Club looking at improving atmosphere

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Manchester United: Song sheets and 'cheerleader' ideas discussed by club

The headlines have all been about song sheets but it's good that the club are actually looking at ways of doing something about it.

I think the reality is unless they allow a big congregation of supporters who want to generate atmosphere who aren't are heavily stewarded then nothing will really change but we saw with the relocation of fans in J stand a few years back this creates problems. That singing section in J is quite good but it doesn't really make much of a difference to other areas.

The stadium design doesn't really help because you have an executive sections dotted throughout the stadium. My suggestion would be make Stretford End Lower Tier the "fans section" again but have it wrap around either side a bit to try and get the atmosphere also travelling through north and south stand.

Another massive issue is some people would rather enjoy moaning about atmosphere than actually join together and do something about it.
 
Proof is in the pudding, the crown can generate an atmosphere, look at the Liverpool game. The team and their style of play denotes the atmosphere. How can a crowd get going if the football is dire?

Stick a great cross in for a header, beat a man dribbling or make a crunching tackle in the first minute and the crowd will respond. They you've got to keep them there.
 
It's a chicken and egg situation really sometimes the fans need the team to lift them other times the team needs the fans to lift them.

I think the gripe from the manager is when the team needs the fans they aren't really there and it has become easy for the opposition to play at Old Trafford but the fans will say it's hard to get excited when the game is dull.

I think there are a few things that have contributed to it the fact it's all ticket means fans all arrive just before kick off, allocated seating mean you don't really get to sit with friends so all that atmosphere generated in pubs pre game is lost whereas in away sections it's an unwritten rule that you can basically sit/stand where you want.

It's good that the club are actually engaging with the fan groups again to try and do something about it as the atmosphere at the ground is part of the fan experience that brings people from all over the world in and gets them hooked for life. Football is in danger of becoming a sport that's only watched on TV rather than watched live it's becoming like Cinema rather than Theatre.
 
Don’t get this attitude that the team has got to play well for the atmosphere to be rocking. I don’t imagine that crystal palace play swashbuckling football week in week out for their home atmosphere being so good. It’s up to the fans to create an atmosphere. But it is easy for me to say this sitting in front of a computer.
 
Yes, it's pretty sad really, bit of a laughing stock. Definitely the crowd needs to lift the players. The Seville game needed it really. Back to Keane and his prawn sandwiches.

Size of the stadium doesn't help really, the best giggs are in small venues. Mind you every time I've been the the Camp Nou the atmosphere has been amazing so that blows that line of thought. I guess it being warm helps that though.
 
I think where the game has changed is abroad clubs have have the Ultra movement which are groups of fans who are very dedicated to the club and they've kind of been allowed to take over their own little area of the ground and generate atmosphere. This group normally has routes in hooliganism which is a plague that we passed onto Europe during the 70's/80's.

In England that hooligan element of football has been pretty much stamped out by incredibly tight policing and changes to stadiums so fans have been forced to become more dormant in grounds.

Ultra areas abroad are generally self policed by the fans they're allowed to use pyro, bring in banners, stand up, stand where they want and there are normally a few guys who organise all these things and it can create a hell of a buzz in a ground but it also brings with it other problems.

The price of tickets has changed the demographic of crowds as well most season ticket holders are people in their 40's who've got disposable income and lets face it when you're 40 you probably want to sit down and enjoy the game rather than stand up and bounce around.

Due to the way Old Trafford has been rebuilt in stages over the year executive areas are kind of dotted all over we don't have a Kop or a Yellow Wall which is just fans or whatever that is our end. The Stretford End has got a row of executive boxes right through the middle of it for example.

Those lads at Palace do a cracking job to get that place bouncing and while I don't think that style would go down with Utd having a part of the ground that is where the atmosphere is generated is a good thing because if you don't want to be part of it you sit somewhere else if you want to be like that you go in there.

I think the J stand thing has worked well but it is to small it was originally proposed to be in L stand (current away section) but the club were reluctant to relocate away fans to the north stand tier 3 due to the potential policing costs that would come with that. They've already had to reduce the capacity in K stand to make the disabled area bigger to comply with regulations but really making that a proper home end as I don't think there are any exec areas in K stand would be an idea but it will involve moving a lot of people.
 

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