Wandy

For me it was a really strange game until we scored the 3rd. Up until that point we had played ok without being anything outstanding, but from the moment the 3rd went in Villa just wilted & we sensed blood, so went for the kill. I just love how ruthless we were and hope that is going to be a theme this season as it was definitely one area where we were a bit lacking at times last season.

They are taking yesterday's result as badly as you'd expect. 

Meanwhile, in other news, one of them openly admits that his dad hates Bukayo Saka because he is black... https://www.readytogo.net/smb/threads/saka’s-goal-today.1613237/

£100m+ player. We actually got him for a bargain, the lad is simply world class.

He’s hating being here and is missing Milan. You can just tell.

Having listened to Eales on the radio on Thursday, and watched the first episode of the Amazon documentary, I'm fairly sure that they have no plans to relocate away from the current area of the city centre. Eales was waxing lyrical about the cathedral on the hill, and I think they do truly place a lot of significance on that prime location, so I think they will try everything they can to get 65k out of the current footprint. If that's not possible then they may have a Leazes Park contingency plan. I just don't see the Arena site happening, and I'm less sure that I'd want it anymore tbh.

2 minutes ago, madras said:

How do you know the singing comes from all 4 sides of the ground ?

The games that I was watching you could literally see the people in the various stands clapping along with the song. I think you can pick up from the sound coming through the TV where the singing is coming from in a stadium. 

For years & years I have poured scorn on Anfield's atmosphere but it definitely seems to have improved recently. You could say the same for Old Trafford too.

29 minutes ago, Jordan said:

Never trust any survey that has Anfield as near the top for atmosphere. Its loud for YNWA and then quiet as a library. 

Normally I'd agree but, watching some of their live games last season, I was actually impressed at the singing that came from all four sides of the ground. They've also got a songbook that is significantly better than most of the league.

7 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

 

No, it wasn't singled out, it was one example on a long list of examples, that you've cherry picked and managed to find one list where it ranks higher while ignoring every other example. It's fine, I can see what you're doing and cba. Agree to disagree

Not really cherry picking bud. In amongst the pointless bickering, the point I was trying to make was that a newly built stadium wouldn't necessarily be soulless. The risk would obviously be there though if they got the design wrong.

Good article that. I actually think it's now a big eight though, rather than seven, as Villa are only going to get stronger & also have seriously wealthy owners.

2 hours ago, Kid Icarus said:

Well done, one of the stadiums mentioned is rated one higher than SJP following a title challenging season. Your medal's in the post 

Higher is higher, the rest is semantics. The stadium that you singled out as having a soulless matchday experience compared to SJP is, in fact, rated higher than SJP for that very thing by actual visiting away fans.

5 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

 

I was being sarcastic because your point was such an own goal.

 

"All the stadiums that get dismissed as soulless bowls by the likes of you"

 

The only one that was called soulless that features on that list is the Emirates. No one gave that tag to Old Trafford, Anfield, Stamford Bridge. It was Emirates, Etihad, London Stadium, Wembley and others, none of which feature on that list let alone above Newcastle in 4th. It's an own goal in terms of trying to make your point.

 

So the Emirates is soulless, yet away fans rate it’s home atmosphere higher than SJP.  Remind me again about own goals?

2 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

I'm not daft enough to believe anything would change your mind if you already think the Etihad is a better atmosphere than SJP. 

 

 

Here's that list for everyone btw. So literally just Arsenal from the soulless bowls list that are above us and no Etihad in sight. Case closed

 

 

 

 

The case isnt closed at all, you lunatic. 

This was used to dispel the myth about the stadiums that get lazily tagged as "soulless bowls" by the likes of you. 

I look forward to you providing all of this evidence of the fantastic SJP atmosphere from away fans. 

32 minutes ago, TheGuv said:

If the atmosphere is bad now I can’t imagine moving stadium will make it any better @Wandy

See, I disagree with that. If a stadium was built big enough to let back in all of the noisy fans from the last 20 years who walked away, with well designed & symmetrical stands, then you would see a much better atmosphere.

The best option to improve the current SJP though is extend L7 to the Gallowgate to give it a horseshoe effect, then squeeze a new two tiered stand onto the East Stand plot, with a glass section taking its roofline up to match L7s. Your then keeping all of the sound in.

Level 7 isnt great for views but if it extended around most of the stadium then people in it would feel like your actually a part of the match experience. At the moment there is a feeing of detachment when your up there.

Just now, Kid Icarus said:

I did this a while back and it got dismissed as people on YouTube/TikTok fishing for clicks, so I'll save myself the effort if you don't mind. You already know where to look.

A cop out if ever I saw one. 

Here's a recent survey of best home atmospheres, from away fans who actually went. SJP is behind other stadiums that are regularly tagged as "soulless".

https://www.midnite.com/rundown/best-worst-premier-league-grounds-atmosphere

4 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

You're citing Bournemouth fans as proof that the Etihad is a better away day than SJP? Surely not. One (presumably the smallest) supporter group who came up here just after the Queen died to watch the worst match at SJP last season.

