The Croke Park experience and atmosphere

**Claret Murph** · 25/03/2007, 9:21 AM

Now was it just me or was the atmosphere at croke park yesterday flat , dead . I was at the game so for anyone who saw the game on the telly how did it come across ? Now the people I was with said that it was because it was a day game and the atmosphere on Wednesday night should be better but I think it was not a patch on Lansdowne .

**OwlsFan** · 25/03/2007, 9:36 AM

I was at the new Croke Park once before for a hurling match between Waterford and Clare so this wasn't my first visit. Magnificient and all that 3 quarters of the ground is, my own personal opinion is that the Hill 16 end takes so much away from it. Even one part has no terracing with a house of some sorts there. Imagine if the stands had swept around the whole way - it would be an unbelievable stadium but to me the "uncompleted" end that is Hill 16 takes away hugely from the stadium as a whole. I know this is sacrilege to dare vent a negative view of the stadium and unless there were planning problems or financial problems, I cannot udnerstand why the bowl didn't go round the whole way. Also with no covering to echo the sound, one could barely hear the Welsh support.

The atmosphere at the game was flat. I even felt it myself and found it hard to really get in to it, possibily because we know we're not going to qualify (despite the result last night between Ger/Czech). You don't lose away to Cyprus and draw at home to the Czechs to qualify: not with our miserable away record.

The negativity sounding me also irritated me big time. Four middle-aged men wearing not a hint of green spent the game having a go at Ireland (stopped once he scored) and Robbie. No positive comment about any player. Just jeers and scordful remarks. As for a similar clown to my left, I almost felt like hitting him. Apart from calling McShane "Jim", any time Kilbane or O'Shea made a mess of a pass, he'd scream at the top of his voice "Oh great pass, O'Shea" in a sarcastic manner etc etc On and on for 90 minutes he went - it almost drove me to distraction. I will groan when a bad pass is made but I won't scream abuse at players, especially at the likes of Kilbane who tries his best but isn't up to international football. To me negativity and abuse achieve nothing.

I didn't have any sort of sense of history about the game but it was a strange feeling to see a home game not at Lansdowne. Plus the added hour walk in to town to catch the Luas added to my sense of anti-climax about the whole experience.

Delighted with the 3 points but it's not a day that will live long in the memory. Mind you, at my age, not much remains in the memory anyway

**PaulB** · 25/03/2007, 10:05 AM

Agree 100%, didn't think the atmosphere was a patch on Lansdowne, and even that that is not great. We were in upper Davin, and most people around us were more excited by the mexican wave than the match.

Don't know what it is, but the thrill of an Ireland match has definitely gone, oh woe is me.

**andrew1977** · 25/03/2007, 10:13 AM

I have to agree with you also, i thought it would be a deafening atmosphere yesterday , (was expecting the noise level like the england rugby match ).
Was a very dead atmosphere, i was at the match and got a text from a mate asking was it as quiet as it sounded on the telly.
Wednesday night under lights hopefully will bring a better atmosphere.
The mexican wave was the only thing the supporters joined in all together with

**Dublin12** · 25/03/2007, 10:14 AM

Atmosphere was brutal,very little singing,should have rented in the rugby crowd,at least they have a few more songs to sing.Thought they should've handed out those green cards to hold up or even those batons that the Czech fans had at their game last night.

**andrew1977** · 25/03/2007, 10:18 AM

I dont think they could finish hill 16 with a roof on it because of the railway line that runs directly behind it ( i stand corrected though )
Fanatastic stadium, easily outstrips a lot of other european stadiums , flat atmosphere alright yesterday , landsdowne roar was much better , too many corporate heads appeared to floating round yesterday ,just there for the free lunch and to say they were at it, not one big of interest in how our team is doing at all, thats probably the last we will see of them at a match

**RonnieB** · 25/03/2007, 10:22 AM

And the "who are ya " chant

**Raheny Red** · 25/03/2007, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by andrew1977

The mexican wave was the only thing the supporters joined in all together with

Sums it up really!

**OwlsFan** · 25/03/2007, 11:27 AM

Mexican wave = boredom for fans. Never seen a Mexican wave at an exciting game. People watch it going round instead of watching the game

. I don't join in myself because (a) I don't like them and (b)as I almost missed the Ronnie Whelan goal in Hannover in 1988 because I was watching a wave go round the ground.

As for that London Cockney chant "Who are yah" ? Saints preserve us. Next we'll be hearing American chants of "Go Ireland"

.

**Claret Murph** · 25/03/2007, 11:39 AM

OWLS Where were in the the ground ? I was in the lower Davin and yer man who was anti O'Shea was somewhere to my left in the end a good few around me were laughing every time O'Shea got the ball as we knew yer man would go off his head again .
One other point It was my first time at Croke park but even in the pubs at the back of the Davin what i was in ( hogan stand "ryans" and the big tree after the game ) the atmosphere was flat .
I was talking to guy who was on my bus at the bar and an old guy turned on him and told him f**k off back to the south side with your other soccer scum , not much I wanted to say so we just moved off .

**RonnieB** · 25/03/2007, 11:41 AM

Oh yea. KEEP FLAGS IRISH. This bull**** with Celtic Irish, Chelsea Irish, Utd Liverpool etc etc . One part of the crowd booing Giggs as he plays for utd the other booing Bellamy as be plays for liverpool dear lord.

The singing of Field of Athenry with the god awful "Sinn Fein and Ira" thrown into it. I've had a better experience at a german 2nd division match than that ****e yesterday.

