St James' Park

[OCOCOL]

10 minutes ago, madras said:

That's where the money is but if you don't want the food (me neither) and want to rock up at 10 to KO (me as well, in fact 10 to is early for me) then you're free to do that.

We used to on televised games leave either Rosies or the 3 Bulls when Local 

Hero started! 

[madras]

2 minutes ago, OCOCOL said:

We used to on televised games leave either Rosies or the 3 Bulls when Local 

Hero started! 

I quite like seeing the wor flags displays so getting to my seat as the teams are coming out is ideal.

[OCOCOL]

Just now, madras said:

I quite like seeing the wor flags displays so getting to my seat as the teams are coming out is ideal.

Aye that’s definitely been an incentive to get there earlier.

[Tross]

15 minutes ago, OCOCOL said:

Aye that’s definitely been an incentive to get there earlier.

 

It is but they only happen a few times a season, I purposely get in late when we don't have a display to avoid being smashed in the face by a chequered flag 

[Golden Dragon 1976]

1 hour ago, OCOCOL said:

Is this our version of them RTG “cheese slice”?

 

each to their own but the mind boggles that people can’t go 90 minutes without scranning. There’s always been pies since I started go mid 80s but I’ve honestly never felt the need to eat at the match other than 1 or 2 occasions where I’ve overdone it on the drink. 
 

Were definitely moving towards an NFL family style day out. 
 

“you’re going home in a fkin ambulance (because you’ve got type 2 diabetes)…”

 

It would be nice if people could go 90- minutes without smoking or doing coke in the gents toilets in the Gallogate end TBH!

 

 

Edited March 21 by Golden Dragon 1976

[ryanegg]

10 hours ago, OCOCOL said:

Is this our version of them RTG “cheese slice”?

 

each to their own but the mind boggles that people can’t go 90 minutes without scranning. There’s always been pies since I started go mid 80s but I’ve honestly never felt the need to eat at the match other than 1 or 2 occasions where I’ve overdone it on the drink. 
 

Were definitely moving towards an NFL family style day out. 
 

“you’re going home in a fkin ambulance (because you’ve got type 2 diabetes)…”

Definitely an each to their own. Personally, I train pretty intense and fairly strict on my diet so need all the good calories/macros I can get. Match day pies are a nightmare to me?. The club would probably do a decent trade selling Rennie’s with the typical match day diet of pies and pints

[cubaricho]

Some serious boomer energy in this thread over the last few pages.  
 

I can’t imagine how y’all are going to react when we get really good and the tourists are coming out in droves. 

[gjohnson]

Used to get a pie at the start of the match to keep hands warm until half time by then it had just cooled enough not to strip the skin off your mouth

[Holloway]

various pints around Town and the Greggs healthy option 

[OverThere]

30 minutes ago, cubaricho said:

Some serious boomer energy in this thread over the last few pages.  
 

I can’t imagine how y’all are going to react when we get really good and the tourists are coming out in droves. 

Interesting that it's the bait that's unhealthy but not the five pints before the game.

[BermyToon]

Hey everyone, I'm new to this forum and the West Ham game will be my first ever game at SJP - a dream come true after two decades of following the club! I'm flying in from Bermuda during Easter weekend. Would love to meet local fans before or after the game!

[Groundhog63]

Cathedral on the hill, you say *

 

[Groundhog63]

* copyright Facebook (Positive Toon) 

[OpenC]

It doesn't look like that any more, amazingly. Somewhere between that picture and the Shopper's Paradise Cinema experience that some appear to be pining for, you will find the current St James' Park. 

 

It's just a place to go and watch a game of football then get back out into the amazing city. I'm honestly not sure what else people are clamouring for that they can't already get within about a quarter of a mile of the ground. Shops aren't 'facilities'  neither is terrible overpriced stadium food and drink  

 

I can't help but feel a lot of people are missing the main selling point of a city centre stadium and what makes Newcastle different to a lot of other places. It's not like you're going to be parking up in a godforsaken out of town retail park like you do at other stadiums, where the only way to pass the time is browsing washing machines at Curry's  the city, as someone once sang, is here for you to use

 

 

Edited March 22 by OpenC

[RS]

The authentic matchday experience!  Also including pissing in someone’s pocket, letting off industrial strength fireworks and fire-bombing away fans. 

Now people are going late to avoid being flapped by a stray flag! 

