Atmosphere

[CotswoldRed]

2 minutes ago, BanburyRed said:

Old, definitely.

Remember my 1st game at 7, standing in the Open (Park) End on a stool that my dad made me so i could see the game (imagine taking a wooden stool into a game today...), looking with envy up the pitch at the East End, hearing the roars and songs, seeing the scarves held aloft, along with the banter and smell of cigars on the air.

10yrs on, standing in the East End joining in then starting songs, feeling like you'd really 'arrived', almost the same spot every game, seeing the same faces (but not really knowing any names...).

Then a change of venue into B block in the Dolman, back row...great times, terrific humour, fearful abuse, the passion, the noise, the songs.....a little bit of 'steaming in' if necessary or required.

Occasionally, the new stadia gives you games & times to remember, but nothing compared to the 'old days'.

Progress i guess.

Like it. Apart from the part about progress. 

Where does progress take us next? 

The "selfie" section? 

[Rossi the Robin]

Don't think there's been a new yet, all old? 

 

[BobBobSuperBob]

3 minutes ago, BanburyRed said:

Old, definitely.

Remember my 1st game at 7, standing in the Open (Park) End on a stool that my dad made me so i could see the game (imagine taking a wooden stool into a game today...), looking with envy up the pitch at the East End, hearing the roars and songs, seeing the scarves held aloft, along with the banter and smell of cigars on the air.

10yrs on, standing in the East End joining in then starting songs, feeling like you'd really 'arrived', almost the same spot every game, seeing the same faces (but not really knowing any names...).

Then a change of venue into B block in the Dolman, back row...great times, terrific humour, fearful abuse, the passion, the noise, the songs.....a little bit of 'steaming in' if necessary or required.

Occasionally, the new stadia gives you games & times to remember, but nothing compared to the 'old days'.

Progress i guess.

Blimey - I could have written that - Park End  with my Dad (we had a foldable wooden chair rather than a stool) and like you East End when I went on my own from 12 onwards and later Dolman B !

Looks like we followed a similar journey !

 

[marmite]

24 minutes ago, RedM said:

Old. 

squashed in the Eastend, couldn't see a thing at times, had to get there at least an hour early to join in with the singing. Huge surges forward but always managed to return to back to where we started, stood next to the same people week after week without numbers telling us where to be.

Goal mouths filled with loo roll and no grass anywhere in the goalmouth from October to April, penalty spot repainted at HT by groundsman. 

Often edgy and dangerous at times, atmosphere electric. Used to really look forward to matches all week, and banter in school, college, workplaces. 

Thats why I fell in love with the game, live football you could see, smell, taste, touch and hear.

You got that right!  Bring back the old times. Stand up during the game and sit down at h/t. Other way round now. Proper Bovril, smoke in the ground, banter with yer mates, dodge the turnstiles. Oh happy days.

[Tin Soldier]

Home games 1980's - Dolman B Block was untouchable for atmosphere, ferocity, abuse, support, passion, hatred, group of city fans mobbed up, pre and during the game. Final whistle, out the ground, clashes with away fans, ding dong, park, Coronation road, Temple Meads, more ding dong.

Believe me, that was atmosphere. The buzz was massive!

Nowadays - damp squib! Prawn sandwiches, happy clappy, go home, boring!!! Hate it.

[Cowshed]

Old. I think for sheer ferocity the zenith was Dolman A - B 85 - 87 v those who presented  a challenge off the pitch. The intensity of the err support directed at the Park End astonished me v Cardiff.

The far less edgy East End represents a time sadly that will never return.

I think we would have been bewildered how it has come to be so benign and passive if the future could have been glimpsed.

[robinreliant]

Ahh the smell of liniment and fags. Watching the occasional derby against that lot in blue from the old stand before the Dolman stand was built. Pre 1990's sorry.

Atyeo Lou Peters Jantzen Derrick. Connor Parr Gibson. Move on a few years to Garland Galley Sharpe Kellard. The atmosphere generated was awesome. You could move around where you liked.  Again pre 1990's

Brings a tear to my eye just the thought of it. 

 

We are in a totally different era today. Big money transfers. Higher expectation. All seater stadium. Would I rather the old than the new ? The old days atmosphere was genuine so old days was much better. Simple answer.

[Rascal]

Its better now than it used to be for me. 

[CotswoldRed]

Just now, Rascal said:

Its better now than it used to be for me. 

Wot? Yorkshire? That'll be the smog. 

[MrBibs]

1 hour ago, shamussy said:

The problem i find is that yes it was exciting with the edge but also pretty dangerous. Maybe thats what made the atmosphere seem better- that you might have to run away (fight or flight) from some nutters before during or after a game.

So yes nostalgia... but now i love watching the game and having a nice chat and cuppa during the game whilst also joining in with the odd sing song err... wouldnt have taken the missus and kids back then... i suggest attendances also reflect that now?

