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Suggestion - Expanding Section 82


OliOTIB

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One problem with blokes being hostile is that, when it doesn’t have the desired effect - the ref giving us everything; the opposition crumbling; us winning - where to go with that whipped up hostility? Who gets the "hostility" then?

The team don't need us being hostile to the opposition, what they need is their own crowd to be behind them even when they struggle, or fail. To "have their back." Show them some "love" and support.As long as they are trying, of course. But as we have seen, even those that very obviously try (Weimann) still get criticism and abuse when we lose.

The "love" and "support" nowadays from a significant element (of blokes) is wholly conditional on a certain outcome regardless of effort and intent.

We don’t need to "let them know about it" when they are conning us and "stealing a living," not while Nige is here. He will do this. And get rid of them, where he can. Evidently.

What we should be doing is raining love and support down upon the team so that they are freed up to do what they are good at and not dreading the moaning and groaning (and worse) when a pass goes astray or things don't come off or even go wrong.

If we could fully back well-intentioned players through difficult times we would be surprised the things they could achieve. However, the wages players get now (certainly up until the pandemic) and the gap between players and supporters compared to days gone by certainly make this unlikely for many paying punters. It's just not going to happen, not unless we're winning. And not always then.

Things like love and support don't come easily to some blokes you get going to football. 

Too many blokes want somewhere to go to be hostile and toxic and create fear. They can only offer conditional support, and the players know it.

 

 

 

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Here we go again, if no one was coming that would be something to moan about, to moan about the "wrong kind of fans" is pathetic elitism.

Suggesting we should return to the old days when away fans and families were frightened to attend matches, and that somehow the club should complicit in that is embarrassing.

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3 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

Here we go again, if no one was coming that would be something to moan about, to moan about the "wrong kind of fans" is pathetic elitism.

Suggesting we should return to the old days when away fans and families were frightened to attend matches, and that somehow the club should complicit in that is embarrassing.

No one’s saying that , it’s just being pointed out that with the current ground Layout Ashton gate is close to a morgue and away teams having a whole end surrounded by home fans sat on their hands does nothing but make it easy on the away team .

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We seem to have this conversation, expanding the singing section, every summer.

While I would welcome it, line of sight, for those that prefer to sit, will always be an issue.

Draw a line from the front of the existing area to the back of the South stand, smack in the middle and every seat behind that line could be used without affecting those that sit. Obviously, some existing fans would be displaced which wouldn't go down well, especially given the South stand is pretty much sold out again.

Just my thoughts, from a Dolmanite.

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3 hours ago, Wiltshire robin said:

Yes and yes 

a few examples of other fans views on us before the east end went .

Not a fan of the fighting but know we are known as a more southern version of reading with a soulless atmosphere in a ground which you wouldn’t know which team played there , barely anything affiliated with city ( for example the word city taken off the dolman and the other new stands plain .

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Oh you mean feared by opposition fans. Right, sorry the implication in OP's post was that AG was feared by the opposition players, and that this 'hostile' atmosphere meant we used to get more points at home. 

How do these three comments from an unknown time made by unknown people on an unknown site support the implication from OP's post that expanding the singing section would a) make the atmosphere hostile, and that b) doing that would increase our points gain at home?

I'm not against any expansion btw, just wondering if it's actually possible to support the argument for it with some actual evidence rather than anecdotal stories about apocryphal days when opposition players arrived at AG with their knees knocking together so much that they couldn't run and so we just hoovered up 3 points every other Saturday.

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14 minutes ago, Ska Junkie said:

We seem to have this conversation, expanding the singing section, every summer.

While I would welcome it, line of sight, for those that prefer to sit, will always be an issue.

Draw a line from the front of the existing area to the back of the South stand, smack in the middle and every seat behind that line could be used without affecting those that sit. Obviously, some existing fans would be displaced which wouldn't go down well, especially given the South stand is pretty much sold out again.

Just my thoughts, from a Dolmanite.

