How can we improve the atmosphere at St Mary's?

Start scoring goals and we'll make plenty of noise!

More simple than all of these suggestions, get relegated. Go back to a more hardcore of supporters, it would get rid of the plastics and day trippers, and tickets will be cheaper. Going to games was a hell of a lot more fun in the EFL. Unfortunately St Mary's is now just one in many soulless Premier League stadia.

Would help if we had a better songbook too by the way, droning out OWTS for the hundredth time per match is no fun, neither is having to sing about *insert player name* hating Pompey.

More simple than all of these suggestions, get relegated. Go back to a more hardcore of supporters, it would get rid of the plastics and day trippers, and tickets will be cheaper. Going to games was a hell of a lot more fun in the EFL. Unfortunately St Mary's is now just one in many soulless Premier League stadia.

 

Would help if we had a better songbook too by the way, droning out OWTS for the hundredth time per match is no fun, neither is having to sing about *insert player name* hating Pompey.

Pretty much this really. Few factors that don't help; high turnover of 'hero' players and we had plenty of good, relevant songs about promotion, that haven't been replaced.

It's only going to get worse.

 

Why on earth would the club want to reduce ticket prices for anyone, let alone the nippers. Why would they want to do anything that costs money to increase the atmosphere. Why would they want more working class lads in that couldn't afford it without concessions & don't have any spare money to waste, except to lash it up elsewhere. They're perfectly happy with more middle class, richer , older,tourist type fan. More cash to spend at our outlets, less police & stewarding costs and more importantly we're pretty much full most weeks. I doubt there's many that refuse to go anymore because of the lack of atmosphere, but plenty of middle class joes that'll stop going if we turn the clock back. There's as much chance of 1970's 80's & 90's atmosphere coming back as there is of watching Chopper Harris or Tommy Smith type tackles. It's gone, watching football is a different event now.

 

 

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I'd agree with all of that. What's also getting stupid is the pc stance of the fa (abetted by the clubs) censoring what gets sung. All the stuff yesterday about lukaku, was he really offended by that? And the Brighton chants, are we supposed to qualify "does your boyfriend know you're here" by adding "of course he does as a loving lgbt/gender-fluid relationship is just as valid as a heterosexual one"? A lot of atmosphere has flown out of football stadiums in the name of middle class good taste and duckhunter's right, it ain't coming back.

More simple than all of these suggestions, get relegated. Go back to a more hardcore of supporters, it would get rid of the plastics and day trippers, and tickets will be cheaper. Going to games was a hell of a lot more fun in the EFL. Unfortunately St Mary's is now just one in many soulless Premier League stadia.

 

Would help if we had a better songbook too by the way, droning out OWTS for the hundredth time per match is no fun, neither is having to sing about *insert player name* hating Pompey.

You are obviously part of the new breed of fans who only started watching Saints during our brief flirtation with the lower leagues. Saints get the 12th biggest crowds in the country and have been in the top flight for 40 of the last 50 years. It's where we belong. Get used to it or go to watch a smalller club like Pompey. I remember watching Saints in the Championship, when there were swathes of empty seats. The atmosphere only seemed better because there were usually far fewer away fans in the Northam so we actually had the semblance of a home kop and a home advantage, and we could go away to half-empty stadiums where our thousand fans could outsing the locals. We were a big fish in a small pond.

IF our most vocal fans all moved to centre of the the Chapel end or if away fans were moved lightly to a corner of the Northam, we could still have a home kop capable of outsinging the away fans.

Just saw an article in the Mail where Steven Davis has urged Southampton fans to create a "hostile atmosphere". Which lets be honest, isn't going to happen.

 

 

 

Which got me thinking. It's been getting worse for a couple of years now and last year was probably the worst I've ever seen it (other than a couple of games - off the top of my head Inter at home?).

 

I do in part put this down to the change of fanbase (more tourists) in recent years and lack of entertaining football, however I guess the question is how can we improve it? I'm all for creating your own atmosphere, but it seems with our fanbase, who generally are only willing to sing 1 or 2 songs, are unable to do so.

 

Drum? - Not my personal preference, but there's no denying it does help improve the atmosphere if used correctly.

A band? - Similar to the above. Works well at England games.

Song Sheets for new songs? - I think these would help - IIRC, some where handed out for SRL chant

An 'Ultra' section? - For me this is just a no go, however it does work well at Palace and Huddersfield. Could we have a section of tightly packed fans who have flags / scarfs and create the atmosphere (maybe bottom of Northam or Itchen North) without having cringey black tshirts or think they are from Eastern Europe?

