St James' Park

[Holloway]

I like to have a last pre match beer at the ground, and have a bit of a mooch about ,soak in the ambience for a while. I'm in no hurry to leave,either. But I do draw the line at buying any bait there, fuck that 

[Hovagod]

40 minutes ago, cubaricho said:

 

For local fans, absolutely. But we've gone through the ether on that and now we're into the corporate world where a stadium needs to offer far more than that.

 

Also as an aside for fans, we're about to become a world wide club and people are going to travel from all over the world to come see us play on our patch and it needs to offer more than what the normal match day experience is for locals. It may feel wrong but it's the reality of the situation now unfortunately. The way I personally travel is that I would do my utmost to have an authentic matchday experience in line with what y'all do (and hopefully with y'all) - the drinking in a local until ten minutes before KO and then getting to my seat - but is that what someone who is flying in from Tokyo craves? Someone from the Middle East?

 

It's hard to accept but we're going to have to eventually, the club is going to become a brand ala Man U/Tottenham/etc and not just for us.

Ugh. 

[Yorkie]

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. 

[Kid Icarus]

1 hour ago, Wandy said:

The London Stadium isn’t even a football stadium. Wembley’s problem is its size. The Emirates is definitely looking a bit dated already though.

 

Definitely don’t agree about the Etihad though. On the outside it’s pretty mundane but inside it’s a great looking stadium and continues to get better. It’s pretty well designed to create an atmosphere too.

 

Everton’s new stadium is a perfect example of how new stadiums can be built to have character. They have also specifically designed it with atmosphere in mind.

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.

[Orphanage]

25 minutes ago, JLC said:

The more I've thought about this, the more I think chucking a billion dollars at a new stadium is what's going to happen. It's the Saudi way. Build the best. Money is literally no object. They want to make a massive impact and this will be the way to do so. I'm a ST holder and love SJP, but I feel for those who can't get in currently. Also we are about to take on 1000s of new fans - local kids particularly. I've been going since late 70s but progress is inevitable.

Thats not going to happen . Training facilities will continue to be upgraded as will the team but the stadium is not a priority

[cubaricho]

1 minute ago, Hovagod said:

Ugh. 

Agreed. 

[JackieDoor]

Anyone been in the barracks before?

[Hovagod]

St James’ is lush. If it wasn’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating it.

[Kid Icarus]

24 minutes ago, Disco said:

 

From my experience 100% yes. It’s why even having PL games outside the UK isn’t uniformly popular with international fans as it’s not authentic. I get building the corporate and ripping them off to fuck but for standard attendees the experience increase is negligible especially when it’s a popular product with little to no competition.

 

Also having to been a game in Tokyo bar the stadium being a bit out of the way so it had a few concession stands outside in walk to the ground from the train inside it was no different to here.
 

Also if you’re planning to travelling to Newcastle the lack of facilities in the ground isn’t putting you off. And to use your example of Man Utd still packed with tourists and the ground is as dated as SJP but with way less round it. 

I used to organise student experience days for the mainly Chinese students in the business school across the road.

 

Funnily enough, going to Newcastle matches, Beamish, York, London, and doing things like getting photos in front of red telephone boxes all featured high on a list of requests that (shopping aside) never featured doing things they'd done at home or elsewhere. They wanted something uniquely and stereotypically English/British. This idea that a majority would want to get the same experience at a match they get elsewhere ala every British high street now, is complete guesswork.

 

Tourists might go to McDonalds but that's not why they're where they are.

 

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Kid Icarus

[Danh1]

Genuinely wouldn’t swap SJP for any ground in the country. The fact it is different eras all bundled together to create something special is typical of the city of Newcastle - a great mix of everything.

 

Hope we never leave even if it means I get to one game a season for ever. It is part of our identity.

 

Everton’s ground may look like it’ll be lovely but give it a few years they’ll be pining for Goodison I’m sure. 

 

 

[Kanji]

I don’t want to move. Just wish we’d figure out how to expand some more for the better of all youze ballot’d and cued up for tix. 

[Wandy]

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.

[Kid Icarus]

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.

[TheBrownBottle]

1 minute 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.

Tbf one of the biggest reasons we top that list is the same as the one every NUFC away fan wanted to know when Blackpool away was in 2009/10

[JackieDoor]

100% want to stay at SJP but it's all about how much we can expand, 62-65k minimum.

 

If not i don't think we have much option but to build a new ground.

[Wandy]

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. 

[JackieDoor]

Hey, my dad helped build the east stand! 

 

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by JackieDoor

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I can’t think what’s embarrassing about it.  

[Jaqen]

35 minutes ago, JackieDoor said:

Anyone been in the barracks before?

 

 

 

 

 

[Wandy]

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.

[Yorkie]

1 minute ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

I can’t think what’s embarrassing about it.  

 

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.

[JackieDoor]

15 minutes ago, Jaqen said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not sure about that fish and beans like 

[Danh1]

6 minutes ago, Wandy said:

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.

In fairness we played them just after the queen popped her clogs. Was worst atmosphere of the season. 
 

I remember going to the Etihad 2008ish when we drew 0-0 and the atmosphere was class. Proper rowdy. Ages ago now like.

[Disco]

18 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Tbf one of the biggest reasons we top that list is the same as the one every NUFC away fan wanted to know when Blackpool away was in 2009/10

Of course but when you’ve got a warm city welcome, x hundred welcoming boozers and food places walking distance from the draw is always going to be huge even if the reputation of the city is a draw too. 

 

Look at Wolves where you can barely drink anywhere as an away fan or Brighton were you have to rely on British fucking trains to get you to/from the game in the middle of nowhere. 
 

I’ve been to games here, there and wherever and without doubt the ones with best atmospheres are always the most accessible. 
 

Also, I’ll be in the minority on this but bring back 4 sided football grounds. Get a new ground and a bigger version of Koln with a massive steep one tier job behind one of the goals is the dream. 

 

4 minutes ago, JackieDoor said:

 

Not sure about that fish and beans like 

Snoop’s ill fated follow up to Gin & Juice.

[TheBrownBottle]

As fun as it is to do, we've got no solid evidence at all that PIF even want to pour in the sort of money required to build a super new stadium where money is no object.  This is an investment vehicle - cold, hard numbers will come into play.  This will also apply to any redevelopment of SJP.