[Football] The Olympic Stadium, is it as bad as West Ham fans bang on about?

[Pretty pink fairy]

Ha! Good call! Ok, terraces and cheap admission

yep, them blonde haired blue eyed lot seem to cope
regards
DR

 

[perseus]

I'm 49 and every time I walk up to The Amex I still get a buzz about how brilliant the place is. There is NOTHING I miss about any of our previous stadiums at all.

Same here. Apart from the trains on a too often bad days.

 

[Pavilionaire]

You don't miss certain aspects of the Goldstone or Withdean? Each to their own obviously, but have to say I find that more than a bit surprising.

The terraces at The Goldstone were already crumbling when I first started going regularly as a 13 year old in 1982. The East Stand was uncovered, the North Stand didn't have a roof for ages, the bogs were disgusting, the catering was poor. Sure, I have happy memories of the matches, the crowds, the walk to/from the ground but in terms of the stadium it was dire. That said, Withdean was worse. And Priestfield was even worse than that.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The terraces at The Goldstone were already crumbling when I first started going regularly as a 13 year old in 1982. The East Stand was uncovered, the North Stand didn't have a roof for ages, the bogs were disgusting, the catering was poor. Sure, I have happy memories of the matches, the crowds, the walk to/from the ground but in terms of the stadium it was dire. That said, Withdean was worse. And Priestfield was even worse than that.

Blimey! Who knew there were folks out there who judged the club purely in terms of its infrastructure

 

[Dick Head]

Didn't we get promoted whilst playing at an athletics stadium?

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Yeah they were, until 3 mins after ko when they scored, and proceeded to score another two before the 10 min mark. I guess that morgue feeling for a couple of minutes must have been eerie.

Different match then, not the 6-0 tanking, probably the one before or maybe a cup game. Only time I went there and we sang 'shall we sing a song for you

 

[Bigtomfu]

Well it's a lovely stadium and I'm glad it's being used more than half a dozen times a year but the transport logistics make Falmer look positively joyous to get to in comparison.

My dad in particular bemoans and begrudges the fact that he has to get a train or on a bus or not be able to park for free within sensible walking distance of the Amex and cites this as one of the main reasons he gave up his season ticket after >50 years of coming. (The others being he's now a curmudgeonly old sod who also lives >100 miles away and struggles to get up the stairs but that's by the by!) But he did at least retain one for the first 4 seasons.

In comparison if I was a die hard WHU fan and had to put up with a tube journey followed by 25/30 minute walk to the stadium perimeter and then a 10 minute queue to have an electronic wand shoved up my arse and get told what size bag to bring and what not to have in it etc etc then I think I might have packed it all in too.

It's simply a logistical nightmare and then once inside the quality of the stadium is only ok - I liked the multi tier concourse and interesting polygonal architecture inside but didn't like the number of concession stalls and being served beer in a plastic glass decanted from a plastic bottle. Once in the stadium bowl it just feels all wrong.

We have the perfect example of this type of ground not really working from a spectator perspective in the Stadio Olympico in Rome. Both incumbent tenants have been trying to leave for years- the view is poor, location tricky and pitch quality questionable.

Only the Americans seem to manage multi use stadiums well and that's because they have the space to allow every person attending to bring their own car and park so the out of town location doesn't matter.

It just doesn't work no matter what they do. Atmosphere average, logistics awful, history - none. They had to move but should have done a Spurs and stayed where they were but there wouldn't have been any money in it for the Dildo Brothers then would there?

 

[Weststander]

It’s a wonderful stadium, but a poor football stadium.

That said, we didn’t get to experience it at its best. It could be quite something when West Ham are in a highly-charged competitive match with a rival.

That depends.

If they are losing in a derby - toxic and despondent. Half empty on 80 minutes.

Winning, as in the rare home win versus Spuds last April, great.

In 14 months, there have been far more of the former:

 

[el punal]

It’s a wonderful stadium, but a poor football stadium.

That said, we didn’t get to experience it at its best. It could be quite something when West Ham are in a highly-charged competitive match with a rival.

Ouch to that say the Dildo Brothers!

 

[Easy 10]

Juventus's old stadium,the Stadio delle Alpi, and their new one, the Allianz Stadium.
West Ham have got this COMPLETELY the wrong way round.

 

[8049]

You don't miss certain aspects of the Goldstone or Withdean? Each to their own obviously, but have to say I find that more than a bit surprising.

I agree with the Pavilionaire but I guess I'm thinking in terms of being at the Goldstone now in 2017 not what is was like in the 80s or 90s. There's nothing about the Goldstone that I would want to experience now (being in my mid-40s bundling around in the North Stand doesn't sound like fun any more), except maybe seeing Fred going round the touchline at halftime.

I wasn't able to go to Withdean as much as I would have liked so can't miss what I never really had. But, for me, the Amex is everything we could want. It still feels like the Albion, feels like home (to someone who now lives out of Sussex) and, most importantly, is a symbol of the security we now have and the opportunity to be optimistic about the future.

 

[dwayne]

I thought the London stadium was dreadful. Great to take a pic or 2 outside and in. But fundamentally it was like watching football at a giant withdean. Soulless.

I've always dreamed of watching Brighton in premier league grounds but I have not been impressed so far and this season has given me a massive appreciation for our own stadium.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[Weststander]

I agree with the Pavilionaire but I guess I'm thinking in terms of being at the Goldstone now in 2017 not what is was like in the 80s or 90s. There's nothing about the Goldstone that I would want to experience now (being in my mid-40s bundling around in the North Stand doesn't sound like fun any more), except maybe seeing Fred going round the touchline at halftime.

I wasn't able to go to Withdean as much as I would have liked so can't miss what I never really had. But, for me, the Amex is everything we could want. It still feels like the Albion, feels like home (to someone who now lives out of Sussex) and, most importantly, is a symbol of the security we now have and the opportunity to be optimistic about the future.

Just one thing for me (but I personally wouldn't want to stand now).

Standing in north stand terracing, under the old lower roof in the 1970's, swaying and surging with up to 10,000 on a sell out.

As a kid I loved it. Never felt intimidated or scared.

This was prior to various safety Acts of Parliament or H&S assessments, which diluted the numbers. It was amazing at the time.

 

[studio150]

I think one of the main problems with the ground from a football watching perspective is the fact that both stands which run the length of the pitch still curve away from the pitch, with the widest parts being on the half way line, hence the largest technical areas in the world. The use as a football ground would I believe have benefited with these seats being pulled out towards the pitch. Given the cost and time involved in doing this for the areas at the end of the pitch, the cost and time involved was prohibitive.

A good visit given the result, not sure I would want to be there every week

 

[looney]

Football's mainly about banging on about memories and nostalgia tho eh? Else what are you left with?

What Brovian said, this so far could be the best season ever.

 

[GooGull]

I enjoyed the stadium, glad I went but have doubts about its identity as a football ground. I did like watching our crew in the lower tier when we were all singing in unison. Brilliant

 

[Nitram]

Atmosphere on the concourse at half time was bloody brilliant.

 

[grumpyoldgit]

Went to the athletics in August and thought it was a great stadium, went on Friday and thought that its not a football stadium, felt detached from the game being so far back