Atmosphere at games

[Optimax]

On the eve of this season I've been looking back at matches from the past few seasons, and from watching games in 2010 to now I've noticed a down turn in the atmosphere at our games. We as a crowd don't seem as loud, and almost like we are just there instead of the menacing extra man we were in 2010.

Has any one else noticed this down turn? Is there any reason for it? Was winning the flag in 2010 enough to make us as supporters complacent and just sit in our hands? "We've seen our flag now, we are done", is it the on field results? Although I remember the crowd being loud even in losses

I personally don't get it, we went from the envy in terms of crowd involvement (not just crowd size) and now we are in the shadow of Richmond, and hawthorn.

 

[Baltimore Jack]

I think the on-field performances after our 2010 and 2011 years haven't lived up to supporters expectations.
I know from my own perspective I expected an era of domination (like Geelong) and when the reality hit in 2012 and last year, I felt a little flat
I usually go to 15 or so games a year, last year I only went to 10. My interest is still high but my excitement was lacking a little.

Now, having said all that, I really think with our recruitment over the last 2 years, I'm starting to get that 2010/11 feeling back again.

 

[Mental Magpie]

I think on-field performances after our 2010 and 2011 years haven't lived up to supporters expectations.
I know from my own perspective I expected an era of domination (like Geelong) and when the reality hit in 2012 and last year, I felt a little flat
I usually go to 15 or so games a year, last year I only went to 10. My interest is still high but my excitement was lacking a little.

Now, having said all that, I really think with our recruitment over the last 2 years, I'm starting to get that 2010/11 feeling back again.

This, and block buster fatigue. Every other side lifts against us including their supporters. We don't get as excited about beating sides as they get about beating us.

 

[mattys123]

I actually think it's got a lot to do with the "spread" of our fans around the ground, especially at the MCG.

When we first moved to the Ponsford stand area just about every club member who had a reserved seat sat in that area. Now though all legends (and some captains) members sit on the second level the whole ground around (except for the MCC and AFL members of course).

Our "family area" has moved from behind the goals to M9 (southern stand forward pocket) and it has resulted in a spread of fans around the ground which makes for less of an intense noise coming from one area.

The best example of this is the A-League and all the troubles the administration is having with "active areas", you see a remarkable difference in atmsphere when an active area is banned and the fans are spread around the ground.

The answer to this problem for the Pies? I seriously don't know. It seems most members would now prefer to sit on the second deck anywhere in the ground, or on the bottom deck in the Southern Stand then on the bottom deck of the Ponsford, and that's understandable.

I think our fans passion is still there, it's just not as concentrated in one area as it once was, at Etihad for home games we make more noise I reckon than we do at the G now.

 

[DinoSoar]

The team's form in 2012 and 2013 has a lot to do with it, very patchy and unpredictable with 2013 being more so. You never knew which side would turn up on game day, games that should have been won easily and convincingly were lost or we scraped through by putting in a big 3rd quarter effort. It was quite inexplicable at times and I remember going to many games not feeling confident and sitting there with a fingers crossed, holding my breath mindset all game. If a significant proportion of us are feeling that way then the end result is less of an atmosphere as there is very little to chant and cheer about if your team is getting beaten by GWS for 2 and half quarters.

 

[blaze036]

On the eve of this season I've been looking back at matches from the past few seasons, and from watching games in 2010 to now I've noticed a down turn in the atmosphere at our games. We as a crowd don't seem as loud, and almost like we are just there instead of the menacing extra man we were in 2010.

Has any one else noticed this down turn? Is there any reason for it? Was winning the flag in 2010 enough to make us as supporters complacent and just sit in our hands? "We've seen our flag now, we are done", is it the on field results? Although I remember the crowd being loud even in losses

I personally don't get it, we went from the envy in terms of crowd involvement (not just crowd size) and now we are in the shadow of Richmond, and hawthorn.

There appears to be a direct correlation between winning less and down turns in atmosphere

 

[TheFreshBanana]

I don't think I've particularly noticed it, but I did notice a possible decrease in our cheersquad last year.

 

[76woodenspooners]

If a significant proportion of us are feeling that way then the end result is less of an atmosphere as there is very little to chant and cheer about if your team is getting beaten by GWS for 2 and half quarters.

Could not disagree with you more there.

That was one of the few games I got down to Melbourne to see in 2013, and I've got to say that seeing us battle against the Jeremy Cameron machine (and record a team win) was *** A LOT *** more exciting than watching a second string Collingwood outfit (Cameron Wood, Tom Young, Caolan Mooney) canter to a defeat of GWS by 20 goals as we did at Skoda stadium in 2012. (That was the game GWS's Adam Treloar revealed that Scott Pendlebury was giving him on field coaching tips )

 

[DinoSoar]

I understand your point and agree with your perspective, I was just using that game as an example of how poor our attitude was in some games & how performance/output didn't match expectation and hence could give rise to lack of atmosphere. It was like watching a completely unknown team at times in 2013, so random and bizarre .....

 

[Vicky Park]

As 2010 progressed and the team grew in confidence and awesomeness, so did we. Pies fans were very loud that year, culminating in the incredible chant in the PF against Geelong. In that crowd of 95k, it sounded like 70% or 80% were Pies fans. That was effectively the last time those factors came together: huge Pies crowd + outstanding performance + grand final berth and flag imminent = amazing
atmosphere.

