Naylor slags off Amex support

[Megazone]

You seem to be suggesting that it is new stadia that ruin atmosphere. Do you go to away games in the cavernous old grounds where fans make even less noise than we do? I can't recall the last away game where the atmosphere was better than the Amex (other than play off away at Palarse). Ipswich, Birmingham, Bristol, Preston and on and on - near silence. Even Milwall last year was like a church.

No. I'm suggesting that safe standing will be the solution to the bad atmosphere in football stadiums up and down the country.

PS London rd gets a better atmosphere than the Amex every time I've been.

 

[Baldseagull]

https://twitter.com/andynaylorargus/status/711888566935228416
I get that the attendance levels and noise has dropped since our first 2 seasons under Poyet. But I still think that atmos at a lot of other clubs is worse or non existent. Yes we have the early leavers problem but in general, the noise isn't too bad. At least from where I sit in the ESU. I don't understand the timing of his piece. After taking 7k to MK Dons, and having a near 100% season ticket renewal and pushing for promotion, he decides to write this . I think it's a wider issue, one of price and over zealous stewarding that has contributed to a reduction of noise, of course on top of a Dull, and then Awful 2 seasons. Attendances were bound to fall and match by match prices are too high to attract casual support.
I just don't get why, why slag us now?

I suspect he knows the atmosphere will be probably the best it has been all season against Burnley, he wants to take the credit for that afterwards by saying his rant made the difference. Truth is, we will all have had a little break from spending cash on the Albion, be up for a game that if we win will give us hopes of finishing in top spot, with the only downside being an early kick off.
The other point is that Naylor has always run down the Albion support, thinks we have more than the average number of whingers, have more fans with unrealistic expectations etc.
We are by no means the worst in the division, but I suspect the other 3 clubs we are battling for the Auto places might be noisier, but how would Naylor know, the only times he would go there would be the times we play them which as we have been around the top of the table all season might get them up a bit. He might be comparing us to Stoke, Stoke have one of the noisiest crowds in the Premier league, a quarter of those attending Stoke games are under 25, and the average season ticket price works out at less than £20 a game, cheapest in the Premier league. We have lost a big percentage of that 20 to 25 age group for reasons we all understand. Also, there is a bit more to do in Brighton on a Saturday than in a hole like Stoke, Burnley, Hull or Midlesborough.

 

[Betfair Bozo]

I was going to make a few points but Baldseagull has nailed it so no need now.

 

[Meade's Ball]

I don't think Naylor's non-dangerous gripesome gases will float into my not particularly sensitive nostrils and make me snort in insult or horror over them.

 

[sparkie]

The atmosphere where I am in WSU is excellent, so from a personal perspective I don't really know what Naylor is wittering on about.

However, as an observation, the North Stand projected it's sound a lot less after the seats under the police box were put in.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

It's probably designed to create a bit of debate and more paper sales, which – in fairness – it has done on here, at least.

No paper sale to me.

I occasionally buy The Argus for the Albion content. I like to read positive stuff and cut out the often excellent colour pictures "for my son" (ahem...) to stick up at home.

I won't be buying today and will be discouraged from future purchases. No place for this unwarrantedly negative slant on our club and fans.

 

[Postman Pat]

Regardless, I agree, everything about the Reading game in particular was a bit 'meh'.

Doesn't help when there are only 300 away fans that didn't sing the whole game, if we have nothing to 'sing at' it dampens things down a bit.

 

[chaileyjem]

The actual piece isn't really about atmosphere in the Amex anyway but the decline in crowds or rather season ticket holders since the 13/14 peak and especially the turn out for the mid week match at Reading. He explores what the reasons for that might be and quotes several tweets he had on the issue when he first floated it last Wednesday on his Twitter account. Pricing, TV, midweek games, our form, and the like.

He certainly doesn't "slag off" fans. And although phrasing our support as "poor" in the initial tweet was perhaps a bit over the top its not unduly provocative at all.
Season ticket sales have fallen sharply since 2013/14 and the club need to address this. Having a team in the top 2 helps of course.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Doesn't help when there are only 300 away fans that didn't sing the whole game, if we have nothing to 'sing at' it dampens things down a bit.

Of course. The Reading game was, despite our lofty league placing, almost a perfect storm of factors designed to produce a flatter than usual atmosphere.

The remaining home games, as like so many other previous Amex games, will be completely different.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

It's alright for him as he gets free tickets home and away and parks next to the ground and gets paid for it !!
Mans a first class cock in my opinion

Indeed, and he thought Calamity Wayne was a better keeper than Kuipers:

 

[Moshe Gariani]

The actual piece isn't really about atmosphere in the Amex anyway but the decline in crowds or rather season ticket holders since the 13/14 peak and especially the turn out for the mid week match at Reading. He explores what the reasons for that might be and quotes several tweets he had on the issue when he first floated it last Wednesday on his Twitter account. Pricing, TV, midweek games, our form, and the like.