 

Is it just that as a club / country we are too friendly? I have to say, having traveled a bit across Europe both for both club and national games, I do enjoy the hostility of games in Europe. It's something that we just haven't really been able to recreate in the UK.

 

Any other suggestions?

How about finding someone else other than present incumbent, who can organise a whole squad that isn't journey-like( on finally acknowleged, as ludicrous long-time contracts) and can galvanise the home crowd with good, scoring football? Shiiite non-scoring team and squad = angry fans.

As that moron Canadian once said, something like, "we need our product to perform" . Therefore if it doesn't perform, change it. Give home fans something to cheer about. 0-0 at home = p*ssed off fans. MP can't polish a very dull T*rd.

Textbook

More simple than all of these suggestions, get relegated. Go back to a more hardcore of supporters, it would get rid of the plastics and day trippers, and tickets will be cheaper. Going to games was a hell of a lot more fun in the EFL. Unfortunately St Mary's is now just one in many soulless Premier League stadia.

 

Would help if we had a better songbook too by the way, droning out OWTS for the hundredth time per match is no fun, neither is having to sing about *insert player name* hating Pompey.

100% this. The best atmosphere at St Mary,s was our promotion season from the Championship. Must say it also helped with the fact we were going up and everyone was excited after years of misery at the club.

Other suggestions like said in other posts would be to introduce safe standing, adults only stands, lower ticket prices and allow banners and flags at the matches.

I think in years to come the PL would only be for the middle classes, upper classes and tourists, whilst more hardcore supporters would flock to the lower leagues. When people over here (the Netherlands) ask about English football I reckonmend them to go to the lower leagues instead of the PL.

Stop playing the my way song.

This season I notice they have played it earlier accompanying a montage of saints goals (against Watford watching the like of Channon,MLT and Lambert scoring was more entertaining than the actual game) on the big screen. Followed by "The Saints are Coming" as the team leave the tunnel.

the only way is to have an end where all the singing fans are in one area. Our vocal fans are split. The away fans can drown out our fans as we are spilt in 2.

Spicy games get a great atmosphere, but when the fans feel uninspired then the atmosphere follows on

First thing I would do is take the away supporters out of blocks 44 & 45 and use blocks 1, 2 and possibly 3 instead. I believe this is what LCFC do in their identikit stadium. http://footballtripper.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/king-power-stadium-leicester-city-seating-plan.jpg OK, this won't improve the atmosphere but it might stop the away support coming across as being so vocal.

To me the problem is the Chapel Stand. I got my seats above the half way line as my old man wanted to be there. Actually they suit me because my eye sight isn't the best, and I struggle to see the Chapel goal from block 2 when I sat there for the Norwich FA Cup replay (which actually was a blessing in disguise). I digress. The middle seats are where the older lot tend to sit and they are quieter. The ends, being cheaper, are where the noisy scamps should be. Northam does its bit, as do Blocks 1 &2, but the Chapel is just like.....a chapel. How do you sort that out? Maybe get the safe standing in the lower sections of blocks 17-19 (for ease, a plan of SMS - https://www.footballticketnet.com/files/images/seating_plan/st_marys_stadium_saints_bar_:__seating_plan_footballticketnet.com.png) The danger would be that it would take away from the Northam.

Stop playing the my way song.

And stop drowning out the fans before the game with ridiculously loud music and pa even when the players are on the pitch. No atmosphere builds up before kick off.

And stop drowning out the fans before the game with ridiculously loud music and pa even when the players are on the pitch. No atmosphere builds up before kick off.

I think that's actually helped so far this season as it's been much better than just playing My Way just before kick off.

Having the music loud and up tempo does help get everyone going. Rather than just hearing the away fans outsing us in that 10-15 minutes before kick off

Play this when the players come out of the tunnel

Stop playing the my way song.

And have a public symbolic destruction of it before the match begins in front of everyone.

Play this when the players come out of the tunnel

 

It would be great to play a different version of OWTS every match. There are some amazing ones out there.

Play well

Turn a blind eye to selling executive boxes to away fans.

the changing face of southampton Football fans

Old school

Lower leagues

present day

I'd agree with all of that. What's also getting stupid is the pc stance of the fa (abetted by the clubs) censoring what gets sung. All the stuff yesterday about lukaku, was he really offended by that? And the Brighton chants, are we supposed to qualify "does your boyfriend know you're here" by adding "of course he does as a loving lgbt/gender-fluid relationship is just as valid as a heterosexual one"? A lot of atmosphere has flown out of football stadiums in the name of middle class good taste and duckhunter's right, it ain't coming back.

you'll like this one then

FA covers up 'Super White Army' banner at Tranmere Rovers

A "Super White Army" banner was covered up during an England football match after a picture of it was shared online by one of the team's top players.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-41337127

It would be a small step in the right direction if people would kindly stop dropping their guts. These malodorous muppets have been stinking the place out for as long as I can remember. It's not funny and it's not clever.

