Why are we so crap at home?

Quoted from ska face

I know I'll get grief for this, but I honestly believe the atmosphere and feeling around the place has a negative impact on the team, and this has been getting worse in the last 10 years or so, in my experience.

You all know what I mean - the place is full of people who can't wait to start getting on players' backs and digging the manager out. It was mentioned by an opposition player or manager probably a couple of seasons ago (might've been when Hartlepool beat us 3-0?) that players knew if they could frustrate the team for the first half hour, the fans would start getting at players and the atmosphere would turn in their favour. They're not wrong.

Before you all start about how the fans have stuck with the club - that's right, and should be commended. How we sold over 3k season tickets this year I'll never know, and its a testament to the fans that we continue to turn up week after week after getting dished up absolute turd for two decades straight.

But the atmosphere is very, very rarely one of unconditional support and encouragement. Everything's tinged with expectancy (perhaps rightly), and when people do go start to really vocally support the team, a lot of the time it seems like it's out of frustration and people are being forced to drag the players along. It never seems like fun, it's a chore.

You've got pockets around the ground - on the left of the Pontoon, on the Osmond side of the Findus & Main stand - but it's like some people need to be beaten with a massive stick to get any kind of support out of them. Up to them I suppose, not everyone goes to shout & sing and jump up and down, but it seems like half the ground just want to get in, moan to the people around them, and get out as quickly as possible.

Why's it like this? The same reasons we go over every few months. The stewards are overbearing little Hitlers. The sound doesn't carry around the ground and gets lost out of the open corners. You've an aging crowd as young people are priced out or have better options on a Saturday like sitting in the pub watching Jeff Stelling. When there's the opportunity to do something different and open the Osmond to get a bit of atmosphere going, the club aren't even remotely interested. Year after year of turgid performances, even with decent teams (Hurst, Slade in 05/06), haven't helped - functionality help might get results but it hasn't been easy on the eye.

I also think the club really need to take a look at how they're pitching themselves to fans and the town more generally. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I'm sick to death of being told how we're the 12th man, how the club need us, how  we can get them over the line, we're a big team with a great following...blah blah blah balderdash. Frankly, the club have worn that line out in the last few years, and their actions don't show they particularly give a stuff about us. Bignot and Jolley clearly have had this "pipe the fans off" line drilled into them, but it wears off very quickly. Look at this from the club on Friday, just 5 games into the season -

[tweet]1035516014585413633[/tweet]


Maybe save the begging and pleading for a little later on in the season. Maybe try and say something that might get fans excited about coming to BP, don't try and force it on us like some kind of moral obligation.

There are plenty of other clubs  and other grounds where fans are miserable and moan, but I couldn't care less. This is about GTFC and clearly there's a problem at home.

Quoted from ska face

I know I'll get grief for this, but I honestly believe the atmosphere and feeling around the place has a negative impact on the team, and this has been getting worse in the last 10 years or so, in my experience.

You all know what I mean - the place is full of people who can't wait to start getting on players' backs and digging the manager out. It was mentioned by an opposition player or manager probably a couple of seasons ago (might've been when Hartlepool beat us 3-0?) that players knew if they could frustrate the team for the first half hour, the fans would start getting at players and the atmosphere would turn in their favour. They're not wrong.

Before you all start about how the fans have stuck with the club - that's right, and should be commended. How we sold over 3k season tickets this year I'll never know, and its a testament to the fans that we continue to turn up week after week after getting dished up absolute turd for two decades straight.

But the atmosphere is very, very rarely one of unconditional support and encouragement. Everything's tinged with expectancy (perhaps rightly), and when people do go start to really vocally support the team, a lot of the time it seems like it's out of frustration and people are being forced to drag the players along. It never seems like fun, it's a chore.

You've got pockets around the ground - on the left of the Pontoon, on the Osmond side of the Findus & Main stand - but it's like some people need to be beaten with a massive stick to get any kind of support out of them. Up to them I suppose, not everyone goes to shout & sing and jump up and down, but it seems like half the ground just want to get in, moan to the people around them, and get out as quickly as possible.

Why's it like this? The same reasons we go over every few months. The stewards are overbearing little Hitlers. The sound doesn't carry around the ground and gets lost out of the open corners. You've an aging crowd as young people are priced out or have better options on a Saturday like sitting in the pub watching Jeff Stelling. When there's the opportunity to do something different and open the Osmond to get a bit of atmosphere going, the club aren't even remotely interested. Year after year of turgid performances, even with decent teams (Hurst, Slade in 05/06), haven't helped - functionality help might get results but it hasn't been easy on the eye.

I also think the club really need to take a look at how they're pitching themselves to fans and the town more generally. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I'm sick to death of being told how we're the 12th man, how the club need us, how  we can get them over the line, we're a big team with a great following...blah blah blah balderdash. Frankly, the club have worn that line out in the last few years, and their actions don't show they particularly give a stuff about us. Bignot and Jolley clearly have had this "pipe the fans off" line drilled into them, but it wears off very quickly. Look at this from the club on Friday, just 5 games into the season -

[tweet]1035516014585413633[/tweet]


Maybe save the begging and pleading for a little later on in the season. Maybe try and say something that might get fans excited about coming to BP, don't try and force it on us like some kind of moral obligation.

There are plenty of other clubs  and other grounds where fans are miserable and moan, but I couldn't care less. This is about GTFC and clearly there's a problem at home.