Bramall Lane

[Sheffsteel]

Bottom line - we’d all like a bigger, better stadium. But the numbers don’t add up, particularly if it’s financed. It would take years before the extra revenue paid off the loan and in the meantime we’d be carrying debt that we could barely afford unless we’re permanently in the PL. It would be the South Stand all over again.
PA doesn’t have the money to ‘invest’ himself and, again, without regular PL football, even if he did, it would take years before it showed any return.
So, as much as we’d like it, it’s unlikely to happen unless we get up and stay up for a few seasons.

Agree.....it's not like playing football manager. There must be a business case with a decent return on investment.

Major stadium issues for us are

1: The Kop
The Kop concourse is stuck in the 1980's and desperately needs modernisation. This day and age you expect a concourse to be under cover protected from the elements. However with "safe standing" likely to become a major feature of English football, it makes sense for the club to hang fire for a few years, then we can do a Kop design based on introducing safe standiing. Might even be able to increase the capacity if the seat to stand ratio is increased like in Germany, however the concourses and facilities would need to be bigger to take into account the potential of extra numbers.

2: The South stand
It might not seem fair but these days many stadia are judged on player, director, executive, media and VIP facilities.
In modern stadia there's an expectation tha changing rooms, media centres, conference rooms, directors boxes, players lounges are up to 5 star hotel levels.
Our facilities are good, but more like 3 to 4 star levels.

Therefore if we extended and refurbished the South stand, this would be the face of Sheffield United to impress visiting players, prospective signings, VIP's, media people etc. Modern top level stadia should have underground private car park, large media centres, impressive 5 star executive and directors facilities etc.
At present we've no chance of being awarded major mens football events until we've ungraded and expanded the areas underneath the South stand.
Even the players tunnel and corridors to the changing rooms are too cramped compared to other more modern stadia.

 

[Crouchy]

My goodness.

I'm glad I never became the type to fuss over "the facilities".

Glad I'm not the sort to demand a reclining leather chair with a charging dock, a complimentary selfie stick and a drinks holder.
A state of the art shithouse with a butler on hand to hold your cock while you have a piss or hand out pieces of raw Chinese silk on which to wipe one's arse.
'Cos y'know, that would really improve "the customer experience".

You're in the ground for an hour and a half for fucks sake, the primary purpose of which is to watch football.

For everything else there's a hotel nearby

You can piss in a bucket if you want, but it's perhaps not the selling point you think it is.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

To anyone watching on TV...what did they say about the attendance?

I know the capacity has been reduced slightly for the benches and cameras etc but from my vantage point on the Kop I was stunned with the 28,600 they put up

There were quite a few empty seats and with the seats taken out and taped off I am surprised there really was that many in the ground tbh. Guessing they were sold but people didn't turn up for whatever reason.

Another attendance record broken at the Lane for this tournament though so all in all a huge success.

 

[S64 Blade]

A football ground is not a cinema. But if we are to go with that analogy, I've been to some rubbish cinemas and still enjoyed the visit as long as the film was good, because that was the central purpose of the visit.

They’re both entertainment venues. Having some basic facilities, of a reasonable quality isn’t too much to ask.

 

[Sean Thornton]

We really need to sort the Kop out …but I guess getting shirts on the players backs a little more pressing at the mo.

Wild theory

 

[Katzenjammer]

You can piss in a bucket if you want, but it's perhaps not the selling point you think it is.

It's not a selling point at all, because I was already sold on Bramall Lane over 30 years ago. Going for a wazz in opulent surroundings wasn't one of the reasons.

 

[S64 Blade]

Wild theory

Weerz new kit?

 

[Sean Thornton]

Re. the ground, it is embarrassing to think a lot of people had to experience the Kop for these games; especially any women using those toilets, which must be even worse, without having the advantage of a man and being able to have a piss anywhere, quite easily.

The club should set some medium/long term plans to rebuild the stand entirely. Rip up the cheap/it’ll do option McCabe had planned and do a proper rebuild of the stand - moving it back a meter (or whatever it needs to be for UEFA so we don’t need seats closed off) and get rid of/or find a way to rebuild over the mound. It needs a properly covered, steeper inclined stand, with far better access and facilities. It’d also be worth factoring in some safe standing (top third of stand, for example). Exec boxes could also be added at the top, as I’m sure we are full on capacity there too. We don’t need it to be huge, just increase the size of it by a few thousand at most and at the same time, work out how we could infill the corner on the Cherry Street side, if needed, as a next step.

We might not be able to afford to build it yet, but having a better plan in place that truly future proofs it, is surely something that needs to be done to not only act as a legacy from the Euros, but also for the fans of the club.

Any ladies who had ever entered the toilets in the Green Room would have thought they were at the Ritz.