That's exactly how I see it. Wouldn't take my daughter now if it was like it was back then.  Always felt that our fans were nuttier than the opposition though, particularly away from home so felt I was on the safer side of things.  My kid loves the singing / swearing / smoke bombs etc and the exchange of banter/gestures with opposition fans - always wants to be as close as possible to where the noise is.  It's so tame now in comparison she doesn't know the half of it.  I swear most of our fans looked a lot more scary back in the day - don't recall seeing too many families.

[Red Exile]

Been sitting in more or less the same seats - middle blocks of the Dolman - since I could afford to upgrade from the East End...from around 83/84. Still enjoying the same wonderful view! Biggest difference is that you can no longer sit wherever you like...four figure crowds and empty seats everywhere back then. Personally I don't miss the edge that made matches in the early 80's such turbulent affairs...Swindon & Reading away etc etc...but I can appreciate that others will. It was never my thing. 

I'm not so sure that the atmosphere is all that different when there's something at stake. That wonderful footage of the crowd before the Forest League Cup semi was exceptional...it wasn't like that every week. The play off match against Palace was about as good as it ever got for me. I'd be hoping that the reintegration of the singing folk back into the heart of the home support will get things going more often. And that crowds approaching 20k will create a different kind of atmosphere. 

[Baldyman]

Culturally we live in an utterly different world these days . As an old Eastender I often hanker after the days when watching footy was a far wilder experience and yes , the atmosphere was often far better than now . 

BUT : Would I want to go back to the constant crowd issues that existed in that era ? The open air urinals that were 3 inches deep in p@@s.Or indeed the abuse that black players received back then ? I remember the abuse poor Justin Fashanu once received and it really was horrific ! 

On balance , I'll take 2017 footy any day . 

 

[Kodjias Wrist]

Older fans I have spoke to have always said they enjoyed the terraces and the atmosphere more. So how hard is it to recreate this? Safestanding? More singing sections? Piss on the floor? That lovely smell of cigar smoke floating around the Williams?

[Three Lions]

Atmosphere this season against Cardiff was so poor it would have been considered insulting in the seventies and eighties. that's the level now.

[City Rocker]

5 minutes ago, Baldyman said:

Culturally we live in an utterly different world these days . As an old Eastender I often hanker after the days when watching footy was a far wilder experience and yes , the atmosphere was often far better than now . 

BUT : Would I want to go back to the constant crowd issues that existed in that era ? The open air urinals that were 3 inches deep in p@@s.Or indeed the abuse that black players received back then ? I remember the abuse poor Justin Fashanu once received and it really was horrific ! 

On balance , I'll take 2017 footy any day . 

 

On balance I think I agree with you, there's no going back anyway. But how I miss the mayhem of the Enclosure and the away days of the mid 80s. And watching the East End lads seeing off invading cockneys. Everyone, even the pensioners, enjoyed watching the shenanigans in the East End back in the 70s, whether they admitted it or not. 

5 minutes ago, Baldyman said:

I remember the abuse poor Justin Fashanu once received and it really was horrific !

 

Too right, and that was just from Dave Rodgers! Fash sorted that one out though. 

[cidered abroad]

3 hours ago, CotswoldRed said:

"Forza Singing Section"

Get those flags ready. 

All that I hope is that LJ and the squad give us something to really get worked up about. I hope that the South Stand and it's reborn "East enders" can be 6,000 making a helluva lotta noise as we soar up the table and follow a team that we've walloped in the last two seasons to the Premier League.

[Offside]

I used to love standing in the East End. There was that sense of togetherness and the noise could be fantastic, helped no doubt by that roof - at times I remember leaving games with my ears ringing (and not from the bloody tannoy). From that middle section the view wasn't brilliant, but that somehow made for more excitement. The goal celebrations were great fun as well. There were games when the crowd was quiet, but overall the atmosphere was much better then. I also liked how each ground looked different and had its own character.

 

[Floatn Over]

13 minutes ago, Offside said:

I used to love standing in the East End. There was that sense of togetherness and the noise could be fantastic, helped no doubt by that roof - at times I remember leaving games with my ears ringing (and not from the bloody tannoy). From that middle section the view wasn't brilliant, but that somehow made for more excitement. The goal celebrations were great fun as well. There were games when the crowd was quiet, but overall the atmosphere was much better then. I also liked how each ground looked different and had its own character.

 

My early days were also in the East End (1960's/70's). The current stadium is certainly a far nicer experience all round, no question but there was just something about clanking turnstiles, getting there early to get a barrier, unable to see a cross from the wing just John Galley and others nodding a goal at the far post then loosing sight of everything as everyone in front leaps up, freezing feet etc but I recall the atmosphere and noise particularly (still hearing the chants waking up on. Sunday morning !) were just different then.

