St Johnstone fans

[RIP]

I’m an Edinburgh lad who’s been resident in Perth for the past 16 years.

Apparently when Saints started to toil this season their wee ultras group ‘Fair City Unity’ got together with club management and the Saints fan base to commit to increasing their support for their team.

Yesterday they responded to the cut price ticket by pitching up in numbers but the thing that impressed me most was that amidst a performance bereft of shots on target they chanted their support throughout.

Ten years ago, we had the best, most active singing support in the SPL. Now we have other clubs saying that if you stifle Hibs for half an hour, their fans will get on the players backs.

This isn’t a booing thread. Just a reminiscence from a supporter missing the Hibs12thMan and Sect43 days of old 🥲

[WeeRussell]

I’m an Edinburgh lad who’s been resident in Perth for the past 16 years.

Apparently when Saints started to toil this season their wee ultras group ‘Fair City Unity’ got together with club management and the Saints fan base to commit to increasing their support for their team.

Yesterday they responded to the cut price ticket by pitching up in numbers but the thing that impressed me most was that amidst a performance bereft of shots on target they chanted their support throughout.

Ten years ago, we had the best, most active singing support in the SPL. Now we have other clubs saying that if you stifle Hibs for half an hour, their fans will get on the players backs.

This isn’t a booing thread. Just a reminiscence from a supporter missing the Hibs12thMan and Sect43 days of old 🥲

They gave it the “what a *****y home support” and “is this a library” at us on a couple of occasions and even that couldn’t get a reaction out of us. Things are all just a bit flat at the moment but the good times will return.

[Bobby's Cinema]

Thought they were excellent gave a great backing.

[CentreLine]

I missed the AGM but believe the question was asked of those present whether they thought the ‘singing section’ should be in the FF lower. There was resounding support for this but it seems it would take time given the need for supporters to move. Now I was not there at the AGM so apologies if I have not recounted that absolutely correctly

[NAE NOOKIE]

I missed the AGM but believe the question was asked of those present whether they thought the ‘singing section’ should be in the FF lower. There was resounding support for this but it seems it would take time given the need for supporters to move. Now I was not there at the AGM so apologies if I have not recounted that absolutely correctly

Not seen too many reports from the AGM but you are the first person I've heard mention this. Where was the 'resounding support' from, the fans in attendance or the club? Don't tell me that even the posh seat boys in the main stand directors box have finally noticed our fans being outsung by 500 folk in the south lower game after game ... took them bloody long enough.

[Since452]

Away fans are always more vocal

[LewysGot2]

St Johnstone have the worst home atmosphere in the league so it was a wee bit ironic.

Mind you, the last game we had up there the plucky gang of singers unveiled a banner taking the complete piss out of our fans/singing section politics. It was mildly amusing 😀

[JimBHibees]

St Johnstone have the worst home atmosphere in the league so it was a wee bit ironic.

Mind you, the last game we had up there the plucky gang of singers unveiled a banner taking the complete piss out of our fans/singing section politics. It was mildly amusing 😀

Yeah that was funny. You have got to also take into account Saints have just had the best season they will ever have while appreciating they are struggling this season. Said to my son that our singing section had ran out of songs after 5 mins. They also need to sing songs other fans will join in with.

[eastterrace]

Not seen too many reports from the AGM but you are the first person I've heard mention this. Where was the 'resounding support' from, the fans in attendance or the club? Don't tell me that even the posh seat boys in the main stand directors box have finally noticed our fans being outsung by 500 folk in the south lower game after game ... took them bloody long enough.it was brought up at the AGM and the body off the hall were all for it, but Ron Gordon said it’s not going to be easy to do but they will look at it. The impression I got is it might be a few years down the line for this to happen.

[hibby rae]

I’m an Edinburgh lad who’s been resident in Perth for the past 16 years.

Apparently when Saints started to toil this season their wee ultras group ‘Fair City Unity’ got together with club management and the Saints fan base to commit to increasing their support for their team.

Yesterday they responded to the cut price ticket by pitching up in numbers but the thing that impressed me most was that amidst a performance bereft of shots on target they chanted their support throughout.

Ten years ago, we had the best, most active singing support in the SPL. Now we have other clubs saying that if you stifle Hibs for half an hour, their fans will get on the players backs.

This isn’t a booing thread. Just a reminiscence from a supporter missing the Hibs12thMan and Sect43 days of old 🥲

See I would say it's the other way around, I remember reading a quote from a player who said that very thing about Hibs circa 2012, 'stifle them and the fans will turn at home'.

I think a lot of the St Johnstone thing at ER on Saturday was down to different factors, they were away from home and fans are always a bit noisier then, they had the biggest away support they must have seen in years, and maybe due to us being a bigger club and they are fighting for their lives that feeds into it as well.

[Keith_M]

Thought they were excellent gave a great backing.


Unlike us misery gutses in the home stands.

If ma voice wasn't so high pitched and girly sounding, I'd start a wee singing section in the FF Lower...

