Atmosphere and support in general.

[Lew-T]

The atmosphere has always been poor when we’re the favourites to win the game or if we’re winning by a healthy lead. As supporters we seem to enjoy being the underdogs, for some unknown reason. That’s the impression I get from City fans and it hasn’t changed from when I started going when I was a young lad.

It might be a factor that we’ve been a footballing back water for so long.

[Sleepy1968]

I don't think $ky help much. You see the way they mic up the football and they can pretty much artificially create an atmosphere to order. (Notice that they have now taken to turning down the volume whenever a sweary chant starts up.) Most of the time I don't think it's any different away from The Gate.

 

[Aaron-Bcfc]

1 hour ago, Peter O Hanraha-hanrahan said:

Man City were in our penalty area after 20 seconds. 

We were under constant attack in that first half, I’ve never seen such a one sided match. That can effect the overall atmosphere and make the crowd more nervous and tense. 

Nothing to do with the fact we weren’t playing Man Utd IMO mate.

Before the Man United game even kicked off fans were in full voice in the concourse and then in the ground. Evidenced here:

Wasn't the case against Man City. Could tell beforehand it was going to be flat when only half the South Stand bothered to join in with songs before kick off. Shouldn't need to be reactive to the on-field performance in a game of that magnitude.

[Peter O Hanraha-hanrahan]

21 minutes ago, Aaron-Bcfc said:

Before the Man United game even kicked off fans were in full voice in the concourse and then in the ground. Evidenced here:

Wasn't the case against Man City. Could tell beforehand it was going to be flat when only half the South Stand bothered to join in with songs before kick off. Shouldn't need to be reactive to the on-field performance in a game of that magnitude.

Sorry, you said “from the first whistle”, so I suggested a reason why the crowd may have been more ‘on edge’ during the match against City than they were against Utd. 

I didn’t arrive until 5 minutes before kick off against Man City so I don’t know what the general atmosphere was like before the flags started getting waved around....maybe that didn’t help?

[Aaron-Bcfc]

9 minutes ago, Peter O Hanraha-hanrahan said:

Sorry, you said from “the first whistle”, therefore I suggested a reason why the crowd may have been more ‘on edge’ during the match against City than they were against Utd. 

I didn’t arrive until 5 minutes before kick off against Man City so I don’t know what the general atmosphere was like before the flags started getting waved around....maybe that didn’t help?

Yeah certainly didn't help. The whole tin foil flag idea was crap.

[Peter O Hanraha-hanrahan]

1 minute ago, Aaron-Bcfc said:

Yeah certainly didn't help. The whole tin foil flag idea was crap.

Others have mentioned on here in the past that if you turn off the PA with all the chatter and music and leave a large crowd to create an atmosphere for themselves you’ll generally get better results. I tend to agree with that.

[Cider-Head23]

To be fair for amount of fans who bought a season card in the singing section.. a massive number of them don't sing... even when a song is in full voice it's probably only a handful giving it a real go. 

Theres been games when the atmosphere has been brilliant but that's the ground as a whole, for a club with a designated singing section the atmosphere is awful. 

Credit to the lads who invest time and effort & cost with flags etc but it should be way more effective having S82 than it is. 

[jay mizel]

Next season can we put the away fans in the Lansdown Upper. S82 back in the Atyeo. 

It'll liven the morgue and give us both ends.

[City fan 1982]

ive often thought that,  most teams want away fans high up out of the way,   city fans behind the goal, with room for section 82  to expand, whats not to like  ? 

[Galley is our king]

7 hours ago, Ian Crabbe said:

I must admit the atmosphere was poor yesterday due to many of the things that have already been said,but am I the only one who is getting a bit fed up with the constant anti gas chants,don’t you think we should be concentrating on our own team,also the needless chant re Adam Johnston at the start of the game was poor and showed us up in a bad light.Lets just get behind OUR boys no matter what.

Absolutely, anti gas chants give them a relevance they do not deserve. Sing our songs to support our team.

[Rocking Red Cyril]

It is why I go to more away games than home as the support is poor at the gate and away the support is defined too few other teams. The fans need to improve at home nothing more can be said

[Phileas Fogg]

20 minutes ago, kivsy said:

ive often thought that,  most teams want away fans high up out of the way,   city fans behind the goal, with room for section 82  to expand, whats not to like  ? 

