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Stadium atmosphere


RiddingsRam

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As there seems to be a fair bit of talk on the atmosphere at pp and sometimes the lack of it thought I would start an individual thread to discuss it good or bad . I have my opinions but I'll save them for later . I know @TomBustler1884was doing great work last season improving the atmosphere but I believe other commitments have encroached on his time slightly. There's a guy / group over on twittered is trying to spread the word and is in touch with the club his Twitter is @southstand12ram worth a follow.

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Lots has been tried, lots has worked, some hasn't. One of the issues is that most of the time those going on about wanting to improve the atmosphere come from a standpoint that everyone is desperate to stand, sing and chant all game and are somehow being prevented or there's something wrong with people sitting and watching. This simply isn't the case. 

When I go away I love all of the above, but when at home I enjoy sitting, shouting (in an encouraging way), clapping and joining in with the odd chant, but overall just want to watch the game with my lads.

The atmosphere at PP is no better or worse than anywhere else, it can be quiet during games but maybe that's because people are watching the football?

There is perhaps an element of self-fulfilling prophecy about these endless debates - if we are constantly being told that the atmosphere is crap, we will start to believe it and then the atmosphere will be crap because we are going in with that perception. 

I think as @RamNut quite rightly points out, the only thing that will guarantee the best atmosphere is if the team is performing. 

 

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Fans do not like being told how to support the team or where they should sit/stand, and that creates a major issue for any group looking to improve the atmosphere.

We saw it with the 1884 Group, have a quick search on Twitter and you will see the kind of feedback they were getting for their efforts.

I went to help once, convinced the missus it wouldn't take long to put a few cards on seats. 20 minutes in she was blowing and I wasn't doing any better myself, admittedly I was carrying a few extra pounds at the time and not in the best of shapes! All I did was turn up a couple hours before kick off, and even with that to watch people round us fling the cards on the floor as they got to their seats was a tad disheartening. 

I can't imagine what those that were part of the planning and preparation must feel like when they get home to be hammered on social media. Fans, just like the rest of us giving up their spare time to try and help the atmosphere by giving it a visual boost mocked and criticised. 

Think RamNut has come close to hitting the nail on the head, get the product right on the pitch and the rest will take care of itself but even this comes with a limited lifespan if you fail to achieve promotion after several attempts. 

Some will say the atmosphere is a result of Rowett's football, I disagree, strongly. What we are seeing now is tension, nervousness in the stands, expectation of failure, phones queueing up gifs of wheels falling off, bottling it tweets. We even had it online with this forum the minute Sheffield Wednesday went 1-0 up, there was no come on Derby turn this around but here we go again posts, same old Derby.

In 13/14 we went from plodding around mid table year on year to not just promotion candidates but favourites. That season will remain in the memory for a while as it came out of nowhere, there was no fear, we had no recent experience of failure, fans didn't need encouraging to sing and bounce. It all came naturally and whilst it irritates me how Rowett cannot be given a fair chance by some, I can semi understand it if that season is still being used as a yard stick to judge this club on. 

It shouldn't be though. 

What we need to do is call that season a one off, it was a one off, we're no longer the surprise package out of nowhere, it's time to put a line under it and subsequent seasons which have resulted in failure and actually get behind this team and manager.

But as I said right at the beginning of this post, fans do not like being told what to do and no forum posts, tweets or flag placed on your seat will change the mentality of 25,000 fans in the stadium, that has to come naturally and the only sure fire way of doing that is a win on Wednesday, then Saturday, Saturday after that, Tuesday and so on, try and build that gap between us and 3rd as we inch close to May and less chances of "bottling it".

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22 minutes ago, David said:

Fans do not like being told how to support the team or where they should sit/stand, and that creates a major issue for any group looking to improve the atmosphere.

We saw it with the 1884 Group, have a quick search on Twitter and you will see the kind of feedback they were getting for their efforts.

I went to help once, convinced the missus it wouldn't take long to put a few cards on seats. 20 minutes in she was blowing and I wasn't doing any better myself, admittedly I was carrying a few extra pounds at the time and not in the best of shapes! All I did was turn up a couple hours before kick off, and even with that to watch people round us fling the cards on the floor as they got to their seats was a tad disheartening. 

