Sky Sports' Johnny Phillips: Make a stand for a better atmosphere at Wolves?

So let’s talk about the atmosphere. Liverpool have just taken Manchester City apart in the red hot cauldron of a European night at Anfield. Passions were running high. It was definitely a performance that took the lead from the fans.

Twenty-four hours earlier, an impressive fireworks display and Faithless’s house anthem Insomnia provided the rousing backdrop to Wolves entering the field at Molineux against Hull City.

But – unlike at Anfield – as soon as the game kicked off it turned a bit soporific. Of course, it is an unfair comparison. Wolves fans hoping to see their team leave the clutches of the seemingly eternal plod of England’s second tier can hardly be expected to create the same din as Liverpool supporters cheering their team on to a possible sixth European Cup triumph.

But the match day atmosphere at Molineux has become a hot topic of late. Who is responsible for it? Is it the fans who should take their lead from the players or the other way round? The team has taken The Championship by storm and done their bit. But the fans struggle to create the noisy environment the players need at times.

This is not a modern-day problem. Its roots can be traced back to the time Molineux became an all-seater arena. At the same time, when the new stadium was completed in December 1993, Wolves were undergoing a huge overhaul on the pitch. Expectation levels had been raised with Sir Jack Hayward’s cash injection in the squad.

During the summer of 1993, manager Graham Turner spent relatively big money on signings like Geoff Thomas, David Kelly and Kevin Keen. The following season, 1994/95, his successor Graham Taylor spent a small fortune. It was the chequebook management of the division with Tony Daley, Steve Froggatt, Don Goodman and John De Wolf signed up, adding to the anticipation.

There was a significant shift in the atmosphere. Previously, on the vast South Bank terrace, fans were more patient. A glass half full attitude – watching the side perform above expectations during the rise through the divisions under Turner – had re-energised the support.

But then Sir Jack’s millions brought a sense of entitlement and the support became more passive at home matches once the ground became all-seater. The expectation was to be entertained and it was often easier to moan when the expensive team under-performed. The glass was now half empty. And, being all-seater, it was harder to drown out the critics when there was no focal point for the singing.

Throughout the remainder of the decade and into the 21st Century, supporters became more fatalistic with each failure. Molineux became a happy haven for visiting teams; the home crowd notorious for venting its frustrations when events weren’t going to plan.

Despite a couple of promotions to the Premier League, this has never gone away. The tone was set in the early days of Sir Jack’s new stadium and it has never truly been shaken off through a generation.

The ‘new’ Molineux can produce great noise. The FA Cup tie against Newcastle during the promotion season of 2002/03 immediately springs to mind and, more recently, last season’s Cup tie against Chelsea stirred supporters.

The club’s hierarchy is engaging fans like never before and working to create a better atmosphere at games, but there is only so much that can be done. Some ideas are better than others and it is important to avoid the gimmickry of American Football. It is outside the ground that these initiatives can work best, creating an environment where Molineux becomes a gathering place well before kick-off.

Inside the ground, the classiest places keep it simple. Manchester United and Liverpool rely on a tried and trusted pre-match music playlist, each using their city’s vibrant music scene as the clock ticks towards kick-off. Neither ground has a big screen in sight. The frippery is kept to a minimum. But both United and Liverpool still struggle with their crowds. Some league fixtures can pass in virtual silence until a goal is scored. How often have we seen Jurgen Klopp implore his supporters to increase the volume?

To this end, all clubs are fighting a tough battle. The anti-social media age does not lend itself to rabble-rousing behind the team. Matches take place with fans buried deep in their mobile phone screens. Concentration levels are as low as ever. Fancy a song or a selfie, mate?

This week Dan Meis, the architect for Everton’s new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock, announced plans to create a large home end modelled on Borussia Dortmund’s ‘Yellow Wall’. Whether or not it includes similar safe-standing remains to be seen.

But clearly Dortmund’s home end is something to aspire to. It might be that only a similar creation at Molineux, with a return to standing on an improved South Bank, would produce the desired atmosphere.

Wolves will be playing their football in the Premier League next season and Nuno Espirito Santo’s team will need the crowd far more than they have done in this campaign. Finding a way to make Molineux an intimidating place for visiting teams has been a problem that stretches back years. The club and team can do their bit, but Wolves supporters do not need to look far for the solution. As we saw at Anfield on Wednesday night, it is the fans who create the atmosphere.