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- 5 Dec 2017
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This is spot on.Atmosphere has been s**t for a couple of seasons, we could be playing great football and top of the league and still no one would be singing.
Where do you sit? I am near the back in the middle of the east stand, so where the atmosphere normally generates from, from looking around at the people there I can tell you it will make no difference whatever we do on the pitch, won't be a lot of songs coming out because its too old, too family, too couples, too on the phone distracted, too sober, too jaded, too reserved, too cowed by the fear of standing out amongst our family fan base who tut at you if they have to move their legs to let you into your seat.
The atmosphere at half time under the stand away to Leyton Orient was better than every home game combined this season, that was a well oiled, laddish crowd on an away day.
In truth the football club went after the sanitised, family crowd for the money, but in going after that its lost its soul and we have no edge at matches now, I felt more threat at the two days of my life I spent watching Harry Potter and the cursed child in a west end theatre a couple of years back.
You can hang some stuff on Buckingham but the s**t atmosphere predates him, it has been a morgue for the last couple of years under the two previous managers.
We need an influx of lads in there teens and twenties, we seem to lose them once they get to that age, they need to be able to come in groups and be allowed to enjoy themselves without the club and the killjoys in our fanbase combining with the grass hotline that's on the stupid big screen every ten seconds to try to crush the joy out of going to the game.
An improved atmosphere isn't going to come from boring old men in the south stand upper, you are irrelevant in this conversation really, you can just go back to checking how man u are doing on your phone and let the youngsters enjoy themselves.
Although Iโm surprised that more people arenโt being more vocal about the Joey shirt situation that you briefly mention. I think itโs pretty grim that the club has whacked ยฃ11 onto โhisโ shirt and is not sacrificing any of its own profits in return for this donation. Perhaps itโs this sort of heartless attitude coming from the commercial bods that is making me feel more disconnected than usual.
This, for me, epitomises all that's wrong with the club at the moment. The disconnect between management and fanbase has deteriorated with that, now almost legendary, Freudian slip by Uncle Timmy in calling us all "customers". Trumpeting a charity donation as a chance for us all to give to a good cause and all the while still raking in the profit is not a good image. Frankly, I'm surprised that both OxVox and OUSP have endorsed this sale to the extent that they have.Completely agree on the shirt. I know the club is a business but some things transcend that and donating to his charity and supporting mental health which affects many of us is surely the right thing to do.
Itโs absolutely mental. Heโs not even under that much pressure. Dale should be showing down the line and is ball watching, perhaps has a mind that long is forward so is covering. Matete is an option but Goodwin is the obvious easy ball or even a ball into that area between defenders and keeper. Worse! all of their players are in their half. How do we go from that to conceding?
If you are in the East Stand, you will know it's the youngsters that are checking the ManU results on their phones - us old un's are usually boring everybody in earshot with comments about how badly we're playing and singling out our particular scapegoat for special mention (Ruben in my case) - but at least we are enjoying ourselves...An improved atmosphere isn't going to come from boring old men in the south stand upper, you are irrelevant in this conversation really, you can just go back to checking how man u are doing on your phone and let the youngsters enjoy themselves.
The atmosphere was bad under Manning because the football (while effective) wasn't exactly fun to watch. KR's last season isn't really fair to use because the performances were dire, but before that the atmosphere was way better than it is now.
You're going to get a better atmosphere at a game where you draw 3-3 with 2 red cards than you would if you were to win 3-0 with not much else happening (extreme example I know, but you get the point).
Entertaining football gives life to a crowd, boring football kills it - unfortunately we've had boring football for while now.
'An improved atmosphere isn't going to come from boring old men in the south stand upper, you are irrelevant in this conversation really, you can just go back to checking how man u are doing on your phone and let the youngsters enjoy themselves.'
I appreciate your passion, HS, but I have to take exception to your final paragraph. I'm an 'old man' and I sit in the SSU, but let it never be said that I lack passion and have become irrelevant. I'm every bit as enthusiastic now as I was at my first game in 1962. We of a different age group are physically obliged to express our support in different ways to the youngsters. Let it also never be said that I check my phone for the Man U score or that of any other team for that matter!
Atmosphere has been s**t for a couple of seasons, we could be playing great football and top of the league and still no one would be singing.
Where do you sit? I am near the back in the middle of the east stand, so where the atmosphere normally generates from, from looking around at the people there I can tell you it will make no difference whatever we do on the pitch, won't be a lot of songs coming out because its too old, too family, too couples, too on the phone distracted, too sober, too jaded, too reserved, too cowed by the fear of standing out amongst our family fan base who tut at you if they have to move their legs to let you into your seat.
The atmosphere at half time under the stand away to Leyton Orient was better than every home game combined this season, that was a well oiled, laddish crowd on an away day.
In truth the football club went after the sanitised, family crowd for the money, but in going after that its lost its soul and we have no edge at matches now, I felt more threat at the two days of my life I spent watching Harry Potter and the cursed child in a west end theatre a couple of years back.
You can hang some stuff on Buckingham but the s**t atmosphere predates him, it has been a morgue for the last couple of years under the two previous managers.
