UKH

I was lucky enough to be at a packed out Anfield the other night for the Liverpool v  PSG match. The passion from both the home and away supporters was incredible as was the passion on the pitch by at least one of the teams

In contrast other euro matches this week seem to have been played in front of numerous empty seats and very little atmosphere and little passion on the pitch.

Am I biased in this opinion or do neutrals watching these matches agree?

I know this is a climbing forum, but it is ok to be a climber and a football fan

No one in England does European nights like Liverpool.

I was also at Anfield and the PSG fans certainly played their part. Amazing atmosphere yet again.

in contrast there were big gaps in the stands at Man City - is it because of price? Stadium capacity? Something else?

Liverpool remains one of the clubs where getting a season ticket is a long wait (I’ve been on the waiting list for 17 years - you read that correctly) so maybe the backlog of people wanting to watch them ensures full grounds?

The PSG match and the Man City match earlier in the year are memories I'll never forget, not just the match but the atmosphere outside the ground before and after. The arrival of the two team buses before the city match was pure comedy and a brilliant atmosphere (apart from the handful of idiots throwing things at the city bus!). The marching PSG Ultra fans arriving at the stadium was also comical and worth experiencing. 

To be fair, the PSG fans played their part in YNWA and were pretty respectful. Plenty of times that’s not been seen.

Dortmund on that 4-3 night was amazing and many of their fans came back the next day for the memorial service. Very classy.

Believe City were 15,000 short of capacity. Talks of money, too much football, crap weather and other sorry excuses for not filling the stadium.

Saw a tweet that said you can buy the best players and manager in the world but you can't buy passion.

I was a season ticket holder at Old Trafford and was surrounded by old fuddy duddies reminiscing about the old days, meanwhile the Stretford End was banging (especially when Martial scored against you boys)! It was torture to sit there relatively quietly (not that I'd particularly want to break out in song but atmosphere is a massive part of football / stadiums).

We're all essentially told to sit down, be quiet and not swear (fair enough), shout, voice our opinion nowadays.

Football tourists don't help either, neither does the telly! 

You’re right about football tourism - economically great for the clubs but poor for the heart and soul.

I think the series of bolt on stands at Old Trafford has contributed to a lessening of the atmosphere to be honest.

Man City have an offer of £57 for all three home CL games, this is very cheap, so i doubt it's price.

I paid £55 for the Liverpool v PSG match...

Well worth it

Absolutely, I'm spending the next 6 months in the Arctic so had to fit in a match before leaving, I chose a good one

Didnt see the game as I was watching Wigan beat Hull.  However, whilst I don't really like Liverpool FC, they do Euro footie better then anyone else - recently very exciting with a strong history.  Man City fans can be odd - many of them feel they should put winning the league above Champs League.  Just hope we draw them again in FA Cup !!

I photograph football for work, generally across the north west and midlands and would love to see a return to safe standing. There aren't many grounds where you can experience a proper atmosphere these days. Goodison Park usually offers up a good experience, but then it's one of few remaining proper football grounds, and indeed it's days are numbered. The best I've experienced was Galatasaray, not just 90 minutes of ringing in my ears, but the whole two hours between the gates opening and kick off too. Unbelievable. 

I agree. I know that a lot of climbers came to climbing in the past as an escape from team sports, and sometimes climbers I've known have been derogatory about football, often because of earlier unpleasant experiences with team sports at school. Admittedly there are plenty of things in modern football to be derogatory about, but at the core there is a very exciting and unpredictable spectator sport that embraces great skill and athleticism with an element of unpredictability that makes it compelling. 

I'm a kind of born-again fan, as a result of my son being a keen player and adopting Liverpool as a nipper. I had no choice... He chose Liverpool under the influence of our friend John down the road, who's a very keen climber but also a real Liverpool fanatic in the full sense. 

Safe standing - yes please!  Love the lower league grounds with standing or the 'sit/stand anywhere you want' attitude - miles better atmosphere.

Tickets available for £17.50 at the City game apparently. Statement from the Official Supporters Association went along the lines of "why should we get excited about playing clubs like Lyon". A bit depressing from a club that was averaging nearly 30,000 playing third tier football twenty years ago in a stadium with a capacity of 35,000. 40,000 with week, but in a 55,000 capacity stadium.

The vast majority of the Stretford End stands for a game and there aren't ever issues with the crowds.

Most away fans stand too.

I think it's only a matter of time! 

It is nice to see a few other climbing football fans out there. We are rare.

I was at all Spurs home Champions League games last year and the atmosphere was brilliant.

Wins against Real Madrid and Dortmund at a packed Wembley, games I will not forget in a hurry

Definitely depressing.  If a Champions League tie against a top 3 French team is not worth the effort then what is?

Not only that, but if you can get a ticket for less than £20!

My ticket for Anfield was just shy of £60.

In defence of Man City, they do sell out their stadium for music concerts

I've seen Bon Jovi, Coldplay and earlier this year the Foo Fighters, all packed out to capacity, really enjoyed the concerts but as a Liverpool fan there's always that feeling of being an away fan even at a concert there!