[Archived] Match Day Atmosphere

[vintageadidas]

This has been annoying me for a while now. Our home support with regards to vocal backing is rather pathetic and it is commented on by most away teams too. I really think the club should try to help us out. I have come up with a few idea, please add any you have and maybe we could present something to the club.

- The club should close the top tier of the DE when clubs like West Ham visit Ewood.

- I am trying to find a supplier of blue and white cheap flags that come on a stick (health & safety issues?) and i am hoping to find funding to give these away.

- More flags should be allowed in the ground.

- We need some uplifting music and footage on the screen before the game and during half time

- Have themed days such as "wear blue day" "wear a rovers kit day"....etc

- Employ a decent marketing team

- List the chant/songs with lyrics in the match day programme

- Run a "create a chant" competition

Just ideas.

[Mattyblue]

I think the atmosphere was the best it had been for years last season.

This season for a variety of reasons it has not been so clever.

As for other clubs fans, bugger em, most grounds I have been to have been as poor, if not worse- Anfield for example is terrible.

We need fans to get together and create banners and flags- watching FC United the other week they had a load of them.

However, the only real solution is safe terracing.

[WarWand]

most of the time i wouldnt say the atmosphere is too bad especially compared when you travel away and its usually really quiet i dont think the whole lyrics in the programme would be a good idea..might just be down to the cold weather.

[chocky]

Old Trafford can be a morgue when they are losing..as can Anfield..I am not sure how to improve the atmosphere. i like to have a chant now and again but some older fans don't..

[BrownieFC]

I have to agree with chocky if fans dont want to sing they wont. I sat in the noisiest part of the Blackburn End until I got posted away, and love a good chant but if I was in a mood and didnt wanna sing that match a flag or a set of lyrics in the program aint gona change that.

Also they do play music and show goals on the jumbotron at half time its just that none have been very inspiring lol.

[Jimmy612]

This thread is fiddling while Rome burns. There arevfar more pressing issues. Sufficient to say that if things are right on the pitch and behind the scenes the atmosphere will take care of itself. It won't happen in reverse thats for sure.

[vintageadidas]

You try something and get shot down, which is just typical of this messageboard. You must be happy with mediocrity within your lives because i am certainly not. I will increase the atmosphere at the ground on my own then.

Close the thread.

[gumboots]

You try something and get shot down, which is just typical of this messageboard. You must be happy with mediocrity within your lives because i am certainly not. I will increase the atmosphere at the ground on my own then.

Close the thread.

I don't think it'd that the ideas are not reasonable. I think it's that most fans need a bit of excitement from the team or at least the prospect of it to get them going. It's hard to cheer for mediocrity especially if there's a feeling that this is as good as it gets.

[Ben-2000]

Pop into the Darwen End adidas... usually a good atmosphere in the end block nearest to the Riverside... Saturday wasn't the best in there but more often than not it's excellent.

[Hughesy]

Results & better football should bring better atmosphere.

Like other have said - most teams who are playing poor or getting beat usually have a poor atmosphere.

Some better footballers in January & a positive approach to games might see ours improve.

[Mattyblue]

I'm in agreement with you addias, there are thousands of blues that agree with you. The Darwen End experiment has been a big success, for example.

Just think this is a very strange week and peoples heads are elsewhere.

[Miker]

This has been annoying me for a while now. Our home support with regards to vocal backing is rather pathetic and it is commented on by most away teams too. I really think the club should try to help us out. I have come up with a few idea, please add any you have and maybe we could present something to the club.

- The club should close the top tier of the DE when clubs like West Ham visit Ewood.

- I am trying to find a supplier of blue and white cheap flags that come on a stick (health & safety issues?) and i am hoping to find funding to give these away.

- More flags should be allowed in the ground.

- We need some uplifting music and footage on the screen before the game and during half time

- Have themed days such as "wear blue day" "wear a rovers kit day"....etc

- Employ a decent marketing team

- List the chant/songs with lyrics in the match day programme

- Run a "create a chant" competition

Just ideas.

I remember someone mentioning this on another thread not too long ago as well, but it seems that a lot of our chants are centred around making fun of Burnley rather than supporting Blackburn Rovers.

When I saw us play in Sydney, we were sitting in with the Rangers fans and their game was first. What struck me the most by the Rangers fans was the amazing spirit and singing the entire support seemed to have. All their songs seemed to be about the greatness and glory of Rangers etc.

By contrast, once our fans showed up, the majority started chanting anti-Burnley slogans directed at a small group of Burnley fans seated on the sides next to the Blackburn/Rangers end. I'm pretty sure that most of the fans there spent more than half the game trying to make fun of the small group of Burnley fans than actually watching the game. It was my first time at a Blackburn game and it was pretty disappointing (although admittedly amusing nonetheless).

That was just my observation though. I guess there isn't too much in our recent history to really be proud about, except for doing the double on our bitter rivals?

[Mattyblue]

I remember someone mentioning this on another thread not too long ago as well, but it seems that a lot of our chants are centred around making fun of Burnley rather than supporting Blackburn Rovers.

When I saw us play in Sydney, we were sitting in with the Rangers fans and their game was first. What struck me the most by the Rangers fans was the amazing spirit and singing the entire support seemed to have. All their songs seemed to be about the greatness and glory of Rangers etc.

By contrast, once our fans showed up, the majority started chanting anti-Burnley slogans directed at a small group of Burnley fans seated on the sides next to the Blackburn/Rangers end. I'm pretty sure that most of the fans there spent more than half the game trying to make fun of the small group of Burnley fans than actually watching the game. It was my first time at a Blackburn game and it was pretty disappointing (although admittedly amusing nonetheless).