I can't imagine what those that were part of the planning and preparation must feel like when they get home to be hammered on social media. Fans, just like the rest of us giving up their spare time to try and help the atmosphere by giving it a visual boost mocked and criticised. 

Think RamNut has come close to hitting the nail on the head, get the product right on the pitch and the rest will take care of itself but even this comes with a limited lifespan if you fail to achieve promotion after several attempts. 

Some will say the atmosphere is a result of Rowett's football, I disagree, strongly. What we are seeing now is tension, nervousness in the stands, expectation of failure, phones queueing up gifs of wheels falling off, bottling it tweets. We even had it online with this forum the minute Sheffield Wednesday went 1-0 up, there was no come on Derby turn this around but here we go again posts, same old Derby.

In 13/14 we went from plodding around mid table year on year to not just promotion candidates but favourites. That season will remain in the memory for a while as it came out of nowhere, there was no fear, we had no recent experience of failure, fans didn't need encouraging to sing and bounce. It all came naturally and whilst it irritates me how Rowett cannot be given a fair chance by some, I can semi understand it if that season is still being used as a yard stick to judge this club on. 

It shouldn't be though. 

What we need to do is call that season a one off, it was a one off, we're no longer the surprise package out of nowhere, it's time to put a line under it and subsequent seasons which have resulted in failure and actually get behind this team and manager.

But as I said right at the beginning of this post, fans do not like being told what to do and no forum posts, tweets or flag placed on your seat will change the mentality of 25,000 fans in the stadium, that has to come naturally and the only sure fire way of doing that is a win on Wednesday, then Saturday, Saturday again, Tuesday and try and build that gap between us and 3rd as we inch close to May and less chances of "bottling it".

Lots of good points david and fair enough,but my experience of the stadium this year, is that many fans have been moaning about the football on the pitch throughout the season,not just as we entered the post Christmas traditional slumpy section.

Haven't seen that in the past three seasons prior to this one.

Whether that's fair of the fans to react to the football in that way is another question but many go to be entertained by what they see on the pitch and a lot are not.

I'm going tomorrow.....and I love the atmosphere at night games so I'm hoping the crowd will pick up when we win!

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4 minutes ago, kash_a_ram_a_ding_dong said:

Lots of good points david and fair enough,but my experience of the stadium this season is that many fans have been moaning about the football on the pitch throughout the season,not just as we entered the post Christmas traditional slumpy section.

Haven't seen that in the past three seasons prior to this one.

Whether that's fair of the fans to react to the football in that way is another question I vividly but many go to be entertained by what they see on the pitch and a lot apparently are not.

Please explain the attendances/atmosphere throughout 2007/08. 

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Leeds fans got there team the draw yesterday. 2-0 down in the 65th minute, fans jumping up and down, singing and swinging their scarves. Leeds were dead and buried until that moment the fans decided for whatever reasobn to get behind their team. 

 

I think stadium atmosphere is a massive factor in football..it's just how the hell do you get the fans behind you when things aren't going your way?

 

I remember being 3-0 down at Peterborough and the Derby fans being amazing that day and it couldn't of got much worse that day!?!?

 

Confused.

 

 

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Naturally supportive all the way, if we don't "bottle it" in the stadiums, and also on social media, in the pubs pre match, on route to the ground, in the stadium, on route back to the pub, back home, at work, on holiday and all the rest, and maybe our football club will naturally deliver and naturally not "bottle it" either. Be loud and proud, and sing your hearts out for Derby County Football Club.

Get behind them, not against them. Hail, hail the 1884 Group.

D.C.F.C Love, Life & Unity.

25kj0vp.jpg

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50 minutes ago, kash_a_ram_a_ding_dong said:

No expectations of great football....either way.

Just gratefulness

No expectations of anything which allowed for a great atmosphere. Same as 13/14.

Difference now being we have expectations of promotion, we have never seen this amount of money go into our club, ever. We have the players good enough to see us up, yet subsequent failures have also turned into expectations of failure, the here we go again mentality and the only way we can shift that is through results, not necessarily through performances.

