Thank goodness for 'old' Elland Road atmosphere wise ...... (for now).


WSC writes 9/11/17 ........."visiting away grounds is losing its magic for me. For a 'box-ticker'fuelled by as strong a desire to see the venues as much as my club, travelling is fast becoming a bit of a yawn. Bird-spotters seldom twitch upon discovering a pigeon and so entering the Ricoh, the KC, Madejski, Walkers, St Mary’s, Pride Park and Reebok – tight and compact with noise-nourishing roofs all – one is not exactly compelled to lift the binoculars and wet the pencil. Not least because the away ends of yore, those sections of the ground dedicated solely to the pilgrim, have been one of the major casualties of modern stadium design.

The sweeping bowl, whether a new build or development, with its all-inclusive wave of seats, has all but killed off the football “stand” and, by proxy, the famous and infamous away ends, pens and banks that enriched English football folklore and thus our tales of travel. Just as the beloved home ends are disappearing, so are the integral sections of the ground devoted to the opposition.

An away trip these days seems to be a park and ride to an industrial estate, a drink at a Mexican restaurant before taking your seat tucked away in a corner of the ground (usually named after a photocopier or shoe) next to a half-filled family enclosure. Drain the colour from the circular sweep of plastic and you wouldn’t know where you are; the empty stadium shows no signs of an away section at all.

Watching games on TV these days, it seems more and more as though the away end is actually disappeared altogether. You will often see visiting players celebrating goals in front of arms-crossed grumpy home fans, unaware of where their own support actually is. Indeed, many of the developed and new grounds have tried their best to lift the rug when it comes to housing their guests. Hidden away in a quiche-slice triangle inserted into the corner or “bend” of the ground, or tucked away on a top shelf – yes Newcastle – like a seldom-used bag of self-raising.

Everton, Villa, Manchester United, Coventry, Ipswich, Norwich, Cardiff – and many more – are all clubs who have shifted the away fans into more passive (not visible on TV) areas of the ground. At more sparsely populated grounds, like the Kassam, this spells complete gloom as away supporters are plonked straight into the middle of uninhabited wastelands, where even the introduction of fire-breathing elephants would fail to charge the atmosphere".

Mmm,maybe ER is showing its age but its quirks still create a hell of an atmosphere me thinks ......
MOT