Match Atmosphere

[pedro111]

I've never been to a game abroad and at least to me whenever you watch a match it seems like everyone is sitting or standing exactly where they want to be with like-minded people. Everyone is catered for. How do they achieve that over there? It seems like in England and particularly Newcastle, there are so many obstacles put in place to achieving a good atmosphere.

 

Here's a radical solution. Sell season tickets not for a specific seat but for a specific stand and make all seats first come first serve on the day. That way all the singers could get in early, group together and sing. Plus they would sell more food and drink so everyone's a winner.

[RodneyCisse]

Reckon the fact that me plus all my mates who get in on ballot are miles away from each other doesn’t help with any type of community atmosphere creation.

[LFEE]

7 minutes ago, pedro111 said:

I've never been to a game abroad and at least to me whenever you watch a match it seems like everyone is sitting or standing exactly where they want to be with like-minded people. Everyone is catered for. How do they achieve that over there? It seems like in England and particularly Newcastle, there are so many obstacles put in place to achieving a good atmosphere.

 

Here's a radical solution. Sell season tickets not for a specific seat but for a specific stand and make all seats first come first serve on the day. That way all the singers could get in early, group together and sing. Plus they would sell more food and drink so everyone's a winner.

You mean like it was pre 90’s with terracing? It be great but the irony is some on here whinging about the atmosphere have been the ones whinging about having to queue to get in the ground 20-30mins earlier than usual. Back in the 90’s under KK we were in the ground 2hrs before KO to get our singing spot. Some people still want to be downing a pint in a pub 10mins before KO then expect a instantly great atmosphere ?

[Sima]

13 minutes ago, pedro111 said:

I've never been to a game abroad and at least to me whenever you watch a match it seems like everyone is sitting or standing exactly where they want to be with like-minded people. Everyone is catered for. How do they achieve that over there? It seems like in England and particularly Newcastle, there are so many obstacles put in place to achieving a good atmosphere.

 

Here's a radical solution. Sell season tickets not for a specific seat but for a specific stand and make all seats first come first serve on the day. That way all the singers could get in early, group together and sing. Plus they would sell more food and drink so everyone's a winner.

 

Problem with that is that they will sell all of the seats but there'll be single seats dotted around everywhere because people are looking for a 2 or 3, even 4+

 

Didn't have that issue with standing as you would just wedge yourself in somewhere and people would shuffle across slightly to accommodate.

[NUFC_Chris]

42 minutes ago, LFEE said:

Very surprised to the criticism of the atmosphere as I thought it was fine in the Gallowgate. The team were urged on whilst behind and cheered off for their efforts. Goals change games and they also change atmospheres and we didn’t score yesterday.

 

I do think some of you are a bit unrealistic with your expectations at times in search of some atmospheric narnia. Yes things can be done to improve this over time (choose your seat, new stadium, increased standing areas) but as it stands we’ve still got one of the best atmospheres going. Wether that’s a low bar these days I don’t know.

 

 

 

Same. Thought it was good in the Gallowgate Upper. Definitely depends where you sit. 

[pedro111]

Good point @Sima. And @LFEE yeah I guess that's what I meant. So the only answer is make the Gallowgate full terracing again. 

[LFEE]

Just now, NUFC_Chris said:

Same. Thought it was good in the Gallowgate Upper. Definitely depends where you sit. 

And who you sit near. I’ll forgive an odd grumble as we are mostly all guilty of that but if someone is incessant then I’ll question their support in front of everyone. Do others do the same?

[Guest]

I'd love for the Gallowgate to be a constant buzz, banner waving, fuckfest. 

[Vedder]

29 minutes ago, bobbydazzla said:

 

The way a match is playing out will always be a factor, but the Gallowgate Corner barely stopped singing last night and it was deafening at times. As is the case most games 

 

Create sections like that in the other corners of the ground and you've got a decent atmosphere. It's not rocket science

 

 

 

 

 

Not creating an excuse for the atmosphere, but I was sat in lower Milburn towards the Leazes and I couldn't hear the strawberry corner at all. This is likely because of that drum of the away fans and I think it played a part in songs not travelling around the ground.

 

I was grateful for the few people around me trying to get behind the team but atmosphere was generally poor I have to say. 

[Guest]

We 100% need an American dressed as a Magpie that is suspended from the Gallowgate by a wire that flies around after we score. 

[pedro111]

1 minute ago, NUFC_Chris said:

Same. Thought it was good in the Gallowgate Upper. Definitely depends where you sit. 

