[Albion] Atmosphere vs forest

[faoileán]

I was in NW last night next to the police box quite far back, and the group under there sing all game, and I mean all game. Fair play to them, sometimes it's only 20 of them but they keep it up and keep it positive. I then scan around much of the rest of the North stand within that area and so many don't join in. I'm not sure what else can be done as that contigent is doing their best to get a load of racket going.

I agree, that bunch under the police box do make the effort, though they often sing odd ditties that do not spread. In WSU I'm dying to join in with them but they're always singing that "Sussex boys in white and blue" thing which is pretty naff. Then there is a big dead-zone between them and the bunch under the screen who are sometimes lively but were very quiet last night.

I think that the often poor home atmosphere is actually costing us points; last night the team needed to be roared-on, but the mood of the crowd was very much "we are never going to score so why should I bother" and that seemed to spread to the players.

 

[rippleman]

Admittedly I was in the worst location (E1G) with my two boys and all the other parents and kids but I thought the Forest fans were incredibly loud and we were incredibly quiet last night. Exceptionally so.
I've been to a fair few games that fell into the subdued, frustrated category including the ones with Potter booing and all the games before he taught them to score goals - but last night was bad from where I was.
Yes this is a topic that comes and goes and this is not about clackers, drums, flags etc I just wanted to see what others in the ground thought last night?

We have been here many times before!

I am of the strong opinion that there are three things that would help.
1. The North stand singing as one, not split into two sections. Seriously - how could that be fixed? Or is it really impossible to unite the key figures in the sections that create the noise

There are egos at play here! Plus the east side claim not to be able to hear the songs started by the NSK since they moved to under the police box. This may or may not be the case.

2. Moving the away fans - not giving them an entire unified section

If we move the away fans where do you want them moved to bearing in mind that to facilitate this change you would have to evict many hundreds of our STHs who have had their STHs since the AMEX opened.

3. Safe standing in the North Stand. Far easier to sing standing. Last time I was in the North v spurs, the East side (of the NS) were mainly sitting and the west side were mainly standing. This also emphasised further the split into two groups.

Ah! Now if we had factored in south standing initially this might have been a goer. Barber announced that the club would have no association with the safe standing campaign so that planning never happened. He has now become a JCVL to the south standing idea but it couldn't be done without huge cost or having exactly the same problem in shipping out long term STHs who don't want to stand or indeed can't.

Other personal views.
Bin fan zone - a festival of cringe.
Bin Hey Jude - it's a gift to the away fans.

Totally agree with both!

GOSBTS lyrics confusion. Having the full, traditional words on screen has the effect of tripping up a lot of those wanting to join in, until in the last verse when the music cuts to crowd only and the words are easier for all. If having the words on screen, they could be simplified. I'm not sure that a lot of the crowd want to sing about bugles and hearts being gay (in the traditional sense).

I have always been embarrassed that we have to put the words of our county anthem on a screen. It really isn't hard to learn the first verse, chorus and refrain!

To pre-empt the "why do the north stand need to be the cheerleaders", "why don't the east and west contribute" replies. I think it does need to be led for the rest to join in. Even last night there were a couple of brief moments when we could slightly be heard above the forest din and it spread a bit out to the East and...we joined in. Then it died off quickly.

I'm not sure it's really ever been any different at the Amex. Need to bear in mind that the demographic has changed so much over the years too.

 

[rippleman]

I thought the home atmosphere was a disgrace last night and against Spurs. Away end very impressive.

We did muster one rendition of "Seagulls" from a corner though, slow progress...

We can be pretty noisy and "impressive" when we are away too you know. That is, I think, due to the fact that a) it tends to be the more hardcore fans who go away rather than the trippers and JCLs we get at home and b) those who want to sing all congregate together so we are all singing the same song, at the same time. Not sure it's different to any other club.

 

[BBassic]

But this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Atmosphere has a massive influence over the performances of both the home and away teams.

I really hope one day that the Amex crowd will start to get this. When things aren't going well, this is when you really need to support the players - create a supportive atmosphere to inspire the players with confidence.

I always like to use Leeds a rebuttal to this particular piece of perceived wisdom.

Leeds fans are some of the noisiest bastards around. Yet they were still getting tonked regularly enough that they ended up sacking The Footballing Jesus Himself Marcelo Bielsa.