It’s ridiculous having only away fans behind a goal. I refuse to believe that having the opportunity to score the equaliser in front of their fans didn’t give the Sunderland players even a 1% boost. That’s too much. 

We either believe in the marginal gains thing totally or not at all. Put city fans behind both goals, away fans close but somewhere undesireable. The lower lansdown at the Atyeo end is sparsely populated anyway. Even there would be better.

[Mr Popodopolous]

The Lansdown in it's current form won't have an atmosphere...it has family area, corporates and the highest ticket prices in the ground.

The idea of City fans at both ends and away fans in Lansdown Upper has merit. However, it also has issues and pitfalls IMO.

1) A big logistical rejig. 

2) By which I mean, where would we put the corporate and family areas currently in Lansdown upper.

Near away fans, sweary, like a drink and quite often reasonably noisy would surely upset the corporate types and maybe families too.

3) Wouldn't segregation in a 2 tier side stand be rather...challenging?

4) When we have certain derbies, grudge matches or games v risk opponents, would there be no risk of away fans high up dropping coins or other projectiles down below.

[cidered abroad]

3 hours ago, ZiderEyed said:

Was thinking about it last night, and god I miss the old Ashton Gate. It’s bigger, comfier and makes us more money now, but in the ground it really does lack character that it used to have.

Im getting less and less arsed about going to the football nowadays. The main reason I go is to sing and shout and call the keeper a****, but it feels like people look down on me for trying to join in with S82. I’ve watched a few Kaiserslautern games on telly this season, in the massive Fritz-Walter Stadion, and it’s all but empty save for this enormous wall of supporters on the Westkurve. That’s where their fans want to be, to sing and wave flags and get behind their team.

Ask a city fan if theyd rather be in S82 or the middle of the Lansdown.

I can’t justify the expense of a season ticket any more, no matter how we’re doing. Might be an unpopular opinion but the redevelopment has sucked a lot of the atmosphere out of the gate. I’d rather save up for a trip to Tilburg or Lille every year and be part of an incredible atmosphere than sample a stale AG.

If the atmosphere was to improve then I’d be back in a heartbeat. There’s been times when it’s been good this season but they’re too few and far between. Its a drain on my pockets and I feel less and less like the sort of fan football in this country is looking to attract.

What do you expect with such a performance? We gave the ball away twice in our half of the pitch in the first two minutes which hardly sews the seeds of a good performance. Many of the players looked in beach holiday mode, but we did improve as the half wore on. A mixture of incisive passing and some appalling defensive play by Sunderland led to 3-0.

The second half? Better forgotten and we were lucky in the end to save a point. Totally inept and you expect us to sing and cheer as accompaniament? 

Get real, that was like an old "B" movie one had to sit through before the big film started. 

[sticks 1969]

9 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

The Lansdown in it's current form won't have an atmosphere...it has family area, corporates and the highest ticket prices in the ground.

The idea of City fans at both ends and away fans in Lansdown Upper has merit. However, it also has issues and pitfalls IMO.

1) A big logistical rejig. 

2) By which I mean, where would we put the corporate and family areas currently in Lansdown upper.

Near away fans, sweary, like a drink and quite often reasonably noisy would surely upset the corporate types and maybe families too.

3) Wouldn't segregation in a 2 tier side stand be rather...challenging?

4) When we have certain derbies, grudge matches or games v risk opponents, would there be no risk of away fans high up dropping coins or other projectiles down below.

and how would you get the away fans into the second tier? 

 

[054123]

8 hours ago, RedNight said:

No doubt fans will take this personally, but it has to be said.

So, quite easy for the fans to come on here and slate the management and players. But since Christmas, what the **** has happened to the atmosphere?? It's genuinely p*ss poor for the position we are in and what we are fighting for?

The easy thing to reply with is "well the performances on the pitch have been poor and fans aren't getting anything to cheer about". Rubbish. QPR at home? We were winning with 10 men, atmosphere bang average. Yesterday 3-0 up, atmosphere horrendous. 