It would be great to play a different version of OWTS every match. There are some amazing ones out there.

Everyone brings a ukele and the entire saints support strum sling to OWTS

We could wave our flat caps at the end of the song

Or Long Boufal Redmond and Tadic actually start scoring goals at least once every eight fixtures might help

We'll be fine as soon as someone releases an app that improves football stadium atmosphere. Maybe a snapchat filter which adds crowd noise.

you'll like this one then

 

FA covers up 'Super White Army' banner at Tranmere Rovers

 

A "Super White Army" banner was covered up during an England football match after a picture of it was shared online by one of the team's top players.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-41337127

IMHO - If the Saints Trust was a proper entity, and not just some busted flush once used to get minor celebrity status for a few individuals, one of the things they should have been in was making sure the atmos at SMS was up there with the best. They could have organised "themed" days, arranged for song books to be printed, whipped up support in the local press ans on social media.

An opportunity wasted.

It's only going to get worse.

 

Why on earth would the club want to reduce ticket prices for anyone, let alone the nippers. Why would they want to do anything that costs money to increase the atmosphere. Why would they want more working class lads in that couldn't afford it without concessions & don't have any spare money to waste, except to lash it up elsewhere. They're perfectly happy with more middle class, richer , older,tourist type fan. More cash to spend at our outlets, less police & stewarding costs and more importantly we're pretty much full most weeks. I doubt there's many that refuse to go anymore because of the lack of atmosphere, but plenty of middle class joes that'll stop going if we turn the clock back. There's as much chance of 1970's 80's & 90's atmosphere coming back as there is of watching Chopper Harris or Tommy Smith type tackles. It's gone, watching football is a different event now.

 

 

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Sadly i actually agree with everything you've said there, in fact i alluded to it. I genuinely think the time has passed now for English clubs in general having any kind of terrace culture and intimidating atmosphere (and that's all clubs not just Saints) and actually i think that's what the league and others want.

Football fans were absolute pariahs when i was growing up, painted as criminals, caged in, talk of forcing them to have ID cards etc. Whereas now every tory MP and Royal Family member stakes their claim to "supporting" a side, and you get match going fans that complain when people are too boisterous.

You are obviously part of the new breed of fans who only started watching Saints during our brief flirtation with the lower leagues. Saints get the 12th biggest crowds in the country and have been in the top flight for 40 of the last 50 years. It's where we belong. Get used to it or go to watch a smalller club like Pompey. I remember watching Saints in the Championship, when there were swathes of empty seats. The atmosphere only seemed better because there were usually far fewer away fans in the Northam so we actually had the semblance of a home kop and a home advantage, and we could go away to half-empty stadiums where our thousand fans could outsing the locals. We were a big fish in a small pond.

 

IF our most vocal fans all moved to centre of the the Chapel end or if away fans were moved lightly to a corner of the Northam, we could still have a home kop capable of outsinging the away fans.

I'm not the new breed of fan, been going since the early 80s, and i don't think a home kop is necessarily what we need. In fact we've never really had one in all my time going.

Back at the Dell you had a mixture, the archers next to the cage used to have a "certain" type of fan in it, same as under the east later on. The milton when it was a terrace (left side and right side) were always a little younger, and a few more dads & lads, than other sides of the ground.

Then when the Milton terrace went we had the bikeshed, and by your logic the Milton should've been our "kop", but instead we moved to the bikeshed (next to the away fans who actually got moved out of it because they were making more noise than us every game)

Then when we first moved to St Mary's the Northam made a serious racket to begin with because the Archers moved en masse, with some new faces added. The Itchen North only really picked up after the cup final season, and was much more of the older heads who'd have been under the east previous.

The lower leagues definitely improved our atmosphere for a bit though, especially coming up the leagues, as a lot of younger (18-25 year old) lads started going. That was because it was easy to go and cheap, so there's definitely some truth in showing that it's price that's the issue (even if a few of them got a name for themselves for other reasons).

