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The Valley atmosphere

dansmudgedansmudge
edited July 2007 in General Charlton
As I've mentioned in an earlier post, I've only been watching Charlton for 5 years but at times last season I thought the atmosphere was the best that I'd heard at the Valley.

I'm wondering how playing in the Championship will effect the noise levels.

I'm personally hoping that getting rid of the people that only came to watch Premiership football will mean that things aren't so diluted.

It also seemed to me that the crowd got a lot rowdier when Pardew came in and the players actually started looking like they gave a toss.

So, most of you guys on here have experienced watching Charlton through various highs and lows, I'd be interested to hear what the atmosphere has been like in the past and if relegation/promotion has made a difference?

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    LenGloverLenGlover
    The atmosphere was pretty good last time we went down but back then we were grateful just to have had a taste of the Prem and we got off to a good start and sustained it.

    I think the boo boys will soon crawl out of the woodwork if we get a bad start this coming season.
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    Captain HaddockCaptain Haddock
    [cite]Posted By: dansmudge[/cite]
    I'm personally hoping that getting rid of the people that only came to watch Premiership football will mean that things aren't so diluted.

    I have never bought in to this idea. An empty seat sings no louder than a Premiership hanger on, but the hanger on paid to get in! I'd gladly take their money whether they sang or not.
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    lancashire ladlancashire lad
    In the "good old days" when we were in the 3rd Division and had gates of 4,000 in a ground that took 75,000 it was so quiet that apparently the players could hear individual remarks made by the crowd - which usually weren't complementary!

    Generally my experience is that if the players show that they care and give 100% then a Charlton crowd will get behind them, even if their not winning but if they also play exciting attacking football then it will lift off, give me a 6-4 rather than a 2-0 anyday.
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    MCSMCS
    After pards took over, and he was clearly a breath of fresh air, and it was what we needed, but with him came an atmosphere that was amazing! I few times i can think of, v Chelsea, westham and even better than that the spurs game, the crowd were passionette and whatever the score, i think we may of surprised a few people. I dunno what it was tho, strange tho that all of a sudden everyone was pulling together!

    I think next year will be much the same, as i reckon all the same people will be back and all them people realised how much a vociferous crowd does for a team. Lets hope so anyway.
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    CockersCockers
    Last year i sat in the North Upper (brothers S.T)more than i did in my own seat in the middle of the East and i noticed that when your singing in the covered end its really loud. But when i use my normal seat in the East, i always think the away fans with a full noisy allocation are a lot louder than the Covered end.
    If it was down to me, i would take the cover off the Away stand, get em soaked & cut down the noise levels.
    I remember speaking to a former player and him saying the old single tiered North Stand could be really intimidating because the roof was angled down towards the goal and the noise was aimed down towards the players.Wheras the South Stand where the noise is carried higher, but louder.
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    leftbehindleftbehind
    think it will be great LAst season was the best for a few years and can only get better

    RED ARMY
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    The BoatThe Boat
    been going for 6/7ish years and that is by far the best.. sure we've had our moments before but the second half of the season was consistant brilliant support and it even got aknowledged by the media who seem to enjoy belittling our support whenever possible.

    next season i hope for more of the same... and maybe a decent away following.. or is that too much to ask for?
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    mascot88mascot88
    the match against spurs, I think, was fantastic I was so proud of us as fans as we sang VFR on loop.... I think it brought us together as fans. a bit of adversity, and it gave me all the feelings through the years of being a charlton supporter I think that this year we will see a markerd improvement in the consistent crowd singing, the fact that the whole of the north lower, upper, nw, has sold out and sold out fast I think represents that people are drawn to the north and Im really hoping that that whole area is on the noise constantly...
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    CarterCarter
    Take the roof off the Jimmy South stand, that'll learn em.

    I can't remember Pompey ever having a roof on their away end
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    Oggy RedOggy Red
    Pompey -they've got one now.....!
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    dansmudgedansmudge
    [cite]Posted By: mascot88[/cite]the match against spurs, I think, was fantastic I was so proud of us as fans as we sang VFR on loop....

