The Lansdowne Bore!

BraziliaNZ

The Austrian fans were great last night, chanting and singing the whole way through, everyone seems to get involved. Switzerland have amazing home support too. I'd never have thought of these countries as passionate football nations. Fans at Wembley are pretty bad but I can't think of any International team with quieter fans than us. Are we just a bit conservative by nature when it comes to these things? I don't think it's a new thing either, it was like this when I started going to games in the late 90s.

BoardsMember

Hang on a second, we're the best supporters in the world.

Collie D

The singing section behind goal in south stand does its job well I think. But bar that the rest of the stadium is very quiet

Lawrence1895

Germany can have a very dull home support as well.

homerjay2005

Lars1916 wrote: »

Germany can have a very dull home support as well.

same applies to alot of teams. the more modern stadiums that are built, the more lifeless the atmosphere becomes.

Lansdowne was an old ground, and was designed for keeping the fans close to the pitch and the sound was unreal. the new stadium is very dull and designed for corporate rather than the actual game that its supposed to cater for.

BraziliaNZ

Lars1916 wrote: »

Germany can have a very dull home support as well.

From what i've seen they're constantly making noise, doing that annoying key rattling thing when there's a corner etc.
I haven't been to the new Lansdowne so from my experience it was ****e before the upgrade!

Celly Smunt

The aviva is just too clinical.And whats the deal with the constant presentations?, every time I go to the aviva there's about 3 unknown people getting presentations for some unknown reason.

BoardsMember

I have only been to two games in Lansdowne where the atmosphere was cracking: v's Portugal when we scored a jammy goal near post and rode out a win having been overrun for most of the game; against Holland when Macca scored, again we were crucified but squeeked through. I think it was the latter when Keane clattered Overmars in the first minute, set the tone!

Anyhow, general observations of going to international rugby & soccer, and to GAA and celtic league and HEC rugby matches, usually they are noisy for the brief moments when there is something going on in the game that makes people shout. For whatever reason, the Irish are in fact quite poor supporters by & large. The away supporters, the hardcore, would appear to be among the few that sing songs throughout, hats off to them, the rest are not great.

dan1895

Ireland fans don't know how to act at a football match. The amount of times i've been told to sit down at games!!

Alias G

A fanbase which doesn't regularly attend local domestic games coupled with high ticket prices are not the ingredients of an impressive stadium atmosphere.

death1234567

Alias G wrote: »

A fanbase which doesn't regularly attend local domestic games

How has that any impact on the atmosphere in the new Landsdowne road stadium.?

BraziliaNZ

death1234567 wrote: »

How has that any impact on the atmosphere in the new Landsdowne road stadium.?

I guess they're not used to a tradition of chanting and singing throughout a match? The poster above is right, we only seem to make noise when something is happening in our favour

Alias G

death1234567 wrote: »

How has that any impact on the atmosphere in the new Landsdowne road stadium.?

Because they are more used to following their team on TV than actually getting behind them in a live arena and are generally ignorant of football supporting culture.

Fr Tod Umptious

I'm at a loss to figure how people equate the physical structure of the stadium having something to do with the lack of atmosphere

The old Lansdowne was a bore when Kerr was in charge.

It's what going on , or the lack of it, on the pitch that mainly determines the reactions from the stands.

roanoke

I do reckon it's a reflection of the football that is being played.

Back in the McCarthy era there seemed to be a lot of kick and run play down the wings from the likes of Kilbane. It may or may not have been effective but that sort of stuff can get a crowd going and raise the voices.

By comparison my primary memory of the Kerr era was the back four endlessly knocking the ball back and forth among each other until something presented itself in midfield. It might have been a more effective way to play but it was boring to watch.

BraziliaNZ

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

It's what going on , or the lack of it, on the pitch that mainly determines the reactions from the stands.

I don't know, Switzerland against Ireland in about 2003 under Brian Kerr were brilliant (the fans). And that team were dour as f*ck. It was in Basle if I remember correctly.

BraziliaNZ

roanoke wrote: »

Back in the McCarthy era there seemed to be a lot of kick and run play down the wings from the likes of Kilbane. It may or may not have been effective but that sort of stuff can get a crowd going and raise the voices.

Yeah I guess you're right to a certain extent. Duffer too, would always conjure up a nice run when he was at his peak and maybe skin a couple of players. So maybe it's a mixture of non football supporting tradition, and the absolute tripe we've been served up pretty much since Roy Keane retired.

Fr Tod Umptious

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

I don't know, Switzerland against Ireland in about 2003 under Brian Kerr were brilliant (the fans). And that team were dour as f*ck. It was in Basle if I remember correctly.

We are talking about home games here you know

BraziliaNZ

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

We are talking about home games here you know

I know, I meant the Swiss team and fans. I'm just trying to compare crap teams with us that have great home support

RasTa

BoardsMember wrote: »

Hang on a second, we're the best supporters in the world.

