There are loads of factors that have impacted the atmosphere this year - our performances have dropped a little, there is a more pressure on each match, we’re a (justifyably) nervous fanbase, our style of play isn’t swashbuckling enough to whip us up into a frenzy, corporate tickets don’t help, and neither do kick off times. All of those are a factor.
What I keep coming back to whenever this is brought up, though, is how easy it would be for things to change. (And I know that I always come across as a bit of a dick when I talk about it, so apologies). I sit at the back of the Holte, and it is very rare that there isn’t someone trying to get a chant going at any point. Little pockets of noise. Much to my dad’s dismay, I make it my job to be the first to join in in my section, and more often or not, a few others join in. Often, it doesn’t go any further than that - but it only takes a few people to transfer this to other parts of the stand/ground. Occasionally, you feel this wave of noise pass spread around the ground - it’s a great feeling.
It’s really not as complicated as people make it out sometimes, it doesn’t take much to have a big impact. Just a few people willing to embarrass themselves if no one joins in. This is also why I think a singing section is a pretty stupid idea. One section singing doesn’t do much. It’s more likely to make people think “I’m not in the singing section, so I won’t sing”.
Like I said, I know how this sounds. But I mainly do this as a release for my own anxiety watching us play. It makes me feel like I’m doing something to help, however minor the outcome might be. If everyone who tutted and said “the atmosphere is shit today” stood up and shouted, we’d have the loudest fans in the world.