And as for the other games such as Norwich etc. yes we lost, but only late on and the atmosphere before their goal was hardly inspiring. We're fighting for the play offs and promotion, but during the game it's like nobody gives a ****. Its only when we lose and after the game people get all aggy on here and social media that you think people might care.  

Away support - not gunna be too harsh, cause sky have stitched us up. But we're literally taking 300 to games at the moment. Regardless of circumstances, that's pretty poor for a club in our position. 

Also, what's happened to S82? No flags and stuff for the previous couple of games. These guy are brilliant and we shouldn't just rely on them for an atmosphere, but the harsh reality is that we solely rely on them! 

 

I think we we need to look at ourselves as fans. We are having a miraculous season. Fighting for promotion should be a dream, not an expectation (especially considering last season). We need to step it up in the stands, because AG is hardly an inspiring place at the moment, considering we are a team fighting for our lives to be top 6. 

 

PLEASE don't take this personally. It's a justified observation. I just want AG to be what it can be every week. We hear all the time what a difference we can make. Let's make the difference!

 

I think you're probably right overall. To be fair though, in my 20 odd years of actively being involved, Ashton gate has always largely been quiet, save whatever area 'singers' locate themselves. 

Is this not true though of most grounds?

[WhistleHappy]

18 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

It’s ridiculous having away fans behind a goal. I refuse to believe that having the opportunity to scor the equaliser in front of their fans didn’t give the Sunderland players even a 1% boost. That’s too much. 

We either believe in the marginal gains thing totally or not at all. Put city fans behind both goals, away fans close but somewhere undesireable.

***The lower lansdown at the Atyeo end is sparsely populated anyway. Even there would be better.

That wouldn't really be fair to the away fans though. Imagine if we arrived at an away stadium entered the main concourse on route to our seats and found ourselves surrounded with bloody rugby memorabilia, photos of blokes playing with odd shaped balls etc...

How f'ing confusing would that be? ....    " eh? ..where the fk are we? "'   ....  quickly followed by spotting weird lines marked out on the pitch ....

The club could be sued for mental cruelty, mind games and f'ing with peoples heads. Might as well go the whole hog put 'em up top and give the poor barstewards vertigo as well!! 

 

(ps... I got no idea what will improve atmosphere, maybe getting back to winning ways might help?)

[ZiderEyed]

40 minutes ago, cidered abroad said:

What do you expect with such a performance? We gave the ball away twice in our half of the pitch in the first two minutes which hardly sews the seeds of a good performance. Many of the players looked in beach holiday mode, but we did improve as the half wore on. A mixture of incisive passing and some appalling defensive play by Sunderland led to 3-0.

The second half? Better forgotten and we were lucky in the end to save a point. Totally inept and you expect us to sing and cheer as accompaniament? 

Get real, that was like an old "B" movie one had to sit through before the big film started. 

That was shit, I never said I expected everyone to be happy go lucky and singing their praises.

Think you've misread my post a bit.

[Welcome To The Jungle]

8 hours ago, ZiderEyed said:

Was thinking about it last night, and god I miss the old Ashton Gate. It’s bigger, comfier and makes us more money now, but in the ground it really does lack character that it used to have.

Im getting less and less arsed about going to the football nowadays. The main reason I go is to sing and shout and call the keeper a****, but it feels like people look down on me for trying to join in with S82. I’ve watched a few Kaiserslautern games on telly this season, in the massive Fritz-Walter Stadion, and it’s all but empty save for this enormous wall of supporters on the Westkurve. That’s where their fans want to be, to sing and wave flags and get behind their team.

Ask a city fan if theyd rather be in S82 or the middle of the Lansdown.

I can’t justify the expense of a season ticket any more, no matter how we’re doing. Might be an unpopular opinion but the redevelopment has sucked a lot of the atmosphere out of the gate. I’d rather save up for a trip to Tilburg or Lille every year and be part of an incredible atmosphere than sample a stale AG.

If the atmosphere was to improve then I’d be back in a heartbeat. There’s been times when it’s been good this season but they’re too few and far between. Its a drain on my pockets and I feel less and less like the sort of fan football in this country is looking to attract.

I can relate so much to this post. Never been to a game abroad that has had a worse atmosphere than AG, with maybe a handful of exceptions such as when we play Rovers. Imagine how Diony must feel going from St Etienne, who have incredible fans, to AG...