[wookie70]

The singing section was fine in section 43. I think there is more focus on where it should be than the fact it is pretty insignificant. Even when the ground is sold out there is only 100 or so that can be seen trying to get things going and they look like they have given up the ghost if Saturday is anything to go by. The St J bairns pretty much owned them the last two games and they must have one of the smallest supports in the league. I'm not sure there is resounding support in rearranging the ground and displacing yet more supporters for the latest version of a singing section that will probably all grow out of it in a few years.

I was at the Livi game yesterday and the atmosphere built as the game approached by the simple method of playing songs over the tannoy that were recognisable and could be sung by the crowd. We had opera and lots of talking on Saturday which pretty much destroyed a growing atmosphere. Sunshine on Leith is an after game song and whoever organised that isn't into football and as it almost felt rude to talk when the lassie with doing her thing. It really isn't that difficult and from what I can see the match day experience efforts are doing more to destroy what was left of any atmosphere than it is helping.

If the singing section want yet another move then they need to show they are an important part of the atmosphere and at the moment that simply isn't the case. I get the build it and they will come argument and if it was free I would say go for it but at the moment it would be foolish to change the FFL into a standing section. What may be a better option is extending the kids prices to all areas of the ground and inviting fans to come and sit behind the goals advertising it as a singing section and perhaps reducing the price a bit.

[Keith_M]

∆

What he said

[Broken Gnome]

Can our singing section actually see the away end? If they're camped right against the edge of the stand, I'd be surprised if they can see a thing bar the goal line. Home and away fans should be able to feed off each other, no chance of that happening where they're seated.

Also notable that our designated group for atmosphere couldn't be further from any Hibs attempts to win a game in the second half.

[GreenCastle]

Even when we were crap under Butcher and Calderwood - the singing section was decent.

Obviously things and people have changed but apart the flags which look pretty good the noise is non existent.

Hibs / Easter Road needs change - do something different and that means change the FF lower. I will keep going on about it as it’s so obvious this will improve the match day experience for everyone. Doesn’t even need to be safe standing - just give them a block of seats like Saints hand in the corner or ideally centrally. Not upper tier - not side of the stand - behind the goals where fans can be seen and get behind the team.

[cabbageandribs1875]

Away fans are always more vocal


this

[RIP]

My point was that when results plummeted, the Saints fans in Perth got organised and stepped up their support for their team.

Fair City Unity may be young lads but I was in the South Stand and they had people of all ages and gender joining in the chanting. To me this shows that with just a wee bit of work between fans and club management, the players can benefit from a lot more backing.

As some people know, I worked with two other guys to set up the Singing Section in S43 in 2010. Then Hibs12thMan and Let’s Work Together. No teenagers were involved - it was people from the messageboards, HSA, Historical Trust and other fan groups. The noise and colour in the East was excellent even although the standard of football was dire.

The FFL is an area of interest for some fans. It’s been discussed for years but it’s clear that neither club management nor sufficient fans are keen. In the meantime we need to pull together as a club the way that other clubs have done.

Posting on messageboards helps air the topic but supporter activism is required to make something happen IMO.

[banchoryhibs]

Ron not only floated the idea of moving the singing section to behind the goals in the North Stand he also mentioned the possibility of a safe standing area there too.

Now that is well worth pushing for🤞

[LunasBoots]

Away end always gets a atmosphere, why not put them in there?

[Nakedmanoncrack]

The singing section was fine in section 43. I think there is more focus on where it should be than the fact it is pretty insignificant. Even when the ground is sold out there is only 100 or so that can be seen trying to get things going and they look like they have given up the ghost if Saturday is anything to go by. The St J bairns pretty much owned them the last two games and they must have one of the smallest supports in the league. I'm not sure there is resounding support in rearranging the ground and displacing yet more supporters for the latest version of a singing section that will probably all grow out of it in a few years.

I was at the Livi game yesterday and the atmosphere built as the game approached by the simple method of playing songs over the tannoy that were recognisable and could be sung by the crowd. We had opera and lots of talking on Saturday which pretty much destroyed a growing atmosphere. Sunshine on Leith is an after game song and whoever organised that isn't into football and as it almost felt rude to talk when the lassie with doing her thing. It really isn't that difficult and from what I can see the match day experience efforts are doing more to destroy what was left of any atmosphere than it is helping.

If the singing section want yet another move then they need to show they are an important part of the atmosphere and at the moment that simply isn't the case. I get the build it and they will come argument and if it was free I would say go for it but at the moment it would be foolish to change the FFL into a standing section. What may be a better option is extending the kids prices to all areas of the ground and inviting fans to come and sit behind the goals advertising it as a singing section and perhaps reducing the price a bit.

Spot on. Move, move and keep moving hoping somehow it will make a difference, its nonsense. If people want to create an atmosphere they will regardless of where they are housed

[Nicho87]

I’d give the singing section the end section in FF lower next to east and shift everyone who wanted to stay along to the empty seats in the other blocks.

Helps fill that lower section out
Helps generate noise around the stadium

[Keith_M]

Away end always gets a atmosphere, why not put them in there?


If there really IS a big desire to get in the stand behind the goals, then Saturday was the ideal opportunity to do it, with the South Stand being open to Home Fans.

