The Lack of Atmosphere

[Blue2112]

This is never a popular subject and nobody likes criticising their own support but I feel it's been on the slide for far too long now and last night was perhaps the worse so far. The lack of noise, atmosphere, support or whatever you want to call it is shocking. Yes I know Maine Road wasn't always rocking back in the day and I know the fact we have all seater stadiums, pre-match sanitisation and stadium acoustics or whatever all doesn't help but really they're all just excuses because once the whistle goes there is always a good noise created that more often than not peter's out. I don't know if our support is too middle aged or are there too many new faces or is there too much of a cross section of families, females etc (I take the wife and two daughters myself) and not enough of a younger core of guys that want to make some noise, but last night we could have been the proverbial 12th man.

I know this is not solely our problem and happens at most home grounds but I'm not concerned about other clubs. We are fighting for the title and could have gone top of the league last night but it you wouldn't have known it by our lack of noise. This is without doubt the best football most of us have ever seen and yet I feel we're all (and I include myself) are just sat waiting for it to happen.Talk on here of making the ground a hellhole for Mourinho was a long way off the mark, last night should have been intimidating as fuck to their players but it was like the Chelsea fans sang 'A Library' for the most part. We don't want a drum, we don't wanna do the Poznan anymore, so what do we want? I know this arguement always splits supporters on here but far too many leave the ground with 10/15mins remaining (accept some people have to and its the individuals choice) but it doesn't convey a great support to the players on the pitch.

No doubt the Barca game will be bouncing off the walls and if people think last night was great and I am perhaps wrong then fair enough but for me we've got to be giving the team a whole lot more.

 

[citymad]

I've said it before this wonderful football were watching won't last forever. These are the good days for goodness sake.It's a shame and quite sad that are not making the most of it and backing the team to the hilt. Perhaps that's why the team was so flat yesterday. And don't get me started on the early leavers because it looks poor and embarrassing.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

I thought it was disappointingly flat last night (especially as it was an evening kick off) , but it's been good for all the other big home games this season imo.

 

[BurningHart]

It's the only little thing that fans can help the team with. But this little thing counts a big deal.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

I'm not so sure we'll be bouncing off the walls when Barca stump up. I try to make a bit of a row in 323 but the other week when I was mildly chiding the ref for yet another inept decision, a guy half a dozen seats down to my left had a puzzled look on his face and suggested to me 'It's only a game!'

I have shifted on the Cup scheme down to SquishySeatdom in L2 and I watched the Wigan cup game from the back row of the North Stand. There is little to lift the team when 'nothing is happening'! People seem to adopt a 'reserve' that, as we're at a football match where our team is performing, leaves me a little nonplussed.

 

[quiet_riot]

Why don't we just have one atmosphere thread, instead of the same stuff being posted after every home game?

 

[Blue Note]

Footballs core audience has shifted from young men to the well off middle classes. Most noise makers simply can't afford it, and when they can are scattered around the ground

 

[Eccles Blue]

How many times last night did Joe Hart turn to our fans in the second half, South Standers, to try and get them to give it some noise? I noticed him twice and thought how poor that our own goalkeeper has to try and get us cheering.

Personally I have no voice this morning but I am not saying that I am better than anyone else, just that I was trying!! :-)













Very trying, if the dirty looks I got from Mourinho were anything to go by when I kept telling him to get back in his technical area!! Or the bemused look on the fan sitting three seats down from me who I've never seen at a match before and kept leaning forward to see who this crazy woman shouting and singing alone was!!! *lol*

 

[Goater666]

Too many tourists who don't give a sh!t if we win or lose. This is the main reason why our atmosphere is rubbish, our support has become saturated by Johnny come lately's.

 

[greasedupdeafguy]

Don't think you can do much tbh we all know that the only blocks that make any noise are the south stand and the one in the corner next the away stand. Have noticed sitting in the 3rd tier this season though that when one of the singing blocks gets a song going the other one starts singing a few seconds behind or sings a different song altogether they just drown each other out. Moving the away fans could potentially help as you would then have one single end of vocal end but I know some wouldn't want this as they like the banter with away fans and it may damage the atmosphere rather than help it. Plus the club have shown with the expansion plans that away fans aren't gonna be moved they're going to divided over the three tiers. Hopefully this will give the opportunity for the 1894 group to get a block to relocate to, a few hundred fans who sing non stop may help the atmosphere spread around the ground.

My main annoyance with the atmosphere is pre - match, the club do everything it can to kill of any atmosphere before big games. They have bands playing live 10 mins before kick off in city square so how does that encourage people to get into the stadium? The guy who sings bluemoon is utterly cringey and its impossible for fans to make any noise over wall of music from the tannoy system.