 

[Katzenjammer]

They’re both entertainment venues. Having some basic facilities, of a reasonable quality isn’t too much to ask.

Well perhaps that's where we fundamentally differ. Because for extended periods of my time watching United, I've haven't even expected to be entertained, let alone anything else.

 

[Roygbiv]

Absolutely delusional idiots:

Through gritted teeth

England v Sweden tonight, Must admit Bramall Lane looks good, step ahead of Hillsborough

www.owlstalk.co.uk

Bramall Lane is far from perfect but genuinely trying to say Hillsborough is better though is completely ludicrous and I'm surprised even their fans are attempting to make that a debate in any sort of way. They must have felt so embarrassed last night looking at how far behind they've fallen in terms of stadium.

Last find Hillsborough was on terrestrial TV it was against Plymouth in the cup. They were getting jibes across social media at how run down their ground looked. The only argument they have is it's bigger and they support the team who plays there.

 

[Ridgeway Blade]

Get some more music concerts on at BL too. Get Springsteen etc back. Went to see Eagles at Anfield a few weeks ago and they had hosted Elton John, The Rolling Stones and Eagles all in three weeks. Think of the revenue. Springsteen is at Villa park next year. Bramall Lane is far betterand would be great for fans gathering before with all city centre pubs, Devonshire Green etc nearby.

 

[S64 Blade]

Well perhaps that's where we fundamentally differ. Because for extended periods of my time watching United, I've haven't even expected to be entertained, let alone anything else.

I agree with you on that one!

 

[El Volví]

In an ideal world I'd love to see the old kop demolished and a complete new stand built incorporating all the modern facilities today's fans would like.
But the cost involved in removing all the rubble (the hill itself) I would guess would be huge and that's before you would start any rebuild!

 

[S64 Blade]

In an ideal world I'd love to see the old kop demolished and a complete new stand built incorporating all the modern facilities today's fans would like.
But the cost involved in removing all the rubble (the hill itself) I would guess would be huge and that's before you would start any rebuild!

Couldn’t we just build over it again? Not ideal, but if it’s problematic, it’s an option. We could in theory just leave the terrace of the current stand, beneath anything built on top.

Concourse would probably be the downside as you’d still only really be able to enter from the upper end of the stand.

 

[Crouchy]

Bramall Lane is far from perfect but genuinely trying to say Hillsborough is better though is completely ludicrous and I'm surprised even their fans are attempting to make that a debate in any sort of way. They must have felt so embarrassed last night looking at how far behind they've fallen in terms of stadium.

Last find Hillsborough was on terrestrial TV it was against Plymouth in the cup. They were getting jibes across social media at how run down their ground looked. The only argument they have is it's bigger and they support the team who plays there.

Also I feel a bit mean pointing out that their stadium is "more famous worldwide" mainly because of the large number of people who died there one day in 1989.

 

[S64 Blade]

Bramall Lane is far from perfect but genuinely trying to say Hillsborough is better though is completely ludicrous and I'm surprised even their fans are attempting to make that a debate in any sort of way. They must have felt so embarrassed last night looking at how far behind they've fallen in terms of stadium.

Last find Hillsborough was on terrestrial TV it was against Plymouth in the cup. They were getting jibes across social media at how run down their ground looked. The only argument they have is it's bigger and they support the team who plays there.

Do Wednesday even have a women’s team?

 

[El Volví]

Couldn’t we just build over it again? Not ideal, but if it’s problematic, it’s an option. We could in theory just leave the terrace of the current stand, beneath anything built on top.

Concourse would probably be the downside as you’d still only really be able to enter from the upper end of the stand.

But that's no better than what's already there isn't it?
Removing those bloody posts would be a step in the right direction from a viewing point.
But the facilities at the rear (not that I've experienced them in a very long time) would appear to be a major issue.

 

[Alan Birchenall's hair]

At 19:55, were there long queues of society's misfits at each cubicle in the bogs at the John St entrance to the Kop, each with a line already set up on their wrist? If not, they really didn't get the full matchday experience of The Lane....

 

[El Volví]

Bramall Lane is far from perfect but genuinely trying to say Hillsborough is better though is completely ludicrous and I'm surprised even their fans are attempting to make that a debate in any sort of way. They must have felt so embarrassed last night looking at how far behind they've fallen in terms of stadium.

Last find Hillsborough was on terrestrial TV it was against Plymouth in the cup. They were getting jibes across social media at how run down their ground looked. The only argument they have is it's bigger and they support the team who plays there.

The Theater of Rust has an official capacity listed at 39,732
Is that actually a real figure?
How many seats are really available?
I'm guessing it's a lot less than that!

My point being that I reckon the capacity is probably a lot nearer our real capacity than they think.

