Flat atmosphere on the Kop

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WincobankBlade said:
Can't say I agree with that, I think it's just that our turnaround under Wilder and our rise from the ashes in the L1 promotion season was pretty amazing and the atmosphere that season was a bit special. That doesn't come along very often, and if you think back it was really shit the season before that (with good reason).
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Let's not rewrite history, the atmosphere that season was also terrible and there were weekly threads on here complaining about it. Here are the excuses I remember:

1) The games are too easy and we're obviously going to win, so why make any noise
2) We're too nervous to sing
3) The atmosphere will improve when we're back in the Championship
4) The atmosphere will improve when we have more local derbies
5) The atmosphere will improve when teams start bringing more away fans

Yet there has been no improvement...
 
I think a standing section on the Kop is the only answer. It's not that standing up magically equals a better atmosphere, but it would create a natural meeting point for the most vocal fans. And that's the main thing that's missing.
 
Cerberus Blade said:
Of bigger concern to me is why have our home gates dropped by over 3,000 compared to last season?
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The novelty has started to wear off.

Last season was our first season back in the division for six years so people were eager to see us play clubs we hadn't encountered for a long time.

The same thing would happen if we had a prolonged stay in the Premier League. We'd probably average 30,000 for the first two seasons but then attendance's would start to dwindle.

Familiarity breeds contempt.
 
nicksufc said:
I think a standing section on the Kop is the only answer. It's not that standing up magically equals a better atmosphere, but it would create a natural meeting point for the most vocal fans. And that's the main thing that's missing.
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It might help and certainly worth trying. But no, a small standing section's not likely to be the magic answer. Most of the noise already comes from a small section of the kop, with G/H block on south stand helping out. The rest of the ground seems very inhibited these days, and I'd include a large part of the kop in that.
 
SteveBlade said:
Home matches are like your wife who you've been married to for 20 years.

You still love her, but there's just not that burning passion inside you anymore to go for ninety minutes.

An away match is like trying to satisfy twenty beautiful women whilst overdosed on viagra.
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My recollections of the likes of Port Vale away are more like a date with Bella Emberg's uglier sister.

As bad as things are for me, I'm not from Burslem. For that I am grateful.
 
Probably a factor but I think the increase in match day prices has reached a tipping point for non season ticket holders.

PeterNdlovu081 said:
The novelty has started to wear off.

Last season was our first season back in the division for six years so people were eager to see us play clubs we hadn't encountered for a long time.

The same thing would happen if we had a prolonged stay in the Premier League. We'd probably average 30,000 for the first two seasons but then attendance's would start to dwindle.

Familiarity breeds contempt.
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borg elite said:
Probably a factor but I think the increase in match day prices has reached a tipping point for non season ticket holders.
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I agree. Too many Category A games that means paying more than £30 for a ticket on the Kop with all its poor facilities. Ridiculous prices inside the ground. £4 for a pint of Piss!! Mind you all the bigger Blades will be bleating if they don't get tickets against the Pigs Home and Away.

As to atmosphere if we banned fkin mobile phones inside the ground then maybe everyone would concentrate on the game and get more involved. No problems with atmosphere when we're pinging the ball around at pace against Villa. We haven't played any of the rivals yet. It will improve when the Pigs, Weeds, Florist etc turn up.
 
borg elite said:
Probably a factor but I think the increase in match day prices has reached a tipping point for non season ticket holders.
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Got to be a factor

In the old days the ‘boys’ on the kop could pay a relatively small cash sum on a turnstile each game.

Now you need a mortgage and a fair amount of forward planning.
 
This is all the way through football. Watch games on TV, big Euro games apart, and the atmosphere at most games is non existent. Went to a couple of games at Anfield and Old Trafford last season and at both it was awful. Okay the games were against West Brom and Stoke so not a big game. Don't forget United on 3 occasions in the last couple of seasons have been voted near the top in atmosphere and day out. Atmosphere's against Swansea, Norwich and Villa was excellent, maybe the last two were not so good but this isn't St Pauli or Dortmund. And if you want library home support, look no further than Sheffield 6.
 

west_yorks_blade said:
Got to be a factor

In the old days the ‘boys’ on the kop could pay a relatively small cash sum on a turnstile each game.

Now you need a mortgage and a fair amount of forward planning.
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Price is obviously the main factor, Preston, Cat A ? ( Bert created a thread about that )
but is it being suggested that only those that sing aren't coming because of it.
 
PeterNdlovu081 said:
They didn't.
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No, you're correct. They didn't drop by much though , max 1100 once, when they did but increased or were within 100 or so from the previous season, from the low of 17500 to the promotion season. By your reckoning they should have dropped year on year after the first couple of seasons.
 
Sean Thornton said:
No, you're correct. They didn't drop by much though , max 1100 once, when they did but increased or were within 100 or so from the previous season, from the low of 17500 to the promotion season. By your reckoning they should have dropped year on year after the first couple of seasons.
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League One is a different kettle of fish because we were always expected to do well.

Even when we were shit we were still winning most weeks and finishing high up the table (3rd, 5th, 7th, 5th).