We need an influx of lads in there teens and twenties, we seem to lose them once they get to that age, they need to be able to come in groups and be allowed to enjoy themselves without the club and the killjoys in our fanbase combining with the grass hotline that's on the stupid big screen every ten seconds to try to crush the joy out of going to the game.
An improved atmosphere isn't going to come from boring old men in the south stand upper, you are irrelevant in this conversation really, you can just go back to checking how man u are doing on your phone and let the youngsters enjoy themselves.
If you are in the East Stand, you will know it's the youngsters that are checking the ManU results on their phones - us old un's are usually boring everybody in earshot with comments about how badly we're playing and singling out our particular scapegoat for special mention (Ruben in my case) - but at least we are enjoying ourselves...
100% but I think the way theyโre profiteering from a late legend is pretty appalling. Because the โcustomerโ stumps up every penny of the donation via the increased price, all it actually means is that the club is playing on peopleโs emotions to increase profits. They make the same per unit as they make on a plain one. Itโs being done in the most brutal manner possible, IMO.I'd like to be wrong but I see this as the (almost) inevitable side of attempting to become a top 30 club.
I'm not sure how you can do that without losing some of the closeness.
Gentrification and rules going too far "the other way".....
As an old boy I would never look down on lads having a day out making some noise, bouncing about and having a laugh because we have all been there and done similar.
Getting rid of that by applying a fear factor of rude words, causing offence, punitive sanctions, grass by text etc has contributed to the dullness of football these days.
Its a bit sad when there is more atmosphere at the rugby than at the football!
Atmosphere has been s**t for a couple of seasons, we could be playing great football and top of the league and still no one would be singing.
Where do you sit? I am near the back in the middle of the east stand, so where the atmosphere normally generates from, from looking around at the people there I can tell you it will make no difference whatever we do on the pitch, won't be a lot of songs coming out because its too old, too family, too couples, too on the phone distracted, too sober, too jaded, too reserved, too cowed by the fear of standing out amongst our family fan base who tut at you if they have to move their legs to let you into your seat.
The atmosphere at half time under the stand away to Leyton Orient was better than every home game combined this season, that was a well oiled, laddish crowd on an away day.
In truth the football club went after the sanitised, family crowd for the money, but in going after that its lost its soul and we have no edge at matches now, I felt more threat at the two days of my life I spent watching Harry Potter and the cursed child in a west end theatre a couple of years back.
You can hang some stuff on Buckingham but the s**t atmosphere predates him, it has been a morgue for the last couple of years under the two previous managers.
We need an influx of lads in there teens and twenties, we seem to lose them once they get to that age, they need to be able to come in groups and be allowed to enjoy themselves without the club and the killjoys in our fanbase combining with the grass hotline that's on the stupid big screen every ten seconds to try to crush the joy out of going to the game.
An improved atmosphere isn't going to come from boring old men in the south stand upper, you are irrelevant in this conversation really, you can just go back to checking how man u are doing on your phone and let the youngsters enjoy themselves.
Your description of 'too this and too that' could apply to any club in any part of the country - it's not just exclusively Oxford, your describing social issues as much as anything. Check out some of the football being played and let me know what the atmospheres are like at Spurs, Villa, Leeds, Wrexham, Stockport, Portsmouth, Ipswich, Southampton etc - could probably add Salford to that list now too. All teams that are playing aggressive, high tempo football and scoring aplenty. The atmospheres are bouncing. The atmospheres will also be good at struggling clubs who are giving it a right go - Luton, the best example. You get out what you put in.
I hope you *are* wrong. If attempting to become a top 30 club means that you cynically exploit your 'customers' on the way, then we need some different management who see reaching that aim as a joint enterprise. It's not as if they are going to sell tens of thousands of the things - so matching the 11 quid to make it a ยฃ22 donation or even (as suggested elsewhere) raising the price by ยฃ5.50 and matching that to make an ยฃ11 donation would not cost them that much (and I suspect they'd still make money).I'd like to be wrong but I see this as the (almost) inevitable side of attempting to become a top 30 club.
I'm not sure how you can do that without losing some of the closeness.
I think the atmosphereโs been poor all season, even when Manning was here. Also, every teamโs fans that has come here this season has questioned us as fans e.g. by singing..is this a library, football in a library etcIn my opinion it is everything to do with the football. We are 5th, when we've been around 5th in recent seasons - notably the two play off campaigns - the atmosphere has been far more charged. We are entering the home straight, there would have been a real buzz in the Robinson era when we attacked non stop and scored for fun (Lincoln, Crewe, Gillingham etc). Stats might prove me wrong but I'm not sure we were any more porous under Robinson either - we had balance.
Everything was set up for Des to really connect with the fan base. The Oxford connection, team flying high and a feeling that we were getting a personable, bright, innovative, energetic coach. We've had the wind well and truly sucked from our sails with the sterility of the football. I think us fans are quite shocked and bemused by what's been going on and this has led to the graveyard atmospheres. We can't even be bothered to muster a 'Buckingham out' - it's like no one really gives a sh*t as to what's happening out there.
So unless we are on a high the atmosphere will be s**t? I would aspire to be better than that, not every season will be fantastic but we have had good atmospheres in mid table seasons before. I very much doubt anyone will ever describe Salford as buzzing by the way.
Northampton were loud last night they are midtable and a bang average, rudimental third division team, so how do they manage it yet we can't?