It's not an issue. I have sat through the back end of games where we've been battered and been able to see perfectly fine with people standing in front of me, and I'm short. I'm sure there will be instances of someone that's 4'11" being behind someone thats 6'7" but on the whole its not a problem.

There's no need for anyone to be displaced.

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3 minutes ago, KegCity said:

It's not an issue. I have sat through the back end of games where we've been battered and been able to see perfectly fine with people standing in front of me, and I'm short. I'm sure there will be instances of someone that's 4'11" being behind someone thats 6'7" but on the whole its not a problem.

There's no need for anyone to be displaced.

Maybe rather than putting tickets in brackets of age, we should sell season tickets based on height.

Could work, kids are generally quite short, and pensioners tend to shrink as they get older.

You could be on to something here.

We could then really measure our support.

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48 minutes ago, Wiltshire robin said:

No one’s saying that , it’s just being pointed out that with the current ground Layout Ashton gate is close to a morgue and away teams having a whole end surrounded by home fans sat on their hands does nothing but make it easy on the away team .

Then I suggest those quotes you posted give the wrong impression of what is being sought.

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6 hours ago, Barrs Court Red said:

I hope when rules allow Bristol Sport/Bears deliver on their promise that was made when Bristol Rugby announced the move, namely that the bottom of the Dolman would be safe standing.  
 

 

Well remembered.  A new Schoolboys Enclosure! Unlucky girls ?

Edited by Merrick's Marvels
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12 hours ago, Wiltshire robin said:

I agree with you about section 82 needing to be expanded but honestly it will never happen the club have no interest in creating an atmosphere. The number 1 priority is attracting the middle class family .

Lansdownes no. 1 priority is to maximise profit per head of each attending member of the crowd. 

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5 hours ago, ExiledAjax said:

Oh you mean feared by opposition fans. Right, sorry the implication in OP's post was that AG was feared by the opposition players, and that this 'hostile' atmosphere meant we used to get more points at home. 

How do these three comments from an unknown time made by unknown people on an unknown site support the implication from OP's post that expanding the singing section would a) make the atmosphere hostile, and that b) doing that would increase our points gain at home?

I'm not against any expansion btw, just wondering if it's actually possible to support the argument for it with some actual evidence rather than anecdotal stories about apocryphal days when opposition players arrived at AG with their knees knocking together so much that they couldn't run and so we just hoovered up 3 points every other Saturday.

You pretty much sum up my thoughts with this post @ExiledAjax 

I also don’t see the relevance of a few Neanderthals opinion  on the matter, neither am I sure as to why we should care what they think. 

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It definitely needs expanding but we were always going to have these issues as a good % of the fans that populate the South Stand are fans from the Atyeo that moved their season tickets over when the re-build was completed.

The Atyeo barring a few seasons under Danny Wilson had a pretty dead sterile atmosphere for the most part and the vast majority of fans there sat and this theme has just continued on into the South Stand.

Moving existing season ticket holder’s would be tricky but the only real solution would be to extend section 82 along the top say 5 or 6 rows of the South Stand.

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It's a strange one. I get my season ticket in the corner as I don't enjoy the matchday experience of sitting at games, standing is just a preference for me. I've also always loved being amongst the atmosphere. 

This season I feel if there was another place I could stand and chant etc then I would move there as things seem to have changed a bit in the corner with odd chants and throwing trainers...maybe I'm maturing!? Probably just boring.

I like the idea of furthest lower block of the Dolman next to the Atyeo being a seperate area for standing etc, I doubt the club would allow it but you never know. I noticed at Shrewsbury away in the FA Cup replay a couple of years ago. They had safe standing behind their goal, akin to our corner, but they also had about 300/400 stood to our side who in fairness made a really decent noise. 

Slightly off topic, but because of the Omricon variant, I went in the top of the Lansdown Stand, right at the far end, next to the Atyeo for the Huddersfield home game. We've been told for years how nobody can hear the corner, well it was 3/4 full that day (because of the new variant) and I could hear them loud and clear throughout the game, we were surprised at how clearly we could hear them after being told for years the sound doesn't travel...maybe helped by only 250 or 300 Huddersfield fans being next to us, but at least it dispelled that myth. 