If only we had smartphones then to record some of the in crowd experiences.

[Bristol Rob]

Not just the atmosphere that isn't as good these days. Skills are being lost due to the way we watch games now.

Has anyone under the age of 20 ever lobbed a bog roll in a streamer* style as the teams come out?

Probably not as they'd probably get banned these days.

*streamer, not steamer - as in turd.

[RedRock]

So fortunate to have experienced 'The Journey' over the last few decades.

Start in the East End, the centre pen, back terrace, the corner. Always on the look out for rival colours and accents, running battles, surges, bog rolls, really edgy.

Then to the Park End - the hard core breakaway, getting into the faces of the away fans. 

On to The Enclosure for a short time - the Wild West. 

Thence to Dolman A&B - the Millwall experience - nuff said.

.... and now just 'homeless', anywhere will do.

Suppose my experience has tracked my 'needs' so the sanatisied 'American Experience' of our plush new ground will do for me now. 

Younger generations though don't know what they've missed, the atmosphere and tribalism. Winning the battles off the pitch was often far more important than the football then. Our 'pride' was while we were largely shite on the pitch, we were normally premier league off it. 

 

 

[Welcome To The Jungle]

15 hours ago, Red Army 75 said:

Atmospheres were natural back then . Today it's bands , drums , stupid clappy things . It's just not the same these days. IMO 

I suggest you take in some atmospheres outside of the UK and then tell me drums are stupid. The best atmosphere at AG all year was created by 200 Fleetwood fans and their drum. 

[Red Army 75]

26 minutes ago, Welcome To The Jungle said:

I suggest you take in some atmospheres outside of the UK and then tell me drums are stupid. The best atmosphere at AG all year was created by 200 Fleetwood fans and their drum. 

Didn't mention outside of England. Didn't say drums are stupid. I expect it's a fantastic atmosphere in B Dortmunds ground for example. As for Fleetwood fair play. When you got 200 fans I'm not surprised they got a drum . I was commenting on my experience when I was younger. Which I preferred the atmosphere. So judging by you're post . U must be about 20 years old. And never experienced the old Ashton gate atmosphere. Might be wrong though 

[Welcome To The Jungle]

43 minutes ago, Red Army 75 said:

Didn't mention outside of England. Didn't say drums are stupid. I expect it's a fantastic atmosphere in B Dortmunds ground for example. As for Fleetwood fair play. When you got 200 fans I'm not surprised they got a drum . I was commenting on my experience when I was younger. Which I preferred the atmosphere. So judging by you're post . U must be about 20 years old. And never experienced the old Ashton gate atmosphere. Might be wrong though 

Bang on the money (early 20s) and yes I don't remember the old old atmosphere. But even I have noticed the gate get quieter since 2001 (when I first came). I think that the 'hooligan' culture meant that in the 80s and 90s clubs put 2 and 2 together and got 6. They decided that loud fans were violent fans so there was this shift away from noise and a real focus by professional clubs to get bums on seats.

I didn't mention Fleetwood for this reason but it works. They are a former non-league club so is it any surprise that their fans haven't had the more vocal element stamped out of their club. Until the club say they want a noisier Ashton Gate and make practical steps to make it so (like properly liaise with the hard working fans who sort displays and flags etc and perhaps help them financially somewhat), the atmosphere will not improve. To me, safe standing improving atmospheres is a myth. Fans stand already and it isn't great. 

The best atmosphere in the UK at the moment is probably at Celtic Park. The club have put a lot of time and money into the Green Brigade to make that corner colourful and loud every single week. If you put their very questionable (to say the least) politics to one side, is there another section like it? The safe standing works there, but they changed the culture first. Perhaps City should take note of how to best make use of the Eastend. 

[Mr Popodopolous]

2 hours ago, Bristol Rob said:

Not just the atmosphere that isn't as good these days. Skills are being lost due to the way we watch games now.

Has anyone under the age of 20 ever lobbed a bog roll in a streamer* style as the teams come out?

Probably not as they'd probably get banned these days.

*streamer, not steamer - as in turd.

I remember in 2008, final game of 2008- in my one game in the EastEnd as it was in the modern era, and I wish I had gone in there more but anyway.

I remember them handing out bog roll v Palace- which was pretty novel for these times!

@Float'n Over Atyeo still had clanking turnstiles when I went often- talking late 90s to 2008.

IMO- pre the redevelopment, which is and was necessary, Ashton Gate had one of the better experiences, certainly not like 70s, 80s and early 90s but still up until a few years ago one of the best of modern football in UK!

[reddoh]

3 hours ago, Bristol Rob said:

Not just the atmosphere that isn't as good these days. Skills are being lost due to the way we watch games now.

Has anyone under the age of 20 ever lobbed a bog roll in a streamer* style as the teams come out?

