Wallsendmag

Was at Arsenal v PSV last night in the PSV section. I'd say that's probably the best away end I've ever been in. Constant singing and bouncing around. Totally relentless. Looking around the away end last night the demographic was predominantly lads in their 20s and 30s. Makes a big difference I'd say.

Once again the Anfield European atmosphere shown up as the myth it is. Only heard French voices all night. Nowt like when we played PSG.

Aye you aren't getting into a Bundesliga match for 11 quid these days. Your average seat there is around 40/50 euros now. We go over there quite a bit and the prices have risen a lot in recent times. Watching Borussia Monchengladbach in a couple of weeks. They are one of the cheaper teams to watch and we've paid €35 for one of the "cheaper" seats. Along the side but right next to the corner that starts to bend round to behind the goal. More expensive if we'd wanted a more central view. Think they only charge €18 on the terrace but you try getting hold of a ticket in there! Nigh on impossible. You are correct in what you say of course. Overheads are off the scale. Wages, transfer fees, payments to agents etc and unfortunately that cost is more and more being passed onto the supporter.

Just general backing of the team for me. Doesn't have to be constant chanting as that has never happened anyway. Urging the team forward, making it uncomfortable for the opposition, berating the referee for poor decisions. That's all things that have declined massively over the past couple of seasons.

As much as I'm not his biggest fan and I sometimes feel he's a bit of a passenger when he's on the pitch he has this canny knack of creating goals. I know it's a bit of a myth about Wembley being such a massive pitch but for whatever reason players do seem to get that bit more time and space there, especially in the 2nd half. I think that'll suit him and if that enables him just to get 2 or 3 more crosses over he has to start. Simple as that.

Well there you go then. 19 years of accumulating losses.

This thread was started 2 years ago because of the downturn in atmosphere from then. Check the very first post on this thread to see what I mean. Sounded OK on TV last night. Lad who was there said it was canny. Been better, been worse so probably not much to comment about. Home fans completely silent.

Depends on what you mean by leading the way. When was the last time they turned in a profit? Even in the Premier League they were losing ridiculous amounts of money every year. Ellis Short was having to pump in 10s of £millions season after season to maintain them as a going concern. He famously arrived as a Billionaire and left as a Millionaire. The family of this youngster who owns them now are having to do the same. Ultimately we l'd all love cheaper tickets. I hark back to the days when I was paying £3 to stand in the Gallowgate and my first season ticket which was £45 but sadly football has moved on now. Running costs are through the roof, transfer fees, wages etc. It's all sky high. Charging £11 a ticket as a Championship club sadly just isn't feasible. To put it into perspective Blyth Spartans charge £15. They'll be playing 1 league above the Northern League next season. Aside from that it just makes their constant boasts about 40k crowds spund kind of hollow. Ignoring the fact that there's never 40k inside that place anyway loads of clubs of a similar size to Sunderland could pull in those numbers charging those prices if capacity allowed.

Been there a few times when we've played them and it's been nowhere near full then either. Crowd was only 40k for the Luque match and they gave us 4k tickets that time. 1000s of emoty seats when we beat them 1-0 when Solano scored as well. It's far too big for the size of their fanbase. Simple as that. Problem they've got now is that they've discounted tickets to the max for the past 25+ years if they ever brought their prices in line with even the likes of Middlesbrough they'd instantly lose 1000s of fans.

£22 for adults.

If the atmosphere was good then there's going to be less criticism of it on here surely, hence less comments? Talking to a mate who was there he said it was night and day compared to Liverpool but still nowhere near our best. Tbh I'd say you get a free pass at West Ham anyway due to the state of that stadium. Sunday is the acid test. Let's see what it's like on here after that. Surely can't be any worse than last time and also I'm pretty sure the Liverpool fans will be a lot noisier than what Man Utd were.

Just to confirm they aren't allowed to send him back are they? They've got to buy him regardless?

Bad mistake there for Atalanta's 2nd goal.

They've got PSG on Tuesday so it was the only day they could play tbf.

