How can Silva's demands for a better Craven Cottage atmosphere be delivered?
What can the club and the fans do to make Craven Cottage less of a library?
Craven Cottage is often touted by football fans as their favourite away day in the league, and with good reason. The pubs are plentiful, the views are majestic and the the architecture is a throwback to the iconic stadia of the past.
Generally though, atmosphere is not one of the keywords used to describe Craven Cottage. It has its good days or nights a few times per season, but generally it’s pretty lacklustre. That being said, I think pretty much every ground I go to nowadays is poor. Most clubs have a rousing anthem at the start of a match, but otherwise there’s rarely much to write home about.
However, Fulham’s home atmosphere has been particularly picked up by Marco Silva. He’s made several references to it in the past, but we have learnt that towards the end of last season he specifically asked the club to come up with ways to improve the noise for his team. With the Riverside now open, the club can no longer just cite the renovation as the reason to not take immediate action.
As a season ticket holder with a seat two-thirds of the way up the Hammersmith End, I can definitely confirm that chants are sung by the back of the stand pretty much throughout the whole game. However, people I speak to located in the Riverside and Johnny Haynes stands pretty much unanimously confirm that the Hammersmith End is rarely heard unless it’s after a big moment such as a goal. Meanwhile, the away support is very audible throughout the match.
Given Marco’s position in the technical area, it’s maybe not surprising then that he’s likely sick of hearing “football in a library doo doo doo” and wouldn’t mind a bit more support from the 90% of people there to support his team.
We’re led to believe that the club are actively looking at ways to turn things around at the Cottage, so we thought we’d list a few feasible ways that the club could rejuvenate the atmosphere with a little help from you after this post we put on our X account.
We’ve not included things like ‘lower ticket prices’ or ‘remove away fans’ - even though they are obvious things the club should do anyway that would make an enormous difference.
Safe standing
Safe standing is almost certainly the easiest way that Fulham could look to improve things at Craven Cottage. The benefits have been seen at multiple grounds across the country, and personally my favourite away ends are now the ones that have it installed.
Quite simply, the only drawback is that it costs money to install. The club have explained in the past that it is apparently unfeasible in the Hammersmith End and the Johnny Haynes, leaving the Putney End as the only realistic option for it to be installed. Also, there is a Premier League rule that safe standing must be made available for away fans as well as home fans, so the Putney End makes the most sense anyway.
Re-work the Putney End
Let’s be honest, the Putney End is a mess. A melting pot of away fans, bemused tourists, away fans disguised as home fans and exiled/disgruntled former Riverside stand season ticket holders.
Some people might think there’s a charm to having a piss next to an away fan at half-time, but might I remind those people that Twickenham Stadium is a short train ride away.
As we’ve discovered on those famous European nights and also in games such as Derby County in the 2018 play-off semi-final, a raucous Putney End with proper Fulham fans in can make a huge difference to the atmosphere.
As I’ve written about previously, I honestly think that moving away fans to the other side of the Putney End would make quite a big difference, but even if that didn’t happen - encouraging young fans to migrate to this section is a no brainer. Almost every ground now has a section of vocal fans near to the away fans, and whilst sometimes these sections are a little bit tinpot, they do at least generate an atmosphere.
However, the only thing that’s going to convince Fulham fans to move to the Putney End is either cheaper tickets or safe standing. Both ideas that will cost the club money.
Ditch the clappers
Look, I get that sometimes we try and own the joke on clappers, but let’s be honest, they are one of the worst things about the match-day experience at Fulham for the reason that Lee states in his tweet above.
I have heard that decision makers at the club like them, but they really need to go out and survey the fans in the stadium. I am 99% confident that the response towards them will come back negative. I have no idea how much money they cost each season, but surely that can go to better use elsewhere.
A pre-match anthem
Pre-match anthems are a staple of football experience - we all know the great ones. Fulham’s pre-match anthem is… Insomnia by Faithless?
Don’t get me wrong, good tune at the right place and time, but… why? Not withstanding that Maxi Jazz was famously a huge Crystal Palace supporter, it just doesn’t really do anything to get a crowd going.