**OwlsFan** · 25/03/2007, 11:42 AM

Lower Cusack. A lot of Irish fans don't come to support these days. They come to jeer.

**Young Hov** · 25/03/2007, 1:04 PM

I agree that the atmosphere was terrible but it has an awful lot to do with the negative opinion of the Staunton regime and the team's performance yesterday hardly helped to generate an atmosphere either. To anyone thinking about bygone days in Lansdowne I can only presume ye're thinking about good, exciting games and not games like yesterday's pedestrian rubbish.
I also saw that horrible chelsea irish flag and the other one with chelsea printed over a tricolour. What are these people thinking?????

**theleprechaun** · 25/03/2007, 2:19 PM

in fairness they did give out the little green flags. i have to agree the atmosphere was not great.

**andrew1977** · 25/03/2007, 2:34 PM

Originally Posted by Young Hov

I agree that the atmosphere was terrible but it has an awful lot to do with the negative opinion of the Staunton regime and the team's performance yesterday hardly helped to generate an atmosphere either. To anyone thinking about bygone days in Lansdowne I can only presume ye're thinking about good, exciting games and not games like yesterday's pedestrian rubbish.
I also saw that horrible chelsea irish flag and the other one with chelsea printed over a tricolour. What are these people thinking?????

Good shot mate about that tricolour daubed with Chelsea across it..It was in one the corners of the David stand towards the Cusack, right ?
What are some Irish fans thinking of !! Most of us follow premiership clubs but to stick their name on an Irish flag is bordering on ludicrous .
And we call the English stupid some times !!

**onenilgameover** · 25/03/2007, 5:00 PM

Yep yesterday was poor..but its only a reflection of the team. The ''who are ye'' stuff is awful..the anti english premiership and rangers players is totally embarrassing...in fact alot about being a Ireland football fan is embarrassing at the mo. still we soldier on and wed will be better...

**Armando** · 25/03/2007, 5:38 PM

Too many people at the game who were there to watch the spectacle rather than support the team. If you're not going to voice your backing for Ireland when you're at the game then why bother going?.... just watch it on TV.

It's horrible that these people so easily get tickets while fans who really want to be there and sing their hearts out are left in the cold.

This decline has been going on for over 10 years now. When I was in primary school(late 80's - early 90's) we used to queue up from 7.00 in the morning to buy tickets for all Ireland games. These tickets would be on general sale at various outlets to the general public. Until that is restored again - say 20,000 on sale(first come, first served) - we will never have a cracking atmosphere again. You can bet your bottom dollar that the vast majority of people at Croke Pk yesterday would never dream of queuing for a match ticket - proper supporters would.

**Young Hov** · 25/03/2007, 5:51 PM

Originally Posted by andrew1977

It was in one the corners of the David stand towards the Cusack, right ?

Ya. It was at the corner between the Cusack and Davin stands

**Armando** · 25/03/2007, 5:55 PM

Originally Posted by OwlsFan

I was at the new Croke Park once before for a hurling match between Waterford and Clare so this wasn't my first visit. Magnificient and all that 3 quarters of the ground is, my own personal opinion is that the Hill 16 end takes so much away from it. Even one part has no terracing with a house of some sorts there. Imagine if the stands had swept around the whole way - it would be an unbelievable stadium but to me the "uncompleted" end that is Hill 16 takes away hugely from the stadium as a whole. I know this is sacrilege to dare vent a negative view of the stadium and unless there were planning problems or financial problems, I cannot udnerstand why the bowl didn't go round the whole way. Also with no covering to echo the sound, one could barely hear the Welsh support.

The atmosphere at the game was flat. I even felt it myself and found it hard to really get in to it, possibily because we know we're not going to qualify (despite the result last night between Ger/Czech). You don't lose away to Cyprus and draw at home to the Czechs to qualify: not with our miserable away record.

The negativity sounding me also irritated me big time. Four middle-aged men wearing not a hint of green spent the game having a go at Ireland (stopped once he scored) and Robbie. No positive comment about any player. Just jeers and scordful remarks. As for a similar clown to my left, I almost felt like hitting him. Apart from calling McShane "Jim", any time Kilbane or O'Shea made a mess of a pass, he'd scream at the top of his voice "Oh great pass, O'Shea" in a sarcastic manner etc etc On and on for 90 minutes he went - it almost drove me to distraction. I will groan when a bad pass is made but I won't scream abuse at players, especially at the likes of Kilbane who tries his best but isn't up to international football. To me negativity and abuse achieve nothing.

I didn't have any sort of sense of history about the game but it was a strange feeling to see a home game not at Lansdowne. Plus the added hour walk in to town to catch the Luas added to my sense of anti-climax about the whole experience.

Delighted with the 3 points but it's not a day that will live long in the memory. Mind you, at my age, not much remains in the memory anyway

Jaysus, that could have been me writing that - word for word! Even the hour walk to the Luas and sense of anti climax - although I managed it in 30mins

.

Also, there must have been clowns like those you mentioned all over the place. I had to endure the same crap - condecending ****s.....and they never sang once. Why exactly do people like this go to games - is it just to brag that 'I was there'. I actually had to tell one guy to shut the **** up (very unlike me

) because of his constant berating of O'Shea. If I'm honest it actually kind of ruined the game for me, more so than the tripe that unfolded on the pitch.

**eirebhoy** · 25/03/2007, 5:57 PM

You can't really compare it to the rugby crowd as rugby is an action packed game, yesterday's game was terrible. The guy I was sitting beside wasn't afraid to be the only guy in our section singing on his own so me and him were getting the people around us going.