Whatever you think of Brexit I guarantee you everything is going to get more expensive so people will have even less cash from 2019.
Not sure why but I do think we’ll have a shiny new stadium fit for the 21st century . But I reckon it’ll be built somewhere on the Oakwell complex . Take the emotion out of it , Oakwell as a stadium is tired and dated . I’ll get my tim hat on because I know the usual suspects will be up in arms if it happens . UTR
I don't think it is apart from the West Stand. There are a lot more grounds bigger than ours and considered more iconic that are more dated - Elland Road for one. The shinier grounds I've been to are very sterile- would hate us to go down that route
The west stand is dated, but the other 3 sides are fine. The East stand is only around 25 years old. If the West Stand was replaced with something modern and imaginative space wise, and the corners filled in, it could be a crackling stadium with a capacity pushing 30k. Surrounding roads seem more of a problem to me, but I don't know of many grounds where you get straight away after a game.
Exactly. Build a completely new stadium or build a quarter of a stadium at a fraction of the cost. Leaving Oakwell would be like the equivalent of buying a new car because you needed a new exhaust and a set of tyres.
I've never understood why all 4 corners aren't duplicates of the disabled stand between the ponty and East stand. Apart from giving more access for those that need it, it closes in the corners holding in more atmosphere and keeping out the weather blowing through the gaps. When I see the players lining up a corner in the one between East stand and North stand, when its blowing (which is most of the time) and they have to take a two step run up because the pitch isn't big enough, it's a wonder they hit the penalty area, let alone land it on one of our players heads.
I thought you were of the opinion that a football stadium is there purely to give the fans a view of the pitch and shouldn't offer anything additional
Wouldn't that fit in with what I believe In then as I don't care for all the bells and whistles of a new ground!
Not really as you complained that new grounds were lacking soul and were somehow not fit for purpose. If there purpose is to have plastic seats facing a green pitch then how are they not fit for purpose?
I find them to be very sterile and lack the sense of history. As it's my opinion and the way I feel about watching a sport for 40 years then can I be wrong? I have visited many new grounds and I don't like them - many of my older friends feel the same way. Only thing I have really commented on has been about a screen at a game which I've never even thought about at Old Trafford and Anfield
Pontefract road is heaving post match. Shoppers leaving town and fans leaving Oakwell. I drop my mate off back at Wakefield and the traffic is crawling all the way up to Dodworth most days. What else can be done about that?
Town centre is practically deserted from around 4pm onwards, the traffic is 90% football. What needs changing is for the roads directly outside oakwell to be closed or managed to control the flow. The queues are because you have dozens of cars parked along the road all trying to pull out together, 100 cars joining the road from beever court, a couple of hundred from directly opposite at riding for the disabled and near a thousand from the ponty end. All with no control
Can't see it making much difference tbh. It might be slightly better organised, but the numbers are still the same and traffic would still back up because you can't put your boot down when you get away from Oakwell. My mate always said "we should have a copper on pontefract road" but how do you direct traffic that's not moving?
Interesting - so when I first started going regularly to gates of 3-4000 and I think the ground capacity was around 38000 it was around 90% empty - it was only when Clarke arrived that the gates doubled, Without something spectacular happening though we arent going to improve gates significantly and they will doubtless drop again to around 10k next season. Away support will be down a lot as well I can only see Sunderland coming close to filling the South stand even when its capacity is artificially capped at 75% anyway
I think its a myth with this soulless new grounds, depends on the team. Places like Belle Vue didn't have much of an atmosphere anyway so the Keepmoat won't. Pride Park looked fantastic last week, I've been 5/6 times but always when the away end was behind the goal. Looking at their main stand from the opposite end completely changed the perspective. There's some fantastic new stadiums with brilliant designs Wembley, Emirates, Etihad, new White Hart Lane, Bristol City, smaller stadiums like the New York Stadium. Then there's some ***** new stadiums like Chesterfield and Shewsbury that's built like the old classic football stadiums, 4 stands, open corners and fecking freezing in October.