Most pre-match anthems (YNWA, Mull of Kintyre etc) are played in the gap between the players shaking hands and the match kicking off.
Fulham’s actual anthem ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You’ only ever seems to get played at full-time when we’ve won. Apparently, the club experimented playing it before matches in 2014, this is not something I personally remember, but apparently it didn’t really work. I’d love to see it given another try, but I understand that it maybe CTMEOOY should be saved for those victorious moments after games.
Recently, there’s been a movement on social media towards trying to get the club to play Viva El Fulham in this gap just before kick-off. Personally, I think it’s worth a try. Whilst it’s hardly Sunshine On Leith, at least it’s a song we all know the words to. Anything has to be better than listening to the Riverside Stand clap along to “I just can’t get no sleep”.
Encourage independent fan groups
This wasn’t in the replies to the tweet we did, but I really think the club and fanbase need to encourage independent fan groups whose intention is to improve the atmosphere at Craven Cottage.
Like them or loathe them, the fan-organised and fan-funded displays made by Crystal Palace’s Holmesdale Fanatics before the FA Cup semi-final and final were absolutely incredible. Compare that to Arsenal’s club-made tifo that was displayed before their Champions League match against PSG.
Equally, Wor Flags at Newcastle have been incredible at making displays that have helped turn St James’ Park into a much tougher ground to go to. These groups are not supporters trusts or content creators, they concentrate all their efforts into improving the atmosphere at their respective games.
I’m definitely not saying we need to create our own exact replica of either, but we should encourage independent groups who want to help improve the atmosphere, either by creating banners or other displays that help the team. Fan-made displays are always better than the corporate and safe options that the clubs themselves choose.
However, for this to happen the club and the fans in general have to play their part. The club need to be willing to work with an independent group, giving them the logistical assistance needed to get displays into Craven Cottage. Equally, fans need to play their part as well, supporting whoever is selfless enough to give up their time both morally and financially.
I am a Fulham supporter (>20 years) based in Toronto, Canada. In Jan/Feb 2023 I finally made it out to my first games at the Cottage. By your words, would you not want me to visit then, as a tourist?
In my eyes that is counter productive. We should want to build a bigger fan base, bigger club, etc. and continue to complete financially so that Fulham stays in the Premier League and does not become Charlton, Bolton, or Blackburn.
Your comments come across as elitist and old-timey. A bigger fan base is the only means for Fulham to survive. Like it or not, the Premier League and all of football is now a money game and Fulham need to deal with that.
The problem with a lack of supporter robustness and volume is not the fact there are new people joining at the stadium (stadiums need people!), the issue is, like myself on my visits, not knowing the chants, or knowing the history, or knowing the routines of the regular supporters, etc. I tried to find the chants and protocols etc. online, and even messaged Hammyend.com before I arrived but it was near impossible to get/find anything. There were a few nice chaps at the stadium at the beer concessions (I got a seat in the Hammy End, 10th row behind goal for both games) that were welcoming, engaging, and made me feel part of the club, but most were NOT and sort of ignored me, practically looking at me in dismay.
... If you are a 'club elder', then act like one. If you have experience at the club and want everyone to have as big a voice as yours during game day, then be a leader and bring others in and make everyone comfortable, don't just be a complainer! (again, Hammyend.com)
How is one supposed to add their voice and become part of the euphoria without the means to do so?
Suggestions:
*Have a 'be a fan' (ok that is a ridiculous name, but you get the point) site in cahoots with FFC (for ££ funding) that =In a few paragraphs or pages= spells the basics of the club, the experience at the Cottage, how/what to chant, the pubs to go to before and after the game (I STILL cannot get over there are no beers at the seats during games ... WTF? This isn't the 80's anymore)
*More incentives to get to the Cottage before kickoff for the same as above.
*There need to be more Cottage tours/experiences before game day for the same as above.
Fulham culture is somewhat hidden and not shared readily. It needs to be more welcoming and accessible so that more people have the confidence to raise their voices at the Cottage.
Less corporate guests and tourists. The atmosphere is usually worse against a ‘Big’ club when there tends to be less home fan, season ticket holders may have swapped tickets and the club hold back tickets.There is always a great atmosphere when young fans get in at a discount.