Absolutely stunned if anyone would seriously like us relegated. It was winning every week that made the atmosphere good, as much as lower prices.

the changing face of southampton Football fans

 

Old school

 

 

Lower leagues

 

 

present day

 

wasn't the top picture Fratton Park in 84? No worry about atmosphere that day

According to the website I flinched it from its Highbury 1984 FA cup semi-final

1984: Everton Fans Invade The Arsenal Pitch As Southampton Are Beaten In The FA Cup

http://flashbak.com/1984-everton-fans-invade-the-arsenal-pitch-as-southampton-are-beaten-in-the-fa-cup-2838/

Reboot the mascot.

Free pies.

Oversized Harry Redknapp piñata which players are contractually obliged to smash before each game begins.

Squad of cheerleaders with Le Tissier masks.

Oversized Branfoot piñata which players are contractually obliged to smash before each game begins.

Fireworks.

Special 'zone' cordoned off for moaning millenials and OAPs.

The worst match I have been to at St Marys was the FA Cup v P'mouth when we lost 2-4 , apart from the gap in football ability the level of over the top bile directed at the players etc of P'mouth was embarrasingly awful . So hostile atmosphere no , the most enjoyable match was the 8-0 v Sunderland when the whole ground was enjoying themselves (apart from a few in the away end) . We even saw that Tiff Needell on the way out !

The worst match I have been to at St Marys was the FA Cup v P'mouth when we lost 2-4 , apart from the gap in football ability the level of over the top bile directed at the players etc of P'mouth was embarrasingly awful . So hostile atmosphere no , the most enjoyable match was the 8-0 v Sunderland when the whole ground was enjoying themselves (apart from a few in the away end) . We even saw that Tiff Needell on the way out !

Not sure if you're taking the p*ss here...

The Northam End should be Saints Fans only.

No one has ever convinced me that the away fans couldn't be moved elsewhere.

The Northam End should be Saints Fans only.

No one has ever convinced me that the away fans couldn't be moved elsewhere.

Not this again. The police want the away fans where there are. In the modern world the club would be bonkers to ignore that.

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The long term solution is to build a bigger stadium, circa 50,000; introduce safe standing areas and reduce ticket prices. That is what they do in Germany and the atmosphere at most games is first class.

Quite simply, the more people in the stadium, the better the atmosphere, the more support our team receives and the more is spent on a commercial basis.

As a comparison, Mönchengladbach's population is roughly the same as Southampton, yet last season Borussia Mönchengladbach's average attendance was nearly 51,500 compared to ours of just under 31,000.

In 19 home matches, our total home attendance was just under 590,000. In 17 home matches, Borussia Mönchengladbach's total was just over 875,000.

The difference is you can stand at a Mönchengladbach game for about £11 and sit from £15.

Quite simply, English football needs to stop milking the average punter.

Not this again. The police want the away fans where there are. In the modern world the club would be bonkers to ignore that.

 

 

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What's this 'modern world' you talk of?

To say there is nowhere else for them to go is bonkers.

The long term solution is to build a bigger stadium, circa 50,000; introduce safe standing areas and reduce ticket prices. That is what they do in Germany and the atmosphere at most games is first class.

 

Quite simply, the more people in the stadium, the better the atmosphere, the more support our team receives and the more is spent on a commercial basis.

 

As a comparison, Mönchengladbach's population is roughly the same as Southampton, yet last season Borussia Mönchengladbach's average attendance was nearly 51,500 compared to ours of just under 31,000.

 

In 19 home matches, our total home attendance was just under 590,000. In 17 home matches, Borussia Mönchengladbach's total was just over 875,000.

 

The difference is you can stand at a Mönchengladbach game for about £11 and sit from £15.

 

Quite simply, English football needs to stop milking the average punter.

The fact that we had better atmospheres in the lower leagues before the 10K extra PL tourists started turning up would suggest that's not the case. If we up the stadium size we will just end up with more jolly day out types who add nothing to the atmosphere.

What's this 'modern world' you talk of?

To say there is nowhere else for them to go is bonkers.

of course they are in the right place. their part of the stand is next to the road where most of the away fans will go before/after

The Northam End should be Saints Fans only.

No one has ever convinced me that the away fans couldn't be moved elsewhere.

marching saints jazz band .

although I expect they are all dead now

We could of course re construct the Dell.

The fact that we had better atmospheres in the lower leagues before the 10K extra PL tourists started turning up would suggest that's not the case. If we up the stadium size we will just end up with more jolly day out types who add nothing to the atmosphere.

I get your point about great lower league atmospheres. However, when we were struggling in The Championship, without the 10K extra PL tourists, the atmosphere was absolute ****e. Much worse than it is now.

