This post may be a bit long, and is essentially just me rambling on a trail of thought, but sod it.
In a nutshell, every single club has the same issue as us with atmosphere. 99% of the time the away fans outsing the home fans. Supporters from all clubs need to unite to create ideas and proposals to improve atmospheres all round the country if there is going to be a change.
The only place I've been where the home fans have sounded loud throughout the game is Swansea. As those who have been will know, their 'singing section' is the corner just to the left of the away end. I think there's two reasons why they sounded loud: they were next to the away end and next to the pitch. I can't say if that corner would have sounded so loud from the opposite end of the ground, but I doubt it. Also Swansea have a smaller ground than us (20k), and as such effectively only have one small tier. That little corner is probably around 2-3k supporters. You give Swansea a home game at Anfield and stick them in the 300's and suddenly they won't seem so loud.
Unfortunately, whilst all the suggestions in here are valid, I doubt that any will be implemented. Moving the RTK block to the front will mean that the entire Kop has to stand to see the match. We don't have 12k supporters that wish to stand every game so that will be a no-goer.
Lowering ticket prices is another suggestion. Football and the club within it are a business. A business is run to make profit. We sell out most home games at roughly £45 a ticket. If you think our American owners are going to lower prices when according to business logic they should be increasing them I'm afraid you're barking up the wrong tree.
That being said, there is a way to lower ticket prices naturally. If clubs cut down on touting then there would be less demand for tickets, meaning that prices may be lowered. If you take 10 seconds to google ‘Liverpool tickets’ you’ll find numerous agencies selling tickets at well above face value. You stop these people from accessing tickets and it’ll be easier for proper fans to get them, and potentially at a lower price. Whist typing that paragraph the cynic in me realised that it may actually be in the club’s interest to keep touts buying tickets, as for them it is more demand.
I can only think of one viable way things may be improved, and to be honest it probably isn't viable and wouldn't improve things very much. The RTK section could be moved to one side of the Kop i.e. 108/208 + 107/207 (depending on how many seats are needed) and then bring the dad & lad section back to 306. There is nobody behind 202/203 so standing wouldn't be an issue, and it's nearer the pitch. The kids coming through would get their education from the Kop as opposed to the away fans/lower Annie/MX and would hopefully learn the traditions of our club and ensure that they are continued when they take the lead in years to come.
The main problem I can see with my proposal is shifting ST’s around who have probably been in the same seat for years. Whilst I’d like to think they would be happy to move in order to see the atmosphere improve, reality is they wouldn’t. Someone said above we have an older crowd than most in the league, and based on the people around me (all ST’s on the Kop) I think that’s probably true.
Older ST’s on the Kop probably do contribute to the problem I think. 20 years ago they may have stood and sung every week, but nowadays they don’t want to. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, they’ve done their bit. However by still sitting on the Kop they are preventing the atmosphere from being as good as it could be. If they were to move to the sides of the pitch, and get the stragglers from the other three stands who wish to sing on to the Kop, things might improve. I understand why these fellas wish to stay on the Kop, and to be honest they’ve got more right to be there than anyone else, but in terms of atmosphere I think they’re having a negative impact. This is a general statement, as obviously not all people aged 50+ sit on the Kop in silence, I’m just going by my own experiences and from what others have said on here.
Even with my proposal the atmosphere still wouldn't travel to the other side of the Kop, but unfortunately we probably only have around 2-3k fans that want to stand and sing every game, so it's more a case of putting them in the best possible position to make the atmosphere seem louder and to attempt to encourage other supporters to join in.
Football is an attraction for everyone now, in the same way the theatre is. Sarcastically comparisons are often made between the two when people are discussing atmosphere, but they actually attract a very similar type of person nowadays. A football game is no longer a weekend release for the working class man, it is a day out for a family.
RAWK and other forums/social media platforms are not a true representation of our fanbase. Reading through threads like this one you would assume that everyone is in the same boat i.e. we all want to stand and sing. Sadly most people at the match, even on the Kop, don't.