If there really are massive number that want to stand behind the goals and sing, then they have to prove it. The same handful of people moaning on here about it is never going to change anything, as it proves nothing other than the fact that we all enjoy a good moan.

[RIP]

If there really IS a big desire to get in the stand behind the goals, then Saturday was the ideal opportunity to do it, with the South Stand being open to Home Fans.

If there really are massive number that want to stand behind the goals and sing, then they have to prove it. The same handful of people moaning on here about it is never going to change anything, as it proves nothing other than the fact that we all enjoy a good moan.

The voice of wisdom, thank you.

The East has always offered the best view of the match. My family group were in Section43 for ten years and previously I used to sing under the gantry, in the same position in the Old East. Since 1875 tried the North Upper as a pilot. Only a couple of hundred moved in Year One then some moved back to the East at the end of the season. Now they have all left.

In our heyday, the Singing Section would start songs and Sections 42-44 would join in. 1500 voices, noising up the away fans and still with a great view of both halves. When I helped Mister P and McBeath with their East Stand Singing Section campaign in 2009 I created a database of a few hundred fans willing to buy a seat in S42-44. We took that list to management as evidence of demand.

Me and five lads were in the South Stand on Saturday and it was nigh impossible to see what was happening in the other penalty box. Im struggling to see 500 Hibs fans giving up prime seats in the East to be stuck behind a goal. But if someone is willing to create a database of fans as evidence I’m sure that club management will move a bit quicker.

[jacomo]

The singing section was fine in section 43. I think there is more focus on where it should be than the fact it is pretty insignificant. Even when the ground is sold out there is only 100 or so that can be seen trying to get things going and they look like they have given up the ghost if Saturday is anything to go by. The St J bairns pretty much owned them the last two games and they must have one of the smallest supports in the league. I'm not sure there is resounding support in rearranging the ground and displacing yet more supporters for the latest version of a singing section that will probably all grow out of it in a few years.

I was at the Livi game yesterday and the atmosphere built as the game approached by the simple method of playing songs over the tannoy that were recognisable and could be sung by the crowd. We had opera and lots of talking on Saturday which pretty much destroyed a growing atmosphere. Sunshine on Leith is an after game song and whoever organised that isn't into football and as it almost felt rude to talk when the lassie with doing her thing. It really isn't that difficult and from what I can see the match day experience efforts are doing more to destroy what was left of any atmosphere than it is helping.

If the singing section want yet another move then they need to show they are an important part of the atmosphere and at the moment that simply isn't the case. I get the build it and they will come argument and if it was free I would say go for it but at the moment it would be foolish to change the FFL into a standing section. What may be a better option is extending the kids prices to all areas of the ground and inviting fans to come and sit behind the goals advertising it as a singing section and perhaps reducing the price a bit.


The club broke the singing section by treating them as a nuisance. Once broken it’s harder to fix.

[Eyrie]

Spot on. Move, move and keep moving hoping somehow it will make a difference, its nonsense. If people want to create an atmosphere they will regardless of where they are housed

Agreed.

One of the better atmospheres in recent years (outwith derbies and Ugly Sisters) was created by a tanked up hospitality group in the West that sang all game.

[LaMotta]

Even when we were crap under Butcher and Calderwood - the singing section was decent.

Obviously things and people have changed but apart the flags which look pretty good the noise is non existent.

Hibs / Easter Road needs change - do something different and that means change the FF lower. I will keep going on about it as it’s so obvious this will improve the match day experience for everyone. Doesn’t even need to be safe standing - just give them a block of seats like Saints hand in the corner or ideally centrally. Not upper tier - not side of the stand - behind the goals where fans can be seen and get behind the team.

:agree:


Ron not only floated the idea of moving the singing section to behind the goals in the North Stand he also mentioned the possibility of a safe standing area there too.

Now that is well worth pushing for🤞

:agree:


If there really IS a big desire to get in the stand behind the goals, then Saturday was the ideal opportunity to do it, with the South Stand being open to Home Fans.

If there really are massive number that want to stand behind the goals and sing, then they have to prove it. The same handful of people moaning on here about it is never going to change anything, as it proves nothing other than the fact that we all enjoy a good moan.


It wasn't the ideal opportunity though because that stand was opened up later to Hibs fans, and no one would really want to stand at the South End. They want to be at the traditional home end drawing the ball into the net in the second half. One day you will see the light on this :greengrin.

[GreenCastle]

Spot on. Move, move and keep moving hoping somehow it will make a difference, its nonsense. If people want to create an atmosphere they will regardless of where they are housed

While some of that is right - we have seen recently mostly due to dull football but the atmosphere has been awful most games.

Doing something different to the stadium and actually encouraging a section to grow and help will help both the team and experience attending.

Notice Hibs are hosting a fan experience event this Thursday - poster by Kieran Power …

𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵

Are you free Thursday night?

The club is looking for fans available for an hour between 6pm & 9pm for a discussion on Fan and Stadium Experience

This will be at Easter Road

If you’re free, drop me message here or [email protected]