That picture of the Millwall fans in the huge away end last night

shows what a stupid decision John Dennis made to build a 6,000 away end, totally kills the atmosphere in the ground. The Don's always going on about cutting costs and how much extra it costs to open up the other end of it. The stand should have been shut last night and the Millwall fans put in the Upper West Stand.

 

I guess the decision was based on Premiership away crowds

 

If that's what they based it on after one flash in a pan season then its even more comical. Even when it was built in 2000 and we were in the play offs l never thought we'd be an established Premiership club. Could have built the exact same as the Ponty and if needed away fans could have had the extra 1500 in the West.

 

Was there once the plan to move home fans into it and swap if we went up?

Easy to split it if we go up. One size of Ponty would have been better. Still, we got £4.5m for Ward to build it.

 

And that's your solution to improve the atmosphere is it?

 

Said this to my dad last night, I'm in Ponty and he's in East.

When they know crowd is going to be less than 2,500/3,000 we should close the north and put away fans in the West Upper and Lower.

Save money from closing north, and might create a bit of atmosphere.

Something we should deffinately do IMO.

 

Away fans closer to the home singing sections improves the atmosphere.

 

do you actually know how much it cost to build? it might have actually been cost effective to build that many seats

as for opening it last night its probably easier to put them in the west upper but isnt that closed usually too?

 

It's not just a stand though is it? The academy facilities and dressing rooms are underneath it.

 

Always stewards on that side of the West Stand even when its not being used and there also seems to be a handful of folk watching the game from there, some are Oakwell staff.

Was it £4 million but it includes the academy changing rooms, gym facilities, offices for managers & coaches, undersoil heating control room is also under that stand. But all those could have been under a stand the size of the Ponty, they're only on the bottom level.

 

When theres a few thousand then keep it open.

Otherwise have half as many stewards and put em in west upper.

 

Agree, such a waste to open it when such little away support turns up, can't blame Millwall fans for not turning up yesterday though. Tuesday night match in wind and rain with a few hour drive to get there... **** that! :O

 

I thought that.

If they're not gonna put em in west upper then at least put them all in 1 gangway, not with a choice of 3,000 seats.

 

They could have put them all in the police control room to keep warm.

 

IIRC there are offices etc on a second and maybe a third floor.

 

2 levels looking at the pictures of the back of it. 2nd level only used in the centre, could have had a smaller stand and still incorporated all the facilities. Its a pity now because we are stuck with it, since opening 13 years ago it has been full to capacity on only 10 occasions.

http://tims92.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/barnsley-oakwell-normal-0-false-false.html

 

We are going to need that stand when Flitcroft gets us into the Premier the season after next.

 

What a disaster, we are "stuck" with a big stand

thats been full on numerous occasions and 2/3rds full on many more.

I know lets demolish it.

 

That's a good point.The original North Stand was to have 4k seats but because the foundations had to go deeper than thought the overall structure meant they could put more seats in at no extra cost.