    If someone had said to me at the start of the season one of my best moments would be during the game that Spurs relegate us i would have laughed (and then cried).

    Completely drowning out the sound of them celebrating Defoe's goal was a proper lump in the throat moment for me.
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    Oggy RedOggy Red
    The crowd can definitely influence the result of a match.

    I've been going down The Valley for what seems like forever - and even in our struggling 2nd & 3rd Division days in the 60's & 70's, I could never remember the atmosphere so consistantly dire as Mr Curbishley's last season.

    The periods of stony silence, the heckling and booing of the crowd, was worth a goal start to the other team.
    And the team's heads dropped.

    The negativity of the football and the negativity of the crowd combined to make watching Charlton a truly soul destroying experience.

    However........

    In 43 years of watching Charlton, I can remember many times the team have been playing badly, and then the crowd has got right behind the team and inspired a truly exciting 'grandstand finish' - games when we've literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat -at the final whistle, the team have jubilantly celebrated with the crowd, and subsequently strung together an unbeaten run.

    The crowd - regardless of how the team is playing - when they truly get behind the team are our 12th man.

    We must never forget.
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    The BoatThe Boat
    that description of curb's last season was spot on.. made me shudder.. i hated those periods of silence... or when you could hear around 5 people trying to start a song and everyone being to depressed to even attempt to get it going
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    guinnessaddickguinnessaddick
    The spurs game was the best, have not seen it on telly, I think that it must have sounded good.
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    Charlton DanCharlton Dan
    [cite]Posted By: guinnessaddick[/cite]The spurs game was the best, have not seen it on telly, I think that it must have sounded good.

    Its on YouTube....

    Link
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    StanmoreAddickStanmoreAddick
    [cite]Posted By: Oggy Red[/cite]The crowd can definitely influence the result of a match.



    The crowd - regardless of how the team is playing - when they truly get behind the team are our 12th man.

    We must never forget.

    Best example of this was when BDL flashed up a score at the end of last season, the crowd went mad, an instant shot in the arm for the players and we scored.

    QED
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    Oggy RedOggy Red
    That was an inspired decision - it was the Wigan match wasn't it, still 0-0 in the 85th minute? - as you say, Stanmore, the crowd went mad and the players went for it.

    We got that penalty and turned a draw into victory.
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    eeladdickeeladdick
    maybe this year being that we are going to get promoted ,the club or someone can make a dvd of all the different games just focused on the fans in full flight,
    a bit like the old albums you used to see of the kop back in the late 70's
    would be brilliant
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    Oggy RedOggy Red
    People on hear post links to YouTube footage of - can I still call it the 'Covered End'? - singing Valley Floyd Road & stuff.
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    mascot88mascot88
    what about making VFR on loop the whole time as standard....
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    The BoatThe Boat
    thats ambitious..

    dont think it would work.. sometimes.. like chelsea at home this year..... u know the one... slap bang in the middle of 20 mins of C-A-F-C...a really powerful vfr would be ruined by another straight afterwards... but maybe as a last game of the season thing. i can't beleive some people remained seated for that though.. they have no heart.. or are just crippled
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    ThreadKillerThreadKiller
    [cite]Posted By: LenGlover[/cite]I think the boo boys will soon crawl out of the woodwork if we get a bad start this coming season.

    just a bit.
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    oohaahmortimeroohaahmortimer
    we've had a better start this season than last year!!
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    TELTEL
    Missed this thread when it was first begun, just read it all and seeing The Boats comments brings things back into perspective for me. God rest his soul.
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    Weegie AddickWeegie Addick
    Agreed, Tel. Let's see if we can win the next match in his memory.
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    fazzafazza
    Was thinking the same mate.
    Articulate bloke and had the same thoughts on those periods of silnce that killed me too.

    Must admit, we have to pick up the atmosphere as fans. Three losses can be turned around.
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    TELTEL
    I thought that on the way to the ground on Saturday, what a fitting thing it would be to win in The Boats memory. Im going along to St Mary's this Saturday, so I for one will give my all to supporting the team
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