Plus there were other factors such as the brilliant cup runs under Clough boosting league attendances.
 
PeterNdlovu081 said:
League One is a different kettle of fish because we were always expected to do well.

Even when we were shit we were still winning most weeks and finishing high up the table (3rd, 5th, 7th, 5th).

Plus there were other factors such as the brilliant cup runs under Clough boosting league attendances.
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PL has the big teams, top players. Isn't that a different kettle of fish?

The contempt has kicked in after just one season in this league?
 
Sean Thornton said:
PL has the big teams, top players. Isn't that a different kettle of fish?
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No because the Premier League only has six big teams.

The other fourteen aren't much of a draw.

Sean Thornton said:
The contempt has kicked in after just one season in this league?
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Pretty much yeah.

We're a midtable Championship team. People aren't going to be busting a gut to go and see us play the likes of Birmingham and Reading on a Tuesday night.
 
Boredom and entitlement has definitely set in.

I knew it wouldn't take long.
 
Sean Thornton said:
Price is obviously the main factor, Preston, Cat A ? ( Bert created a thread about that )
but is it being suggested that only those that sing aren't coming because of it.
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Not only them of course. But it doesn’t take too many singers for some noise to be created and I think it’s that young demographic that used to be most vocal that have been hit hardest by the huge price hikes.
 
PeterNdlovu081 said:
No because the Premier League only has six big teams.

The other fourteen aren't much of a draw.



Pretty much yeah.

We're a midtable Championship team. People aren't going to be busting a gut to go and see us play the likes of Birmingham and Reading on a Tuesday night.
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I'm left wondering how we achieved that average in the PL with all those tinpot teams.


Even when we're expected to win? It's price, very little else.
 
I dunno what to say really, I think we put a little too much focus on this singing lark and I think some people expect others to sing to make thier match day experience better.

From my point of view we cheer and raise the noise at every decent attack and the following corners from those attacks are noisy affairs until it’s resolved ( like on Saturday when pushing for the winner) it’s all ok but having loads of people discussing poor atmospheres while never saying where they are actually sat is a bit misleading.. I’m on the kop, I won’t be replying to anybody slagging the atmosphere any more, there are plenty of opportunities to join in, unless you think it’s the job of the people in the cheap seats to make your noise for you..
 
Tezza1889 said:
I dunno what to say really, I think we put a little too much focus on this singing lark and I think some people expect others to sing to make thier match day experience better.

From my point of view we cheer and raise the noise at every decent attack and the following corners from those attacks are noisy affairs until it’s resolved ( like on Saturday when pushing for the winner) it’s all ok but having loads of people discussing poor atmospheres while never saying where they are actually sat is a bit misleading.. I’m on the kop, I won’t be replying to anybody slagging the atmosphere any more, there are plenty of opportunities to join in, unless you think it’s the job of the people in the cheap seats to make your noise for you..
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I may be wrong but it seems the most vociferous ( pun intended ) critics are on the Kop themselves.
 
Rodley said:
Nowt doing atmosphere wise. Even when we’re all over a team over 60 minutes.

Not sure what the answer is, it’s a shame really.

Roll on safe standing and let’s get a cheaper area of standing at the back of the Kop, get some youngsters on there giving it some. It’s like a Saga AGM on Gangway B these days.
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no away fans ;)
 
Sean Thornton said:
I'm left wondering how we achieved that average in the PL with all those tinpot teams.
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Read post #67.

I said that we'd average 30,000 in the Prem for the first and maybe the second season but then attendances would start to dwindle.

The novelty wears off. Especially when you're getting beaten most weeks.

If we'd stayed up in 2006-07 we wouldn't have maintained those attendances the following season.

Just my opinion.
 
Atmosphere as a general rule of thumb in this country tends to be reactive, not proactive. Attempts to improve matchday atmosphere such as the use of drums, clappers and the formation of ultras groups (like Palace have) are often greeted with derision and accusations of being tinpot. Widespread, organic, non-stop generation of atmosphere just doesn't tend to happen anymore for a variety of reasons; many have already been stated.

We all know that Bramall Lane when it's on top form - be it derby day, a cracker against a big club or a magic cup night - can't be matched for noise and atmosphere. But is it not a bit much to expect it every week? Unless the match is a corker (the reactive nature I mentioned), how excited can one really get for an early season match against Birmingham or Preston?

If you really want to improve matchday atmosphere regardless of what's occurring on the pitch, without safe standing being introduced, you need to form an ultras group. You need something bigger than a few people spreading the word saying "We're trying out a singing section, come and have a look". It's been done and it doesn't work, despite some damn good efforts. You need a brand, an ethos and something different which 100+ people can get excited about and get behind which will grow from there.

I can't see it happening myself. It's a lot of work to put in for people and it's a big risk to take for it to fall on its arse. Again, where ideas like these do take off, they're often ridiculed and people care more about what others think a lot more than they'd like to admit.

Until then, Ricky you'll just have to put up with us useless fuckers at the back of gangway E ;)
 

I'm sure smartphones have a lot to do with it. At any given time about half the crowd are gazing into their phones or taking photos as opposed to watching the match.
 
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