We have been told attendance numbers have not been accurate in recent years so comparing numbers with those with this season is a pointless exercise, but we can compare atmosphere, fair to say we have seen better with worse football on the pitch in front of us. 

It's all if's but's, maybes and aunties with footballs which can never be proven but if Rowett followed Clough, turned us round with the same football we're seeing today, took us to Wembley we would have seen the same atmosphere. I truly believe that.

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I can't get to the match as often as I would like. - cos I work away. When I do go  - I go with a bunch of old Rams who are great craic - and still bounce around - as though we were still on the Pop Side

We can't go in the South Stand. - as 1. - we can rarely get seats together and 2, one of the lads has a gammy leg - and cannot stand up for 90 mins

Nevertheless - we like going and sitting at the top of the East stand near the away supporters, plenty of good old Rams in there. And found that its great craic - singings good, banter and plenty of rivalry  - right balance for us

Filipino eck we nearly got into the Birmingham pen when we equalised  - we hated them so much!!!

I love the energy of the South Stand. - but sometimes - looking onto it - it goes very quiet - and David probably right - its because of the mood - and what is reflected generally.

 

I think the ground rejects different areas of different people...not saying that other areas are less as energetic than some of us - or they are less of a supporter. so we need to find a more encompassing way of support.

 

 

 

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I know they are bloody annoying, but i'd look at handing out those paper clappers Leicester use - even if it's just to the kiddies in north stand.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3378939/Are-cardboard-clappers-secret-Leicester-s-success-Club-picked-1-35-points-game-introducing-them.html

Least some form of noise come from them, unlike a banner or a flag.

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52 minutes ago, David said:

No expectations of anything which allowed for a great atmosphere. Same as 13/14.

Difference now being we have expectations of promotion, we have never seen this amount of money go into our club, ever. We have the players good enough to see us up, yet subsequent failures have also turned into expectations of failure, the here we go again mentality and the only way we can shift that is through results, not necessarily through performances.

We have been told attendance numbers have not been accurate in recent years so comparing numbers with those with this season is a pointless exercise, but we can compare atmosphere, fair to say we have seen better with worse football on the pitch in front of us. 

It's all if's but's, maybes and aunties with footballs which can never be proven but if Rowett followed Clough, turned us round with the same football we're seeing today, took us to Wembley we would have seen the same atmosphere. I truly believe that.

The crowds are visibly lower this season over last so I think the club are using a bit of creative license there.

Re the football. ..to a degree you are correct,fans like success but there's more to it than that I think.

To be fair I believe it's s combination of both factors....fear and expectation of disappointment in our promotion hopes and poorer football in terms of watchability.

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5 minutes ago, kash_a_ram_a_ding_dong said:

The crowds are visibly lower this season over last so I think the club are using a bit of creative license there

Not said they are not, but Googling numbers which are not accurate is a pointless exercise which is why we should focus on atmosphere rather than numbers.

If you do still look up the numbers, 08/09 with Jewell/Clough saw a larger average than 14/15 with McClaren. 

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13 minutes ago, David said:

Not said they are not, but Googling numbers which are not accurate is a pointless exercise which is why we should focus on atmosphere rather than numbers.

If you do still look up the numbers, 08/09 with Jewell/Clough saw a larger average than 14/15 with McClaren. 

But how much did they increase on his return?

And for years after( So not just Mac,clement wassel too)

Numbers shouldn't be dropping given our league position or indeed the atmosphere.

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Everyone’s got opinions on lack of atmosphere at stadiums and a lot are valid.I can remember a time when you’d come home hoarse from shouting and sore hands from clapping.All seating stadia, and I’m not criticising them,have definitely contributed to what I call more of a “theatrical” experience at grounds these days.Another factor is that more and more women go to games now,once again not a problem,but they don’t tend to go as “crazy” as menfolk and those males accompanied by ladies tend to be a bit more subdued.Mind you,some of the football this season ,albeit successful,is enough to subdue the most vocal amongst us ! There’s been a few games where my coffee and mars bar have been the game’s highlight!!

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