[Red-Robbo]

9 minutes ago, Welcome To The Jungle said:

I can relate so much to this post. Never been to a game abroad that has had a worse atmosphere than AG, with maybe a handful of exceptions such as when we play Rovers. Imagine how Diony must feel going from St Etienne, who have incredible fans, to AG...

Perhaps he'd be reflecting that if he was playing in the French second tier he'd be watched by a fraction of the people who watch him at Ashton Gate.

And maybe he also worries that if he doesn't score before too long, that's where he'll be next season.

[ZiderEyed]

1 minute ago, Welcome To The Jungle said:

I can relate so much to this post. Never been to a game abroad that has had a worse atmosphere than AG, with maybe a handful of exceptions such as when we play Rovers. Imagine how Diony must feel going from St Etienne, who have incredible fans, to AG...

Between now and that post, I've been on the Stade Malherbe Caen forums/website and I'm going to plan to go for the first week of the season. Hostel on the cheap, get in contact with the ultras group, sorted.

I was thinking that about Diony actually, it must be so weird playing in Europe in front of loud, baying ultras, flags, pyro and banners everywhere, to a miserable windy afternoon in BS3.

[Welcome To The Jungle]

5 minutes ago, ZiderEyed said:

Between now and that post, I've been on the Stade Malherbe Caen forums/website and I'm going to plan to go for the first week of the season. Hostel on the cheap, get in contact with the ultras group, sorted.

I was thinking that about Diony actually, it must be so weird playing in Europe in front of loud, baying ultras, flags, pyro and banners everywhere, to a miserable windy afternoon in BS3.

Enjoy that. Sounds good. Must be weird for most players moving to anywhere in England. As @Red-Robbo pointed out, our attendances are very high compared to almost every league in Europe bar the German one, yet it is also so quiet. 

[Leveller]

8 hours ago, ZiderEyed said:

Was thinking about it last night, and god I miss the old Ashton Gate. It’s bigger, comfier and makes us more money now, but in the ground it really does lack character that it used to have.

Im getting less and less arsed about going to the football nowadays. The main reason I go is to sing and shout and call the keeper a****, but it feels like people look down on me for trying to join in with S82. I’ve watched a few Kaiserslautern games on telly this season, in the massive Fritz-Walter Stadion, and it’s all but empty save for this enormous wall of supporters on the Westkurve. That’s where their fans want to be, to sing and wave flags and get behind their team.

Ask a city fan if theyd rather be in S82 or the middle of the Lansdown.

I can’t justify the expense of a season ticket any more, no matter how we’re doing. Might be an unpopular opinion but the redevelopment has sucked a lot of the atmosphere out of the gate. I’d rather save up for a trip to Tilburg or Lille every year and be part of an incredible atmosphere than sample a stale AG.

If the atmosphere was to improve then I’d be back in a heartbeat. There’s been times when it’s been good this season but they’re too few and far between. Its a drain on my pockets and I feel less and less like the sort of fan football in this country is looking to attract.

Perhaps I can express a completely alien point of view that wil probably be met with dismay on OTIB, which seems mainly to represent supporters who admire S82, and think it’s the duty of football fans to sing songs etc. However, as you’ll be aware, the majority of fans at AG (and most other grounds) don’t actually behave like that. I’m one of those and I make no apologies about it.

You say “The main reason I go is to sing and shout and call the keeper a ****” and go on to say you may give up in favour of travelling to matches in Germany where the crowds are louder. I can’t identify with that. I go mainly to watch football, particularly my team and chat to my neighbours. Perhaps your tastes could just as well be met in the mosh pit at a metal gig? That’s a serious point - I enjoy singing along in a big crowd at Glastonbury, but not so much at football. I certainly can’t understand the crowd being more important than watching your own team.

I like atmosphere, but mostly when it is organic - ie generated by exciting football. I don’t mind noise coming from other parts of the ground but don’t feel any duty to get it going artificially where I sit (and yes, I sit). I’ve stood or sat as near as possible to the halfway line since first coming to AG in 1968.

