How can we help get back the Anfield atmosphere?

[jimmycase]

So called "day trippers" are killing the atmosphere not just at Anfield but, the mancs, Arsenal (not Chelsea there all plastic flag waving chavs any way) and a lot of other clubs, the prices are becoming so inflated that average fans can no longer afford to go week in week out so these plastic fans go with their wife spend a few hundred quid in the gift shop spend the game taking pics / videos on their ipad so they can tell their work colleagues they've been to Anfield home of the red team and their wife spends the whole game shopping on her iPhone using Anfields free wifi.I understand fans from Norway / Ireland ect coming over for games no problem with that 9 out of 10 treat it like a football match rather than a status symbol. 

 

Most of the home fans in the ground are season ticket holders. We've about 26000 to 28000. Match day ticket sales account for about 8000 fans but dont let that spoil the facts.

[Paco]

it was a shite game. there was little to get excited about. frustration tightens the vocal chords and there wss so much frustration in our performance today. real smash and grab stuff from united. not a new thing. fergie came here and done it plenty of times.

[Mook]

it was a shite game. there was little to get excited about. frustration tightens the vocal chords and there wss so much frustration in our performance today. real smash and grab stuff from united. not a new thing. fergie came here and done it plenty of times.

Ferguson's team wasn't absolutely piss fucking poor though.

[FanchesterCity]

So called "day trippers" are killing the atmosphere not just at Anfield but, the mancs, Arsenal (not Chelsea there all plastic flag waving chavs any way) and a lot of other clubs, the prices are becoming so inflated that average fans can no longer afford to go week in week out so these plastic fans go with their wife spend a few hundred quid in the gift shop spend the game taking pics / videos on their ipad so they can tell their work colleagues they've been to Anfield home of the red team and their wife spends the whole game shopping on her iPhone using Anfields free wifi.I understand fans from Norway / Ireland ect coming over for games no problem with that 9 out of 10 treat it like a football match rather than a status symbol. 

 

Your bog standard bloke in the street just can't afford to go week in week out, and when he does go, it's in a different place every time so can't join up with his mates. You're left with a more affluent fan base who are as entertained by football as they are about some new film at the cinema - as opposed to the fan base of old who lived for football 24/7.

 

I'm exaggerating of course, but football is going the way of American sports and becoming an event, not a passion. The fact that tourist can get tickets for the biggest games tells you all you need to know about the modern game.

 

Arguably, the bigger name clubs suffer from it the most because they are at the forefront of the PL branding, and that's where the tourist and family 'football day out' flock to.

[Captain]

Ferguson's team wasn't absolutely piss fucking poor though.

Neither were we most of the time.

[Dr. J]

Time to think outside the box for answer. Burn Rodgers signings in effigy at halftime. Fans can vote during the first half.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

It's gone for good hasn't it...?

I've thought that in the past, but then in 2013-14 the place was jumping.

 

Like Russ says, you need someone/something to sing for.

[thegreatelephant]

think i saw an ad on the scrolling screen touting some silly price for the cup replay, was it a hospitality price? the price was only one thing when I ditched my book in 2005. i simply could not get up for sitting in a fucking seat being watched on every move you make etc. like I should be grateful and all. i do hate that psychology. there were loads of factors why I decided to stop- nothing to do with our fortunes on the field.

 

don't get me wrong. i do miss going. i did it for alot of years and I always wanted to when I was kid, looking up to Dalglish etc. went to my first game around 1980- he got the winner at St. Andrews i think, 1-0 win. travelling the country, seeing different ciites. like gig going when I did loads of that. couldn't beat it when it was still our game.

 

but like a relationship you don't want to be in any more. you're best out of it if you are going through the motions. let someone else have a go. also why there should be more young guns there- give them a chance

 

and this is before there has been loads of nauseating developments. nearest i have been since is taking my lad on the ground tour.

 

but yeah, i do have visions of doing it again at some point despite everything. i don't know why

[AngryOfTuebrook]

I've never seen an overhead banner on the Lower Centenary before.  Was this the first time today?  Does anyone know if it's likely to become a regular thing?

 

(Anything that gets those fucking moaning zombies involved as supporters is OK in my book.)

[Barrington Womble]

I've never seen an overhead banner on the Lower Centenary before. Was this the first time today? Does anyone know if it's likely to become a regular thing?

 

(Anything that gets those fucking moaning zombies involved as supporters is OK in my book.)

I might be wrong, but I assumed it was in relation to the HFSG saying their at the end of fund raising and campaigning etc.

[jimmycase]

Your bog standard bloke in the street just can't afford to go week in week out, and when he does go, it's in a different place every time so can't join up with his mates. You're left with a more affluent fan base who are as entertained by football as they are about some new film at the cinema - as opposed to the fan base of old who lived for football 24/7.

