The atmosphere at the ethiad?

[Blue Since 76]

As I've said before, the acoustics of the ground are terrible. I had the misfortune to sit in the top tier of the 'family stand' (hence smeone's kids were in my seat) v Porto & it was fucking dismal. I'm usually at the dead end of the East stand & half the people there don't even cheer the players names when the team is called out, but the top tier of the FS makes the east stand seem like the Kippax in 1976. It was horrible, not only in it's deadness but also in that you couldn't even hear the Porto fans from there, let alone our non singing section; the sound doesn't travel. It's like hearing a transistor radio with dodgy batteries.

We should approach some acoustic experts to see if there's any way the ground could be altered slightly to focus the sound better. It may appear stupid but it's amazing what difference can be made by a few strategically placed object & by materials used. They should really consider this if they are to rebuild some of the ground.

Atmosphere is built around the whole ground & you don't feel like joining in with a song which feels like it's coming from 5 miles away; you don't feel part of it. It's only when the singing sections really go for it that the sound travels & the rest then join in.

Ted,

I sit in lower tier of the family stand and agree with what you've said about the acoustics - the sound doesn't travel. It's always worse in their on European nights, as the usual fans move as the kids don't go, so it's always full of fans who come less frequently and don't really sing.

However, the noise from the European away fans can usually be heard. When they do that answering a bloke at the front who's shouting out, it's really loud and clear. Seems to be something weird where singing doesn't travel but shouting does.

[BlueinBosnia]

However, the noise from the European away fans can usually be heard. When they do that answering a bloke at the front who's shouting out, it's really loud and clear. Seems to be something weird where singing doesn't travel but shouting does.

Simple explanations for that are:

i) that there's a delay in the sound from around the ground, so when you're singing one word, you're hearing the previous word sung by people on the opposite stand. If you were in the centre circle, I bet it would sound much louder. In comparison, you are hearing one sound from a concentrated area with the way fans- each note hits you in unison at the same time, meaning 3,000 concise shouts at once are louder and more distinct than 45,000 voices all singing the same thing in unison at different distances from you. The distance problem also causes problems with coordination- I've seen people get confused when they're one of the few singing in their stand, thinking, they're out by a beat or two, concluding that they might be a bit tipsy, and giving up.

ii) European fans are louder- those that travel practice chanting in unison week in, week out.

[Im_Spartacus]

As I've said before, the acoustics of the ground are terrible. I had the misfortune to sit in the top tier of the 'family stand' (hence smeone's kids were in my seat) v Porto & it was fucking dismal. I'm usually at the dead end of the East stand & half the people there don't even cheer the players names when the team is called out, but the top tier of the FS makes the east stand seem like the Kippax in 1976. It was horrible, not only in it's deadness but also in that you couldn't even hear the Porto fans from there, let alone our non singing section; the sound doesn't travel. It's like hearing a transistor radio with dodgy batteries.

We should approach some acoustic experts to see if there's any way the ground could be altered slightly to focus the sound better. It may appear stupid but it's amazing what difference can be made by a few strategically placed object & by materials used. They should really consider this if they are to rebuild some of the ground.

Atmosphere is built around the whole ground & you don't feel like joining in with a song which feels like it's coming from 5 miles away; you don't feel part of it. It's only when the singing sections really go for it that the sound travels & the rest then join in.

The family stand is probably better for atmosphere than the 2nd tiers down the sides for a normal game. Night matches in europe a little unfair to compare as no cunt goes and as someone has already said, it is full of tourists/day trippers.

The problem is simply this:

When i was a kid, i used to go watching bury, i stood on the terraces from being 5 years old and by 10 i was hooked to the whole match experience, from the terraces, the singing, the banter etc. for this reason one of my favourite times as a city fan was in the championship where there were still standing sections at some away grounds, massive away support of like minded people.

However since hillsborough, or more specifically the mid 90s by when the taylor report recommendations had been implemented in the top tier of english football, so lets say for he last 17 years, younger fans have not had that experience at any club.

Moreso, unless at the old maine rd they were taken in the kippax lower or north stand, then we have a whole generation of younger fans in their mid twenties who have never experienced an atmosphere like used to be generated. Therefore i dont buy it being down to acoustics, its down to demographics and a missing generation of people below the age of 30/35 who are disinclined to sing and join in, or heaven forbid kick off a song.

