Interesting video here about acoustics and atmosphere inside stadiums. I was most interested in the section after 2 minutes or so. They talk about ‘the home end sucking the ball into the net’, I remember this being considered a dynamic in the old Gilbert Alsop stand when it was still a single tiered terrace. Have we permanently broken that atmosphere, or did we again see that against Northampton with the end full?
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I don’t think the atmosphere is permanently broken - Northampton, Burton, Cov and Gillingham a couple seasons ago and many other games being an example.
Think our fans just need to be a bit more positive sometimes as we can be at our loudest when being negative (and I get that we need something to cheer) but just needs to be a more of a positive atmosphere around the place at times and for more people to get involved when it is
Think it’s the clubs responsibility to try and draw in those casual fans a bit more and offer incentives to get those bigger crowds
Trouble is, when we do get bigger crowds the “new” fans don’t seem to understand the concept of fans being vocal. Me and my mates shout, sing, chant, moan every game but when there are “new” fans you tend to get strange looks as if you’re the local nutter just because you’re off your seat making a noise. It tends to make you less likely to add to the volume.
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100% get your point here as I’ve experienced this myself. Think one or 2 blocks together with the vocal fans in would help but everyone seems to be all over the place last few years
Would also like to see away fans moved to the ‘family’ stand and that being relocated behind the other goal to make a bit more of an atmosphere
Seem to remember that the atmosphere in the GA, while fantastic on many occasions, could be rather flat at other times - for example when we were struggling in the Barnwell and hibbitt eras with poor performances and small crowds. It was at its best i think when we had a good side playing positive attacking football and people like rammell and letao were banging in the goals. For all his success it could be like a library sometimes when Dean Smith was here with his tippy tappy approach when there was no end product - as it was at that Wembley borefest! If the new boy cook is the new rammell like many of us hope, with decent wingers to feed him, who knows the atmosphere might be back. Have to say I’m feeling more positive about this season than for a year or two
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The atmosphere is still there if you give fans something to cheer the garbage apart from odd game under JW did not encourage this.
The GA atmosphere could not get any worse than it was in the Barnwell era - no fans, no chants, literally non-existent.
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Barnwell only managed us at Fellows Park. He could be blamed for lots of stuff, but a bit harsh to blame him for the atmosphere in an end of a stadium that wasn’t even built when he was manager.
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Quite correct @geordiesaddler the closest he ever got there with his Walsall team was a trip down the road with some of his players in December 1989 when Bescot Stadium was still being built!
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My memory must be playing tricks on me - who was in charge when we moved then?
Cheers Fellows126 - was having a senior moment!
I get some strange looks if i get up to sing where i sit
That’s at home ay it? 
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ok when i did go 
tbh the pull of watching the saddlers will probably break my resolve this season, especially if we are doing well i think i will be asking the big question of whether my love of the saddlers is a big as my hatred of the way bonser takes the piss? I was talking to another fan the other day, i worked at his daughters house in green lane, and he has been at nearly every walsall game home and away for more years that i can remember. Buying every shirt we have ever had, and he is going to watch the blues next season because he said he never liked Graydon and he dislikes deano even more 
Wow, dislikes Deano? The scorer of the best goal eva at Swindon that produced raptures of glee around hundreds of sun burnt fans! What has he done to provoke him to watch blues? Is he a moasochist?
Or perhaps Deano broke into his house on Xmas day and pithed on his kids?
He wouldn’t elaborate on it? just said he lived near him on the beechdale.
Thanks for the picture. Hadn’t seen that before. Just placing all the names and just not quite sure on only 1 of them third from the right… is it big Andy Saville?
Hadn’t seen that picture before and not sure of all the names myself either but I’ll have a go. From the right Andy Dornan, Stuart Rimmer, Andy Saville(as you quite rightly pointed out), John Kelly, not too sure of the next three maybe Mark Goodwin, Keith Bertschin and Fred Barber, then last of all John Barnwell.
I’m sure someone will correct me!