When we are drunk and on holidays

thecatspjs

I love singing and chanting at games, it can make boring games more fun too. I have noticed that some people are definitely self conscious about shouting (which is fine, especially once they join in when everyone around them is cheering). Some people though, really don't seem to have an interest and I always wonder why they bother. The same people who show up late and then leave 10 minutes (or more!!) early. They don't seem to care about what happens on the pitch.

Nobody has to cheer, but at least try to show a bit of passion. If we score, smile! If they score, shake the head a grudgingly comment about how it was a well taken goal in fairness (or scream bloody murder at John O'Shea)! Don't just sit on you hands wishing you were anywhere else!!!

carlop

Austria and Switzerland would both have a pretty well-established ultras culture that would regularly see displays in stadiums, flares, organised chants etc.

The average match-going fan in Lansdowne wouldn't be in any way familiar or exposed to that kind of matchday experience as it's not really that common to English fan culture (although ironically you get it in the LOI).

It's also far more likely that the Austrians and Swiss go to live football more regularly than the Irish fans.

Hulk Hands

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

The Austrian fans were great last night, chanting and singing the whole way through, everyone seems to get involved. Switzerland have amazing home support too. I'd never have thought of these countries as passionate football nations. Fans at Wembley are pretty bad but I can't think of any International team with quieter fans than us. Are we just a bit conservative by nature when it comes to these things? I don't think it's a new thing either, it was like this when I started going to games in the late 90s.

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

From what i've seen they're constantly making noise, doing that annoying key rattling thing when there's a corner etc.
I haven't been to the new Lansdowne so from my experience it was ****e before the upgrade!

How on earth are you supposed to know what the support is like if you've never been to the new Landsowne? And you title the thread 'The Landsdowne Bore!'? How exactly when you've never been there?

iDave

Had a cockney cousin over for the Faroes match this year and he said it was a lot better than anything at Wembley. He was commenting mainly on the YBIG lads in the south stand.

Hulk Hands

iDave wrote: »

Had a cockney cousin over for the Faroes match this year and he said it was a lot better than anything at Wembley. He was commenting mainly on the YBIG lads in the south stand.

I try to get in there for most games and generally the atmosphere is very good. Up until Sweden's second went in on Friday the place had an amazing atmosphere, easily one of the best i've been to. Our away fans are excellent, always loads of noise and a great atmosphere at them. Obviously in major tournaments we come across well, but plenty of that is derived form the 'drunk happy holidaymaker' attitude. Still no harm in that, produced an excellent atmosphere in Poland and from reports it was similar at previous tournaments.

What happens at the Aviva is you have the regular followers at one end producing a bit of noise, with the rest of the stadium often quiet. This stems from the FAI's child ticket scheme, where kids get in cheap. Obviously great to have loads of kids at home games, but it won't generate atmosphere. The guardians of said kids aren't going to be roaring their heads off either. The rest is usually made up of people who will only head along for a big game, hence why our crowds flactuate from a sell-out vs Sweden, to 40k vs Austria and down to 25k for Faroes. These people may join in a stadium wide chant every so often but aren't going to start belting songs on their own from their own section of the stand. And of course, you have the corporates which takes up a huge percentage of the Aviva.

Lawrence1895

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

From what i've seen they're constantly making noise, doing that annoying key rattling thing when there's a corner etc.
I haven't been to the new Lansdowne so from my experience it was ****e before the upgrade!

Sometimes that happens, but wait, until Germany plays muck, or the opponents score a goal, then the only noise you hear is either nothing, or constant moaning, because the supporters are used to success.

weldoninhio

Collie D wrote: »

The singing section behind goal in south stand does its job well I think. But bar that the rest of the stadium is very quiet

They were pathetic at the Sweden game, got a few things going at the start and when we went 1-0 up. Once Sweden equalised they never made another sound. Awful.

Idbatterim

the fact it looks like a LOI ground at one end probably doesnt help the atmosphere, not much of a cauldron, more of a pissing pot! the fact you cant have a drink in the seats while watching the match has also majorly put me off... In addition to the far from eye catching football on display and the ticket prices...

dan1895

Idbatterim wrote: »

the fact it looks like a LOI ground at one end probably doesnt help the atmosphere, not much of a cauldron, more of a pissing pot! the fact you cant have a drink in the seats while watching the match has also majorly put me off... In addition to the far from eye catching football on display and the ticket prices...

That would be the end with the tifo flags, fans standing up and lots of colour then, yeh?

Idbatterim

That would be the end with the tifo flags, fans standing up and lots of colour then, yeh?

