This article may be controversial, but I have to get this off my chest and I also know there is other City fans who have the same feelings as me.With an important and tough home game against Villa coming up, I think City fans need to make a better effort to get behind the team and help boost their performance.
Now that doesn't apply to everyone there is City fans like myself who do all they can to give the team a boost, unfortunately though we are the minority.
I am not having ago at all these people who don't help to create any atmosphere, everyone who pays their money is entitled to do what they want when they go to a match. I would just like some feedback on the reasons why thousands of fans won't even join in on the more simple things, like clapping and cheering each players name when called out before a game or joining in on a song now and again.
Anyone who has played football at any level will know that if you have people willing you on, you always seem to be able to find that extra surge inside yourself.
I'm glad I have got that off my chest, so if you are a fan who doesn't get involved have your say and give your reasons why, if there is any other City fans who think they can explain why people choose not to be involved on a match day, please don't hesitate to give your views as well.
Posts
The sterility of the stadium is just as much to do with the lack of atmosphere as the fans. It is uniform all round with unclear ends. What it needs are things to break up the crowd and give people something to relate to like statues of past city greats, drummers in each section and huge banners. We don't have the worst fans in the world but they are lost without inspiration or leadership.
ReplyDeletehow about a new song or two - sing this to row your boat ro,ro robinho,
ReplyDeletethe boy is from brazil
hes got all the flicks n all the tricks
and he does it in sky blue
ro,ro robinho
the boy is from brasil
he can dance the samba beat
and he does it sky blue
cmon lads get this song goin n lets get behind our team n make that ground noisy again like our beloved maine road an lets get some new songs goin most of ours are aincient
too true...
ReplyDeletethese are the people who rave about being a season ticket holder but only turn up for a pint and burger because the missus wants the house free on weekend mornings!
out of the 45,000 a week it can only be 5-10,000 fans trying to make as much noise throughout, (those either side of the away support)
come on!!!
CTID!!!!!
I believe that the stadium itself has much to do with the lack of atmosphere. It just doesn't lend itself to football. However, I also believe that in general, City fans just like to moan about the team and seem scared to chant and clap and sing. It would help however, if we had some good songs to sing - Blue Bloody Moon - what a rubbish song. Somebody come up with some sort of anthem that people can chant and learn the words to!
ReplyDeleteC.mon City!
I am loving the positive response so far keep them coming, but lads and ladys can you please leave your name so I can maybe reply to you. I am also already feeling inspiration for a new article from some of your comments, so if I can credit you guys with giving me the inspiration I think it is only fair that I do.
ReplyDeleteGary u know my feelings, i have been desperatly dissapointed this season at poor turnouts from Uefa cup games. The lack of support at cheap game, in a tournament that we have long tried to qualify for, but we still dont bother going, But be sure if we beat aalborg, everyone will turn up as soon as it looks good.
ReplyDeleteThe copenhagen fans, as did the twente and psg fans put us to shame this season. The away crowd out singing the home fans is poor, espceially with the small numbers they bring.
I sit in relative quiet north stand directly opposite the away fans, there is some good banter where i sit, bu tmost aorund there dont sing unless the who stadium is going.
The club don't do enough to motivate the fans. Everything to do with the ground it bland, grey. The surrounding error is baron, there is nothing to se or do around the ground to interest of involve fans. The exicitment of when thaksin arrived or Adug have been shortlived, the hope of improved amenities hasn't been delivered. Poor food and drink quality. half time entertainment is poor. The opening entrance and team list is poor.
It is bad when the away fans out sing us especially when they are in small numbers and considering the so called 'singing sections' are either side of the away fans that makes it a little worse. From the response so far it seems that making the ground a more enjoyable place for fans is the way to help the atmosphere problem, saying that whatever environment City were playing in I would still manage to lift my hands to clap and open my mouth to sing.
