My take on tonights game+our support

[silentshrimper]

Ok 2 games straight for me. I have never felt so embarassed to be a shrimper fan at times after the 2 matches. The support from wedesdays and norwichs fans just comletly crushes ours, ours was non existant for most of the match. We dindn't sing hardly even when eastwood scored a stunning strike.

3-1 down and I actualy for the first time ever thought about walking out, not because of the potential rout but because of how terrible the west stand support had become. I stayed as I saw Tilly make 3 inspired substitutions and we went 4 3 3. Harold and Hooper came on causing all kinds of havoc and the chances started coming, we got a free kick which hammel put away so sweetly, he is the free kick taker we have missed recently. We went mad, and me and a few mates actualy got some vocal support and people started standing up, where was the stewards this time to tell us to sit down?

Chance after chance went by with norwich defence making some great blocks and the keeper making some great saves.
Francis then dwindled on the ball and gave it straight to earnshaw in the penalty area, francis looked to redeem himself with a good sliding tackle but it slid back out to earnshaw, somehow he missed and the comeback was completed in injury time with gower firing home at last!

What a game, but wheres the vocal support fellow shrimpers?

 

[EastStandBlue]

It was all in The East tonight... fantastic support there and the best I've seen for a while. Apart from the Norwich fan behind me, but it all came sweet in the end

 

[gazzacat42]

Excellent in the South as well, couldn,t hear the Norwich fans.

 

[(S)(U)(F)(C)]

To be fair, I thought the atmosphere got quite good in the end tonight, compared to what it is normally, but obviously the game helped that. The simple reason its not as noisy in the west as it used to be is because the vocal lads are all split up now the ground is always full, whereas before we all used to be able to congrgate together in the same block. Not everyone chooses to sing, its up to them, shame alot of people are slpit up bacause of the big crowds. (obviously not complaining about big crowds though!)

 

[pickledseal]

It wasn't that bad to be honest, in my opinion.
Not great, but not that bad.
Perhaps we persuade uncle ron to give away free 'hymn books'?

 

[grayhound]

Quote[/b] (EastStandBlue @ Sep. 12 2006,22:48)]It was all in The East tonight... fantastic support there and the best I've seen for a while.

Agreed defo one of the better atmospheres ive felt in the East for a long time

 

[silentshrimper]

Quote[/b] (grayhound @ Sep. 12 2006,22:57)]

Quote[/b] (EastStandBlue @ Sep. 12 2006,22:48)]It was all in The East tonight... fantastic support there and the best I've seen for a while.

Agreed defo one of the better atmospheres ive felt in the East for a long time

Shame I only heard them a hole one time over in the west.

 

[OlvisIII]

To be fair - away sections will always generate a lot of noise if there are 1000 + fans. Palace fans praised our lot when we travellled, as did Swansea, just a few examples. There are a lot of hardcore fans sitting in the same stand rather than spread around the ground.

 

[Scamps]

The atmosphere was rocking all round tonight... As soon as tilly made them 3 subs it got the crowd going... I was in the family enclosure and alot of noise came from there..

 

[callan]

true...I was a;so in the family enclosure and after the substitutions there was a load of noise.

 

[BRICKTOP]

Quote[/b] (scamps @ Sep. 12 2006,23:09)]The atmosphere was rocking all round tonight... As soon as tilly made them 3 subs it got the crowd going... I was in the family enclosure and alot of noise came from there..

Yep same here scamps that has gotta have been the best atmos in donks...my voice certainly knows it, now having to quench on a few stella mittz to sort it out ! dont know what the geazer who started this thread must be on...or should i say prob ear muffs on not appreciate it cos it was rocking and fantastic spectacle all round !

 

[Suffolk Shrimper In Dorset]

Quote[/b] (scamps @ Sep. 12 2006,22:09)]The atmosphere was rocking all round tonight... As soon as tilly made them 3 subs it got the crowd going... I was in the family enclosure and alot of noise came from there..

Agree with Scamps - I sit in the RBS and invariably that isa the area which starts the singing though a bit quieter tonight - I think one of the bods who starts it off at the back must have been AWOL.

Sound does not really travel too well in our ground, well at least from the perspective of sitting in the RBS. Despite the claims above I never heard the East tonight.

 

[* ORM *]

I don't know what part of the West you were in but it was rocking at times tonight. It's very hard to generate an atmosphere when you are playing so poorly. From controlling the first period of the first half we sat far too deep and got punished by a team playing very crisp, very effective first touch football. The third Norwich goal summed it all up with (yet another) wayward pass from Freddy.

Oh, and just seen the goals on Anglia. Darryl should have held onto the first one BUT the defence were all at sea in the first place.

At 3-1 down the only question was how many as Norwich continued to pile on the pressure and we continued to give the ball away far too cheaply. Three inspired substitutions by Tilly, each one of them completely spot on and almost instantly the atmosphere, and the performance, changed. I'm usually Mr Pessimist but as the 4th official held up the 3 minute board I turned to Leeboy and said we just need one more chance. The atmosphere in the West for the last 20 minutes was heaving, I must have sweated off half a stone as well.

