Why did we even bother then? Why did we bother with supporting our promotion run? Why did we bother supporting the Pulis team THAT MUCH? They would’ve done it without us anyway? Same for most of the other seasons the summer shenanigans started us in the drop zone? Actually why don’t we just watch Prem football on the laptop? We don’t provide anything that tv money doesn’t so why?

Do the players and managers agree with you? Doubtful. As I said, the aim is to improve on that. Having a mute home atmosphere isn’t what I’d call a help. Maybe I’m wrong, along with Hodgson and any other previous manager, players and current players that comment on the contrary to you.

Or is it because the longer we’re here in the Prem the more we take it for granted, expectation, apathy, etc etc, because it now shows without the catalyst for noise there won’t be any the management and players value. Are we big time already and a mainstay in this league?

Isn’t the aim to improve it, so home form is better than away form and you’re not relying on counter attacks, breakaway goals, smash and grab victories, things like that? Or we could test the hypothesis that home support doesn’t matter, even though management and players say it does, until we have a real test of a season in the bottom 3, which shouldn’t be too far off given our size, Wilf may be off, etc etc. So we could be taking something away from a team in trouble or not maximising efforts in better seasons.

If you ask supporters around the Premier league, they’ll say football needs more atmosphere like ours, and now we have none. The only people who say it doesn’t apart from here and now are Arsenal fans when we annoy them with constant singing and support at the Emirates.

let me make this clear I sit in Block E and have done so since 1995 and I am NOT moving. There is solution to all of this the HF came about because they were near to the away fans and loved the banter. Move the away fans back to their original place and the HF will all want to go back to Block B. Simples!!!

Has any of yous lot seen some of the names sining the petishion??? I reckon theres loads of fake ones in there. We cant have that many fans called nigel can we?

Agreed, i think it unwise to consider the HF fools. They are clearly more than just youngsters jumping about and waving flags, banging a drum.

I think this will get more interesting, and is probably the wake up call that the clubs hierarchy needed, in that the fans 'own' the club and they're just custodians.

There's a place for both those wanting to sit and those wanting to stand, the latter migrating towards seating when age dictates; but we need the atmosphere to continually attract fans young and old alike if the club is to keep moving forward.

I wonder how many of those in the block behind the goal are 50+ (purely out of interest) and have simply become used to sitting, waiting to be entertained as the article from the Independent suggests...I thought it was a good article and not far off of the mark.

Ultimately, if the club see fit to kick ANY OF US out of our seats for a re-shuffle there's nothing (that I know of) that can stop them. Is anyone aware of anything to the contrary?

So realistically, is upsetting a few of those in the short term for the continued progression of attracting young fans and developing an atmosphere (that on the whole) benefits the club and the team a bad thing?

Or is it just the way it's been handled that wrankles with people?