What do I think of singing sections? Well when they’re good, they’re excellent - the Kop singing “You’ll never walk alone” can be spine tingling. But most clubs’ supporters never reach this levels. I enjoyed being in the big crowd at the Etihad but often when forced into singing sections at away games I don’t really enjoy it so much. 

This is partly because I find being behind the goal odd - a view I’m not used to and don’t like. Then - and this may baffle you - I find being in a section that is constantly singing actually distracting. I concentrate on watching the game and being in a group that is more interested in making a noise (and sometimes watching the opposition fans) makes me feel cut off from the football itself. I’ve been in the back row at Fulham when we were winning and the noise was impressive and fun in a way, but it did feel a bit like watching the match on a distant TV in a noisy pub with the sound turned off. It seemed a long way away. That part of the crowd often seems a bit self absorbed to me too.  Also, 90% of the songs are poor and the witty ones cease to be funny after the third hearing, let alone the hundred and third.

In summary, I like feeling close to the football and while I understand the sense of belonging you may get in S82 or similar, that seems a bit teenage to me, and not something I need. I’m happy with occasional roars when the whole crowd is getting behind the team. Yes I’d much rather be in the middle of the Lansdown than in S82.

As I say, I don’t expect many on OTIB to identify with me on this, but I expect many devoted and regular fans feel as I do. Please respect our views and accept that we don’t have a duty to feel the way you do, or to join in when you want us to.

[Phileas Fogg]

15 minutes ago, Leveller said:

Perhaps I can express a completely alien point of view that wil probably be met with dismay on OTIB, which seems mainly to represent supporters who admire S82, and think it’s the duty of football fans to sing songs etc. However, as you’ll be aware, the majority of fans at AG (and most other grounds) don’t actually behave like that. I’m one of those and I make no apologies about it.

You say “The main reason I go is to sing and shout and call the keeper a ****” and go on to say you may give up in favour of travelling to matches in Germany where the crowds are louder. I can’t identify with that. I go mainly to watch football, particularly my team and chat to my neighbours. Perhaps your tastes could just as well be met in the mosh pit at a metal gig? That’s a serious point - I enjoy singing along in a big crowd at Glastonbury, but not so much at football. I certainly can’t understand the crowd being more important than watching your own team.

I like atmosphere, but mostly when it is organic - ie generated by exciting football. I don’t mind noise coming from other parts of the ground but don’t feel any duty to get it going artificially where I sit (and yes, I sit). I’ve stood or sat as near as possible to the halfway line since first coming to AG in 1968.

What do I think of singing sections? Well when they’re good, they’re excellent - the Kop singing “You’ll never walk alone” can be spine tingling. But most clubs’ supporters never reach this levels. I enjoyed being in the big crowd at the Etihad but often when forced into singing sections at away games I don’t really enjoy it so much. 

This is partly because I find being behind the goal odd - a view I’m not used to and don’t like. Then - and this may baffle you - I find being in a section that is constantly singing actually distracting. I concentrate on watching the game and being in a group that is more interested in making a noise (and sometimes watching the opposition fans) makes me feel cut off from the football itself. I’ve been in the back row at Fulham when we were winning and the noise was impressive and fun in a way, but it did feel a bit like watching the match on a distant TV in a noisy pub with the sound turned off. It seemed a long way away. That part of the crowd often seems a bit self absorbed to me too.  Also, 90% of the songs are poor and the witty ones cease to be funny after the third hearing, let alone the hundred and third.

In summary, I like feeling close to the football and while I understand the sense of belonging you may get in S82 or similar, that seems a bit teenage to me, and not something I need. I’m happy with occasional roars when the whole crowd is getting behind the team. Yes I’d much rather be in the middle of the Lansdown than in S82.

As I say, I don’t expect many on OTIB to identify with me on this, but I expect many devoted and regular fans feel as I do. Please respect our views and accept that we don’t have a duty to feel the way you do, or to join in when you want us to.

TL;DR - “Atmosphere is fine but I primarily go to football to watch the game.”

[ZiderEyed]

34 minutes ago, Leveller said:

Perhaps I can express a completely alien point of view that wil probably be met with dismay on OTIB, which seems mainly to represent supporters who admire S82, and think it’s the duty of football fans to sing songs etc. However, as you’ll be aware, the majority of fans at AG (and most other grounds) don’t actually behave like that. I’m one of those and I make no apologies about it.

