Today - Biggest Home Support since?

Bozza · Dec 28, 2016

The atmosphere has been pretty ordinary since the highs of the Norwich game where things primarily got pumped up by Pritchard's presence and Olsson's petulance. Proper panto villain stuff playing out perfectly.

The Villa game, particularly, was poor - so much so I was asked by someone at the club if I knew why it was so flat. The hope and expectation was for more of the Norwich atmosphere to really lift the team again. My only guess was that transport was so difficult that night, with many people arriving after kick-off, that people were exhausted after the grind of a week and the struggle to get to the Amex on a Friday night that they weren't up for really letting rip.

This Friday could be interesting. A lot of people are likely to be still off work, allowing a leisurely trip to the game, possibly taking in a beer or two. That we are facing one of the divisions strugglers, led by an old adversary and have the opportunity to cement our position at the top going into the New Year should also help.

Bozza · Dec 28, 2016

Nixonator said:
Around 7% of ST holders will not show up for any one game across all clubs. Unfortunately for us, I reckon 90%+ of that 7% are in the East stand for the cameras.

Early on in the Amex era I believe our number was in excess of 10%.

Green Cross Code Man said:
Can't speak about the family stand where I sit as it's hard to tell when one is there but the other parts of the ground looked MUCH more like a sellout than the other big crowds we've had this season. I couldn't see many gaps in the south, West or north.

Plenty of gaps in the East including the Family Stand were evident from the TV pictures.

Nixonator · Dec 28, 2016

Bozza said:
Early on in the Amex era I believe our number was in excess of 10%.

But whatever % it is, my point was more that the absentees are more concentrated in the East for a few reasons, and that's where the cameras are pointed. The amount of empty seats there is not mirrored proportionately in the rest of the ground, so it looks a lot worse than it is.

Eggmundo · Dec 28, 2016

The empty seats are certainly attributable to the trains. I got down to Lancing Station with the intent of catching the 10:59 to find it had been cancelled and the next train was 11:49. Lot's of people were trying to find alternative means and I considered watching it on the telly instead. In the end I drove. As for atmosphere, there was none. The highlight of the crowd was the qpr fans singing 'let's pretend we've scored a goal' near the end.

Notters · Dec 28, 2016

Bozza said:
There weren't anywhere near that though, were there? I was a #BadFan and watched on TV and the number of empty seats was quite noticeable.

Probably the best populated area was the South Stand, not surprisingly I guess, as those people bought a ticket for that specific game.

It really wasn't yesterday, much much fuller than normal. Just a bit of a gap in the family stand.

Lord Bracknell · Dec 28, 2016

Guinness Boy said:
Atmosphere was terrible considering we went top. Always is on early kickoffs for some reason but it REALLY doesn't help when you have the two North Stand cliques competing against each other's songs AGAIN.

I was in the North Stand and was completely unaware of two sets of singers "competing against each other's songs". As has been pointed out, the sound of the singing in the North Stand doesn't travel. What I did hear sounded loud, but I guess that's how it is when you are in the midst of a good crowd of singers.

Lord Bracknell · Dec 28, 2016

Eggmundo said:
... The highlight of the crowd was the qpr fans singing 'let's pretend we've scored a goal' near the end.

I couldn't hear that in my bit of the North Stand. If only the singers around me would shut up ...

Soulman · Dec 28, 2016

Have we only got one stand that makes any noise, seems we have.
Nice to see the flags and the South stand full though.

Harry Wilson's tackle · Dec 28, 2016

Big home crowds? Reading (who were top) in the early 70s was massive. Me and my brother were hanging off the fence at the junction of the West and the South west corner - couldn't get any closer - and all we saw was the keeper fetching the ball out the back of the net.

Yesterday was odd - we arrived late, and as we apprpached the ground there was what sounded like a smallish short cheer. We were convinced that must have been the visiting fans celebrating a goal. Then when we got inside we found it was Baldock's wonder goal. Was the cheer *that* weak or does the ground simply swallow the sound?

During the game it seemed noisy enough to me. :shrug:

Cheeky Monkey · Dec 28, 2016

Eggmundo said:
As for atmosphere, there was none. The highlight of the crowd was the qpr fans singing 'let's pretend we've scored a goal' near the end.

Pretty much this.

Lord Bracknell · Dec 28, 2016

Harry Wilson's tackle said:
...

Yesterday was odd - we arrived late, and as we apprpached the ground there was what sounded like a smallish short cheer. We were convinced that must have been the visiting fans celebrating a goal. Then when we got inside we found it was Baldock's wonder goal. Was the cheer *that* weak or does the ground simply swallow the sound?