 

I watched on the telly, on my own and had it cranked up loud. You had the constant Bang Bang Bang of the drum and murmur from the away fans that barely if ever let up that just over powered everything else. From our side of things we had the occasional "na na na na Geordies!" That was loud. You could also hear plenty of other songs being sung which I guess is the great atmosphere you mentioned in the gallowgate but they sounded so low level that it didn't come across well on the TV at all. There were also long periods of silence from us. Is it the microphone placement? I don't know but McCoist said how disappointed he was with the atmosphere. 

 

 

[Groundhog63]

PSG game must've been wall to wall, better, "legacy fans" who've done the hard work and not these newbies who couldn't give a fuck. 

Who knew. 

[bobbydazzla]

4 minutes ago, Vedder said:

Not creating an excuse for the atmosphere, but I was sat in lower Milburn towards the Leazes and I couldn't hear the strawberry corner at all. This is likely because of that drum of the away fans and I think it played a part in songs not travelling around the ground.

 

I was grateful for the few people around me trying to get behind the team but atmosphere was generally poor I have to say. 

that’s the sketchy acoustics due to the stadium design, in Gallowgate corner you can’t hear the away fans 

 

put standing / singing sections in each corner and the sound would be audible wherever you were in the ground 

[Kid Icarus]

It doesn't tell the full story, but there's definitely a short circuit in the loop like

 

⫘⫘Supporters⫘⫘/⚡ Seating and ticketing system ⚡\⫘⫘Atmosphere⫘⫘Players⫘⫘Player performance⫘⫘Supporters⫘⫘/⚡ Seating and ticketing system ⚡\⫘⫘Atmosphere⫘⫘Players⫘⫘Player performance⫘⫘Supporters⫘⫘

[mofo]

As others have said, the Gallowgate seemed as usual to try and create an atomosphere but the rest of the ground was extremely flat. Even when players were bursting down the wing or trying to run at defenders there was zero buzz.

 

I was in the Leazes and it was shocking. Also the amount of people who left well before the final whistle was weird?  There were large sections where you could clearly see patches of empty seats.

[Wallsendmag]

Bottom line is that when people can't choose to sit/stand where they want it's always going to have a detrimental effect on the atmosphere. The random ballot has just made this a far bigger problem.

 

Believe it or not, the moaners has always had an acceptable place in the ground. Back in the 80s when I first started going I remember if you wanted to stand and have a good whinge at everyone the Gallowgate M section, aka "old mans corner" was the place for you. No doubt there was seating areas for them.as well. If you went on like that in the other corner or the scoreboard you'd likely be booted all over!

 

The Leazes F Centre section was where you'd find our more studenty type of fans. They would stand over there, pushed up to the fence near the away fans and bait them for 90 mins. In the case of a big away following they'd be shifted to one of the corner Paddocks in the Leazes.

 

When the Milburn Stand was built, the crackerjack with a bit more money in their pockets would congregate in the Leazes section of the new stand and would make a hell of a racket. Basically there was a place for everyone and you could as good as guarantee that you would be stood/sat with likeminded people.

 

Season ticket culture mid 90s onwards party ruined that but the last few couple of seasons I felt we were getting back to the old times as much as is possible in this day and age. With best part of 50k seats up for grabs and around 32k season ticket holders there was the option to get yourself a decent spot around the people you have more in common with. Gallowgate Upper was my go to area and it was good the see the NE Corner in the Leazes become so vocal as well as the obvious Strawberry Corner.

 

We've completely lost all that again. You pick your category and if you are lucky enough to get your name picked out the hat you get a random seat somewhere.

 

It's not conducive to a good atmosphere unfortunately.

[AJ9]

I’m a member that was lucky enough to get a ballot for the PSG game, sitting in the Leazes corner. I have always been a singer/stander at the match and when I had my ST in the Gallowgate during the noughties loads of ST holders sat on their fucking hands. Back then I remember a lass knitting and another woman in front of me that chain smoked through every match. As far as I can tell the atmosphere is up and down and has been since then. I think one of the main thing that drives the noise is the psychology of the match beforehand. PSG was a game we didn’t expect to win, but everyone was ready to support. Last night sounded like the sort of PL game where the expectation is that we would win (vs a wolves or forest or something). So I don’t think it’s just the members issue because some of us who go will make lots of noise. I think if the expectation is that we should win, the crowd waits for the team, and responds to that. When the expectation is that we will be up against it, it tends to be louder. We also have an absolutely shite songbook.

[Sima]

29 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

Bottom line is that when people can't choose to sit/stand where they want it's always going to have a detrimental effect on the atmosphere. The random ballot has just made this a far bigger problem.