Im not slating the fans and the atmosphere down that end, Im slating the design, its typical Ireland, everything half finished... This is off topic anyway, I have read threads on this and everyone has their own opinion...

roanoke

Idbatterim wrote: »

Im not slating the fans and the atmosphere down that end, Im slating the design, its typical Ireland, everything half finished... This is off topic anyway, I have read threads on this and everyone has their own opinion...

I get what you mean but nope, the problem is that it's fully finished and as such that's what it's probably going to look like for the next 50+ years.

Funny how when the stadium opened they even tried to present the ridiculously small size of that stand as being a positive insofar as we could put the away fans there and "intimidate" them.

LuckyLloyd

The singing section is great imo.

Ideally all fans would be more participative. Landsdowne should be making an unholy racket anytime the opposition put four or more passes together, but that type of intimidating atmosphere is reserved for Eastern Europe, Greece, Turkey, etc.

The rugby fans are also dreadful these days.

People want to be entertained. You're not there to be entertained.

Alias G

Far too much nonsense is spouted about the size of that end of the ground by people who just have to moan about something. I may be in a minority, but I think it is a curious quirk of design and am even slightly partial to it.

LuckyLloyd

Alias G wrote: »

Far too much nonsense is spouted about the size of that end of the ground by people who just have to moan about something. I may be in a minority, but I think it is a curious quirk of design and am even slightly partial to it.

Don't give a **** about the design. I just think it's silly to give the opposition fans such a prime place. They should be stuck up the corner of one of the main stands.

Alias G

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Don't give a **** about the design. I just think it's silly to give the opposition fans such a prime place. They should be stuck up the corner of one of the main stands.

Segregation issues determine the most suitable portion of the stadium for away fans. Generally not a good idea to put them in the upper deck as per England game in 96.

Gavin "shels"

Firstly, does anyone want to hear YBIG and their section just singing every Celtic song under the sun anyway? Their mentality was summed up on Friday with Luzocade and their flags on front of the section on Friday.

Secondly, look at the FAI Cup Final the past 3 years, granted it does be half empty but yet it pishes over any "atmosphere" created at Ireland matches.

darced

This post has been deleted.

EdenHazard

Some fans think they are bigger than the game, your there as a football fan. If I wanna sing I'll go for an X Factor audition. So lame.

simongurnick

I don't know how many matches I've been at where "fans" sit in the stands and just shout out abuse or even give advice to our own players. I remember a bunch of lads once spending half a game taking the piss out of Gary Doherty. Fair enough the doc wasn't our greatest player, but how the hell is that supporting the team!?

darced

This post has been deleted.

dan1895

EdenHazard wrote: »

Some fans think they are bigger than the game, your there as a football fan. If I wanna sing I'll go for an X Factor audition. So lame.

So you'd rather no atmosphere at games?

BoardsMember

BoardsMember wrote: »

Hang on a second, we're the best supporters in the world.

Yeah just ask the 150 people at the Belfield Bowl every 2nd Friday

Red Kev

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

I'm at a loss to figure how people equate the physical structure of the stadium having something to do with the lack of atmosphere

The old Lansdowne was a bore when Kerr was in charge.

It's what going on , or the lack of it, on the pitch that mainly determines the reactions from the stands.

Structure and design of a stadium have everything to do with it. I've been to the Olympic Stadium in Munich dozens of times to see both Bayern and 1860, it was a sh1te stadium for a match. No atmosphere, sound of the fans just went into the sky and you were miles from the pitch, especially in the terraced ends.

One of the things they concentrated on the most while designing the new stadium was to give it an "English flavour", where the fans are beside the pitch, where the stands are steep and the design of the roof makes it all feel a bit narrower. Turned it into one of the nosier venues in Germany and the fans responded by upping the atmosphere as well.

Bayern has a very middle class support, they from all over Germany to the matches. In the old Olympic Stadium the fans in the stands, in the normal seats would barely shout, in the new one they are up and singing and shouting along with the Ultras.

So yes, stadium design is important, it can make a huge difference, and the Aviva is crap. Too big, too open it's there for the corporate customers and the €70 for many games keeps certain people out who might get an atmosphere going in a tighter (not necessarily smaller) stadium.

adamski8

^ Exactly, they really messed up with the aviva and im actually not talking about the small stand (which seenily couldnt be helped with the housing issues.

The rest of the stands are crap too. Way too open and croke park esc. Ridiculus roof supports that totally dominate the view when your in the upper tier.

All the tier design is terrible making the fans feel like we are in totally different sections and not one whole stadium behind the team.

Even the little things like seat numbering arent done in apeasing manner! Toilets are a joke. Having the concorce walled off with those stupid see through panels letting the freezing cold in when you go there to get a break from the cold is ridiculus.

For a brand new stadium its one of the worst ive been to!

death1234567

Alias G wrote: »

Because they are more used to following their team on TV than actually getting behind them in a live arena and are generally ignorant of football supporting culture.

Nonsense.

