I took this photo this morning with my old Nishiconica camera, 50mm lens, f8, 60th of a second, black and white film from Taskers. It seems to have captured the real atmosphere of fans waiting to collect their season ticket packs.
Jeez, that bloody awful looking wall still looks exactly the same and every bit as awful now as it did then. If we do nothing else with the West Stand for gods sake knock that wall down and build something that doesn't look like a row of outhouses. It's the first impression of the ground!
arrived 0920 about 12 infront of me but didnt open while 10.00, on way home 10.20, when i left i'd guess at about 1hr wait
What do you mean.... that old crumbling wall... its iconic... now, how could we celebrate decay and dilapidation..... I know.... emblazon it across our home kit design.... what a genius idea (ahem, tongue, cheek, firmly)
As someone else said, they only missed putting broken glass on the shoulders. If they had done it would have explained the huge bandages on the arms.
Highly. I've always loved the East Stand, ever since it was first built. Love the brick block staircases on the side and the metal work on the top. Not seen a stand like it. Never had love for the West Stand, from first moment I got plonked in the seats for a reserve game and had my knees under my chin.
I'm the same mate i love that stand and would rather just renovate it than knock it down. Only thing i'd change about the exterior is remove the glass shards on the top of the wall.
I'm not against it getting replaced though. I just associate that wall and stand with us. If I had to paint something to refer to BFC, it'd be that wall with a floodlight behind it. In fact, that's my desktop background! In an ideal world we'd have a stand there that looked like the others, but it's two decades since the last one went up. I think we'd need to be close to selling out every week (so, in the Prem) for it to finally go. But I genuinely am guessing.
I think if we were to reach the big time again, it'd all go. I'm taking a wooden seat and some brick with me if/when it does.
I wonder if it depends on approach to the ground? I always walked up from Pontefract Road so the first vista was the Ponty slightly raised and the opening of the back that let in the elements. I was truly sorry to see that demolished (even more narked that stewards urged people out of the ground without chance to reflect and enjoy the last moments before the bulldozers arrived).
I first came in 1988/89 and we walked down from our car parked near the East Dene. So my first look was the old Ponty End. But as I grew older I came in via the interchange so I'd make the walk down Belgrave and the West/wall was in shot.
Thinking about it, as long as it doesn't chuck it down, the West Stand is probably the best viewpoint as you don't have to look at it ;-) Would be interested to see if the people who have historically approached Oakwell with that wall the first view of the ground are the ones who have more affinity with it.