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Which English grounds are still intimidating



Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
for either fans or opposition teams?

Reading today's online Argus article about how the Amex is not at all intimidating got me wondering about which grounds can still be viewed as such. All seater stadiums probably have something to do with it but I am struggling to think of any modern stadiums that can compare to Cold Blow Lane and others of bygone times.

OK so I haven't been to all the English grounds, so which ones do you reckon still have an intimidating atmosphere?
 


Timbo

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
4,294
Hassocks
None I don't think. Ninian Park used to be a hell of a day out but when you see them in the tele now it looks as sterile as everywhere else.
 


theboybilly

Well-known member
Maybe Elland Road, but only if you're daft enough to try and enter one of the pubs surrounding the ground wearing opposition colours. The new-build grounds are generally safer because they are not surrounded by loads of streets where, as in the case of the old Den, you could be picked off by a waiting mob that the Old Bill hadn't seen. I reckon Fratton Park could still be a bit tasty. And Cardiff, because they're Cardiff.
 




Giraffe

VERY part time moderator
Helpful Moderator
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Aug 8, 2005
26,456
I used to think West Ham, but that was in the old days. Last visit there I didn't feel any real hostility at all. Maybe because they won 6-0!
 












edna krabappel

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 7, 2003
47,228
I don't think any grounds are intimidating now. The odd one might be noisier at times than others, but really, every ground has exactly the same scenario going on.

The home fans don't make much of a racket unless it's a big game or something controversial/exciting has happened, and the away fans cluster together and sing, incorrectly, "your support is ****ing shit" and " worst support we've ever seen". Every. Single. Time.
 


edna krabappel

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 7, 2003
47,228
I suppose it also depends what you mean by "intimidating". Pompey can bang their little drum & ring their bell, Palace can do lots of their copyrighted, all-their-own-invention ooooohing, and Millwall can sing "Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii..." etc, but I honestly don't think any of that makes a player think "Jesus, what am I going into?"

Maybe Millwall was scary in the 1980s. But not now. It's just the way football has gone
 


Black Rod

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2013
944
The only place you might have considered intimidating would be The Den, but most of that was taken away when they built the walkway direct from the station to the away end.

Leeds wasn't exactly pleasant this year but that was more to do with the inbred northern locals than it was any intimidation factor
 




Harold

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
1,307
Hastings
Definitely Molineux. Lively both to and from the ground, with their fans pretty in your face inside. Attracts more than a few head-mentals. Immediate area is not nice.
 




Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
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Jul 23, 2003
33,818
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
Back in the day Elland Road was pretty scary. I can remember playing them on the day of Hillsboro and them cheering at the first news of the disaster and also going there just before Christmas a couple of seasons later when we only had about 200 and there were loads of Leeds in our end. They also made a pretty big noise round the ground even for mid table fixtures. The scariest place ever was the Old Den though. Who remembers them trying to set fire to it after the playoff semi?

I haven't been away for a few seasons now but I can't imagine anywhere measures up to that these days.
 




brightonrock

Dodgy Hamstrings
Jan 1, 2008
2,482
Millwall isn't intimidating, it's a parody of itself. I was impressed by Forest away last season, very loud for a home support, but then we were both gunning for promotion and like the Amex, there's a lot of them so it stands to reason they'd be loud when they get going. On MOTD this year Cardiff have been impressive. I think generally though, very few grounds are that loud these days.
 


Grombleton

Surrounded by <div>s
Dec 31, 2011
7,356
I think most of the modern stadia have lost that certain something - but many have been developed with families, groups, corporates etc in mind - it's easier to sell that as a package rather than a pie and a stabbing. It's like the Amex- it's built as a 'community' stadium, so they try to cater for all and as such it's going to lose some atmosphere (though it does sound epic when we bother to make enough noise).

I can't think of many places that would be 'intimidating', though i suppose if you're naive and end up in a home pub wearing away colours then it's not likely to go down too well.
 


Se20

Banned
Oct 3, 2012
3,981
Millwall isn't intimidating, it's a parody of itself. I was impressed by Forest away last season, very loud for a home support, but then we were both gunning for promotion and like the Amex, there's a lot of them so it stands to reason they'd be loud when they get going. On MOTD this year Cardiff have been impressive. I think generally though, very few grounds are that loud these days.

The old Den was very intimidating, but now it's one of the safest away days ( apart from a few Herbert's at London Bridge )
 











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