HoganStand GAA Football and Hurling

National Forum

Croke Park zero atmosphere

(Oldest Posts First) - Go To The Latest Post

You need to Login to Post

Anyone else think the atmosphere at croke park yesterday was brutal. Ok two one sided games didn't help but most fans where I was sat seemed more interested in drinking beer and chatting amongst each other than cheering on their team. Been uneasy with the music big screen adverts in the stadium for last few years and it's getting worse. seanie08 (Monaghan) - Posts: 1798 - 06/08/2017 09:00:26 2029598 Link
The atmosphere is almost always dictated by what happens in the pitch at GAA games. When games are one sided there will be little or know atmosphere no matter how big the crowd. I've been to League games in Croker with 20k at them where the atmosphere has been great because the game has been close. MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13704 - 06/08/2017 10:06:43 2029635 Link
If you go to the same church on two separate days the atmosphere will be dictated by whats going on those days. If youre at a wedding there is a great atmosphere and if your going to a funeral its going to be sombre. My point being, Croke park isn't the problem here. People will only react and getting excited or otherwise about what they see in front of them, The atmosphere yesterday reflected the performances of both Armagh and Monaghan. Pathetic, All week we've been hearing about close encounters and expecting great games from myself included and what we got was rotten. It was a total let down because Dublin and Tyrone just took the mick out of two teams that just lay down and died and gave the respective teams the freedom of the pitch. I was hoping to see a bit of needle, a bit of fight, What Armagh and Monaghan "produced" yesterday was outrageously bad.. /the atmosphere just reflected that waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 06/08/2017 10:25:11 2029648 Link
Replying To waynoI: "If you go to the same church on two separate days the atmosphere will be dictated by whats going on those days. If youre at a wedding there is a great atmosphere and if your going to a funeral its going to be sombre. My point being, Croke park isn't the problem here. People will only react and getting excited or otherwise about what they see in front of them, The atmosphere yesterday reflected the performances of both Armagh and Monaghan. Pathetic, All week we've been hearing about close encounters and expecting great games from myself included and what we got was rotten. It was a total let down because Dublin and Tyrone just took the mick out of two teams that just lay down and died and gave the respective teams the freedom of the pitch. I was hoping to see a bit of needle, a bit of fight, What Armagh and Monaghan "produced" yesterday was outrageously bad.. /the atmosphere just reflected that" Can't really argue with any of your points - I had a lot of friends there yesterday and I've more selfies of them with Tomas OShea, Dermot Early etc etc with beer in their hands - what was produced yesterday didn't warrant a great atmosphere. IrishGael3 (USA) - Posts: 1092 - 06/08/2017 10:45:10 2029657 Link
Replying To IrishGael3: "Can't really argue with any of your points - I had a lot of friends there yesterday and I've more selfies of them with Tomas OShea, Dermot Early etc etc with beer in their hands - what was produced yesterday didn't warrant a great atmosphere." That's the crux of the issue here. Croke park simply isn't the problem. I was at the two days of action last weekend there and the Saturday night Armagh v Kildare game had an absolutely incredible atmosphere. I was at Mayo v Roscommon the following day, again, really good atmosphere, because they were tight, tense, close games of football. When you see Dublin and Tyrone just messing around knowing the game is wrapped up and the opposition from minute one not laying a glove on two of the most dangerous teams in the game then what you get is what you get. waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 06/08/2017 11:02:20 2029663 Link
Replying To waynoI: "That's the crux of the issue here. Croke park simply isn't the problem. I was at the two days of action last weekend there and the Saturday night Armagh v Kildare game had an absolutely incredible atmosphere. I was at Mayo v Roscommon the following day, again, really good atmosphere, because they were tight, tense, close games of football. When you see Dublin and Tyrone just messing around knowing the game is wrapped up and the opposition from minute one not laying a glove on two of the most dangerous teams in the game then what you get is what you get." As a Kerryman was at Kerry v Galway Quarter Final - pure dull atmosphere with nothing but murmurings around the ground of people discussing the weather & the price of cattle etc......thankfully I stayed on for the Mayo v Roscommon game as the previously dead Croke Park came to life and at times trembled such was the magnificent atmosphere throughout the whole game. Whats happening on the pitch creates the atmosphere not the venue nor the attendance. I was at the Minor B All Ireland Ladies Football Final in Duggan Park in Ballinasloe yesterday where Clare beat Meath by 3-11 to 4-7 and in front of just a few hundred supporters the atmosphere was brilliant as the contest on the field was super. Credit both teams for this and well done Clare on a magnificent win. dingle2 (Kerry) - Posts: 278 - 06/08/2017 11:37:55 2029681 Link
I actually thought the atmosphere yesterday was brilliant, i thought Monaghan were very quiet but the hill were as vociferous as i have heard in a long while in the first half anyway while there was still a game on. I saw blue smoke bombs and everything. TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 06/08/2017 13:02:56 2029713 Link
