Atmosphere.

Our away support is more enthusiastic presumably because it's a bunch of dedicated individuals who really want to be there, many of whom have been on the lash and want to have a good day out. It's always going to be hard to generate any kind of atmosphere when there are less than 100 away fans at BP. It' seems pointless to try to outsing three men and a dog.  But it would be good if we could capture/encourage some of the enthusiasm our own away supporters have, but at BP. This might be achieved if our hard core support was moved closer to away fans. Look at how good the Lincoln fans were at Sincil Bank and they were right next to us. The only other alternative is free booze.

Quoted from HackneyHaddock

I don't get back much now; maybe a few times a season, but it did seem a bit flat..  However, on TV for the Scunny and Huddersfield games, it sounded great!  I think the main driver of atmosphere is bound to be the crowd.  If the good run continues and it gets more towards the high 3k or maybe over 4k, then it makes it easier to improve the atmosphere just by force of numbers.

For brainstorming's sake (and not intended as definitive answers or silver bullets):

-  Allow fans to transfer into the Pontoon for the 2nd half so we have a full house behind the end we're attacking and where it tends to be noisier
-  Undercut the BP hotel and Imp on beer price and get people in the ground and well-oiled before the game
-  Get town fans in the Osmond End
-  Get promoted
-  Bring back terracing
-  Get a new, properly designed ground with great acoustics and close to the pitch.

Myself and Wapping said exactly (very bizarrely) the same points during the week!

*why not sell tickets like they do for airlines. Sell them maybe 6 weeks in advance for a reduced rate then more as demand grows. This for away fans as well.

*get the osmond back! Surely the sub 200 away fans that come every week can be housed in the corner??

*first drink (or round)  reduced in price if bought before the start of the 12:45 kick off. How many people change pub before the match????


I get to maybe 3-4 home games so maybe am not the best to commentate on this, but, away atmospheres are possibly the best in the league, this needs to be replicated at home.

Quoted from The_Laughing_Mariner

£16 early bird hasn't gone

It has in the upper ?

Its all about the opposition IMO, when we were in the league and playing teams with a bigger following the atmosphere was always better, but I don`t think it will ever improve much in this basement football.

The atmosphere was OK when we played the likes of Huddersfield etc

It will be different next week against Oxford. It will be a better game with more action and more away support, so get yourselves and a few mates down there. To suggest the answer is cheap booze is sad.

Why is it sad oldun?

I think it's a lot to do with expectation.

There's no atmosphere in most games now because we're expected to beat most sides we play against. People turn up expecting us to win, often comfortably, and don't think (possibly subconsciously) that the team need much encouragement to do so.

Against Huddersfield, Scunny and even Northampton last season, we weren't expected to win and we had to raise our game. So the crowd responded. Probably include games against the top few sides in our league too.

I know I went mad jumping up and down like a loon when we scored against Huddersfield and Scunny last season. I don't quite celebrate the same in a run of the mill conference game against Welling. Not because I don't care as much but because we are expected to beat them.

And yes the numbers in the ground is the other one for me. Fill the ground and there will be an atmosphere.

The ground has been full against Lincoln the last few seasons and every time it has been a poor atmosphere.

When I were a lad....  ermmm long time ago...  fans changed ends at half time...

now this could only apply if we kicked toward the Ponny in the first half... but as we have very few visiting fans now...
just stick them in the corner... and allow the Ponny to transfer to the Osmond for the second half... a well stewarded effort
would prevent any hassle from any over exuberant fans...

yes ? no ?  

Quoted from lukeo

I said a while back we should put the away fans into the pontoon and home fans in the osmond.
The osmond roofing makes for a good atmosphere whereas the pontoons is flat.
We need to forget about 'tradition' and just give it a go for 1 season. It'll look better aswell as we don't
Get many away fans anyway so it'll be all black and white behind both goals!

I've been saying this for about 30 years now! Can still remember the cauldron of noise as I stood in the Osmond watching Town
beat Notts County 3-1 in the cup (Bob Cumming terrorised them that night) many years ago.

I understand the Pontoon loyalty, but I reckon if they tried the opposite end ONCE there'd be no looking back.
Thought the atmosphere yesterday was pretty poor, in truth.

As for Chelsea...if you price the tickets for middle-class incomes you lose the 'vulgar' working-class noise.
Can't have it both ways.