[Albion] How to improve NS and Amex atmosphere?

[blue-shifted]

There isn’t a quick fix for the atmosphere. We have too many middle class fans to create a good atmosphere. It’s that simple.

Dave the labourer; who has been slaving away all week and sees football as the highlight of his weekend is going to make more noise than Rupert the financial advisor who is missing next weeks game because he’s taking his wife & son Oliver to Center Parcs.

Too many Ruperts, not enough Daves.

Hmm, yes i'm one of the plenty that agrees with you.

I often walk through either Coldean or Moulsecoomb to get to the match and it's remarkable how few people there are walking out of their houses with Albion scarfs. I really don't get the impression that we are connecting with the people who live in walking distance of the ground. I've no idea why not

 

[BN41Albion]

Brighton fans are so desperate to look cool and not be seen as ‘cringeworthy’ or ‘tinpot’ that they’d rather just not sing anything at all, in case it falls foul of the song police. Which makes the Amex one of the worst atmospheres in the Premier League.

Quite why anybody in the Amex gives a shit what the away fans think, I have absolutely no idea.

It’s an odd situation, but we have a lot of odd fans.

Do you ever go away? Or watch any games on telly? It's really not one of the worst atmospheres in the league. It's pretty standard with many, many grounds up and down the country. The atmosphere at football isn't an issue unique to the Amex.

And anyhow, what inside knowledge do you have that says all our fans care what the away fans think, or are desperate to look 'cool'? You do realise the vast majority of our fans don't post on nsc?

 

[Weststander]

It strikes me as odd that the merest suggestion of a drum or a new song is met with utter negativity and derided as being tinpot. Do these same fans think the atmosphere at Dortmund, River plate, Atletico, Celtic etc is tinpot? Cause they they all do it.

Absolutely TINPOT singing in time

With Boca, they copied the Holmesdale end.

 

[BN41Albion]

Hmm, yes i'm one of the plenty that agrees with you.

I often walk through either Coldean or Moulsecoomb to get to the match and it's remarkable how few people there are walking out of their houses with Albion scarfs. I really don't get the impression that we are connecting with the people who live in walking distance of the ground. I've no idea why not

Cost of football? Too many people priced out, which is a real shame, but again it's an issue in many places, not just at the Amex.

 

[BN41Albion]

There isn’t a quick fix for the atmosphere. We have too many middle class fans to create a good atmosphere. It’s that simple.

Dave the labourer; who has been slaving away all week and sees football as the highlight of his weekend is going to make more noise than Rupert the financial advisor who is missing next weeks game because he’s taking his wife & son Oliver to Center Parcs.

Too many Ruperts, not enough Daves.

I think you're right to an extent, but the atmosphere used to be a lot better, so what's changed? The demographics can't have changed that much in the last few years!

 

[nickjhs]

Having the singing section next to the away fans would be better.

Certainly more fun.

Thats how it was at the Goldstone

 

[blue-shifted]

Cost of football? Too many people priced out, which is a real shame, but again it's an issue in many places, not just at the Amex.

Could be mate, but I reckon most plasterers or brickies will be earning well more than I am.

In my mind it's more of a cultural thing ... like the working class link with local football has gone the same way as the working class link with Labour. Not trying to start anything about politics. It's more about changing cultural shape of Britain, which I freely admit, I can't get any sort of handle on

 

[portlock seagull]

This country’s culture is individualistic. We don’t act in unison like other cultures, including their football crowds. Accept it. There’s no appetite for singing and ultra displays like in S.Europe and Germany, If that’s want you want, hop on a plane. You cannot change a culture. We like our food and beverages, sat down whilst having a natter and half watching the game prior to leaving before the rush. That’s our footballing culture. Not waving flags, playing instruments and breaching health and safety laws with fireworks and the like.

 

[drew]

I think you're right to an extent, but the atmosphere used to be a lot better, so what's changed? The demographics can't have changed that much in the last few years!

So, when do you think it was better? First few years at the Amex we were always pushing for play-off places and either coming close or achieving it. Then the last two in the championship and then that first in the Prem. However, the last two years we haven't witnessed great or new things on the pitch so is it any wonder the atmosphere has deteriorated (still not as bad as many in the Prem)..

 

[drew]

Could be mate, but I reckon most plasterers or brickies will be earning well more than I am.

In my mind it's more of a cultural thing ... like the working class link with local football has gone the same way as the working class link with Labour. Not trying to start anything about politics. It's more about changing cultural shape of Britain, which I freely admit, I can't get any sort of handle on

Of course the working class element has gone, they shot themselves in the foot in the 70s and 80s and I doubt if the authorities and club owners want to risk returning to that culture!!

 

[BN41Albion]

So, when do you think it was better? First few years at the Amex we were always pushing for play-off places and either coming close or achieving it. Then the last two in the championship and then that first in the Prem. However, the last two years we haven't witnessed great or new things on the pitch so is it any wonder the atmosphere has deteriorated (still not as bad as many in the Prem)..