That was just my observation though. I guess there isn't too much in our recent history to really be proud about, except for doing the double on our bitter rivals?

of course there is! 1995, 2002, European campaigns, some great players. No club of similar stature has achieved qwhat we have in recent years.

[Miker]

of course there is! 1995, 2002, European campaigns, some great players. No club of similar stature has achieved qwhat we have in recent years.

Sorry, I meant in the past 5 years or so. Obviously we have a rich history to be proud of, but last couple of years it's been pretty mediocre and not much to sing about really. Jones, Samba, Robinson maybe? That's about it really...

[Mattyblue]

You can say that about 90% of football clubs. Rovers fans just need a better imagination.

[Dan Furness]

You can say that about 90% of football clubs. Rovers fans just need a better imagination.

Worst atmosphere for a long time on Saturday

[Olveres]

Remember Tugay's last game and all the free Tugay masks given away before kick off?

Wonder if a form of protest would be Jack Walker masks, I mean if nothing else it'd be a nice way of saying goodbye to his legacy because that is what we're going to have to do.

[Glenn]

This topic comes up every few months on the fans forum and the club has tried pretty much every idea we've thrown at them (including several of us pushing doggedly, for a number of years, for an unallocated standing area that would natually become a singing section .... something we never get the credit for), the problem is, almost anything the club does, is viewed as "being told what to do by 'the man'", so is therefore ignored or ridiculed.

Fans atmosphere must be fan-led. Simple as.

Now, several of your suggestions we're capable of doing. Flags for instance, I've spoke to John Newsham a couple of times, and he's no real objection to large fan flags being brought in (very big ones need to be flame retardant mind), he even suggested we could store them at the club between games. However, the site has two flag (one very big) and I've asked on dozens of occasions is somebody in the family stand (as it's the obvious area to make it visible without covering advertising) wants to be responsible for it .... but no takers. Likes if somebody wants to drape it on the empty seats in the DE, then just PM me.

Song lyrics. It's 2011 soon. If people want me to do a nice mobile version of the lyrics section with a nice "print and keep" version too, I'll happily do it.

[jim mk2]

I've mentioned this before but the greatest atmosphere killer for me which also prevents fans from singing and creating their own atmosphere is the inane, mindless loud "pop" music played before the match. On Saturday the referee was waiting to start the match and the music still hadn't been turned down. Perhaps fans forums / representatives might point this out to the club.

[47er]

Worst atmosphere for a long time on Saturday

Eerily reminiscent of that first match without Shearer in August 1996 ie when he'd gone to Newcastle and young Beattie was in his spot. There was a palpable apprehension in the crowd, like everyone was holding their breath to see what would happen, which either transmitted itself to the players or they had it already because, like Saturday we did nothing. Was it 3-0 to Arsenal? Have to dig the old videotapes out!

[Paul]

Fans atmosphere must be fan-led. Simple as.

Now, several of your suggestions we're capable of doing. Flags for instance, I've spoke to John Newsham a couple of times, and he's no real objection to large fan flags being brought in (very big ones need to be flame retardant mind), he even suggested we could store them at the club between games. However, the site has two flag (one very big) and I've asked on dozens of occasions is somebody in the family stand (as it's the obvious area to make it visible without covering advertising) wants to be responsible for it .... but no takers. Likes if somebody wants to drape it on the empty seats in the DE, then just PM me.

The problem is Glenn, as several us found out only too quickly a few years back, is everyone and his uncle has plenty of suggestions and "why can't we's" but only about 1% are actually prepared to do anything. The rest just want to bleat on about it. God help us if we ever need a revolution.

[Wild Irish Rover]

That would be nice.

(to havea match day atmosphere...)

(..which didn't involve moronic booing as the loudest feature of the afternoon from the fans' perspective)

Naaah. Never going to happen. Bloody Northern Gytes

[Ben-2000]

This topic comes up every few months on the fans forum and the club has tried pretty much every idea we've thrown at them (including several of us pushing doggedly, for a number of years, for an unallocated standing area that would natually become a singing section .... something we never get the credit for), the problem is, almost anything the club does, is viewed as "being told what to do by 'the man'", so is therefore ignored or ridiculed.

Fans atmosphere must be fan-led. Simple as.

Now, several of your suggestions we're capable of doing. Flags for instance, I've spoke to John Newsham a couple of times, and he's no real objection to large fan flags being brought in (very big ones need to be flame retardant mind), he even suggested we could store them at the club between games. However, the site has two flag (one very big) and I've asked on dozens of occasions is somebody in the family stand (as it's the obvious area to make it visible without covering advertising) wants to be responsible for it .... but no takers. Likes if somebody wants to drape it on the empty seats in the DE, then just PM me.

Song lyrics. It's 2011 soon. If people want me to do a nice mobile version of the lyrics section with a nice "print and keep" version too, I'll happily do it.

There should be one or two large flags appearing in the Darwen end soon... but on poles... we're having a whip-round to see if we can sort it. The design etc is already in place. It won't be draped across the seats but waved by fans.

We hope this will encourage others to bring flags in the Darwen End too.

When a few of us from the Darwen End went to a meeting with the club a few weeks ago, it was mentioned that the fans forum had asked for a small area unreserved... and that when they did the Darwen End experiment they were shocked at how quickly it turned into what it has today.