Corholio

Red Kev wrote: »

Structure and design of a stadium have everything to do with it. I've been to the Olympic Stadium in Munich dozens of times to see both Bayern and 1860, it was a sh1te stadium for a match. No atmosphere, sound of the fans just went into the sky and you were miles from the pitch, especially in the terraced ends.

One of the things they concentrated on the most while designing the new stadium was to give it an "English flavour", where the fans are beside the pitch, where the stands are steep and the design of the roof makes it all feel a bit narrower. Turned it into one of the nosier venues in Germany and the fans responded by upping the atmosphere as well.

Bayern has a very middle class support, they from all over Germany to the matches. In the old Olympic Stadium the fans in the stands, in the normal seats would barely shout, in the new one they are up and singing and shouting along with the Ultras.

So yes, stadium design is important, it can make a huge difference, and the Aviva is crap. Too big, too open it's there for the corporate customers and the €70 for many games keeps certain people out who might get an atmosphere going in a tighter (not necessarily smaller) stadium.

So the people who would be making an atmosphere just happen to be the ones who dont want to/cant pay the ridiculous prices for the tickets? You make it sound like the whole stadium is full of upper class supporters.

We're just not as good as we constantly say we are. It was the same in Lansdowne, or was the stadium the wrong shape there too? Irish are great supporters, just not great at International atmosphere's consistently.

overshoot

Red Kev wrote: »

So yes, stadium design is important, it can make a huge difference, and the Aviva is crap. Too big, too open it's there for the corporate customers and the €70 for many games keeps certain people out who might get an atmosphere going in a tighter (not necessarily smaller) stadium.

in fairness i think the seating design (i wont mention the truss) is grand. iv always though it was quite compact and the crowd is quite close on all tiers for a stadium of its size. however its the usual with a new build where the cost of tickets go up and it heads towards corporate and away from the traditionally noisier fans. iv enjoyed some savage atmospheres in it from Ulster H cup semi a few years ago, the shams sligo FAI final and the clermont fans could really make noise in the H cup final (while it lasted anyway).

what really enforced the 'type of fan' argument for me was the amlin final last year in the RDS, near 20k in it for a euopean final, iv heard better atmospheres with less than 1k in Finn Park. so many in the stand were buggering off for 10mins (during play) for beer, some just for burgers!:mad: passion is everything to creating atmosphere. they were not what you would call passionate and unfortunately the aviva crowd is going that way with prices

death1234567 wrote: »

Nonsense.

personally i dont believe so, it can take a few games to really get into it, (especially if your not drinking like rugby fans are allowed)... when the games are a few months apart your not really in the habit... dont remember being in too many pubs with signing sections. (they've got worse since the recession set in too!)

Lawrence1895

My experience tells me, whenever you have a running track in the ground, the atmosphere is most likely muck, because the fans are too far away from the pitch...like in the old Packstadion in Gelsenkirchen (Sch****, you know)

But still, the atmosphere in the Arroganz Arena is nothing, compared to Dortmunds's Westfalenstadion

Zebra3

homerjay2005 wrote: »

same applies to alot of teams. the more modern stadiums that are built, the more lifeless the atmosphere becomes.

Lansdowne was an old ground, and was designed for keeping the fans close to the pitch and the sound was unreal. the new stadium is very dull and designed for corporate rather than the actual game that its supposed to cater for.

The fans are no further away from the play now than in the old ground.

The fact that the redeveloped ground is fully covered should ensure a better atmosphere.

The reality is, despite the best effort of some fans, most people going to the Ireland games have either no interest in generating an atmosphere or don't know how to.

Alias G

death1234567 wrote: »

Nonsense.

Do you care to expand on why it is nonsense or should I simply pigeon hole you away amongst the "generally ignorant of football supporting culture" sect. Rapid Wien for example have a serious ultras outfit. No surprise to see Austria so well supported on Tuesday.

[Jackass]

death1234567 wrote: »

How has that any impact on the atmosphere in the new Landsdowne road stadium.?

Because they're amature fans.

If you're not used to going to games on a regular basis except when you get a weekend in Manchester off your misses one Christmas, then chants and atmosphere can't just appear out of nothing on the spot.

You see it a lot in rugby how chants and atmosphere has evolved over the decades, 22,000 average attendance at Leinster last season (more than some English Premiership teams) and having fans of the national team being regular week to week fans for their club has a knock on effect, even bringing "club" chants to national games etc. but also the willingness to get involved as they do week to week with their club.

GAA too, every year spending summer at games etc., the novelty and self concious nature wears off and it becomes more about just passion and supporting the team.

Irish football supporters are horrible compared to rugby in Lansdowne or GAA fans in Croker. Great when they go away to tournaments though, strangely. Maybe it's because you'll only get hardcore fans travelling for tournaments but not all bother with every home game.

When you have a "singing section" in the crowd, you can forget about it.