What this means is that unless you are in a section where people are predominantly of the ilk who will sing, then even if you were previously an avid singer, the likelihood is you will have gotten pissed off mow after 8 years of singin on your own and the dfault is to sit in silence, or at least n relative silence.

I dont see a way his can be recovered, because of all this above, we not only have a missing generation, but half the generation who would give it a go ate just fed up with the mute wankers who sit around them.

[SmallTimeCharlie]

spartacus - maybe they don't know the words.

Acoustics and shape of the ground is a factor, but doubt much could be done about it.
My inclination to sing depends entirely on what's happening on the pitch. I'm not joining in the South Stand's 'Stand Up..'
just because they're trying to piss off the stewards.
I will, however, join in when everyone's taking the piss out of a wildly gesticulating Mourinho.

[lets all have a disco]

I watched Champions league tonight and the atmosphere sounded a bag of wank at the Camp Nou.

[Mase]

I watched Champions league tonight and the atmosphere sounded a bag of wank at the Camp Nou.

Probably the acoustics mate.

[Ted Hughes]

As I've said before, the acoustics of the ground are terrible. I had the misfortune to sit in the top tier of the 'family stand' (hence smeone's kids were in my seat) v Porto & it was fucking dismal. I'm usually at the dead end of the East stand & half the people there don't even cheer the players names when the team is called out, but the top tier of the FS makes the east stand seem like the Kippax in 1976. It was horrible, not only in it's deadness but also in that you couldn't even hear the Porto fans from there, let alone our non singing section; the sound doesn't travel. It's like hearing a transistor radio with dodgy batteries.

We should approach some acoustic experts to see if there's any way the ground could be altered slightly to focus the sound better. It may appear stupid but it's amazing what difference can be made by a few strategically placed object & by materials used. They should really consider this if they are to rebuild some of the ground.

Atmosphere is built around the whole ground & you don't feel like joining in with a song which feels like it's coming from 5 miles away; you don't feel part of it. It's only when the singing sections really go for it that the sound travels & the rest then join in.

The family stand is probably better for atmosphere than the 2nd tiers down the sides for a normal game. Night matches in europe a little unfair to compare as no cunt goes and as someone has already said, it is full of tourists/day trippers.

The problem is simply this:

When i was a kid, i used to go watching bury, i stood on the terraces from being 5 years old and by 10 i was hooked to the whole match experience, from the terraces, the singing, the banter etc. for this reason one of my favourite times as a city fan was in the championship where there were still standing sections at some away grounds, massive away support of like minded people.

However since hillsborough, or more specifically the mid 90s by when the taylor report recommendations had been implemented in the top tier of english football, so lets say for he last 17 years, younger fans have not had that experience at any club.

Moreso, unless at the old maine rd they were taken in the kippax lower or north stand, then we have a whole generation of younger fans in their mid twenties who have never experienced an atmosphere like used to be generated. Therefore i dont buy it being down to acoustics, its down to demographics and a missing generation of people below the age of 30/35 who are disinclined to sing and join in, or heaven forbid kick off a song.

What this means is that unless you are in a section where people are predominantly of the ilk who will sing, then even if you were previously an avid singer, the likelihood is you will have gotten pissed off mow after 8 years of singin on your own and the dfault is to sit in silence, or at least n relative silence.

I dont see a way his can be recovered, because of all this above, we not only have a missing generation, but half the generation who would give it a go ate just fed up with the mute wankers who sit around them.

At Maine Rd, if you were in the Kippax, or North Stand or Platt Lane & a group of people started singing, the sound was on top of you & you heard it & joined in. If you are at one end of the East stand & they start singing at the other end, you can't hear it, so you don't join in. If the top tier start to sing, you can only guess because you can't hear one fucking word from there.

I remember when Poznan & Bayern fans were up there; if they all sang at the top of their voices, downstairs you heard an echoing illegible rumble, which sounded like it was coming from each end. Had they been in the Platt Lane or North stand at Maine Rd, they would have been sat behind us & the noise would have taken our fucking heads off. When Poznan fans in the lower tier shouted stuff you could hear them, but that was organised cheeleading & once again would have been much louder at Maine Rd.

The Etihad is an acoustic disaster.