ReplyDeletei stand in the south tier 1, and i agree the atmophere is not great, i myself clap, sing and do all i can the get behind city as do most of the people around me. the only time the bell end sing is when we shout "bell end give us a song bell end bell end give us a song." as for tyhe north, well... silent. i agree with we need a anthem, with a few more words than blue moon. lets sort it out at villa.
ReplyDeleteShaun says
ReplyDeleteIts mainly to do with the stadium and ticket prices, city fans havnt got quieter since we left main road, but prices are less affordable and the ground in uniform all round, unlike at main road where a large proportion of fans were in the kippax which was ideally situated next to away fans. This meant that banter between the two sets of home fans on either side of the away fans at main road was loud and funny and got the whole ground going. It still happens now a little but because of the grounds uniform shape it is no where near as audible.
I have to disagree Shaun the ticket prices are cheap and even then if the current ticket prices were to much that only means people are not going, it still means the people that do go to the ground are not intrested in making an atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteI agree the atmosphere has been lacking in the last couple of seasons at eastlands, one thing that has really annnoyed me is that nobody cheers when the team is announced. I am not criticising anyone but most of us could make more of an effort
ReplyDeleteCTID!
I'm from Northern Ireland and went over to my first game at COMS a few weeks ago. When I watch City matches on TV, I always feel the City supporters are quiet, but at the game I was pleasantly surprised. I agreed with most of the comments. Although the stadium looks amazing, it is very sterile.
ReplyDeleteI noticed even the atmosphere walking up to the ground was subdued. I mean any local match I've been to, you would have people singing when walking to and from the ground, even at the turnstiles. And these are games that only get about 3000/4000 people.
At City I think a lot of it is to do with today's football. it now appeals more to corporate, families and couples. Football now has a wider appeal.
With all the amenities at the stadium, I think a lot people are too pre-occupied. ie. people are more interested in betting, getting drinks, food. But again this is the modern day football.
Finally, the City home fans do not stimulate the team, they wait for the team to stimulate them. There is almost an air of anticipation, which couldn't be easy to play in. When they are away, the fans are amazing, yet strangely it is the away form we are struggling with
The club could do more ie. having samba percussion outside the stadium, and could do more inside the stadium to warm the crowd up. Until such times when we get more defined singing areas in the ground.
Spot on Jim, just a point about people being pre occupied at the game, I put a bet on at the match and grab something to eat but it doesn't take my mind away from what I am really there for, so I would be disappointed if people were more worried about doing things like that when at a game. Keep flying the City flag in Nothern Ireland top man.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone think it might be to do with the age of the crowd?
ReplyDeleteObviously I'm generalising here, but what is noticeable is that whenever I was late teens/early twenties the crowd seemed far younger than overall than it does now and maybe more people are happy to just watch the game and be entertained as it were?
Looking round, there are far less late teens/early twenties going to games now, probably as a result of being priced out of the games.
Just a thought...
It did cross my mind that it may be an age thing, then I thought it can't be. I know people of an older age who get involved as much as a young person, so really all we are doing is trying to make excuses why there is no atmosphere. We can blame age, the stadium and things within the stadium. In my opinion if your able enough to go to a match, you should be able to lift your hands and clap your team.
ReplyDeletewhere i sit there is a huge amount of teens and early 20's like myself. i dont know what the solution is but i do know we should not have any 1 banging drums, i have been to watch city at wigan the past few season's and i it is annoying and shows the lack of vocal support.
ReplyDeleteI sit in colin bell level three & I never hear noise form level 1 or 2 below which suggests that noise doesn't travel well between tiers. Noticed the same when we first moved to the stadium when I sat in south stand level 2. Seems we are all sit in our little compartments. In some areas it's so quiet that it's almost embarrassing to start singing. Got to agree with total lack of original songs these days, blue moon has had it's day for me. In the 70's and 80's and 90's nearly every player had an original song about them, not so many of the current players have that at the moment.