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26 minutes ago, Puckle_red said:

It's a strange one. I get my season ticket in the corner as I don't enjoy the matchday experience of sitting at games, standing is just a preference for me. I've also always loved being amongst the atmosphere. 

This season I feel if there was another place I could stand and chant etc then I would move there as things seem to have changed a bit in the corner with odd chants and throwing trainers...maybe I'm maturing!? Probably just boring.

I like the idea of furthest lower block of the Dolman next to the Atyeo being a seperate area for standing etc, I doubt the club would allow it but you never know. I noticed at Shrewsbury away in the FA Cup replay a couple of years ago. They had safe standing behind their goal, akin to our corner, but they also had about 300/400 stood to our side who in fairness made a really decent noise. 

Slightly off topic, but because of the Omricon variant, I went in the top of the Lansdown Stand, right at the far end, next to the Atyeo for the Huddersfield home game. We've been told for years how nobody can hear the corner, well it was 3/4 full that day (because of the new variant) and I could hear them loud and clear throughout the game, we were surprised at how clearly we could hear them after being told for years the sound doesn't travel...maybe helped by only 250 or 300 Huddersfield fans being next to us, but at least it dispelled that myth. 

Agree with that. Said it before but I’ve always enjoyed being in the Atyeo in recent years when they’ve let a small number of home fans next to the away end. Gives it an away day feel being the minority in the stand.

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12 hours ago, Rocking Red Cyril said:

Lansdownes no. 1 priority is to maximise profit per head of each attending member of the crowd. 

Rightly so, though as long as he doesn't rip off or alienate existing punters,

That's the job of every business and hasn't changed in 50 odd years now

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17 hours ago, KegCity said:

It's not an issue. I have sat through the back end of games where we've been battered and been able to see perfectly fine with people standing in front of me, and I'm short. I'm sure there will be instances of someone that's 4'11" being behind someone thats 6'7" but on the whole its not a problem.

There's no need for anyone to be displaced.

I think it would be a problem. There’s many short people and children who sit in the South Stand. 

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I personally feel the singing/standing section should be a bit nearer the away fans as this would ramp up the atmosphere - although of course the downside means more policing/stewards to enforce safe segregation and moving people from established seats. The Atyeo end of the Lansdown would be my suggestion.

At the end of the day, the main reason why there is often no atmosphere at Ashton Gate isn't who sits where, or "middle class" fans, or even Downsy: It's because for a number of years there hasn't been much to excite. Not much to cheer. 

The last home game of last season plus some of the summer signings give a hope that era might be coming to an end 

But as we all know, it's the hope that kills you!

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2 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

I personally feel the singing/standing section should be a bit nearer the away fans as this would ramp up the atmosphere - although of course the downside means more policing/stewards to enforce safe segregation and moving people from established seats. The Atyeo end of the Lansdown would be my suggestion.

At the end of the day, the main reason why there is often no atmosphere at Ashton Gate isn't who sits where, or "middle class" fans, or even Downsy: It's because for a number of years there hasn't been much to excite. Not much to cheer. 

The last home game of last season plus some of the summer signings give a hope that era might be coming to an end 

But as we all know, it's the hope that kills you!

Is there anything - other than seat availability - stopping singers from buying their season tickets in other parts of the stadium?

Get that there are some who like to stand for 90 minutes, which wouldn't be possible in the Lansdown where people pay a premium for a seat and blocking the view of someone who might have spent 600+ on their view wouldn't go down well, but in theory, the singers could relocate if they wanted.

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12 minutes ago, Bristol Rob said:

Is there anything - other than seat availability - stopping singers from buying their season tickets in other parts of the stadium?

Get that there are some who like to stand for 90 minutes, which wouldn't be possible in the Lansdown where people pay a premium for a seat and blocking the view of someone who might have spent 600+ on their view wouldn't go down well, but in theory, the singers could relocate if they wanted.

So this happened before the East End was redeveloped- a group of fans got season tickets in the Williams corner.