He certainly doesn't "slag off" fans. And although phrasing our support as "poor" in the initial tweet was perhaps a bit over the top its not unduly provocative at all.
Season ticket sales have fallen sharply since 2013/14 and the club need to address this.

All this is just such a negative spin on us having the 12th highest ST sales in the country and the second highest average home crowds in the Football League...

Hopefully next season with ST sales back up to ludicrous levels, for a provincial club that has only been in the top flight for 4 years in its history, then we won't have to put up with this drivel.

 

[studio150]

Not comparing like for like.

No big cup games at the Amex this season
Lack of local rivals
No double sending offs


If results so our way and a home win against Derby sends us up, I would expect a wall of sound

 

[Springal]

The atmosphere is crap given the numbers. Just got back from NY City FC game. Similar attendance - 24k, but a constant noise in a roofless stadium ! Mainly coming from their Ultras and I know we sneer but maybe we do need something

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Not sure if I've watched their last couple of games, but the last one I did see was the same old group in the corner jumping up and down every time the camera got near them, and no singing from the rest of the ground. They would've been lucky to get 15,000 when they weren't doing so well in the Championship either.

I don't think the away end is always louder at Falmer either. Like Bozza mentioned, the majority of away fans are there to have a piss up and a good old sing song. But, I've sat in the south stand for a few games this season, right next to the away fans, and I've heard the North Stand singing more than the aways! The Boro game sticks out.

Now, if you want to experience a library atmosphere, Riverside is the worst place I've been to.


Brighton has the third highest attendance in the Championship.
https://www.statbunker.com/competitions/HomeAttendance?comp_id=488

 

[Daffy Duck]

Now, now, people, calm down and don't feed the troll.

 

[maltaseagull]

Considering the amount of home support we have and it's a new purpose built satdium I'n always surprised how little noise we make. I have watched from all stands in various seats and it's only the early Amex seasons that stick out, i.e. Donny, of course, the cup games and Burnley .... the last two seasons it's been very low key. This is one area where our friends t'up North, in Croydon do without doubt have the edge on us. Ooops, I appear to have opened a can of worms!

I'll second that. It has also been noticeable, whenever we are on TV or on a stream ,how many seats are empty. Is it because of all the altered kick off times?

 

[Moshe Gariani]

The atmosphere is crap given the numbers. Just got back from NY City FC game. Similar attendance - 24k, but a constant noise in a roofless stadium ! Mainly coming from their Ultras and I know we sneer but maybe we do need something

Dangerous nonsense in my humble opinion.

The last thing we want is "constant noise" dominated by a bunch of self-regarding Ultras. The rather failing ones that we have are bad enough.

 

[Bozza]

Given this comment, I wonder how many times he has visited Selhurst Park other than when working on our games there:

"The best example of home support is the most painful of all for an Albion fan, Palace at Selhurst Park."

I think we've all seen over recent weeks that the there is considerable amount of myth about the Palace experience as televised games have shown the place to be three-quarters empty with the game still going on.

 

[chaileyjem]

All this is just such a negative spin on us having the 12th highest ST sales in the country and the second highest average home crowds in the Football League...

Hopefully next season with ST sales back up to ludicrous levels, for a provincial club that has only been in the top flight for 4 years in its history, then we won't have to put up with this drivel.

Yes of course. Having 25K+ average crowds for 4 years in a row is impressive and not an indication that support is "poor" as his unfortunate tweet put it.
That said the piece (and endless other pieces AN has written) puts our existing crowds into context, mentions the growth in recent years etc.
But not sure why AN can't pose the question why , given we are in our best position in the league for over 30 years, crowds are down on last season and for certain recent games the crowds haven't been higher given our run of form..
Doesn't mean its "negative spin" .

 

[Goldstone1976]

Of course, as I've said before, it would help if the North Stand was bigger, which is a basic design flaw...

Nah, not having that. A "flaw" implies "accident" or "mistake". Given Tony's careful, systematic and planned approach to, well, everything, as far as I can see, including many other aspects of the AMEX, the design of the North is not a mistake...it's deliberate (imo, of course). Why? See below...

1: North Stand is too small and shallow. It should be our 'Kop', and it isn't.
2: Gentrification of football.

....because Tony doesn't want a "kop"; he prefers the gentrification of football. Given the "relative affluence" (quote PB) of our fan base, I would suggest that the size and shape of the North was designed to ensure that fewer old school football fans came (or could come) to games, meaning that the atmosphere was more amenable to the relatively affluent customer (fan) that our geography and economic situation means we can attract, which is why the West is so very big. Oh, and they pay more than the old school fan is prepared to/can any way.

We have an excellent stadium for middle class, relatively affluent fans to enjoy the football. A large, banked, (standing, if it were legal) North would make it more likely that those fans that the middle class folk don't really want to hang around with ("they might piss on the station wall, FFS. We can't have the kids seeing that") would turn up.

The debate about whether or not the gentrification of football is a good thing will rage on. However, I honestly don't think that there's much room for debate about whether the design of the North was deliberate. In my view, it definitely was.