Finally people are starting to learn what I have been saying for years It's not croke park it's not any stadium it's not a full house or half empty ground none of this dictates atmosphere, it's what happens on the pitch that the crowd reacts to. The first game was abysmal to watch as a neutral both played all out defends except Tyrone could score when they all went forward that was the difference. The second game monaghan basically put up no challenge to win the match which was completely poor on their supporters as a division one team was very bad form. Also we had people talk about late opening of croke park, yesterday the gates were supposed to be open at 2.30 well the hill didn't open till 3pm with rest of ground already open. Also Armagh supporters were allowed on the hill with a flag about 10foot size that took up a whole area during the first game that read garvaghy road Orange men on tour. hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 06/08/2017 14:03:16 2029734 Link
Replying To TheUsername: "I actually thought the atmosphere yesterday was brilliant, i thought Monaghan were very quiet but the hill were as vociferous as i have heard in a long while in the first half anyway while there was still a game on. I saw blue smoke bombs and everything." Ah well if there were blue smoke bombs then the atmosphere must have been good ;) It was shocking, a dead atmosphere and from the stands the Hill looked a lot quieter and less atmospheric than usual - blue smoke bombs aside! GaaGaa78 (UK) - Posts: 285 - 06/08/2017 14:10:56 2029737 Link
I'd agree. The atmosphere at Croke Park yesterday was dead. A few points I'd make... - The current championship setup does not work. Simple as that. People are talking about the super 8 might not work but the current football setup very clearly doesn't work. - Play matches in smaller grounds with full attendance. - No more Double Headers. At any one time half crowd seem to be elsewhere. tyroneed (Tyrone) - Posts: 753 - 06/08/2017 17:05:41 2029799 Link
Looks to have livened up a bit this afternoon ruanua (Donegal) - Posts: 4966 - 06/08/2017 17:33:13 2029807 Link
Replying To tyroneed: "I'd agree. The atmosphere at Croke Park yesterday was dead. A few points I'd make... - The current championship setup does not work. Simple as that. People are talking about the super 8 might not work but the current football setup very clearly doesn't work. - Play matches in smaller grounds with full attendance. - No more Double Headers. At any one time half crowd seem to be elsewhere." True....just look at All Ireland Semi... Mayo v Kerry in Limerick. galwayfan (None) - Posts: 764 - 06/08/2017 17:40:07 2029814 Link
Replying To GaaGaa78: "Ah well if there were blue smoke bombs then the atmosphere must have been good ;) It was shocking, a dead atmosphere and from the stands the Hill looked a lot quieter and less atmospheric than usual - blue smoke bombs aside!" Good job there was some atmosphere on the hill cause it would be like a morgue if we were relying on the rest of the ground the create one. Dubsfan28 (Dublin) - Posts: 2509 - 06/08/2017 17:49:18 2029818 Link
CP is over used Last week Galway v Kerry should have been in Limerick and Armagh v Kildare in somewhere like Navan. A decent crowd in a provicial ground is far better than a dead Croke park Orchard_exile (Armagh) - Posts: 8 - 06/08/2017 17:53:16 2029821 Link
Very dull atmosphere alright, biggest anti-climax of a double header if you ask me. There was good craic outside the ground between the 4 counties, but complete opposite in Croker, had the feel of a charity match towards the end of the Dubs/Monaghan game Hill16Army (Dublin) - Posts: 88 - 06/08/2017 18:50:35 2029851 Link
Not today boy galwaydublin (Galway) - Posts: 226 - 06/08/2017 19:30:48 2029871 Link
Croke Park is part of the problem. The stadium doesn't lend itself to a cauldron in it's open ended design and stands being set too far back from the large pitch. I know alot of rugby guys who filled Ireland in Croker said the place just didn't have an atmosphere compared to the much tighter Aviva. That's not comparing like with like but it's another valid point. bloodyban (Limerick) - Posts: 1710 - 06/08/2017 19:34:31 2029875 Link
Replying To Hill16Army: "Very dull atmosphere alright, biggest anti-climax of a double header if you ask me. There was good craic outside the ground between the 4 counties, but complete opposite in Croker, had the feel of a charity match towards the end of the Dubs/Monaghan game" The football 1/4 finals have been a complete damp squib. We all knew who was going to win the games, but no one predicted the complete blow-outs. Or maybe we should have, if we were being honest with ourselves but none of us want to admit that the football championship has become a 3 horse race same as last year, with Tyrone replacing Mayo in the top three. Leinster was a complete bust this year; Kildare, no more than the other Div 2 finalist, failed to deliver in any way come Championship and flopped in their first real test. In Munster Tipp and Clare have flattered to deceive in recent years, but you'd really have to ask if they're as good as we think, or if everyone else has just got bloody bad. Connacht has become slightly more competitive, but the same applies to it as I've said about Munster. Ulster, for all the talk, has become as competitive as Leinster: Tyrone and a bunch of also-rans. festinog (Galway) - Posts: 3097 - 06/08/2017 19:44:40 2029884 Link
Replying To bloodyban: "Croke Park is part of the problem. The stadium doesn't lend itself to a cauldron in it's open ended design and stands being set too far back from the large pitch. I know alot of rugby guys who filled Ireland in Croker said the place just didn't have an atmosphere compared to the much tighter Aviva. That's not comparing like with like but it's another valid point." Agree, I've always felt that Croke is just too big for most games outside of the All Ireland semis and finals. M Lyster (Antrim) - Posts: 461 - 06/08/2017 20:07:05 2029897 Link
Absolutely nothing wrong with Croke Park as a stadium, look at the electric atmosphere the next day for the hurling. The problem is the muck on display the previous day. GAA fans are hard to please, unlike fans of other sports they react to exciting things happening on the field, and when that happens there isn't an atmosphere like it anywhere in the world. Not like most soccer supporters who have to create their own (at times false and artificial) atmosphere by singing for 90 mins because there's F all happening on the field. Pikeman17 (Wexford) - Posts: 22 - 12/08/2017 03:10:01 2032516 Link