Match Atmosphere

[tgarve]

I don’t think calling people racist after a couple of written lines online is ok , or claiming a 5 second knee is ramming something down our throats. ( That something being equality ) 
 

You’re both wrong

[Irish Paul]

The taking-a-knee thing feels very hollow and corporate to me. If you tried to protest against, say, Israeli apartheid at a Premier League game — even in the most peaceful, non-obtrusive way — you'd be out on your ear.

 

"We're all for equality as long as it's good for business" is what it feels like to me. We've seen a Match of the Day presenter, and even club staff (the Arsenal kit man, for one), lose their jobs for speaking out against that supremacist state. Meanwhile, the players taking the knee every week remain silent on a genocide rooted in supremacism and racism.

 

The clubs, including our own one obviously, are owned by billionaires who support equality about as much as they'd support wealth tax.

 

Taking a knee is sanctioned and safe; it couldn't be further from the bravery of Tommie Smith, John Carlos, or Colin Kaepernick, in that respect.

 

I agree with the sentiment of it, but it just feels so hollow.

 

I'd also look at British politics and opinion polls and wonder whether the knee-taking has had any positive impact at all.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Taking the knee may not have changed much but at least it's a collective gesture in the right direction. 

 

The PL is corporate so of course they shy away from messages like 'Black Lives Matter' and choose their own more palatable 'no room for racism' instead.

 

They may mean it, they may not really care, who knows. Who knows about any big organisation addressing a social issue. 

 

But I still think booing taking the knee is absolutely disgraceful, I don't understand what you could possibly be booing except equal treatment for non-white people. It's deeply embarrassing. 

 

 

Edited October 25, 2025 by AyeDubbleYoo

[samptime29]

Atmosphere sounded better on TV than I expected tbf. Think the ref pissed off our support, which always helps.

[Lush Vlad]

8 hours ago, samptime29 said:

Atmosphere sounded better on TV than I expected tbf. Think the ref pissed off our support, which always helps.

Atmosphere was better in the Leazes yesterday than it was on Tuesday. Like you say, a ref being shit really does get the crowd going more than anything else  

[Lush Vlad]

8 hours ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

Taking the knee may not have changed much but at least it's a collective gesture in the right direction. 

 

The PL is corporate so of course they shy away from messages like 'Black Lives Matter' and choose their own more palatable 'no room for racism' instead.

 

They may mean it, they may not really care, who knows. Who knows about any big organisation addressing a social issue. 

 

But I still think booing taking the knee is absolutely disgraceful, I don't understand what you could possibly be booing except equal treatment for non-white people. It's deeply embarrassing. 

 

 

 

Yeah. Proper mackem behaviour that. Most round me applauded at least. But there must have been a good few people booing for it to be that audible. 

[El Prontonise]

1 minute ago, Lush Vlad said:

Yeah. Proper mackem behaviour that. Most round me applauded at least. But there must have been a good few people booing for it to be that audible. 

 

It was definitely audible in the stadium the bew's, they could've announced on the PA before the game it was going to happen as well as I wasn't expecting it.

[NUFC91]

Good to see more fans coming out in the recent weeks asking for more from support but unfortunately unless it's presented to club can't see further opportunity if standing/seat relocations taking place. 

 

I get the new ground element but surely we want an impact up until that point. 

 

Is anyone on here still involved with trust ? Are they pushing this to the club. @Heron do WF get any time to give feedback to club at all? 

[Nucasol]

12 hours ago, Rafalove said:

Atmosphere sounded decent on television considering it was a standard 3pm kick off time against not very good opposition.

Interesting comments on Pod on the Tyne about DJ Onedeck stopping his set 10 minutes before kick off to let the atmosphere build. Love the sentiment but probably not the best game to run the experiment.

[El Prontonise]

4 minutes ago, Nucasol said:

Interesting comments on Pod on the Tyne about DJ Onedeck stopping his set 10 minutes before kick off to let the atmosphere build. Love the sentiment but probably not the best game to run the experiment.

 

I noticed that, it didn't work for me.

[Nucasol]

4 minutes ago, El Prontonise said:

 

I noticed that, it didn't work for me.

Saturday 3pm against a team you’d struggle to find much animosity for and a case of after the Lord Mayor’s show following Benfica. It’s a no for me Clive. Save it for the remaining cartel clubs and the mackems.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I kind of liked the lack of music before KO but I would also want local hero right at the end. 

[Heron]

30 minutes ago, NUFC91 said:

Good to see more fans coming out in the recent weeks asking for more from support but unfortunately unless it's presented to club can't see further opportunity if standing/seat relocations taking place. 

 

I get the new ground element but surely we want an impact up until that point. 

 

Is anyone on here still involved with trust ? Are they pushing this to the club. @Heron do WF get any time to give feedback to club at all? 

We can suggest things to our contacts and probably get into various discussions but we cannot really influence all that much tbh as it's discussions required to be had with multiple fans and fan groups. I can maybe ask those in the group with better connections like.

