Atmosphere

[Bristol end]

I've just been reading through the reports of Luton's win over Sunderland to reach the play off final. Interesting how much credit their manager gives the fans for getting the pre match atmosphere going and making the ground hostile to the away team.

In three decades supporting City I can count on one hand the number of times there's been a really buzzing pre match atmosphere at Twerton Park with fans cheering the players names, chants etc. Mark Stillman does a good job on the PA but do we as fans need to make more effort?

For example when Sevenoaks turned up there was barely a noise in the ground, same for many other tame home defeats this season.

If I was a player and a few hundred city fans cheered when my name was called out on the PA I'd feel like putting in a proper shift for the club! The support is often great when we travel away so it's definitely possible.

[Luton Roman]

Having been to many games at Luton the ground lends itself to creating an atmosphere, cramped, close to pitch, usually a full house, plus night games add to the mood. Difficult at any large ground like Twerton when not full, but it can be done  Torquay   helped by their fans, Luton themselves back in Conference days. But key is success and performance on the pitch. Luton have it, we're er inconsistent.

[comrade powell]

I agree that a successful team is more likely to up the atmosphere but I think there are other issues at play here. The style of football served up is not going to lift fans who want more than endless passes across the midfield. Those singers who did so much previously to help create an atmosphere feel alienated. And then there’s the Dulwich effect. I lost count of the matches this past season where I seemed to be just about the only person in a section of the stand who was backing the team instead of talking about the Premier League, BathRugby’s latest defeat or what had been bought in the shopping trip to Milsom Street that morning. (Feel free to call me a super fan, Steve Bradley!)

[BenE]

At the last game I went to get chips from Mobq after half time. The queue went well past where it was possible to see the pitch so I stood by the wall watching the game until the queue went down. If I hadn't I would have missed both goals. I never got chips as the queue never died down but there were an awful lot of people in that queue for whom the chips were more impirtant than the game.
However I don't think you can blame them for a lack of atmosphere. It is up to the footy fans to provide that and this season as you say there appears to have been a disconnect. Hopefully the singers will be able to rekindle their enthusiasm next season.

[comrade powell]

BenE, substitute beer for chips in your first paragraph and you have the situation at Dulwich, a Club who according to some of their long term fans had taken their eye off the ball regarding football. And look what has happened to them.

It would probably encourage the singers to regain their enthusiasm if some of them felt they could express views online without being labelled as uneducated. One of the group who has put in an enormous effort in recent years to help raise the Club’s profile told me he recently received critical messages from a Club employee. When I complained about this in recent years I was assured it would be stopped but it clearly hasn’t. No wonder they feel alienated.

[Midsomer-steve]

Martin you are opening up a hornet's nest here, and I am pleased that you have said what you said. For years I have thought that dozens of fans have been put off from posting on this Forum, because whenever they have expressed a view which has been, shall we say for politeness sake, a little controversial, although well intended, there has been an attempt by a few hardnosed arseholes to put them down. These people have had opposing views, and instead of conducting a reasoned discussion, or even polite argument, have used words which indicated that they were talking down to them, by rudely rubbishing their initial points of view. They displayed arrogance which led us to believe that any criticisms of any description should not be aired. This has put people off using the Forum! No wonder so few people bother to post on it any more. It is only in the last few years that the intended forcible suppression has ceased, but the damage had already been done.

I believe that this Forum should be a platform on which to air fans viewpoints about any City related topics, and, short of using blasphemy, should be allowed to do so without being put down by Cretans that act as if they have a superiority complex. No matter how much someone may disagree with a particular opinion, it should be respected, and only countered by equally respectable dialogue.

[comrade powell]

Steve, just for the record the only posts I’m aware of which have been posted on the forum which have provoked contact from the Club employee were made by me. There may of course have been instances affecting other forum members but I don’t know of them. And as I explained back in the winter after I criticised the decision to play the afternoon match v Worthing I received a very friendly and constructive message from a director, most of the reasons for the decision I was happy to accept.

The instances I was referring to in the above post were the result of comments made by supporters on social media.

[2weirdtown]

Martin you are opening up a hornet's nest here, and I am pleased that you have said what you said. For years I have thought that dozens of fans have been put off from posting on this Forum, because whenever they have expressed a view which has been, shall we say for politeness sake, a little controversial, although well intended, there has been an attempt by a few hardnosed arseholes to put them down. These people have had opposing views, and instead of conducting a reasoned discussion, or even polite argument, have used words which indicated that they were talking down to them, by rudely rubbishing their initial points of view. They displayed arrogance which led us to believe that any criticisms of any description should not be aired. This has put people off using the Forum! No wonder so few people bother to post on it any more. It is only in the last few years that the intended forcible suppression has ceased, but the damage had already been done.

I believe that this Forum should be a platform on which to air fans viewpoints about any City related topics, and, short of using blasphemy, should be allowed to do so without being put down by Cretans that act as if they have a superiority complex. No matter how much someone may disagree with a particular opinion, it should be respected, and only countered by equally respectable dialogue.

I for one found the inhabitants of Crete most civilised when I visited.

[BenE]

I don't think Steve is referring to the club employee here but other forum users. I think at the end of the old forum there were times when people might have felt intimidated. Although efforts were always made to weed out personal abuse. Some of those people no longer express opinions on here. But of course this forum now also competes with other social media so it isn't the only reason.
But I think there are a few who are careful what they say on here now because of possible repercussions from within the club. It is not just comrade.

[Bristol end]

As a community club it's important we can discuss issues like this. It makes me sad that some of those singers feel disconnected from the club, without them there would have been zero atmosphere at home over the last 10 years or so.

We need to try and make Twerton park an intimidating* place for opposition teams to play. Otherwise we might as well just lounge around in the sun getting pissed on craft beer whilst watching City drift into the southern league like Dulwich.

*Intimidating doesn't necessarily have to mean nasty btw. Passionate, colourful and loud like crystal palace is the model to aim for in my opinion

[2weirdtown]

Yes Crystal Palace are a good example for me too.

[comrade powell]

There was a time not so long ago when the Popular Side was intimidating for away teams and the officials (and any of our players who were underperforming).

As has been said many times on here, the atmosphere and noise level improves during wet weather as everyone heads under cover. That great evening against Bromley a recent example. With Dulwich’s relegation (and unless any of the promoted clubs lack such a basic facility) Twerton Park is now the only ground in NLS without cover behind at least one goal. Several grounds have it behind both.

I really hoped that covering the Bath End would have been included in the original redevelopment plans but the Club was advised it may delay things. With the present situation such a facility looks even less likely but I do think even the temporary structures put up in recent seasons at St Albans and Welling would be a step forward.

[Bristol end]

Surely we can find a local roofing company to whack something up at the Bath End for a few seasons?

[Beau Nash]

Surely we can find a local roofing company to whack something up at the Bath End for a few seasons?

The problem would be the effect on Highland and Landseer Roads, currently they have unrestricted views to the west. Planning objections would probably be many and last years with appeals etc.

[comrade powell]

Very likely, Beau, but the structures at the two grounds I mentioned were so low that I wonder if views would be impacted.

[Sponsored content]