Wallsendmag

It was actually very easy to get in under SBR. I had a season ticket back then but plenty of my mates didn't and never had any bother getting in. Same with away games, many went to general sale. I think football in general is just far more popular these days. Our 52,000 average had us 2nd best supported club in the country back then, now the same figure has us in 7th place.

That's the fear. The Leazes had a good atmosphere pre 2000. If the Gallowgate went the same way as that after being extended it would be pretty disasterous for the atmosphere. A new stadium makes total sense for so many reasons. They could incorporate a 20k+ safe standing stand behind one goal, have a family section where the kids aren't 1/4 mile from the pitch and can feel more involved in the action and then ultra modern corporate facilites that could generate serious money as the Premier club of the Region with a captive audience.

Totally agree. The stadium looked perfect when it held 36.k and for big games the noise was unmatched. It would reverberate off all 4 sides and it was absolutely deafening when the crowd was up. We lost all that when it went to 52k. The accoustics changed completely. I put up with it till 2004 and then gave up my seat in the Leazes and switched to the Gallowgate because the extension killed the Leazes End stone dead. Whilst its interesting seeing these videos people have taken from the city centre or further afield of the noise at SJP during a match that's just all noise that's escaped out of the stadium due to the lopsided design. You don't get that at these modern stadiums or even older ones with the stands roughly the same size. I was happy with the proposed move back in the 90s and I'd still be happy with it now, location dependant. A move outside the city is a definite non starter for me.

It's nothing more than the same patch of land that it was when I first started going in the early/mid 80s. There's only really the East Stand that resembles anything like what it did back then and even that has changed. The other 3 sides are unrecognisable It's totally outdated compared to some of the newer stadiums being built and the facilities don't stand up to many other places now. We sat in the East Stand for that womens game the other week and it's poor to say the least. Legroom is terrible and the concourse is grim. PIF want NUFC to become one of, if not the Worlds best. That'll include the stadium.

They were. Back then the only real opposition was from the NIMBYs and the support as a whole was begind the move. The capacity was smaller but SJP back then was far nicer than it is now as well. I've never been a fan since the extension in 2000.

Liverpool can't be too happy with their current 54k as they are currently in the process of expanding Anfield. It's clear as day that the SJP capacity is inadequate. Even early round League Cup games are selling out! And the club haven't achieved anything yet. One of the things the owners are commited to is growing the fanbase both in this country and abroad. We need a bigger capacity one way or another to help facilitate this. Also they need to be looking ahead. At present there's already a generation of fans can't get to away games because they don't have the loyalty points. It would be a crying shame if the same was happening at home. You can't even buy a membership now.

If anything you'd have thought it would have the opposite effect but I guess deep down they already know that. Life as a Sunderland fan tiday must be so, so grim. They've literally no prospects as a football club. I've said it before but I can totally understand the fewm/anger/dispair/ hypocrisy/straw clutching on their site right now as it must be totally soul destroying looking up at us and seeing what we're doing then the sinking reality at what they have and worse still, what the future holds.

To be brutally honest they are already finished. There's a massive stench of defeat coming out of that place now. I watched some of their game on Saturday. Part of their stadium completely shut down. 1000s upon 1000s of empty seats in the parts that are open meaning they are left to lie about their attendances (25/26k there at best on Saturday). Those who turned out just sat there and looked like they'd rather be anywhere else. The atmsophere sounded worse than ours under Ashley! Then you look ahead and what have they got? There's 3 roads. Get Promoted and become whipping boys for a season, with 2 likely heavy defeats coming against us. Go back down to division 3 where they've already spent much of the past decade mixing it up with Accrington Stanley.and Fleetwood, or the most likely scenario of simply treading water in The Championship. 2 of those scenarios would be fairly acceptable to them but then they have one big problem. Newcastle United. Them simply existing when you have what is happening up here going on is just too much to stomach for most of them. They'll become even more insignificant than they are now. Their fanbase will be seriously eroded. There's just nothing positive at all for them to look forward to. It must be so,so grim.

It's actually scary how hard the takeover has hit them! On their forum now you are only permittted to speak negatively about NUFC. Anything positive will lead to a ban I doubt there's a set of fans anywhere in World football as consumed with their percieved rivals as they are now. It's absolutely finished them, make no mistake about it!

Tom Cowie Vol II.

Aye but what about the Hewmin rights and the kids in Yemen etc etc? That won't all suddenly go away because they own Man Utd instead will it?

Eh? There was a mass pitch invasion at Man Citys last home game of the season as 1000s of fans poured onto the pitch to celebrate, which they were fined for!

Bristol City and Hull average around 15k each and make more in ticket sales than Sunderland do!

900 away fans there yesterday so that means the usable capacity yesterday was around 37,000 and it looked 70% full at best on tv. Problem they've got is that if they don't pretend that they're getting 35k+ every week then the one thing that makes them special in their eyes (their crowds) isn't actually there and in reality they are just on a par with Middlesbrough, Sheff Utd, Norwich etc.

Their lower bowl only holds 36k and it was 70% full at best and their upper tiers are closed down

True. Their cup attendances are a reflection of their true support as the receipts are shared and therefore numbers can't be fiddled. I believe last season their lowest cup crowd was circa 3,500 and their highest cup crowd (FA Cup) was 8,600.

Would have went 4th with a win such is the standard of the Championship this season.

This is exacty what they do. Print a load of tickets and distribute them around schools, colleges and universities and count them as part of the attendance. There's around 26/27k there today but they'll add 10k onto that just by counting the handouts as part of the attendance.

Known racists still being racist.

Personally I know loads of fans who can't get in any more. People who can't get a season ticket. People who are members who are missing out on tickets, people who can't even get hold of a membership in the first place! I even know people who were wanting to get tickets for Bournemouth in the League Cup who couldn't get tickets and this is a few days before Xmas with virtually the whole stadium being NUFC as they are bringing very few fans! Demand is absolutely mental. I've never knowm it like this. Far more than even under the peak Keegan days and it's only going to get bigger as one of the owners' commitments is to increase the fanbase further.

It is pretty tinpot playing whilst there's a World Cup going on mind, it has to be said.

They've never had a fanbase anywhere near the size of ours and that is a fact. I doubt they'd historically be in the top 10 best supported clubs in England whereas I think we are 5th.

So 3rd top of the league we wouldn't be able to match West Hams crowds? Give it a rest man

We could sell 70k v Bournemouth and Fulham as things stand.

I'd rather keep it at the size it's at than having 10k Mancs, or Scousers milling around town. Police wouldn't allow it anyway so it's a non starter but thankfully we wouldn't need them to fill any increase in capacity anyway.