You say “The main reason I go is to sing and shout and call the keeper a ****” and go on to say you may give up in favour of travelling to matches in Germany where the crowds are louder. I can’t identify with that. I go mainly to watch football, particularly my team and chat to my neighbours. Perhaps your tastes could just as well be met in the mosh pit at a metal gig? That’s a serious point - I enjoy singing along in a big crowd at Glastonbury, but not so much at football. I certainly can’t understand the crowd being more important than watching your own team.

I like atmosphere, but mostly when it is organic - ie generated by exciting football. I don’t mind noise coming from other parts of the ground but don’t feel any duty to get it going artificially where I sit (and yes, I sit). I’ve stood or sat as near as possible to the halfway line since first coming to AG in 1968.

What do I think of singing sections? Well when they’re good, they’re excellent - the Kop singing “You’ll never walk alone” can be spine tingling. But most clubs’ supporters never reach this levels. I enjoyed being in the big crowd at the Etihad but often when forced into singing sections at away games I don’t really enjoy it so much. 

This is partly because I find being behind the goal odd - a view I’m not used to and don’t like. Then - and this may baffle you - I find being in a section that is constantly singing actually distracting. I concentrate on watching the game and being in a group that is more interested in making a noise (and sometimes watching the opposition fans) makes me feel cut off from the football itself. I’ve been in the back row at Fulham when we were winning and the noise was impressive and fun in a way, but it did feel a bit like watching the match on a distant TV in a noisy pub with the sound turned off. It seemed a long way away. That part of the crowd often seems a bit self absorbed to me too.  Also, 90% of the songs are poor and the witty ones cease to be funny after the third hearing, let alone the hundred and third.

In summary, I like feeling close to the football and while I understand the sense of belonging you may get in S82 or similar, that seems a bit teenage to me, and not something I need. I’m happy with occasional roars when the whole crowd is getting behind the team. Yes I’d much rather be in the middle of the Lansdown than in S82.

As I say, I don’t expect many on OTIB to identify with me on this, but I expect many devoted and regular fans feel as I do. Please respect our views and accept that we don’t have a duty to feel the way you do, or to join in when you want us to.

On the contrary I fully expect this to be the view of the majority, perhaps not on OTIB but in the wider BCFC community I expect you'll be part of the consensus.

I do totally see where you're coming from, and I know a lot of people personally who think the same way as you. Please don't think I'm being condescending when I make these sort of posts, it's really not how it was intended. You have every right to watch football however you want to.

It just feels to me that I'm not particularly wanted in the stadium by the powers that be, the club, and my fellow supporters a lot of the time. For me football has always been a release, and in recent years I've been given less and less room to manoeuvre, less and less opportunity to release anything. I do genuinely leave AG a bit frustrated at times as I've got to sit up, back straight not making too much noise or swearing too much. Having sampled the forbidden fruit of European football atmosphere, I am thoroughly underwhelmed by almost everything English football has to offer.

What grates is that you could have both. Unless it was really distracting for you, it'd be very easy for both our wishes to be accommodated. I made reference to Kaiserslautern in my previous post, and they have ample seating for people who want to concentrate on the game in their main stand, as well as room for those supporters who want to make noise. I suppose both are accommodated at AG now, but the number of supporters who'd rather sit in the Lansdown than in S82 indicates to me that I'll have to look abroad for the fix that I'm after from football.

[Leveller]

8 hours ago, ZiderEyed said:

On the contrary I fully expect this to be the view of the majority, perhaps not on OTIB but in the wider BCFC community I expect you'll be part of the consensus.

I do totally see where you're coming from, and I know a lot of people personally who think the same way as you. Please don't think I'm being condescending when I make these sort of posts, it's really not how it was intended. You have every right to watch football however you want to.

It just feels to me that I'm not particularly wanted in the stadium by the powers that be, the club, and my fellow supporters a lot of the time. For me football has always been a release, and in recent years I've been given less and less room to manoeuvre, less and less opportunity to release anything. I do genuinely leave AG a bit frustrated at times as I've got to sit up, back straight not making too much noise or swearing too much. Having sampled the forbidden fruit of European football atmosphere, I am thoroughly underwhelmed by almost everything English football has to offer.