 

I'm exaggerating of course, but football is going the way of American sports and becoming an event, not a passion. The fact that tourist can get tickets for the biggest games tells you all you need to know about the modern game.

 

Arguably, the bigger name clubs suffer from it the most because they are at the forefront of the PL branding, and that's where the tourist and family 'football day out' flock to.

 

Im not convinced by this. We have roughly 28000 season ticket holders. The club issued about 1500 - 2000 additional ones a couple of years back so that's 26000.

 

The vast majority of them have been held by the same person for the last 20 odd years maybe more. Sure some are handed around families but there's no evidence to show any large numbers do this never mind a majority.

 

It would be interesting to know of the 2000 new ST's issued in the last few years, how many are still going.

 

The 'real' hardcore of football support is supposed to be the away contigent yet they pay far more for away tickets and travel to attend away games.

 

I think the idea that lots of ordinary fans cant afford to go to the game is misleading. people develop other priorities in their life. By the same token, if you have a seassie, you dont want to give it up because you'lllikely never be able to get to games again if you do.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

I might be wrong, but I assumed it was in relation to the HFSG saying their at the end of fund raising and campaigning etc.

I was underneath it, so I couldn't see what it said.  Was it the "vindicated" one?

[Barrington Womble]

I was underneath it, so I couldn't see what it said. Was it the "vindicated" one?

That's what I saw.

[Jennings]

Yeah, it said vindicated.

Nice.

I could see it from the main stand....and i'd like to point out that the left hand side of the Kemlyn road (looking fromt he main stand) and the Anny road corner have the best scarf to seat ratio during YNWA...and often sing the loudest.

[FanchesterCity]

Im not convinced by this. We have roughly 28000 season ticket holders. The club issued about 1500 - 2000 additional ones a couple of years back so that's 26000.

 

The vast majority of them have been held by the same person for the last 20 odd years maybe more. Sure some are handed around families but there's no evidence to show any large numbers do this never mind a majority.

 

It would be interesting to know of the 2000 new ST's issued in the last few years, how many are still going.

 

The 'real' hardcore of football support is supposed to be the away contigent yet they pay far more for away tickets and travel to attend away games.

 

I think the idea that lots of ordinary fans cant afford to go to the game is misleading. people develop other priorities in their life. By the same token, if you have a seassie, you dont want to give it up because you'lllikely never be able to get to games again if you do.

 

I can't speak for Liverpool fans and I do accept that the difficulty in getting ST's at Anfield is harder than most so less prone to churn, but I know a fair few United and a lot of City fans who've just been priced out, and their tickets taken up by others who can afford to go, but not what you would call 'die hard' fans. There's a lot more women going now, and I'm seeing a lot more families too (at City). I'm bloody sure it's happening all over.

 

I can't say it's 'wrong' that things have changed, but the dynamics are very different. People are using their phones to check what's going on at other games, people taking photos, iPads etc, and the singing is largely left to one end of the ground etc. 

 

The other possibility is that they ST holder just got older and less vocal, and the younger kids can't afford a ST, so they are slowly being replaced with less vocal supporters - and so you get a combination of both?

 

There's no way Old Trafford is as vocal as it once was, and Maine Road was far more vocal than the Etihad. It genuinely seems to be affecting most clubs in the PL, and maybe a few in the lower leagues too.

[Barrington Womble]

Im not convinced by this. We have roughly 28000 season ticket holders. The club issued about 1500 - 2000 additional ones a couple of years back so that's 26000.

 

The vast majority of them have been held by the same person for the last 20 odd years maybe more. Sure some are handed around families but there's no evidence to show any large numbers do this never mind a majority.

 

It would be interesting to know of the 2000 new ST's issued in the last few years, how many are still going.

 

The 'real' hardcore of football support is supposed to be the away contigent yet they pay far more for away tickets and travel to attend away games.

 

I think the idea that lots of ordinary fans cant afford to go to the game is misleading. people develop other priorities in their life. By the same token, if you have a seassie, you dont want to give it up because you'lllikely never be able to get to games again if you do.

I know loads of lads who have been priced out, it's nothing to do with changing priorities, they just couldn't afford it any more. I also know lads who got their tickets through the development office for years and once they fucked that off, they were left without a channel to get tickets. Loads (all?) tickets now are sold in bulk twice a season, again they couldn't afford to do that. Economics plays a major part for a lot of people. I'm lucky it doesn't for me, but out of the loads of lads I went the match with as recently as 10 years ago, most no longer go.

[Brownie]

I don't want to generalise but I accept that i'm going to do so.

 

The demographic has completely changed. It used to be the real working class lads who went the game, as a release from the day job and tough family life.