It worked well, although the club decided to move everyone to the Dolman after a season.  
 

Maybe we’ll see it again. 

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11 hours ago, Rocking Red Cyril said:

Yes agreed, that's why he is a billionaire.

Putting the customer first is surely utopian 

Yep, but you can put customers first and still maximise profit, it depends how far you go,

As much as the old guard dislike it, what the club are doing is everything to encourage the future fan, get them hooked, keep them entertained, keep them comfortable 

Its the reason we redeveloped the ground, the reason we avg 20k not 10k (which is what it was early 2000) and the reason we sold 13000 season tickets not 8k,

Now I'd love nothing more then the whole ground singing all the time but that's just not going to happen due to countless reasons,

 

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On 21/06/2022 at 10:34, Bristol Rob said:

Is there anything - other than seat availability - stopping singers from buying their season tickets in other parts of the stadium?

Get that there are some who like to stand for 90 minutes, which wouldn't be possible in the Lansdown where people pay a premium for a seat and blocking the view of someone who might have spent 600+ on their view wouldn't go down well, but in theory, the singers could relocate if they wanted.

A Block Dolman is pretty quiet nowadays numbers wise and close to the away fans like some have been asking for. Organise your own expansion maybe? The club can’t stop that

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On 21/06/2022 at 10:28, Red-Robbo said:

I personally feel the singing/standing section should be a bit nearer the away fans as this would ramp up the atmosphere - although of course the downside means more policing/stewards to enforce safe segregation and moving people from established seats. The Atyeo end of the Lansdown would be my suggestion.

At the end of the day, the main reason why there is often no atmosphere at Ashton Gate isn't who sits where, or "middle class" fans, or even Downsy: It's because for a number of years there hasn't been much to excite. Not much to cheer. 

The last home game of last season plus some of the summer signings give a hope that era might be coming to an end 

But as we all know, it's the hope that kills you!

I agree with your main point - the only atmosphere I’m interested in is the true excitement from what’s actually happening on the pitch.

Artificial atmosphere from lame jokey dirges does nothing for me at all. Having to hear “is this a library?” every single match - as if it was original - drives me round the bend.

This will be an unpopular view on here, I know. But I don’t actually like being in a singing section either - it can get forced on you at away matches. To me, the noise often makes me feel cut off from the game, among people who are more interested in the contest between fans than in the game, it seems to me.

It’s not impossible to achieve real atmosphere from singing - the Kop prove that with “You’ll never walk alone” - but I think it’s very rare.

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12 hours ago, Leveller said:

I agree with your main point - the only atmosphere I’m interested in is the true excitement from what’s actually happening on the pitch.

Artificial atmosphere from lame jokey dirges does nothing for me at all. Having to hear “is this a library?” every single match - as if it was original - drives me round the bend.

This will be an unpopular view on here, I know. But I don’t actually like being in a singing section either - it can get forced on you at away matches. To me, the noise often makes me feel cut off from the game, among people who are more interested in the contest between fans than in the game, it seems to me.

It’s not impossible to achieve real atmosphere from singing - the Kop prove that with “You’ll never walk alone” - but I think it’s very rare.

I reckon we could be missing a trick here, attendances could skyrocket if the club declared Ashton Gate a 'Sweet Caroline' free-zone, we could attract followers of cricket, darts, rugby and who knows whatever else.

Just need to stop that nonsense noise from being uttered in BS3!

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16 minutes ago, Bristol Rob said:

I reckon we could be missing a trick here, attendances could skyrocket if the club declared Ashton Gate a 'Sweet Caroline' free-zone, we could attract followers of cricket, darts, rugby and who knows whatever else.

Just need to stop that nonsense noise from being uttered in BS3!

Actually, there isn’t much anyway!

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Not for me (as a South stand season ticket holder) they are overly praised for me. There is passion all around the stadium. All I saw last season was a complete bunch of tools throwing things and generally behaving like boneheads. 

Passion come from within you don't need to be singing to support your team and, given most of the performances at home in recent years its hardly been singing territory. 

 

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