Probably not as they'd probably get banned these days.

*streamer, not steamer - as in turd.

too expensive these days unless you live near lidl. 

[Red Army 75]

12 minutes ago, Welcome To The Jungle said:

Bang on the money (early 20s) and yes I don't remember the old old atmosphere. But even I have noticed the gate get quieter since 2001 (when I first came). I think that the 'hooligan' culture meant that in the 80s and 90s clubs put 2 and 2 together and got 6. They decided that loud fans were violent fans so there was this shift away from noise and a real focus by professional clubs to get bums on seats.

I didn't mention Fleetwood for this reason but it works. They are a former non-league club so is it any surprise that their fans haven't had the more vocal element stamped out of their club. Until the club say they want a noisier Ashton Gate and make practical steps to make it so (like properly liaise with the hard working fans who sort displays and flags etc and perhaps help them financially somewhat), the atmosphere will not improve. To me, safe standing improving atmospheres is a myth. Fans stand already and it isn't great. 

The best atmosphere in the UK at the moment is probably at Celtic Park. The club have put a lot of time and money into the Green Brigade to make that corner colourful and loud every single week. If you put their very questionable (to say the least) politics to one side, is there another section like it? The safe standing works there, but they changed the culture first. Perhaps City should take note of how to best make use of the Eastend. 

Some good points there . And of course if you're younger generation u can't compare it . I would say Crystal Palace fans do a good job and fair play to there club for listening to them. Drums do work if used correctly. But the experience we had in the eastend a few years ago IMO didn't work. Fair play to the lads who tried it . But I was quite glad they lost there drumsticks. I'm moving from the Atyeo to south stand and will try with others to get the atmosphere going. And I think it will be a lot better as the south stand like to make a bit of noise. Today's football is just so different in many ways as everyone knows. And football fans are treated harshly IMO . It pisses me off when the police stand at the bottom and film you for no reason. They would just like u to sit there and be quiet. It all adds to killing the atmosphere. I'm all for a better atmosphere. Drums if used correctly yes . Stupid clappy things they can stick them up there arse. Sideways 

[Welcome To The Jungle]

12 minutes ago, Red Army 75 said:

Some good points there . And of course if you're younger generation u can't compare it . I would say Crystal Palace fans do a good job and fair play to there club for listening to them. Drums do work if used correctly. But the experience we had in the eastend a few years ago IMO didn't work. Fair play to the lads who tried it . But I was quite glad they lost there drumsticks. I'm moving from the Atyeo to south stand and will try with others to get the atmosphere going. And I think it will be a lot better as the south stand like to make a bit of noise. Today's football is just so different in many ways as everyone knows. And football fans are treated harshly IMO . It pisses me off when the police stand at the bottom and film you for no reason. They would just like u to sit there and be quiet. It all adds to killing the atmosphere. I'm all for a better atmosphere. Drums if used correctly yes . Stupid clappy things they can stick them up there arse. Sideways 

On the subject of drums they are quite simple. 

1. Bass drum (none of this snare crap)
2. Same person every week
3. Said person must be an actual drummer, not just some bloke
4. Said person must commit to being sober (or at least only one pint)

After a month the person would be settled in and know when to drum and when not to, and the fans would be used to the drum too.

However I also feel like the culture needs to change in the Eastend. Too many times the loudest chants and songs were aimed at the opposition fans and players, and the gas, instead of supporting our own team. That also needs to change towards a more positive atmosphere that can still be aggressive, but focused more on City than our opponents.  

[cidered abroad]

I might be a trifle past middle age at 74 but if anyone sits near me with a drum, it is certain that I would attempt to hide their drumsticks in a suitable orifice of their body.

Sing, chant, scream abuse but no drums or clackers!!!!!

[cidered abroad]

1 hour ago, Welcome To The Jungle said:

On the subject of drums they are quite simple. 

1. Bass drum (none of this snare crap)
2. Same person every week
3. Said person must be an actual drummer, not just some bloke
4. Said person must commit to being sober (or at least only one pint)

After a month the person would be settled in and know when to drum and when not to, and the fans would be used to the drum too. SEE PREVIOUS POST.

However I also feel like the culture needs to change in the Eastend home stands. Too many times the loudest chants and songs were aimed at the opposition fans and players, and the gas, instead of supporting our own team. That also needs to change towards a more positive atmosphere that can still be aggressive, but focused more on City than our opponents.  

Entirely agree with last paragraph especially the continuing songs/chants about the unmentionables. They are an irrelevance until we are both in the same league and even then, the only thing is six points from them to us. 

The singing and chanting should be positive ones about our team and it's players. Even the H/C but whisper that quietly now until he really proves himself.

[SARJ]

Atmosphere at the Gate has been dreadful for years, despite the good efforts of the S82 lads. Go watch Ajax or Willem in Holland to see how football should be each week.