 

Believe it or not, the moaners has always had an acceptable place in the ground. Back in the 80s when I first started going I remember if you wanted to stand and have a good whinge at everyone the Gallowgate M section, aka "old mans corner" was the place for you. No doubt there was seating areas for them.as well. If you went on like that in the other corner or the scoreboard you'd likely be booted all over!

 

The Leazes F Centre section was where you'd find our more studenty type of fans. They would stand over there, pushed up to the fence near the away fans and bait them for 90 mins. In the case of a big away following they'd be shifted to one of the corner Paddocks in the Leazes.

 

When the Milburn Stand was built, the crackerjack with a bit more money in their pockets would congregate in the Leazes section of the new stand and would make a hell of a racket. Basically there was a place for everyone and you could as good as guarantee that you would be stood/sat with likeminded people.

 

Season ticket culture mid 90s onwards party ruined that but the last few couple of seasons I felt we were getting back to the old times as much as is possible in this day and age. With best part of 50k seats up for grabs and around 32k season ticket holders there was the option to get yourself a decent spot around the people you have more in common with. Gallowgate Upper was my go to area and it was good the see the NE Corner in the Leazes become so vocal as well as the obvious Strawberry Corner.

 

We've completely lost all that again. You pick your category and if you are lucky enough to get your name picked out the hat you get a random seat somewhere.

 

It's not conducive to a good atmosphere unfortunately.

 

I remember that pre-bond/Platinum Club.  That one block of The Milburn nearest the new Leazes Stand used to be absolutely bouncing.

 

 

Edited October 26, 2023 by Sima

[RodneyCisse]

1 hour ago, OCK said:

We 100% need an American dressed as a Magpie that is suspended from the Gallowgate by a wire that flies around after we score. 

Wouldn’t a hanging pigeon not be more fitting to the Gallowgate? 

[UncleBingo]

22 minutes ago, Sima said:

 

I remember that pre-bond/Platinum Club.  That one block of The Milburn nearest the new Leazes Stand used to be absolutely bouncing.

 

 

 

I was in there from 92 onwards, one seat away from the away fans at that time. It was brilliant up there but I got moved into the paddock below despite having a bond. 

[Wallsendmag]

33 minutes ago, Sima said:

 

I remember that pre-bond/Platinum Club.  That one block of The Milburn nearest the new Leazes Stand used to be absolutely bouncing.

 

 

 

 

Late 80s/1990 I was going in the Scoreboard with my school mates before getting a season ticket with my dad in 1991, but even as a 10/11/12 year old I always wanted to be in that part of the Milburn Stand. As a compromise we started going in the Milburn E Paddock directly underneath it so we could join in with the songs without having the extortionate costs (to us) of going in the seats.

 

Saved up my pocket money and managed to get in there for a couple of FA Cup games v Port Vale and Rotherham and it was everything I hoped it would be, and more. Was a shame when they all got booted out to make way for the Platinum Club/bond scheme.

[Bellis80]

The pricing must have something to do with not being able to pick a seat through the ballot. When it’s the same price to sit in the East Stand or the back of Level 7 it doesn’t make much sense. You’d think now things are less rushed they could do the ballots earlier and give people time to pick their seat. They don’t seem to have thought through any of it though.

[joeyt]

Assuming UEFA mandate that no music can be played at half time or at times before the match? Was deathly silent during those periods last night.

 

Sick of hearing the same Status Quo/Madness/The Beatles cycle before every home game mind from the DJ

[Jonas]

Even with the Platinum Club 93/94 was predominantly rocking, maybe even more than 92/93, due to the Leazes changes.

Just think football changed in this country. The sweet spot was the mid 90s before it was too sanitised and with the hooligan elements disappearing.

Its sad but it must be 25years since I accepted this so cant get vexed now.  Every atmosphere in the country is worse than it was and rarely good (excluding idiots on drums and stuff at Palace or Accrington which isn't really atmosphere)

We reap the rewards of that sanitisation and bigger crowds when its comes to having more money than other leagues, even without the various takeovers, atmosphere is the sacrifice.

 

[Sima]

58 minutes ago, joeyt said:

Assuming UEFA mandate that no music can be played at half time or at times before the match? Was deathly silent during those periods last night.

 

Sick of hearing the same Status Quo/Madness/The Beatles cycle before every home game mind from the DJ

 

Noticed they had the highlights of the other games on the screen at the side of The Leazes.  They could at least have put some commentary on to have a bit of audio.

Sidenote - I'd have thought that screen would have been updated by now.  Was like watching a moving stamp from The Milburn