Forest, last night, made a ton of noise and it did literally nothing to gee up their team who were beyond shit.

I just will never buy that professional footballers give even half a thought to the atmosphere except to say "yeah the fans were amazing" in a post-match interview.

 

[Mustafa II]

I always like to use Leeds a rebuttal to this particular piece of perceived wisdom.

Leeds fans are some of the noisiest bastards around. Yet they were still getting tonked regularly enough that they ended up sacking The Footballing Jesus Himself Marcelo Bielsa.

Forest, last night, made a ton of noise and it did literally nothing to gee up their team who were beyond shit.

I just will never buy that professional footballers give even half a thought to the atmosphere except to say "yeah the fans were amazing" in a post-match interview.

It is blindingly obvious how a good support can improve performances on the pitch.

Not only do players and managers mention this fact time and time again, for as long as football has existed, but frustrating the home fans has even become a well established tactic for an away team in modern football... Which is why away teams must love coming to the Amex, because it doesn't take much here.

Having a great support isn't going to magic a rubbish team into a great team, but a positive, electric atmosphere will ultimately result in more points over time than a grumbling negative one.

Our away fans are brilliant and will have been the difference in numerous occasions, whereas I dread to think how many points the grumbling Amex crowd have cost us.

 

[Sea Cider]

We have been here many times before!

There are egos at play here! Plus the east side claim not to be able to hear the songs started by the NSK since they moved to under the police box. This may or may not be the case.

If we move the away fans where do you want them moved to bearing in mind that to facilitate this change you would have to evict many hundreds of our STHs who have had their STHs since the AMEX opened.

Ah! Now if we had factored in south standing initially this might have been a goer. Barber announced that the club would have no association with the safe standing campaign so that planning never happened. He has now become a JCVL to the south standing idea but it couldn't be done without huge cost or having exactly the same problem in shipping out long term STHs who don't want to stand or indeed can't.

Totally agree with both!

I have always been embarrassed that we have to put the words of our county anthem on a screen. It really isn't hard to learn the first verse, chorus and refrain!

I'm not sure it's really ever been any different at the Amex. Need to bear in mind that the demographic has changed so much over the years too.

We can't hear anything from the police box in N1G and that's not even the proper east end of the North!

 

[BBassic]

It is blindingly obvious how a good support can improve performances on the pitch.

Not only do players and managers mention this fact time and time again, for as long as football has existed, but frustrating the home fans has even become a well established tactic for an away team in modern football... Which is why away teams must love coming to the Amex, because it doesn't take much here.

Having a great support isn't going to magic a rubbish team into a great team, but a positive, electric atmosphere will ultimately result in more points over time than a grumbling negative one.

Our away fans are brilliant and will have been the difference in numerous occasions, whereas I dread to think how many points the grumbling Amex crowd have cost us.

And I disagree

 

[rebel51]

I absolutely detest everything the pikie's are, but they really have a good intense atmosphere . I say knock the amex down and build a pre 1st world war ground with real old school urinals and wooden seats.happy days

 

[Uh_huh_him]

I absolutely detest everything the pikie's are, but they really have a good intense atmosphere . I say knock the amex down and build a pre 1st world war ground with real old school urinals and wooden seats.happy days

Sometimes that's true.
But I remember when we played there and Biss and Propper ran the game for 70 minutes.

The place was as quiet as anything....
Until Zaha snatched the equaliser

It's true everywhere, that if the team aren't giving anything for the fans to respond to then the atmosphere goes flat.

 

[Swansman]

I always like to use Leeds a rebuttal to this particular piece of perceived wisdom.

Leeds fans are some of the noisiest bastards around. Yet they were still getting tonked regularly enough that they ended up sacking The Footballing Jesus Himself Marcelo Bielsa.

Forest, last night, made a ton of noise and it did literally nothing to gee up their team who were beyond shit.

I just will never buy that professional footballers give even half a thought to the atmosphere except to say "yeah the fans were amazing" in a post-match interview.

There's been one season in the Premier League where away team won more games than home teams - that was 2020/21.
How do you explain that if there's no home advantage?
There's also been one season in the Premier League where fans couldn't go to most games. That was also 2020/21.
Not a coincidence.

