Fan Behaviour

[silent majority]

BRR,

Safe Standing doesn't equate to rail seating. The Green Guide currently has guidance on how to achieve standing without using rail seats and we have actually encouraged the authorities to implement that.

However because of the extra burden of Uefa and FIFA regulations concerning their competitions, it's obvious that any club wanting to host those fixtures should consider rail seats. That would invariably mean clubs in the PL.

The second point is that the extra cost for clubs lower down the pyramid would serve as a disincentive to make those changes, therefore missing our objective.

Most clubs would be happy to allow standing to continue in amongst their current seats. Again we feel that standing in proper designated standing areas is much safer, allows better freedom of movement and achieves all that we need to achieve at lower cost.

[Bristol Red Rover]

South stand KM central section is ripe for unallocated seating, it just needs the will and desire of all concerned

I totally agree here. Dividing the focus of where the noisy section area would be a huge mistake. I know there is that argument for the West Stand, but for me it has to be the South, and in any case just one place that is designated to help focus things.

A section with unallocated seating would solve the problem overnight. An atmosphere requires a catalyst.   

And the club is open to this! All we need then is for stewards to agree to turn a blind aye to anyone standing in that section (which happens up and down the country at nearly every premier league game) and we're on to something I think

As a first base that can be delivered almost instantly, this is good, though as SM mentions below, it isn't the safest.

[PDS]

Whats shocking is that there is nothing new at all in this thread. The lack of atmosphere is a problem in football in general and has been permiating for some time.

Currently reading Tear Gas and Ticket Touts by Eddy Brimson. The opening chapters talk about how football has been changing, being forced to sit, the growth of corporate attendees with little interest in the game, the dominance of sky and the exploitation of the game by the money men.

Resonated a lot with what has been said on the forum - the shocking bit though was that this book was written in 2000, telling the tale of following England at the 1998 world cup. The rot set in nationally many years ago. And don't get me started on new wembley - you want peace and quiet? Try an england game. The experience is just the same, just the away days are a little more exotic than a tuesday night in Barnsley!

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Filo and others are on the right tract. Let's get away fromblaming the bricks and mortar. It's the people that generate the atmosphere and people who can help us with the conditions to help facilitate it.

As said, unreserved seating, perhaps tolerance of standing etc will help, but it needs all parties to come together to make it happen. The South Stand is the only practical location this can happen, as we will not get co-operation for it to happen elsewhere.

If we are to pursue this we can't afford splinter groups. Everyone has got to come to an agreement and put the past behind us and promote the initiative. I really beleive with the co-operation of the club and perhaps the support of sponsors i.e. The Polypipe 'Pop' stand. Reworking some of the existing signage, we can set the conditions to encourage more folk to assemble in this area.

We can't expect instant results, as we all know very often the atmospehere depends on what's going on on the pitch and the numbers turning up to the games but, in time, more people might swap to the South. It will take leadership and encouragement from all fronts including Facebook/Twitter.

We won't win everyone over. As much as I love the 'away' atmosphere, I will not be swapping my seat from the West Stand, as I'm more comfortable by seeing the game better from there. We all want this to work and as I said before, we might be missing a trick by not inviting one of the players to have their input as they should be the beneficiaries after all !!

Good luck to all involved and make it happen.

[Filo]

Filo and others are on the right tract. Let's get away fromblaming the bricks and mortar. It's the people that generate the atmosphere and people who can help us with the conditions to help facilitate it.

As said, unreserved seating, perhaps tolerance of standing etc will help, but it needs all parties to come together to make it happen. The South Stand is the only practical location this can happen, as we will not get co-operation for it to happen elsewhere.

If we are to pursue this we can't afford splinter groups. Everyone has got to come to an agreement and put the past behind us and promote the initiative. I really beleive with the co-operation of the club and perhaps the support of sponsors i.e. The Polypipe 'Pop' stand. Reworking some of the existing signage, we can set the conditions to encourage more folk to assemble in this area.

We can't expect instant results, as we all know very often the atmospehere depends on what's going on on the pitch and the numbers turning up to the games but, in time, more people might swap to the South. It will take leadership and encouragement from all fronts including Facebook/Twitter.

We won't win everyone over. As much as I love the 'away' atmosphere, I will not be swapping my seat from the West Stand, as I'm more comfortable by seeing the game better from there. We all want this to work and as I said before, we might be missing a trick by not inviting one of the players to have their input as they should be the beneficiaries after all !!

Good luck to all involved and make it happen.

Spot on, where there's a will there's a way, fans from all ages and all opinions need to come to the table without any pre conditions, work things out without trying to score points or belittle anyone, with the right attitude from all concerned I'm sure something could be worked out

[BillyStubbsTears]

Agreed

Frog Chorus as the anthem?

[Bristol Red Rover]

I might be a little premature with this, but I heard it was being proposed as the main option to make the South West Corner the unreserved area and ultimately the standing area.

Anyone think this is the best spot in the ground if we were to choose one? I think it has to be central South Stand or all that will happen is a split in the voiciferous focus and risking that is a mad mad move. And it is pretty certain there would only be one area in the foreseeable future.

[Glyn_Wigley]

I might be a little premature with this, but I heard it was being proposed as the main option to make the South West Corner the unreserved area and ultimately the standing area.

Anyone think this is the best spot in the ground if we were to choose one? I think it has to be central South Stand or all that will happen is a split in the voiciferous focus and risking that is a mad mad move. And it is pretty certain there would only be one area in the foreseeable future.

If they stand there, they'll cut off the bottom of the new big board! :D

[bobjimwilly]

One thing I am certain of is pyros, whether it be flares or smoke bombs, do not improve an atmosphere. Take brentford, are people saying there wasn't an atmosphere before the flare went off? What about the fans on the upper tier who didn't even see the flare - was the atmosphere up there worse than on the lower tier? It's all rubbish.

I was at Barnsley on Tuesday and I've seen the videos posted online; the smoke bomb, if anything, worsened the atmosphere as people stopped singing as much as they were too busy either looking at it or trying to hide it. Flares may look good from afar, but being next to them or around them doesn't improve anything.

Let's be honest, as kids most of us loved fireworks, some of us might have even been soft idiots and played around with them, but we were kids. Maybe there's a similar theme here with the flares and smoke bombs?

[RJHeader]

One thing I am certain of is pyros, whether it be flares or smoke bombs, do not improve an atmosphere. Take brentford, are people saying there wasn't an atmosphere before the flare went off? What about the fans on the upper tier who didn't even see the flare - was the atmosphere up there worse than on the lower tier? It's all rubbish.

I was at Barnsley on Tuesday and I've seen the videos posted online; the smoke bomb, if anything, worsened the atmosphere as people stopped singing as much as they were too busy either looking at it or trying to hide it. Flares may look good from afar, but being next to them or around them doesn't improve anything.

Let's be honest, as kids most of us loved fireworks, some of us might have even been soft idiots and played around with them, but we were kids. Maybe there's a similar theme here with the flares and smoke bombs?

All opinions of course. A lot of people would disagree with you.

People always comment about how a flare can do serious serious harm, which im sure it can. But how many times have we used a flare? Once at Brentford?

[Dagenham Rover]

at the end of it they are illegal in football grounds its pretty simple and you could get sent down for it! a fact that most on the fb group don't acknowledge or mention or probably even realise

http://www.fsf.org.uk/assets/Smoke-Bombs-Flares-and-Fireworks-Factsheet-for-FSF.pdf