 

The popular opinion I speak of is on nigh on every other Away Day YouTube, TikTok channel.

Show me all of these online reviews of the SJP atmosphere from away fans who went and raved about it then, and I will concede the point.

10 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

If people up and down the country are going to away matches and are regularly reporting that a stadium's atmosphere is bad and that another stadium's is good, that's not a myth, that's just you disagreeing with a popular opinion.

Where's this popular opinion you speak of? I've literally just pointed out a set of fans who said SJP's atmosphere was worse.

1 minute ago, Kid Icarus said:

It's mentioned by away fans every season. That's not a myth

It is a myth. It’s a myth that City’s atmosphere is garbage and SJP’s is amazing. The truth is somewhere in between, and I’ve already pointed out that Bournemouth fans rated the Etihad atmosphere better. 
 

The Wor Flags experience at SJP is increasingly being confused with genuine atmosphere IMO. 

2 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

Not a clue. Is it literally just that it's brutalist architecture? Because there's examples of that everywhere. A city being embarrassed by brutalist architecture is like a person being embarrassed about wearing shoes.

It’s ugly architecture, that’s why. In the same way the city has great Georgian architecture to be proud of, then the remnants of the 1970s is equally something to shudder at. 

6 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

The same also can't be said for other people in terms of sharing that view either I think. The Etihad is notoriously soulless amongst football fans. Meanwhile SJP regularly features as the best away day/home crowd/stadium in the country.

That’s a total myth about the Etihad. For instance, Bournemouth fans do an away trip special YouTube video for each PL ground and they rated the atmosphere at the Etihad better than SJP. However they rated the overall match day experience up here as the best in the league, and that was mainly down to the stadium location and the warmth of the support to them as visitors. To be fair though, they did actually like the fact that all of the stands at SJP are of different design. The sheer physical size of SJP is what blows people way usually.

29 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

No issue with modernising and expanding the offering for those whose visits aren't exclusively about the 90 minutes, but SJP is not 'an old heap' and no aspect of its architecture is 'embarrassing', even if its not to your tastes. The neglect it suffered throughout the Ashley years was embarrassing but that's precisely because it's an extremely special place which deserved so much better.

 

It's not a stadium built in or for 2023 but when you're inside it, and it's full, the vastness of it, the sense of enclosure, the sense of character and the evidence of how it's grown and changed, is truly special. I'll never, ever get bored of that first look once you emerge from the access. I'm hugely proud of it and have always been buzzing to introduce it to friends etc who've never been before, whose reactions have invariably been general awe at its scale and presence. 

It’s a stadium of three parts really, which is where I suppose the “character’ comes into play. The L7 expansion looks magnificent from the outside but the match day experience within it is crap. The Gallowgate now looks dated due to its cowshed roof but the accoustics are superb and it feels like a “proper” football stand. And then you have the East Stand, which actually has great views but is truly hideous on the outside. And yeah, that is the embarrassing part of the stadium. 

20 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

How things look isn't it though. The Etihad might look the part and SJP looks like a giant abstract pram, but I know where I'd rather watch football.

Depends what your priorities are really. SJP wins hands down for location, but the Etihad has better all round views and accoustics than SJP. There are areas in our stadium that I simply will not sit because the match day experience is so poor, so I’d rather just watch it on the TV. The same can’t be said for the Etihad.

Whatever changes happen to the club under this ownership, the only thing that is sacrosanct is the city centre location. Pretty much everything else though there can be a conversation about.

If someone with a crystal ball offers me a state of the art stadium outside of the city centre and Man City’s last 15 years of success, or a moderate upgrade of SJP on it’s current footprint with zero trophies won in the same 15 years, then I take the latter every time.

2 minutes ago, Disco said:

It’s a bang standard football stand from its era but the view from the corner of St James St and Terrace St is architectural hardcore porn.

 

Yes we’d all love it to bigger and better but absolutely zero people are embarrassed by it. Football grounds aren’t supposed to be cinemas. So long as sight lines are fine and you’ve got a clean seat/standing place that’s absolutely fine.

Have to disagree. A club’s stadium is all part of the bragging process for fans, and the East Stand is proper cringeworthy from the outside.

1 minute ago, ponsaelius said:

Got to say I've never gone to SJP and felt like I was missing out by what was being offered. I turn up 5 minutes before kick off like any sensible person, having ate/drank in one of the thousands of other establishments in the city. I then stay in my seat and watch the match unless I'm bursting for a piss to the point I can't avoid it.

 

It genuinely amazes me that people are looking for anything else from their visits to a football stadium to be honest. 

The main problem with it is that the L7 extension killed the accoustics and offered pretty dreadful views, unless you are in the lower rows. I still miss 1990s SJP immensely.