[Im_Spartacus]

At Maine Rd, if you were in the Kippax, or North Stand or Platt Lane & a group of people started singing, the sound was on top of you & you heard it & joined in. If you are at one end of the East stand & they start singing at the other end, you can't hear it, so you don't join in. If the top tier start to sing, you can only guess because you can't hear one fucking word from there.

I remember when Poznan & Bayern fans were up there; if they all sang at the top of their voices, downstairs you heard an echoing illegible rumble, which sounded like it was coming from each end. Had they been in the Platt Lane or North stand at Maine Rd, they would have been sat behind us & the noise would have taken our fucking heads off. When Poznan fans in the lower tier shouted stuff you could hear them, but that was organised cheeleading & once again would have been much louder at Maine Rd.

The Etihad is an acoustic disaster.

Is that not just a simple matter of it being a larger stadium?

I remember hearing the bayern fans put on a decent show from where i was sat in the family stand. I also remember going to wolves on a cold friday night when big fat bob made his debut. We had the whole lower tier of the stand down the side of the pitch and the atmosphere was the worst ive experienced away for the reasons you mention above.

The thing is, back in the day, the platt lane rarely, and he main stand never joined in, which leaves us in not much of a different position to today - two groups of fans, surrounding the away fans, singing.

The difference now is that singers corner seem more content to spend the game taking he piss out of the fat bloke rather than actually supporting the team. Those who sit there may disagree, but from the family stand on saturday, the only noise i heard regularly was singing at the fat guy in the next block, or singing at joey.

Oh, plus there are approximately 10000 glory hunters these days too

[Ted Hughes]

At Maine Rd, if you were in the Kippax, or North Stand or Platt Lane & a group of people started singing, the sound was on top of you & you heard it & joined in. If you are at one end of the East stand & they start singing at the other end, you can't hear it, so you don't join in. If the top tier start to sing, you can only guess because you can't hear one fucking word from there.

I remember when Poznan & Bayern fans were up there; if they all sang at the top of their voices, downstairs you heard an echoing illegible rumble, which sounded like it was coming from each end. Had they been in the Platt Lane or North stand at Maine Rd, they would have been sat behind us & the noise would have taken our fucking heads off. When Poznan fans in the lower tier shouted stuff you could hear them, but that was organised cheeleading & once again would have been much louder at Maine Rd.

The Etihad is an acoustic disaster.

Is that not just a simple matter of it being a larger stadium?

I remember hearing the bayern fans put on a decent show from where i was sat in the family stand. I also remember going to wolves on a cold friday night when big fat bob made his debut. We had the whole lower tier of the stand down the side of the pitch and the atmosphere was the worst ive experienced away for the reasons you mention above.

The thing is, back in the day, the platt lane rarely, and he main stand never joined in, which leaves us in not much of a different position to today - two groups of fans, surrounding the away fans, singing.

The difference now is that singers corner seem more content to spend the game taking he piss out of the fat bloke rather than actually supporting the team. Those who sit there may disagree, but from the family stand on saturday, the only noise i heard regularly was singing at the fat guy in the next block, or singing at joey.

Oh, plus there are approximately 10000 glory hunters these days too

The original Platt Lane always joined in to some extent mate. They even had their own singing/fighting section & would start songs/fights sometimes.

I know people who always started songs in the later version of the Kippax, near the back, who were given season tickets upstairs when we moved to Eastlands. No fucker could hear them up there so they gave up singing.

If people sat on the bottom deck of a bus start a sing song, there's no guarantee the top deck will join in or vice versa.

Put that in a huge, concrete tomb, where the sound is dull & the words of songs are often unintelligable, and it's a recipe for bad atmosphere. When the atmosphere is good in there, it's often because the whole ground has a good vibe in seperate areas rather than taking the lead from anywhere. Seems to me it's mostly at the start & end of the season, when the weather is good.

[lets all have a disco]

I watched Champions league tonight and the atmosphere sounded a bag of wank at the Camp Nou.

Probably the acoustics mate.

Maybe they need a singing section.

[Mase]

I watched Champions league tonight and the atmosphere sounded a bag of wank at the Camp Nou.

Probably the acoustics mate.

Maybe they need a singing section.

I bet its because it was full of tourists because it was a European tie.