What grates is that you could have both. Unless it was really distracting for you, it'd be very easy for both our wishes to be accommodated. I made reference to Kaiserslautern in my previous post, and they have ample seating for people who want to concentrate on the game in their main stand, as well as room for those supporters who want to make noise. I suppose both are accommodated at AG now, but the number of supporters who'd rather sit in the Lansdown than in S82 indicates to me that I'll have to look abroad for the fix that I'm after from football.

Good reply. I fully accept that both could be accommodated. It does seem though that the age profile is changing, so that us reserved old sods are now in the majority and there aren’t that many noisy kids (by age or nature) who want to win a shouting competition with the other team’s fans.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

3 minutes ago, Leveller said:

Good reply. I fully accept that both could be accommodated. It does seem though that the age profile is changing, so that us reserved old sods are now in the majority and there aren’t that many noisy kids (by age or nature) who want to win a shouting competition with the other team’s fans.

 

Yes this is true. I don't feel the club do enough to get the 18-35 age bracket in. They should be targeting working young men who may not have families but with disposable incomes. I think we lose a great deal of this demographic due to the amateur football scene with so many games on Saturday's. 

I think it's similar all around the country due to the price of football but I've really noticed it at AG. Rovers fans say similar which makes me think the amateur football scene is a factor.

 

[Leveller]

8 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

Yes this is true. I don't feel the club do enough to get the 18-35 age bracket in. They should be targeting working young men who may not have families but with disposable incomes. I think we lose a great deal of this demographic due to the amateur football scene with so many games on Saturday's. 

I think it's similar all around the country due to the price of football but I've really noticed it at AG. Rovers fans say similar which makes me think the amateur football scene is a factor.

 

Also, back in the day, young kids could get in on their own for the price of a comic and a bar of chocolate! Pricing is key and won’t change, however much we argue that it could and should.

 

[BCFC J]

On 11/02/2018 at 09:25, RedNight said:

No doubt fans will take this personally, but it has to be said.

So, quite easy for the fans to come on here and slate the management and players. But since Christmas, what the **** has happened to the atmosphere?? It's genuinely p*ss poor for the position we are in and what we are fighting for?

The easy thing to reply with is "well the performances on the pitch have been poor and fans aren't getting anything to cheer about". Rubbish. QPR at home? We were winning with 10 men, atmosphere bang average. Yesterday 3-0 up, atmosphere horrendous. 

And as for the other games such as Norwich etc. yes we lost, but only late on and the atmosphere before their goal was hardly inspiring. We're fighting for the play offs and promotion, but during the game it's like nobody gives a ****. Its only when we lose and after the game people get all aggy on here and social media that you think people might care.  

Away support - not gunna be too harsh, cause sky have stitched us up. But we're literally taking 300 to games at the moment. Regardless of circumstances, that's pretty poor for a club in our position. 

Also, what's happened to S82? No flags and stuff for the previous couple of games. These guy are brilliant and we shouldn't just rely on them for an atmosphere, but the harsh reality is that we solely rely on them! 

 

I think we we need to look at ourselves as fans. We are having a miraculous season. Fighting for promotion should be a dream, not an expectation (especially considering last season). We need to step it up in the stands, because AG is hardly an inspiring place at the moment, considering we are a team fighting for our lives to be top 6. 

 

PLEASE don't take this personally. It's a justified observation. I just want AG to be what it can be every week. We hear all the time what a difference we can make. Let's make the difference!

 

Our lowest league following has been 475 and that was a Friday night game on Sky. Our away games have been messed about with this season.

Agree re: home atmosphere though. 

[Welcome To The Jungle]

21 minutes ago, Leveller said:

Also, back in the day, young kids could get in on their own for the price of a comic and a bar of chocolate! Pricing is key and won’t change, however much we argue that it could and should.

 

Exactly. If a 13 year old City fan wants to invite three mates from school who perhaps have never been to AG before, they're looking at £16 each minimum for a SS ticket. What 13 year old has £16 to go to football. If they've got to catch the bus or eat then they're looking at perhaps as much as £25. 

If the young City fan who invited his mates sits in the Lansdown, they could be forking out that £25 on a ticket alone, with maybe change for a drink.