During the game it seemed noisy enough to me.

The stadium was designed to ensure that sound didn't escape. I remember the objectors at the Public Inquiry making a massive thing about how intrusive the sound of a 20,000 crowd would be if the Club didn't take active steps to prevent the noise escaping.

Green Cross Code Man · Dec 28, 2016

Bozza said:
Early on in the Amex era I believe our number was in excess of 10%.

Plenty of gaps in the East including the Family Stand were evident from the TV pictures.

Yes, I thought there would be. Just watched sky's highlights and quite a few unfilled seats. However my comment was aimed at the fact that the other areas of the ground looked almost full for the first time this year.

Change at Barnham · Dec 28, 2016

Eggmundo said:
The empty seats are certainly attributable to the trains. I got down to Lancing Station with the intent of catching the 10:59 to find it had been cancelled and the next train was 11:49. Lot's of people were trying to find alternative means and I considered watching it on the telly instead. In the end I drove. As for atmosphere, there was none. The highlight of the crowd was the qpr fans singing 'let's pretend we've scored a goal' near the end.

This, this and this again.
I won't attempt the Cardiff game because of the trains. It's enough of a challenge coming to an evening game by train when they are running normally.
With industrial action taking place there are far too many cozy alternatives compared to waiting on cold platforms at night not knowing when you might get home.

Guinness Boy · Dec 28, 2016

Lord Bracknell said:
I was in the North Stand and was completely unaware of two sets of singers "competing against each other's songs". As has been pointed out, the sound of the singing in the North Stand doesn't travel. What I did hear sounded loud, but I guess that's how it is when you are in the midst of a good crowd of singers.

It's so obvious from the West Upper. About 100 under the scoreboard clapping in one time (you can see it) and about the same under the police box doing something totally different. Neither song can be heard in the west so no one in there joins in. We got two going across the whole North yesterday, the Knockaert song and the "we all follow Brightonovealbion" and both spread to the west upper.

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Green Cross Code Man · Dec 28, 2016

Harry Wilson's tackle said:
Big home crowds? Reading (who were top) in the early 70s was massive. Me and my brother were hanging off the fence at the junction of the West and the South west corner - couldn't get any closer - and all we saw was the keeper fetching the ball out the back of the net.

Yesterday was odd - we arrived late, and as we apprpached the ground there was what sounded like a smallish short cheer. We were convinced that must have been the visiting fans celebrating a goal. Then when we got inside we found it was Baldock's wonder goal. Was the cheer *that* weak or does the ground simply swallow the sound?

During the game it seemed noisy enough to me.

I arrived late a couple of years ago and the crowd is very hard to hear from outside the stadium. I think that was part of the design. Baldock's goal cheer sounded very loud in the AMEX yesterday, it was the rest of the time that didn't!

rippleman · Dec 28, 2016

Change at Barnham said:
This, this and this again.
I won't attempt the Cardiff game because of the trains. It's enough of a challenge coming to an evening game by train when they are running normally.
With industrial action taking place there are far too many cozy alternatives compared to waiting on cold platforms at night not knowing when you might get home.

Can't argue with that. Evening games have always been a travel nightmare.

Bad enough that we have so many fixtures changed at the behest of Sky (which whilst inconvenient is financially good for the club and we can at least watch at home), to play a game on a Friday night just for shits and giggles is plain daft.

kingcole · Dec 28, 2016

From my Vantage point at the Northern end of the ESL it is very evident that there are two groups singing in the North, and rarely support each other. Has the judge moved from the police box to the big screen area?

As for empty seats, it will be natural that the family stand have empties as parents have numerous reasons why kids can't make it. These reasons are clearly exacerbated for evening games and at this time of year I suspect some kids will be away, some with the 'other' parent and some will simply wanna stay at home and play with their new toys whilst watching the game on the TV out of the corner of their eye. This isnt a bad thing, except.....

The family stand has the highest number of absentees, but at the same time is one on the top 'in demand' areas of the ground.
The spaces and obvious availability issues solve themselves with the implementation of a fit and proper season ticket exchange system. But in addition to that, such a system needs to be properly promoted. Very few will have known about the ST exchange for this game. And although the ESL is the most severely affected by empties, I could see hundreds across all stands, including the WSU, North and WSL in addition to a many in the 1901 middle tier (especially the wrap around the south).

I don't think the club should even consider penasling those STH's who don't attend games but I think they should have some form of sanction if said STH continually is absent and does not offer their ticket for exchange. Obviously, for such a system to be functional, the club needs a fit and proper ST Exchange whose workings have been properly communicated.