We've actually had season tickets at PSV since 2004/05. Paid €422 for this season so about £360 but that's for a seat along the side. Think it's about €100 cheaper behind the goals. Apparently the waiting list for a season ticket is over 10,000 long now. Match tickets are pretty expensive. The section we sit in costs €54.50 if you're buying for a single game and when you think our tickets work out at under €25 per game that's a huge difference. Capacity is 35,000, there's 28,000 ST holders, then take away 1,600 away fans it doesn't leave too many for sale game by game so suppose it's supply and demand. They put safe standing in a few years ago on the East Side where all the more boisterous fans gather. Bit of a waste of time really as everyone stood there anyway and as is the case in England, it didn't increase capacity. It's a cracking place to watch a game of football though. It's a proper football stadium and slap bang in the middle of the city centre, just as near as SJP is to our city centre. When we first started going it was known as a bit of an outback place stuck in the middle of nowhere, hence their nickname of the Farmers, but it's a very cosmopolitan city these days and the in place for the Dutch to visit for stag and hen parties. Really hoping the British don't discover it but have noticed a lot more of them drinking in the squares and main drinking streets these past few years. Anyway if you ever want to go over and need help with tickets give me a shout. The rules are quite strict in Holland for buying tickets, and it's even more difficult for people from other countries. They'll make you buy a package (match ticket and voucher for club shop) but we can order extra tickets off our season tickets and also got a good network of mates over there who can help out.

Aye it's not away fan friendly at all. We've been going to watch PSV 9/10 times a season for the last 20+ and in all that time, other than for European games, we've never seen an away in the city centre before or after the match. That's because they aren't allowed and have to come in on dedicated football trains and the train pulls up right to the away end and a tunnel connects it to the platform and in they go. In recent seasons they've let some fans of clubs there's no real history of trouble come in on buses but again it's straight into the away end and straight out again. We were there last season when they played Dortmund in the CL. We had a Dortmund fan sat a few seats along from us in the row behind. He didn't even make it to kick off before the home fans took offence and out he went. The other way around and a PSV fan in the home end at Dortmund would have had no bother. Always found it strange 2 Countries in such close proximity where the football fans have such different attitudes.

Of the big clubs I'd probably say Feyenoord. Definitely the most hostile as they have the most nutters following them. PSV probably has the best designed stadium to hold the noise in with the stands being so close to the pitch and very steep as well. Ajax much better than it used to be. NAC Breda is also a great shout. Very passionate fanbase. Great that they got promoted back to the top league. Been to Utrecht and Heerenveen and they were both excellent as well. We stood on the Bunnikside at Utrecht which was a real eye opener. When we bought the tickets at the ticket office before the match the lady behind the counter tried to talk us out of going in there At Half time loads of them went to this huge bar/club at the back of the stand which was basically a massive rave, with DJ and all accompanying drugs to go with it. Club officials all seemed fine with it

Been to both grounds but never seen them play each other. I can imagine it being pretty lively like! Both have very excitable and passionate supports. Ironically we're going to watch Borussia Monchengladbach v RB Leipzig in just over 3 weeks time then getting the train along to Cologne for a night out afterwards, then the next day the train to Eindhoven for the small matter of PSV v Ajax. Should be a good weekend.

I bought an ink eraser off Ebay for 3 quid and that done the job. Took a bit of the print off the ticket as well like but I got rid of the "C". Waste of time in the end cos as you say we all just breezed in tickets unchecked.

Only difference this time to last time is concession had been stamped on tbe concession tickets. Last time it was a "C" written in biro which was easy to rub out.

I'm absolutely dreading the Cup final. It's one of those things when you know exactly what's going to happen beforehand. Humbled on and off the pitch. 99% of those who sat in silence yesterday will be at Wembley in a couple of weeks. It's going to be awful.

Ah that's right man! I should know that I was at the Gateshead Semi Final last year

Got Rochdale. 2nd leg at home.

Level 7 singing section was great for those of us who were in it. My dad who sat/sits in the Gallowgate couldn't really hear us. Unfortunately it didn't carry all the way round Level 7 nor did the people in the Leazes underneath carry the noise on. The main problems are the ticketing but also the people who go to the match these days. Simple as that. Most season ticket holders are in their 50s and 60s now and they still make up the bulk of the support. Traditionally fans in that age bracket have never been the most vocal spectators. In years gone by they'd have long since retired to the East or old West Stand, making room for the next lot of radgies to take their place in the Leazes or Gallowgate. They are still hogging their place in the Leazes and Gallowgate and there's no young radgies coming through. A new stadium would help a bit I'd think. People should be able to apply for seats next to their mates and you'd like to think they could create an end where they'd encourage people to go to if they want to stand and sing. At the moment it's neither nowt nor something with small pockets dotted around and diluted by miserable bastards who have no interest in supporting the team. The only saving grace currently is that it's likely bottomed out now. I really don't see how 52000 people could make any less noise than what we have at the moment so it's probably as bad as it's going to get.

Noticed an awful lot of people with their phones out behind the goal videoing it as well. That never used to be us. We used to pride ourselves on it not being us.