West Stand - Are we being a bit precious?

After all, it's a fairly shitty stand with minimal facilities?

 

Pull it down.

 

Wonder if there was so much sentiment about the brewery stand and old Ponty end when they were redeveloped?

 

Would be interesting to know just why it has 'failed' the H & S check. Anyone know ?

 

But keep the bogs, a building of historic significance.

 

Correct but generally speaking most clubs don't let them get in such disrepair that they're basically condemned halfway through a season after selling tickets in it to a thousand people. These things should be sorted in close season not after taking people's money.

 

Leppings lane.

 

I'm not precious about the stand I've sat in it once about 50 years ago, I'm not bothered if they repair it or pull it down and rebuild. What I'm bothered about is the fact it's just another one of the symptoms of the rapid demise of Barnsley FC this season and the absolute mess that the transfer of ownership of Barnsley FC and Oakwell has become. We have majority shareholders of the club making decisions about the club yet they appear to have used very little of their own Money in the uncompleted purchase of the club including now the very fabric of Oakwell and all we hear is vague references to court cases and covenants and people having land rights over the ground as excuse for the lack of progress. From the outside looking in it looks a complete mess and like people have said if all the 80% mob are going to do is invest none of their own money in the Club or Ground we may as well have a less wealthy local fan running the club on that basis because at least we'll know they have a feeling for the club and care about it as much as we do and Barnsley FC is not just part of somebodies portfolio of clubs.

 

Technically, me or you could be the owners. The club is financed by its income,so therefore the owner doesn't need to be rich. Extra income is raised by selling an asset (player), as long as the club can pay it's bills, no worries. The difficulty arises when the club is relegated to league 1and income drops by £5 million . This has been the experience of Barnsley FC over the last 4 years. It appears to be a low risk low expenditure model but with virtually no growth or expansion, hoping the customer base remains the same or increases slightly. It could be worse.

 

Some would have an emotional attachment to it but I don’t really care about that. But a championship club that’s aiming to be competing for the play offs on a regular basis only having 3 sides of a ground won’t the other an empty, decaying relic is an embarrassment. Some non league sides would at least have four proper stands

 

It's a dump, I don't want to look at it, and it should come down.

But it should come down at a time which is suitable for the club; not at a time when it restricts capacity, just after the place has opened up again.

 

It must be one of the oldest extant football stands in the country, surely? It might not be all it could be, but nobody's pulling down the houses of parliament just because the electrics are f*cked.

 

The obsession with it is quite frankly ridiculous, it's a **** hole that should have been replaced years ago.
Bulldoze the bloody thing even if we can't afford to put owt new up in the short term.

 

I think it’s a weird thing in today’s society where some people are obsessed with things from the past, particularly in football, however bad they are.

Old football shirts are a prime example. I love my 2001 lime green Big Thing away kit. Looks terrible, but it’s from 20 years ago, so it must be good, right?

 

Fulham have done decent work on their stands, of which some are listed……

Works are needed, significant too, but something special could be done with the current structure. Rather than follow like sheep, we could draw up plans and really keep its heritage alive, whilst improving and adding to the experience. Obtaining grants to do so…..

 

Talking to my mate tonight who is a season ticket holder in the West Stand, he told me that the reason he sits there is that his dad collapsed and died there during a game. It is also the reason his son sits in that stand because he was with his granddad when he died. It clearly has enormous emotional significance for them, and I’m sure there will be others mourning the demise of the West Stand. Sad day, in my opinion.

 

Not everything from the past deserved to be preserved. It’s where I saw my first game and where I used to stand, so what? Pull it down.

 

Spot on.

 

Better quality in a lot of cases . I think the clinging on to the past with football is because its all about tradition, past rivalries, knowing your team has been around through the decades and your forefathers went to support them as you do. A bit like Church, you know the hymns, you know the format you remember life events when you are there.