I completely agree. Imo it's largely down to the fact that our form generally has been poor for a long time now - our win % has been so low for quite a while now. Regardless of the fact that we're in the prem, that's always going to have an effect on the atmosphere - and would/ does at most grounds in this country - including the likes of supposedly hardcore Newcastle fans at St James Park - terrible atmosphere there generally thesedays.

But as you say it's no worse than most grounds in the prem at the Amex. I was at Chelsea the other month with a free ticket. Atmosphere no better than the Amex whatsoever and they're not even struggling.

That's not to say I wouldn't like us to return to the atmsopheres we used to have!

 

[dazzer6666]

I completely agree. Imo it's largely down to the fact that our form generally has been poor for a long time now - our win % has been so low for quite a while now. Regardless of the fact that we're in the prem, that's always going to have an effect on the atmosphere - and would/ does at most grounds in this country - including the likes of supposedly hardcore Newcastle fans at St James Park - terrible atmosphere there generally thesedays.

But as you say it's no worse than most grounds in the prem at the Amex. I was at Chelsea the other month with a free ticket. Atmosphere no better than the Amex whatsoever and they're not even struggling.

That's not to say I wouldn't like us to return to the atmsopheres we used to have!

I tend to do maybe 50/60% of away games.......can’t say our atmosphere is worse than most other grounds, it really isn’t - with very few notable exceptions, especially in the PL. We’re definitely a bit quieter away this season though.......

 

[Justice]

I tend to do maybe 50/60% of away games.......can’t say our atmosphere is worse than most other grounds, it really isn’t - with very few notable exceptions, especially in the PL. We’re definitely a bit quieter away this season though.......

I believe that’s all down to the same crowd at every game, remember the days when you could just rock up at aways, some of my best away days have been last minute decisions.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

This country’s culture is individualistic. We don’t act in unison like other cultures, including their football crowds. Accept it. There’s no appetite for singing and ultra displays like in S.Europe and Germany, If that’s want you want, hop on a plane. You cannot change a culture. We like our food and beverages, sat down whilst having a natter and half watching the game prior to leaving before the rush. That’s our footballing culture. Not waving flags, playing instruments and breaching health and safety laws with fireworks and the like.

Absolutely spot on.

 

[Stat Brother]

This country’s culture is individualistic. We don’t act in unison like other cultures, including their football crowds. Accept it. There’s no appetite for singing and ultra displays like in S.Europe and Germany, If that’s want you want, hop on a plane. You cannot change a culture. We like our food and beverages, sat down whilst having a natter and half watching the game prior to leaving before the rush. That’s our footballing culture. Not waving flags, playing instruments and breaching health and safety laws with fireworks and the like.

When on holiday we don't come together to make a human pyramid in the pool.



Come to think about it, Farage was right.

#TeamBrexit.

 

[Commander]

Do you ever go away? Or watch any games on telly? It's really not one of the worst atmospheres in the league. It's pretty standard with many, many grounds up and down the country. The atmosphere at football isn't an issue unique to the Amex.

And anyhow, what inside knowledge do you have that says all our fans care what the away fans think, or are desperate to look 'cool'? You do realise the vast majority of our fans don't post on nsc?

I've been to about half the 92 grounds in the country, so yes. Agree the atmosphere issue isn't unique to the Amex, but the Amex is particularly poor in my opinion. People talk about the atmosphere at big clubs like Chelsea or Arsenal, but when they're playing little old Brighton, it's hardly going to be a cauldron of hate, is it? It's like when we play a cup game against Newport or someone, the Amex is basically silent.

It's not inside knowledge, it's just being observant. You read it all over here and you see and hear people in the ground turning their nose up at certain songs, and then having their own little groups that sing their own songs and ignore everyone else. Brighton are definitely worse for this than other clubs!

 

[Icy Gull]

I’m sure it’s already been mentioned but we haven’t had much to sing about in the last year. Winning improves the atmosphere 10 fold and a string of wins keeps it going. The atmosphere was great when we were doing well in the Championship. Remember that there are no more than 8,000 hard core fans, although we may have added a few youngsters since we got to the Amex.

I know plenty who go but aren’t really ardent fans and they would bin us again if we went down. It has a lot about being “the thing to do” imo and PL football is one of those “things”

We just need to string some wins together to improve the atmosphere.

 

[RandyWanger]

"You only sing when you're winning"
Bit noisier on the weekend for the first 20 and the last 20. Matches our performance on the pitch.

 

[N17]

The Spurs Library, shows how standing makes sod all difference to singing.

We don't have standing. Just the ability to convert the lower South into a stamding area.

As i commented earlier, the atmosphere at our new place can be fantastic but unfortunately our support has, like many others, become entitled. Which means the fans seemingly can't be bothered to make the effort against the so called 'lesser teams'.

There are a couple of large pockets of fans, very front of the South & in the South East Corner that do sing throughout games but the size of the ground means it gets lost. There are other reasons but don't want to turn this into a Spurs thread.

 

[Palacefinder General]

Goodison was very quiet for large chunks of the Palace game.