Had such a scheme been in place yesterday, I estimate another 1500+ tickets would have been available which would have more than satisfied demand. Instead we have a game that was sold out a week before kick off with empties galore!

On a side note I have no idea why the (now seemingly standard) 5 columns of segregation was sufficient in the middle of the south, yet in S1A the covered area was larger and then there were also close to another 100 empties which formed part of an unnecessarily overlarge sterlie area. Why were these not offered for sale?

Stat Brother · Dec 28, 2016

Bozza said:
The atmosphere has been pretty ordinary since the highs of the Norwich game where things primarily got pumped up by Pritchard's presence and Olsson's petulance. Proper panto villain stuff playing out perfectly.

The Villa game, particularly, was poor - so much so I was asked by someone at the club if I knew why it was so flat.

That's easily answered.

We always have been, are, and always will be a reactive set of fans.
Unlike the incredibly proactive away support.

As you say Norwich was fantastic because not only did we have someone to react against, it was obviously working too.

Unfortunately for the AMEX atmosphere, the last last thing we need is a quality side, brilliantly managed, who have the appearance of being able to comfortably win, in third gear.
Everybody in the ground is resigned to the outcome.
On top of that, having such a meagre vocal support and then some how managing to split it into 2 sections is insane.

Cardiff will be a carbon copy of yesterday's prolonged silences.
We've probably only got about 4 atmospheric home games left this season, Newcastle, Wed, Reading & Derby, plus maybe Birmingham.

Oh and for the record, like many on here, I'm part of the problem.

kingcole · Dec 28, 2016

Stat Brother said:
That's easily answered.

We always have been, are, and always will be a reactive set of fans.
Unlike the incredibly proactive away support.

As you say Norwich was fantastic because not only did we have someone to react against, it was obviously working too.

Unfortunately for the AMEX atmosphere, the last last thing we need is a quality side, brilliantly managed, who have the appearance of being able to comfortably win, in third gear.
Everybody in the ground is resigned to the outcome.
On top of that, having such a meagre vocal support and then some how managing to split it into 2 sections is insane.

Cardiff will be a carbon copy of yesterday's prolonged silences.
We've probably only got about 4 atmospheric home games left this season, Newcastle, Wed, Reading & Derby, plus maybe Birmingham.

Oh and for the record, like many on here, I'm part of the problem.

It's been said by myself and others before. We need the visiting fans adjacent to the North. It's been done at other grounds and it works.

Visitors should have the ESL from the NE corner. There is a natural divide here and have them extend half way along the East Stand as required. We can then move the family stand away from both the obscenities of the North and the visitors and have them located from E1H round to half the south stand with the rest of the south stand permanently available for home fans. It's better IMO also to have our fans behind BOTH goals.

This change would also mean the whole of the family stand can be as one without currently being split as it is now.

And would mean a wicked atmosphere

Guinness Boy · Dec 28, 2016

Stat Brother said:
That's easily answered.

We always have been, are, and always will be a reactive set of fans.
Unlike the incredibly proactive away support.

As you say Norwich was fantastic because not only did we have someone to react against, it was obviously working too.

Unfortunately for the AMEX atmosphere, the last last thing we need is a quality side, brilliantly managed, who have the appearance of being able to comfortably win, in third gear.
Everybody in the ground is resigned to the outcome.
On top of that, having such a meagre vocal support and then some how managing to split it into 2 sections is insane.

Cardiff will be a carbon copy of yesterday's prolonged silences.
We've probably only got about 4 atmospheric home games left this season, Newcastle, Wed, Reading & Derby, plus maybe Birmingham.

Oh and for the record, like many on here, I'm part of the problem.

Funny you mention Cardiff. Ninian Park was mental for big televised games but I went to the new stadium for the first time this season for our 0-0 and Christ, what a morgue. One drum and about 10 people singing three times in 90 minutes. We totally outsung them even with the two competing groups turning up (actually got a good left side / right side war going). So we're not reactive away, just at home. And the Amex atmosphere is nowhere near as bad as other grounds (Loftus Road was also terrible last season whereas yesterday QPR sang a lot). So something needs to change to kick that atmosphere up a notch at home......

kingcole said:
It's been said by myself and others before. We need the visiting fans adjacent to the North. It's been done at other grounds and it works.

Visitors should have the ESL from the NE corner. There is a natural divide here and have them extend half way along the East Stand as required. We can then move the family stand away from both the obscenities of the North and the visitors and have them located from E1H round to half the south stand with the rest of the south stand permanently available for home fans. It's better IMO also to have our fans behind BOTH goals.

This change would also mean the whole of the family stand can be as one without currently being split as it is now.

And would mean a wicked atmosphere

.....and I think this could be the answer.

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