8 minutes ago, Groundhog63 said:

Cathedral on the hill, you say *

 

 

[bobbydazzla]

People taking out bank loans so they can guzzle overpriced hot dogs and chicken nuggets in the ground, when within 5 mins walk of the ground there's reasonably priced and much better quality hot dogs, chicken nuggets, pizza, pasta, Greggs, asian food, greek food, turkish food, pub grub, burgers, £4 supermarket meal deals, hand made sarnies, french patisserie, caribbean food and dodgy vans serving questionable meat products with loads of onions

 

If scranning is an essential part of your match experience, then eat before you go, or after the game. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 22 by bobbydazzla

[OpenC]

Inconceivable that people prefer stadium food to what you can pick up literally a few hundred yards outside

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Does anyone prefer stadium food?

 

I think we were more talking about the kinds of things a PL club would expect to provide, mainly for the club to make more money. I don't buy anything in there except the odd (horrible) coffee.

 

I don't think we're saying anyone should skip their delicious restaurant lunch to buy wet chips from SJP. 

 

(Of course the food and drinks don't have to be bad and overpriced, but that's another story)

[Keegans Export]

8 minutes ago, OpenC said:

Inconceivable that people prefer stadium food to what you can pick up literally a few hundred yards outside

It's inconceivable to me too, but obviously some people do, which is why SJP along with every other football stadium in the country has multiple kitchens, kiosks and bars. 

 

Obviously we are in the minority of having a stadium very close to the city centre, but it's not a unique situation. It's the same as your post about having a shopping centre, hotel or whatever as part of a new stadium. Clearly that isn't something you would intend to make use of, and nor would I, but if you're looking at how a football club could increase their revenue, that's one way of doing it.

 

Having those things attached to the stadium would have absolutely no impact on how I enjoy my matchday experience - I would like larger safe standing areas, better acoustics etc, but there's no reason a new development couldn't have all that in addition to features designed to increase commercial revenue. In fact, the main thing that affects my experience is how well we play and more income = more money to spend = (hopefully) better performances on the pitch.

 

 

Edited March 22 by Keegans Export

[OpenC]

Aye, I get all that and yeah you're right. It all just sounds a bit shit to me  and if I'm honest makes me feel like my club is actually getting further away from me than it used to be, rather than closer. Probably football in general rather than just Newcastle, honestly. The price of progress is pretty soulless.

 

Ultimately this is all just my point of view. I think most of all I hate to start feeling like the mackems I work with were maybe right when they guaranteed in two years I wouldn't feel like I had my club back.

 

 

Edited March 22 by OpenC

[Kid Icarus]

7 minutes ago, Keegans Export said:

I would like larger safe standing areas, better acoustics etc, but there's no reason a new development couldn't have all that in addition to features designed to increase commercial revenue. In fact, the main thing that affects my experience is how well we play and more income = more money to spend = (hopefully) better performances on the pitch.

 

This one gets said a lot on here, but surely the proof is in the pudding and not the hypothetical? 

 

As far as I can tell, the only modern stadium with fan service for things like acoustics that seems to have resulted in a good atmosphere is Spurs's stadium.

[wormy]

I feel properly attacked whenever the food conversation comes up. No matter what I've eaten outside of SJP I invariably end up with a burger when I'm in there at some point.  Can't you just let us fattie patties be?

[OpenC]

I honestly reckon the atmosphere at SJP has got shitter primarily because we've been shitter a lot of the time and the crowds have changed, rather than because our stadium magically transports our cheering and singing outside the solar system somewhere.  You could build us a stadium the same as Spurs' on the current site and the crowd still wouldn't be singing Blaydon Races any more.  When it was noisy back in the day, even in its current lopsided form, it was plenty noisy. I'm sure it was for PSG at least in part, anyone who was there?

 

Crowds have changed and we're actively encouraging them to change more with bigger stadiums and a more general wide ranging experience than just going to a game of football.

 

 

Edited March 22 by OpenC

[AyeDubbleYoo]

The stadium isn't a factor in what has happened to atmosphere so far, as you say. I do think a new design could either contribute or detract to a certain extent though, but aye it's not the most important thing. 

[Doctor Zaius]

34 minutes ago, OpenC said:

  When it was noisy back in the day, even in its current lopsided form, it was plenty noisy. I'm sure it was for PSG at least in part, anyone who was there?

 

 

PSG was the best and loudest ive ever heard SJP I think. That was this season and Ive been a frequent critic of the atmosphere in the ground. So it just goes to show.