 

[legendstatus]

I reckon in some ways it has to do with footy 24/7 and the expansion to 18 clubs reducing rivalries etc...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Magpie Girl]

I went to a few games at the G last year (after not having been for a couple of years) and felt it lacked a little passion at times

It seemed a little sterile.
I miss all the streamers and those things (can't remember the name) that the cheer squad used to wave around. They provide great atmosphere.

Noise, and black and white 'mess', and chanting etc

When you look at those old photos we've been viewing lately in the 'memorabilia' threads....WOW!
Bring that back!!!

 

[Optimax]

I think the on-field performances after our 2010 and 2011 years haven't lived up to supporters expectations.
I know from my own perspective I expected an era of domination (like Geelong) and when the reality hit in 2012 and last year, I felt a little flat
I usually go to 15 or so games a year, last year I only went to 10. My interest is still high but my excitement was lacking a little.

Now, having said all that, I really think with our recruitment over the last 2 years, I'm starting to get that 2010/11 feeling back again.

That wasn't always the case though, we were shitful in the 90s and just as bad the mid 00s but we never suffered a lack of passion and crowd noise...the numbers dwindled the noise and passion didn't.

This, and block buster fatigue. Every other side lifts against us including their supporters. We don't get as excited about beating sides as they get about beating us.

Again, until 2010 we did...we as a supporter base loved that everyone lifted against us. Brought us together, made us louder...now we just shrug it off and it's disappointing and a little boring.

I don't think I've particularly noticed it, but I did notice a possible decrease in our cheersquad last year.

indeed, has been happening for a couple of years now. Definitely an issue

 

[danielnajdek]

It's all Buckleys fault.....

 

[Quicky]

What mattys123 said, but I also can't help but feel the dumbing down of the cheer squad has a lot to do with it. They're not called the cheer squad for nothing. And now they seem little more than a PG playground area at Maccas. Which shouldn't be the case. We have been far too PC and risk averse in this regard. They should be the heart beat of the ground. I can't help but feel an over-regulation of this area has sucked the life out of it. And our support, the 19th player on the field, suffers for it.

 

[Mental Magpie]

It's also hard to be passionate when the side has lacked passion at times. I'd rock up to the ground on a weekly basis, wondering which team was going to show up.

 

[Magpie Girl]

It's also hard to be passionate when the side has lacked passion at times. I'd rock up to the ground on a weekly basis, wondering which team was going to show up.

Good point
So do the players respond to the atmosphere, or does the atmosphere respond to the players?

 

[mike123]

We don't have any X factors in the team.

 

[Mental Magpie]

Good point
So do the players respond to the atmosphere, or does the atmosphere respond to the players?

A bit of both mg. When you see they're busting their guts from the start, it gets you going, which in turn, keeps their intensity up. Or they may lift when trailing. As another poster mentioned earlier, it's pretty hard to fire up when GWS are dismantling you for a large portion of the match. Basically, if the players are just going through the motions, so do we.

 

[Optimax]

It's also hard to be passionate when the side has lacked passion at times. I'd rock up to the ground on a weekly basis, wondering which team was going to show up.

Works both ways, I know that a number players have always said that the passion from the crowd lifts them to greater heights (I'm sure Ben Johnson won't mind me saying he was one).

 

[Optimax]

It's all Buckleys fault.....

I'm one of his biggest critics, but this is just stupidity masked as baiting

Not that I expect much more really

 

[Quicky]

Good point
So do the players respond to the atmosphere, or does the atmosphere respond to the players?

It feeds on itself.

 

[Quicky]

Works both ways, I know that a number players have always said that the passion from the crowd lifts them to greater heights (I'm sure Ben Johnson won't mind me saying he was one).

Like an encouraging comment from a team mate. But with the energy of 50,000 passionate and feral supporters behind it. It bigs you up and gets the endorphins charging.

 

[Mental Magpie]

I'm one of his biggest critics, but this is just stupidity masked as baiting

Not that I expect much more really

I thought he was taking the piss opti....

 

[THATSGOLD]

I actually think it's got a lot to do with the "spread" of our fans around the ground, especially at the MCG.

When we first moved to the Ponsford stand area just about every club member who had a reserved seat sat in that area. Now though all legends (and some captains) members sit on the second level the whole ground around (except for the MCC and AFL members of course).

Our "family area" has moved from behind the goals to M9 (southern stand forward pocket) and it has resulted in a spread of fans around the ground which makes for less of an intense noise coming from one area.

The best example of this is the A-League and all the troubles the administration is having with "active areas", you see a remarkable difference in atmsphere when an active area is banned and the fans are spread around the ground.

The answer to this problem for the Pies? I seriously don't know. It seems most members would now prefer to sit on the second deck anywhere in the ground, or on the bottom deck in the Southern Stand then on the bottom deck of the Ponsford, and that's understandable.

I think our fans passion is still there, it's just not as concentrated in one area as it once was, at Etihad for home games we make more noise I reckon than we do at the G now.

Nail on the head.