[NUFC91]

13 minutes ago, Heron said:

We can suggest things to our contacts and probably get into various discussions but we cannot really influence all that much tbh as it's discussions required to be had with multiple fans and fan groups. I can maybe ask those in the group with better connections like.

 

Worth doing mate, as you say probably needs WF trust and even NUSC to keep bringing this to club.

[Toon1984]

What are the arguments against a safe standing area? I can only think of positives.

[Wallsendmag]

9 minutes ago, Toon1984 said:

What are the arguments against a safe standing area? I can only think of positives.

 

Probably just the push back and hassle from the "I've had this seat since 1994 and I'm not moving" lot.

 

I mean the easiest answer to that is that the seat remains the property of the club at all times and the supporters merely rents it off them on a seasonal basis but generally the only reason I can think why the club won't persue it is the flak they'd inevitably get from long time ST holders who won't want to shift.

[Nucasol]

8 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

Probably just the push back and hassle from the "I've had this seat since 1994 and I'm not moving" lot.

It’s not surgically attached FFS. You spend about 2 days a year sat in it. I probably spend 4-5 times as long sat in the same train seat each year but wouldn’t expect to not be moved to an equally priced equivalent if the train company had a need to do it.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

You get a seat on the train? Baller. 

[Nucasol]

Just now, AyeDubbleYoo said:

You get a seat on the train? Baller. 

6:18 in the morning marra, early bird catches the train seat and all that.

[KennyUtd]

9 minutes ago, Nucasol said:

It’s not surgically attached FFS. You spend about 2 days a year sat in it. I probably spend 4-5 times as long sat in the same train seat each year but wouldn’t expect to not be moved to an equally priced equivalent if the train company had a need to do it.

But what about the friends they've made over the years. The connections they have with supporters who might have sat next to them for years. There's just no comparison to your train seat analogy like. I don't have a ST anymore but I'd hate to have been moved because some young'uns think I'm too old to make some noise. There's always been games where the atmosphere is shite. It's the same everywhere. 

[Geogaddi]

You can pretty much guarantee the people booing the knee will be Reform voters as well. " They aren't racist though ".

[Nucasol]

Just now, KennyUtd said:

But what about the friends they've made over the years. The connections they have with supporters who might have sat next to them for years. There's just no comparison to your train seat analogy like. I don't have a ST anymore but I'd hate to have been moved because some young'uns think I'm too old to make some noise. There's always been games where the atmosphere is shite. It's the same everywhere. 

I think that’s where the club’s lack of transparency and flexibility lets it down. Giving existing ST holders being moved the ability to choose where they’d want to sit and with who has to be in play, particular as they’ve been consciously reducing the number of STs over time.

 

There needs to be a decent compromise between getting a more consistently “up for it” atmosphere and retaining the more personal elements you mentioned.

The ultimate would be having more ability to stand with your mates within a set zone rather than specific seats. There’s four of us going Wednesday and we’re all dotted about in four separate sections of the Gallowgate. And there’s probably another 30+ off the bus who drink in the same pre match pub equally scattered. 

[bobbydazzla]

59 minutes ago, KennyUtd said:

But what about the friends they've made over the years. The connections they have with supporters who might have sat next to them for years. There's just no comparison to your train seat analogy like. I don't have a ST anymore but I'd hate to have been moved because some young'uns think I'm too old to make some noise. There's always been games where the atmosphere is shite. It's the same everywhere. 

Whilst that may be valid, there’s also plenty of people who can’t sit next to their pals (either ST’s or members) anymore because of the way member ticketing works. 

 

We’ve just had to suck it up.

 

Season tickets are tickets for a season. They’re not a guarantee of a specific seat for time immemorial. 
 

I think people without ST’s need to appreciate that it may be a wrench for some ST’s to move seats and people with ST’s need to appreciate that they may have to move for the greater good. 
 

Anyhow, it’s all a moot point because the club appear to have zero interest in installing more standing areas. 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2025 by bobbydazzla

[Superior Acuña]

1 hour ago, KennyUtd said:

But what about the friends they've made over the years. The connections they have with supporters who might have sat next to them for years. There's just no comparison to your train seat analogy like. I don't have a ST anymore but I'd hate to have been moved because some young'uns think I'm too old to make some noise. There's always been games where the atmosphere is shite. It's the same everywhere. 

 

Agree it's not quite the same as the train analogy. But yous can move together. We were forced to move twice when they reclassified seats and we sorted out to move to same area as seat-neighbours. Most people would not be forced to move, they could stay if they're happy to be in standing. Many of us would love the opportunity of first dibs on a standing seat.

[KennyUtd]

1 minute ago, Superior Acuña said:

 

Agree it's not quite the same as the train analogy. But yous can move together. We were forced to move twice when they reclassified seats and we sorted out to move to same area as seat-neighbours. Most people would not be forced to move, they could stay if they're happy to be in standing. Many of us would love the opportunity of first dibs on a standing seat.

I get that mate. As I said I don't have a ST anymore so it's really just an opinion. Playing Devil's advocate I suppose.