 

[BBassic]

There's been one season in the Premier League where away team won more games than home teams - that was 2020/21.
How do you explain that if there's no home advantage?
There's also been one season in the Premier League where fans couldn't go to most games. That was also 2020/21.
Not a coincidence.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions made by 22 players, four officials and two managers decide the outcome of a foot all match.

Not whether or not Bob in Row H is singing his heart out.

 

[Swansman]

Hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions made by 22 players, four officials and two managers decide the outcome of a foot all match.

Not whether or not Bob in Row H is singing his heart out.

So why is there statistically a home advantage in pretty much every league every year?

 

[BBassic]

So why is there statistically a home advantage in pretty much every league every year?

Who the f*** knows?

 

[Swansman]

Who the f*** knows?

Good point... or something

 

[Weststander]

A quieter night in the NS, the new songs seemed to have half-hearted support.

The Palace songs .... they're so boring at a non-derby match. Yawn.

I'd say the last hour was very quiet, the lack of goals signaled what deep down we thought may happen (against EPL cannon fodder). And so, it came to pass.

 

[BN41Albion]

A quieter night in the NS, the new songs seemed to have half-hearted support.

The Palace songs .... they're so boring at a non-derby match. Yawn.

I'd say the last hour was very quiet, the lack of goals signaled what deep down we thought may happen (against EPL cannon fodder). And so, it came to pass.

I was long fed up and not in the mood for singing by then... vast majority too. We've seen it all way, way too many times before

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

I agree, that bunch under the police box do make the effort, though they often sing odd ditties that do not spread. In WSU I'm dying to join in with them but they're always singing that "Sussex boys in white and blue" thing which is pretty naff.

Ah, the eternal mystery of the NSK. Always wanting to make noise but almost always wanting to sing a load of utter twaddle. Not sure why that song is their favourite, the whole ground doesn't join in because it's shite.

 

[WhingForPresident]

Away fans of a newly promoted and well supported club at a new ground in louder than the home fans shocker.

 

[BN9 BHA]

Prawn Sandwich Man is also the Dad that wears a Ramones or Clash T-Shirt, that was a square back in the day and would not have been seen dead at a punk or any other gig for that matter.

I’m sort of this in reverse, definitely wouldn’t be seen dead in a Romones or Clash t shirt at my age, also not sure I would fit in at a punk gig these days, not sure I want to dress like I did aged 14. I do like a prawn sandwich though.

Remember about 10 years ago when the Ramones t shirts seemed popular, I would constantly be biting my tongue as I wanted to ask the person wearing one what their favourite album is.

 

[BluesRockDJ]

Admittedly I was in the worst location (E1G) with my two boys and all the other parents and kids but I thought the Forest fans were incredibly loud and we were incredibly quiet last night. Exceptionally so.
I've been to a fair few games that fell into the subdued, frustrated category including the ones with Potter booing and all the games before he taught them to score goals - but last night was bad from where I was.
Yes this is a topic that comes and goes and this is not about clackers, drums, flags etc I just wanted to see what others in the ground thought last night?

I am of the strong opinion that there are three things that would help.
1. The North stand singing as one, not split into two sections. Seriously - how could that be fixed? Or is it really impossible to unite the key figures in the sections that create the noise
2. Moving the away fans - not giving them an entire unified section
3. Safe standing in the North Stand. Far easier to sing standing. Last time I was in the North v spurs, the East side (of the NS) were mainly sitting and the west side were mainly standing. This also emphasised further the split into two groups.

Other personal views.
Bin fan zone - a festival of cringe.
Bin Hey Jude - it's a gift to the away fans.
GOSBTS lyrics confusion. Having the full, traditional words on screen has the effect of tripping up a lot of those wanting to join in, until in the last verse when the music cuts to crowd only and the words are easier for all. If having the words on screen, they could be simplified. I'm not sure that a lot of the crowd want to sing about bugles and hearts being gay (in the traditional sense).
To pre-empt the "why do the north stand need to be the cheerleaders", "why don't the east and west contribute" replies. I think it does need to be led for the rest to join in. Even last night there were a couple of brief moments when we could slightly be heard above the forest din and it spread a bit out to the East and...we joined in. Then it died off quickly.

You forgot 4.............put the ball in the net and show some commitment !