Wallsendmag

Same.

On the train home now having watched Berwick v Gala Fairydean Rovers. Surprised by the amount of Geordies there today taking in the game. Had 6 of them sat behind us and seen a few others in the bar areas. Berwick lost 2-1 and are in real danger of dropping out of the Lowland league now which would be a complete and utter disaster for them and could ultimately see them go out of existence.

Agree, and I know Howe takes the cups very seriously, which I love after all those years of throwing them under Ashley, but I wouldn't expect him to feature v Bromley either. Give Osula a run out for that one.

All rests on Isak staying fit. He gets injured for any length of time and I think we'll drop off again. Could see us getting 4th/5th if he stays fit though the way we're currently playing, especially with Botman back soon (nothing against Burn who's been outstanding lately). Think the current top 3 is sorted, and probably in the order it's in right now as well, but 4th place is definitely up for grabs.

Bloody hell nearly 20 years after he's retired they're still singing songs about a Newcastle United striker. There's obsession and then there's this. Imagine our lot singing songs about Kevin Phillips at Old Trafford on Monday as a comparison!

He's looked a lot better than last time he deputised for Pope but he couldn't really have had an easier few games to bed in. Definitely better with the ball at his feet than Pope is but we knew that anyway. Let's see how he does on Monday night. As bad as Man Utd are they'll always have a spell at Old Trafford where they put the opposition under pressure so we'll see how he goes then.

Thought the corner sounded very loud today from where I was sat up in Level 7. Atmosphere was reasonable today. Should have been better given the result, the type of game it was, and the opposition but it is what it is. Loads around me today just didn't appear interested at all. I just can't understand how you can go to the match, to watch the team you support, and show such little emotion. Gallowgate is shite other than the corner and the Leazes End must be the worst behind the goal stand in the league for noise. Team played really well and the way the game went should have seen a better atmosphere.

Tell you what mind, when you're sat up in Level 7 it really hits home how good he is.

Absolutely immense again today. When the conversation about best ever centre halves to play for us comes up, he should be in it

We're literally having to outsource corporate to Hadrians Tower and Fenwicks because SJP can't handle the demand.

Think 65k is underselling ourselves and I'm not sure I'd like to get rid of SJP for around 10k general sale seats when you account for more corporate seating in a new stadium. A poor West Ham are filling 65k every week, and our fanbase is far bigger than there's. I'd like to think we have more ambition than that. Also I'd be amazed if our fanbase hasn't grown considerably in the next decade and beyond. It already is. 70/75k would be the ideal capacity for a new stadium. I think that more or less future proofs us and means that looking ahead, if they change the PSR rules and infrastructure becomes part of it, we won't be affected. Personally I think we'd fill that for every game except maybe early round cup games against lower league opposition and even if there was a couple of thousand empty seats for Fulham or Bournemouth at home that's a price worth paying for not locking out 1000s most other weeks. Every supporter who can't get in is lost revenue for the club after all. Looking at Spurs, I wonder if they'll be regretting only going to 62k considering they currently have 80,000 on a waiting list for a season ticket.

Not sure tbh. First I've heard about it

Tbf they only had 36,000 there the other week v Bournemouth so it's not like they're currently locking fans out, and this is them on the crest of a wave as well. They also had to mothball huge parts of their ground when they got relegated, like the mackems did, so their support isn't known for its staying power. Building a 50k+ stadium could turn out to be a huge white elephant for them.

Arsenal definitely Londons biggest club. There's a good case for them being England's 2nd club as well. Liverpool didn't really start doing things until the 60s and in fact Everton were probably Merseysides biggest club until that point. I'm sure when we played Liverpool in the 1974 Cup Final we were level with them on trophies won. Not even sure if we didn't have 1 more. They probably have overtaken Arsenal now, and I also think Chelsea have overtaken Spurs, Man City have overtaken Villa/Everton/us in the last 20 years as well.

Was in the Gallowgate Upper last night. Atmosphere was decent up there, nothing special, but not bad at all. 2nd half I stood with my mate in the Strawberry Corner and thought it was excellent in there.

Still baffles me how so many people get an Internet signal at SJP. I've never been able to get one. Not that it particularly bothers me.

So pretty much half the price of ours and they'll have about a quarter of our crowd number. Can't wait for the long list of excuses we can look forward to hearing.

Generally speaking younger people are more excitable than older people though. I'm 46 and I'd be first to admit I'm not as shouty and as animated at the match as when I was 26. Atmospheres at UK football grounds were built be young teenage and 20 something lads all congregating behind a goal and being daft and noisy, not 40odd/50odd/60odd year old blokes like what mainly populate the Gallowgate these days. They would have moved along to the sides by then. It's no coincidence that as the average of the Premier League supporter has increased, the atmosphere has decreased. In the lower bowl at SJP I'll guarantee that the lowest average age of supporter is in the Strawberry Corner which is also the loudest section. There's obviously other things at play now. A lot of people who would create the noise, young and old, have simply been priced out. Obviously a lot more families there these days as well which genuinely isn't conducive to a raucous atmosphere. Family enclosures are notoriously poor for atmosphere and generally speaking parents aren't going radge in front of their kids and same goes for kids in front of their parents, and we happen to have the biggest family section in the Country.

Not sure what they're charging but we're paying £30/£35 v Bromley and it'll be a sell out. Whatever they're charging it'll be nowhere near that.

There's 2 massive issues regarding the atmosphere. The stadium, and the people in it! The people in it are getting older and more miserable. For many they go out of habit as much as anything else. Gets them out the house. They sit there, arms folded, tutting at every misplaced pass and it all seems like a bit of a chore for them. We've all seen it. That's all 4 stands as well BTW not just the East Stand which might have been the case 30 years ago. Secondly the design of the ground is absolutely hopeless for creating noise. The design is all wrong. The sloping down design of the Gallowgate roof keeps the noise trapped inside of it so if you're in the Leazes you can't really hear it and if you're in the Gallowgate you can't hear those in the Leazes because the noise just escapes from the place. I already mentioned that I left the West Ham match 5 mins early and from my seat in the Gallowgate Upper I couldn't see, or hear the West Ham fans at all. Walking down past the Labour Club whilst the match was still going on the West Ham fans sounded very loud because all noise they were making was going straight over the East Stand and Gallowgate roofs. My opinion is that it's too far gone now at SJP. For 90 odd% of the 31k or so ST holders who make up the majority of our crowd, they aren't interested in creating an atmosphere. We all seen that at the League Cup Final. If you can't get yourself up for that you aren't getting yourself up for a run of the mill match v Leicester. A new stadium I suppose could at least create a blank canvass where they could try and group like minded people together but at SJP it is what it is unfortunately. As people have rightly said, it's not something that the club really care less about, and none of the fans groups seem interested in pushing it either.

That was some reaction from the Milan fans at FT there! They aren't a happy bunch at the moment

It's only been a discussion since the talk started of us either building a new stadium or extending SJP.

Knew they were using Hadrians Tower as an out of stadium hospitality area but looks like they're also using Fenwicks as well for Pre Match hospitality now. This will be another area where SJP lets itself down as there simply isn't the room to have as many hospitality areas as is required these days. Amazed me when I did the stadium tour years ago how narrow the Milburn Stand foot print is. You literally walk through the (old) main reception, through a door and there's the tunnel and the pitch right there. Such a narrow space and so limited in what they can do with it.

That whole set up just looks so small time and tin pot regardless of the ceiling falling down

They looked like proper supporters buses. Bus companies were from from places like Otterburn, Stanley etc.