Performance wise we were absolutely dire defensively and strangely enough neither Hammill nor Francis had bad games. Both centre halves were run ragged by a comparitive half-pint and remember Norwich came here with a 4-5-1 formation. I'll give Barratt some credit here because he battled with a heart of gold all night and worked himself into the ground.

Gutts definitely needs a rest and to be honest we could probably start Saturday with the team that finished tonight, though I've no complaints with the work-rate again from Paynter tonight.

I'll probably get shot down in flames but my m-o-m tonight was Kev Maher. All over the pitch again, battling hard, two fantastic shots. Hammill runs a close second but the entire team deserve credit for refusing to lay down, when it would have been very easy to do so. Tilly is often criticised for his substitutions so massive credit for tonights effort. The work put in by all three substitutes and the way the rest of the team reacted showed me that we do have some depth to this squad and though it's going to be a tough season I'm still confident of a comfortable mid-table finish.

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

Quote[/b] (scamps @ Sep. 12 2006,23:09)]The atmosphere was rocking all round tonight... As soon as tilly made them 3 subs it got the crowd going... I was in the family enclosure and alot of noise came from there..

Spot on Jeff, didn't know you had a family

Atmosphere much better tonight, was a bit quiet in first half and when we went 3-1 down, but as soon as we pulled it back to 3-2 the whole ground was going for it.

The atmosphere was about as good as we can make it at Roots Hall.

 

[Xàbia Shrimper]

Away fans will ALWAYS be louder that the home contingent simply because those fans are gathered together in one spot, in Roots Hall's case in the North Stand.

All-seater stadiums have, to some extent, diluted the atmosphere at football grounds. It's not really any coincidence that the atmosphere at Roots Hall changed quite dramatically when the more vocal home fans were removed from the North Stand by Vic Jobson's regime and spread across the other three sides of the ground, especially once it was realised that the new lego-brick South Stand, whilst affording great views, had sh!te acoustics. The layout of the ground also tends to limit the projection of noise from different area of the ground. When I was a regular at Roots Hall, the boys in the F Block claimed that they were the noisiest fans inside the ground when in fact they could barely be heard by those of us in the East Stand and South Stand. And it appears to work vice-versa; I have been in amongst the noisiest set of fans in the East Greens on a few occasions yet other areas of the ground claimed that the thought the stand was rather akin to a morgue. I seriously doubt that things will improve when (if?) the club moves to a new stadium in a few years time unless the architect appreciates the value of good acoustics. Otherwise the atmosphere has disappeared from top-flight football; greed and commercialism have seen to that ...

 

[pickledseal]

Maher would get my MOM too. Not sure who got official one, think I was still going mental about gowers goal!

Funniest bit of game was when Maher turned to give Ref his shirt number after abusing him and then didn't get booked!
That or the chap right at the end of the east doing a damn good job of winding up the norwich fans single handidly with his belly

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

Quote[/b] (silentshrimper @ Sep. 12 2006,22:46)]Ok 2 games straight for me. I have never felt so embarassed to be a shrimper fan at times after the 2 matches.

The support at most home matches last season was much worse than tonights.

 

[* ORM *]

Quote[/b] (Xàbia Shrimper @ Sep. 12 2006,23:17)]I seriously doubt that things will improve when (if?) the club moves to a new stadium in a few years time unless the architect appreciates the value of good acoustics. Otherwise the atmosphere has disappeared from top-flight football; greed and commercialism have seen to that ...

Not if we learn some lessons from the people that designed Swansea's stadium.

To be fair Mike the atmos was heaving at times tonight and as good as it's been over the last few seasons. You're spot on about the RH accoustics though. We could see the East and South going mental at times but we could hear next to nothing.

 

[Scamps]

Quote[/b] (Up the Shrimps @ Sep. 12 2006,23:16)]

Quote[/b] (scamps @ Sep. 12 2006,23:09)]The atmosphere was rocking all round tonight... As soon as tilly made them 3 subs it got the crowd going... I was in the family enclosure and alot of noise came from there..

Spot on Jeff, didn't know you had a family

Atmosphere much better tonight, was a bit quiet in first half and when we went 3-1 down, but as soon as we pulled it back to 3-2 the whole ground was going for it.

The atmosphere was about as good as we can make it at Roots Hall.

Yes jeff, i moved my family from the south lower to the west at half time...

MOM KING KEV the bloke was quality....
Bring on west brom!!

 

[steveo1]

Quote[/b] ]Darryl should have held onto the first one

Havnt seen the goals on tv but should the ball have been allowed to get to Earnshaw in the first place. Think it went over Clarkes head, same as the one we conceded against Sunderland. Maybe Sodje should be back in for his arial abilty.

Maher is good shout for M-O-M but if you picked from both teams it would have to be Docherty. Made 3 absolute last ditch blocks -1 maybe hit his arm - but without him there I think we could have won quite comfortably.

Surely its also time to give Harrold a start. I thought he gave us fresh impetus against Sheff Wed and did the same tonight. Also got the crowd going. If he doesnt play at West brom it would be nice to see him start against Brighton.