 

Now it's middle class people, who have fallen in love with the game due to Sky and the rise of corporate hospitality.

[Jennings]

I don't want to generalise but I accept that i'm going to do so.

 

The demographic has completely changed. It used to be the real working class lads who went the game, as a release from the day job and tough family life.

 

Now it's middle class people, who have fallen in love with the game due to Sky and the rise of corporate hospitality.

 

Maybe the same at all grounds, mate? Stoke don't have an atmosphere problem.

[Brownie]

Maybe the same at all grounds, mate? Stoke don't have an atmosphere problem.

It's more pronounced with the fashionable clubs i'd say as the prices are higher. It's a general problem though, no doubt.

[FanchesterCity]

Maybe the same at all grounds, mate? Stoke don't have an atmosphere problem.

 

I think that's because the new wave of fans are choosing the obvious teams to watch - Arsenal, United, Liverpool, Chelsea and now City. The likes of Stoke are less prone to it (although I still think it's probably happening to a lesser extent). You could probably say clubs like West Ham, Everton, Stoke, Newcastle, Sunderland etc are less prone because they're not glamour clubs. I suspect West Ham will go the same way when they move to the new stadium though.

[xerxes]

I agree that the common denominators of all seater, all ticket, high priced, strictly stewarded and policed, grounds, has had an effect across the PL.

 

I do think though that some specific factors are unique to us. The major one is that at a time when football became very popular ( the advent of the PL), and population growth accelerated, we are the worst performing club in the North West, in all pro leagues, when it comes to increasing attendance and capacity. This has enabled the club to ramp up ticket prices because demand from those unable to get a ticket has increased, and enabled the club to get premium prices from “tourist” fans. So the profile of our support has combined our core support becoming old and staid, and the available tickets being snapped up by occasional, not regular, fans, not least because of the prices. Instead of folk watching ten home games at £20 a ticket, you can sell one hospitality ticket at £200, ten times.

 

Furthermore, although the recent, and distant, glory years are fading fast, Anfield remains a “destination” ground because of our history, that most other grounds cannot match. So a trip to the souvenir shop, a selfie in the stands, and a phone video clip of us taking a throw in, have become more important than knowing the words to “The Fields of Anfield Rd”.

 

Our belated, modest, increase in capacity will not improve things. Nearly half of the tickets will be hospitality tickets, the other half will not be cheap. The new Main Stand will physically dwarf the Kop, the rebuilt ARE, if done, will itself be bigger than the Kop. It will complete the systematic castration of a ground, and support, which was once second to none.

[Reckoner]

I don't want to generalise but I accept that i'm going to do so.

The demographic has completely changed. It used to be the real working class lads who went the game, as a release from the day job and tough family life.

Now it's middle class people, who have fallen in love with the game due to Sky and the rise of corporate hospitality.

I'm not disagreeing, but I think this attitude is part of the problem too.

I've got a new seat for my season ticket due to that type of fan sat next to me you just cba with ( 'get it in the box Milner you fat cunt, oh I mean Lucas')

Feel like I'm viewed as a new age fan in my new spec. I used to stand and watch Mark Walters, and do extra paper rounds for the privilege.

Just a different view, a mistrust has developed, and that's the clubs fault, Thomas Cooke etc

[razor]

I'm not disagreeing, but I think this attitude is part of the problem too.

I've got a new seat for my season ticket due to that type of fan sat next to me you just cba with ( 'get it in the box Milner you fat cunt, oh I mean Lucas')

Feel like I'm viewed as a new age fan in my new spec. I used to stand and watch Mark Walters, and do extra paper rounds for the privilege.

Just a different view, a mistrust has developed, and that's the clubs fault, Thomas Cooke etc

 

Haha.  Put that way, it's a grim thought.  I used to get up early on a Saturday or nick off college/work early to travel the country watching Mark Walters.

 

Torben was worth every penny, like...

[Loki]

I remember reading a stat about the average age of a season ticket holder being 43/44, so a bunch of curmudgeonly middle age moaners much like myself who have no interest in giving up their Seasies.

 

So are the 28000 ST holders less to blame than the 8000 day trippers? Or should we abandon the ST altogether and let the day trippers run riot?

[razor]

Furthermore, although the recent, and distant, glory years are fading fast, Anfield remains a “destination” ground because of our history, that most other grounds cannot match. So a trip to the souvenir shop, a selfie in the stands, and a phone video clip of us taking a throw in, have become more important than knowing the words to “The Fields of Anfield Rd”.

 

Good post in full.

 

What we need to do is get rid of the day trippers and get in more local lads, lads who understand what it means to be Liverpool supporters.

 

Lads like these...

 

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/whats-jurgen-klopp-two-liverpool-10748551