ReplyDeleteany1 with any new songs,how can we circulate them,may be leave fliers at the bars,food bars and bookie stalls,all of us just need to go for it n whip up an atmosphere.its great to come home from the game wen uve had a good old shout n sing n city av won.i also agree most of our songs are past there sell by date,we need a couple of good anthems that we can get the ground bouncing to.some of u lads out there must be able to knock a few songs togeter,get ur mates,mrs to print fliers at office,job done.i hate to admit but l/pool fans av some great chants
ReplyDeleteSkybluepete I already have a post ready for tomorrow to get ideas about what can be done, now some of the problems have been addressed. So stay tuned.
ReplyDeletesack blue moon! no drums! think of bolton!!
ReplyDeletei think having pockets of fans doesn't help , oh and we've got robinho ! naf , we need a good anthem , liverpool have great transcending songs
and a massive single deck terrace ,i think the build up before games is sterile outside ,unlike maine rd ,why does everyone blame the stadium apart from what i pointed out
the stadium is brilliant ,it has great acoustics if we get the crowd going ,remember main rd wasent always great , but the north stand we had more fans together instead the of small lower tiers we have now , also i have been to all the top grounds and they all have the quiet days apart from the big games ,
^ yea the north stand was brilliant, it was a large mass of city fans all together, creates enough buzz to get others going apart from the bids in the maine stand.
ReplyDeleteTwo small singing zones doesnt work.
liverpool do have good athems, but their crowd are poor, they truely do only sing when they are wining. .. It can be deathly quiet in anfield.
If we had standing behind both goals for the home fans just imagine the atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteMany grounds suffer from the seated supporter sydrome ... it's easier to make noise & get really involved in the game when you're on your feet.
Teams need to really push for terraces again.
Rob Fielding
I agree about the drums. I hate them in the ground. As one person put it, it reminds me of Bolton. Nor do we want Blackburn's cheerleaders. lol. Although we need a carnival atmosphere leading to the ground.
ReplyDeleteWhen I go to the N Ireland matches at Windsor Park sometimes they have samba drummers outside at the turnstiles. The atmosphere is electric.
I think the main thing is we need to just get behind our team at all costs.
I put the post in at 1647 yesterday about no atmosphere - get rid of Blue Bloody Moon etc. I cannot disagree with all the comments made since. Everyone seems to be saying similar things and there is obviously something fundamentally wrong at the moment.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that the stadium itself does not lend itself to support, however the buzz around the place when we beat Portsmourth six nil was unforgettable - so maybe I am wrong.
Singing may well be the place to start and the idea of words left on seats etc is a good idea (although I'm not sure what it will do for the trees of the world!) We just need to try and gee people up to make a noise.
One of the things they do in Germany (and other places) is that when the announcer reads out the team names, he/she read the first name but the crowd then chant the surname. This id done when a goal is scored also and sounds great. I believe this would be a good idea to try and get everyone involved - but this had to be agreed with the club itself.
Cmon City!
I sit in the singing section, 110, every week right next to the away support and I too am often baffled by the overall lack of support from the terraces. On top of that, I feel I am more likely to hear major criticism from the terraces than a shout to someone on the team for a boost. Against Copenhagen I was almost embarrassed at being drowned out by the Danes, until we scored the two Bellamy goals and could sing the typical "you only sing when you're winnning!"
ReplyDeleteThe more we wing about Man U and get drowned out by Danes, the more we are spinning our wheels I think, and not helping the team in the slighest. It is a disgrace.
i agree with the shouting the surname out, it sounds brilliant, ive heard it a few times whist watching german football... and i think we should have all south stand and move the away fans over, it's all down to the club though.
ReplyDeleteI live near the Arsenal ground and can hear the announcements from my back garden (and once a year for our match there). They announce the first name and the crowd shouts out the surname. Sounds really naff and gimmicky, in my opinion. And, with our Brazilians, its difficult to know what their first names are - is it de souza Robinho?
ReplyDeleteIt is Robson De Souza
ReplyDelete24.000 WHAT A JOKE.
ReplyDelete