificially created. People have to be careful what they say now, a lot of the spontaneity is gone for good. The loud (deafening) music makes it almost impossible to hold a conversation, let alone start chants. Finally, the crowd is much more 'middle-class' (for want of a better term) than it used to be, and such people are more restrained, more likely to sit quietly, and perhaps clap. It's much more like a (county) cricket match than it was back in the day.
One thing I would do if I were the Sheikh would be to build a proper pub with a big bar and proper beer (not piss) at the ground. This would attract people to come early and stay late. You could even serve food. With this new arena thing coming along it would be even more of a thing. This is the model I would use: https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...ink-news/beer-hall-longest-bar-north-21119708
Atmosphere? It's created by the crowd, and cannot be artificially created. People have to be careful what they say now, a lot of the spontaneity is gone for good. The loud (deafening) music makes it almost impossible to hold a conversation, let alone start chants. Finally, the crowd is much more 'middle-class' (for want of a better term) than it used to be, and such people are more restrained, more likely to sit quietly, and perhaps clap. It's much more like a (county) cricket match than it was back in the day.
One thing I would do if I were the Sheikh would be to build a proper pub with a big bar and proper beer (not piss) at the ground. This would attract people to come early and stay late. You could even serve food. With this new arena thing coming along it would be even more of a thing. This is the model I would use: https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...ink-news/beer-hall-longest-bar-north-21119708