Success on the pitch and /or entertaining football plays a huge part. The fact people are paying more to watch games these days raises their expectations and means they require more stimulus to create the atmosphere. The football served up last season, for example, was dreadful in terms of entertainment and that clearly had an impact. Hopefully we will see better displays this season and the atmosphere will improve.

Another difference nowadays is that so many people take their seats 30 seconds before kick off and therefore there is no atmosphere build up. In addition, the unrealistic expectations of many supporters leads to them waiting for the first opportunity to whinge and moan, rather than cheer and support their team. The atmosphere at The Dell was amazing - yes, probably because it was a tight and compact ground, but because we were totally ecstatic when we beat one of the 'big boys' as we didn't expect it.

You are obviously part of the new breed of fans who only started watching Saints during our brief flirtation with the lower leagues. Saints get the 12th biggest crowds in the country and have been in the top flight for 40 of the last 50 years. It's where we belong. Get used to it or go to watch a smalller club like Pompey. I remember watching Saints in the Championship, when there were swathes of empty seats. The atmosphere only seemed better because there were usually far fewer away fans in the Northam so we actually had the semblance of a home kop and a home advantage, and we could go away to half-empty stadiums where our thousand fans could outsing the locals. We were a big fish in a small pond.

 

IF our most vocal fans all moved to centre of the the Chapel end or if away fans were moved lightly to a corner of the Northam, we could still have a home kop capable of outsinging the away fans.

Been going to watch Saints since I was 8 in 1993 but cheers for your suggestion of going to watch Pompey, I can kindly tell you where to go on that front.

No I am not taking the pee I genuinely felt depressed at the level of hatred and the foul and abusive language directed at P'mouth players even at the Chapel end in front of families and young supporters . Rivalry is one thing but that was totally over the top and achieved nothing .

First thing I would do is take the away supporters out of blocks 44 & 45 and use blocks 1, 2 and possibly 3 instead. I believe this is what LCFC do in their identikit stadium. http://footballtripper.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/king-power-stadium-leicester-city-seating-plan.jpg OK, this won't improve the atmosphere but it might stop the away support coming across as being so vocal.

 

To me the problem is the Chapel Stand. I got my seats above the half way line as my old man wanted to be there. Actually they suit me because my eye sight isn't the best, and I struggle to see the Chapel goal from block 2 when I sat there for the Norwich FA Cup replay (which actually was a blessing in disguise). I digress. The middle seats are where the older lot tend to sit and they are quieter. The ends, being cheaper, are where the noisy scamps should be. Northam does its bit, as do Blocks 1 &2, but the Chapel is just like.....a chapel. How do you sort that out? Maybe get the safe standing in the lower sections of blocks 17-19 (for ease, a plan of SMS - https://www.footballticketnet.com/files/images/seating_plan/st_marys_stadium_saints_bar_:__seating_plan_footballticketnet.com.png) The danger would be that it would take away from the Northam.

I agree with your point about moving the away fans around the corner to blocks 1,2 and 3, but unfortunately for us as far as St Mary's is concerned this can't happen due to the executive boxes. This is where stadia like Pride Park and the King Power have the advantage and have been able to move away fans.

Placing the the away fans where they are was done with the best intentions but unfortunately we're stuck as it is for the foreseeable without construction work.

Drum? - No

A band? - No

Song Sheets for new songs? No, people learn them if they're good enough to catch on.

An 'Ultra' section? Not sure how this improves the atmosphere, we have two obvious areas already full of the same people that would be in this

I'll add "getting rid of music from before and during the game" to the list too, half the time now pre-match songs don't get going because something is blaring over the top of it, same with the natural maintenance of volume after a goal - interrupted by music.

I'd like to stick away fans in a corner like most clubs do, but I can't think of anywhere practical for them to go unfortunately.

Not sure why the north end of the Kingsland/Northam corner couldn't be used, other than it needs reinforcement/segregation to be put in.

That is the recipe.

 

We need packed stands of several thousand 15-25 year old guys from working class backgrounds who want to let off steam and discharge their natural aggression in a raucous but lawful manner at football. That means standing areas and affordable entrance on the gate.

Do people from working class backgrounds still go to football? I thought they had been weeded out!

Stop selling our best players and appointing sub-standard managers.

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A new song

18 goals in 19 homes games

Boring football played at slow tempo

Booing home fans and away fans laughing

Game after game we're seeing no goals

That's not entertainment

I say that's not entertainment