 

[Sheffsteel]

Bramall Lane is far from perfect but genuinely trying to say Hillsborough is better though is completely ludicrous and I'm surprised even their fans are attempting to make that a debate in any sort of way. They must have felt so embarrassed last night looking at how far behind they've fallen in terms of stadium.

Last find Hillsborough was on terrestrial TV it was against Plymouth in the cup. They were getting jibes across social media at how run down their ground looked. The only argument they have is it's bigger and they support the team who plays there.

Agree...in the 70's Hillsboro was easily one of the best stadia in the UK.
It was known as "the Wembley of the North", however the fact that it was such a great stadium 50 years ago and lead to massive complacency.

Almost every club had some kind of design fault with their stadium, some were so old they weren't fit for purpose.
The Taylor report said all clubs must become all seater meaning large reductions in stadium capacity.

So the vast majority of clubs had no choice but to either move into a brand new stadium, rebuild new stands, modernise stands or infill corners.
Where as Hillsboro was so good there was never any pressing need to do any of this.
So over the decades Hillsboro has slipped further and further down the rankings compared to other more modern upgraded stadia.

It's still a fine historical stadium but it's like owning a good condition E type jag.
It's a legendary car/ stadium and is arguably something to be proud of....but you'd just leave it in the garage and rarely ever drive it to the local shops.
Lke a 40 year old Jag.....eventually Hillsboro in a practical sense, won't be fit for purpose.

If they see their future in league 1 then Hillsboro will be fine.
but if they have ambitions for top flight football then surely it's inevitable that they'll need to move.

 

[blackydog]

Absolutely delusional idiots:

Through gritted teeth

England v Sweden tonight, Must admit Bramall Lane looks good, step ahead of Hillsborough

www.owlstalk.co.uk

Well that was a load of shite.

 

[CaptainMorgans]

The Theater of Rust has an official capacity listed at 39,732
Is that actually a real figure?
How many seats are really available?
I'm guessing it's a lot less than that!

My point being that I reckon the capacity is probably a lot nearer our real capacity than they think.

The corner next to their away end is rarely available.

But the eye test should tell you that their Kop is much bigger. As is their North Stand.

Our family stand is actually pretty small and the corner between that and our Kop is poorly built.

 

[S64 Blade]

But that's no better than what's already there isn't it?
Removing those bloody posts would be a step in the right direction from a viewing point.
But the facilities at the rear (not that I've experienced them in a very long time) would appear to be a major issue.

My thinking is the concourse/facilities area would be built where the car park is at the back now and the bits we have at the side, go.

You enter the new stand on Shoreham Street, and head up to a new concourse area, which could be set over two/three floors and possibly split to only allow those sat in certain gangways/blocks are allowed access - I’m thinking similar to how Dortmund’s yellow wall is partitioned. Splitting the concourses based on which block you have a ticket in would also help police any safe standing area as you’d have to go through a totally different turnstile block and into a different concourse area of the stand.

So it may be something like; floors 1/2 of the concourse are seating only, with the entrance to the stand for these areas around the same height as the current entrances to the Kop. Floor 3 is purely for safe standing which would cover say the top 1/4 section of the Kop and be entered via a new entrance at a higher elevation than the standing area (bearing in mind the stand would be steeper too).

 

[Sheffsteel]

In an ideal world I'd love to see the old kop demolished and a complete new stand built incorporating all the modern facilities today's fans would like.
But the cost involved in removing all the rubble (the hill itself) I would guess would be huge and that's before you would start any rebuild!

McCabes design showed that there would be a massive indoor concourse areas with modern and extensive facilities built behind the Kop.
His design meant there was no reason to flatten the site, everything can be provided at a faster level keeping the hill intact.
Also there were rumours that disturbing the hill has potential dangers if they find something (like an unexploded bomb, chemicals etc).

His design also meant little reduction in capacity as the Kop would largely remain open during building works
and also the rebuild would take about 18 months, so we'd only suffer a reduced capacity Kop for ONE playing season and 2 Summer off seasons.

Also there would be little reason for executive facilities because we would already be more than doubling what we have when expanding the South stand.
Having executive boxes on 3 sides of the ground would surely be overkill. The South stand wlll have a private underground car park and it makes sense that the best/ most impressive VIP and executive facilities should be in the South stand.

The bottom line is
The Kop rebuilt won't happen until we see the success or failure of "safe standing", so a design can incorporate it and
The South stand won't be done unless we win a bid for a major mens tournament or we've been in the PL for 2 or 3 years.

 

[Shakespeare blade]

Great coverage of Sheffield and the Lane, on a historic and a record breaking night, on all news outlets for a couple of days, and an 11m audience around the world…… now get that ground extended so we can host the mens game.

Think that maybe a driving force to getting the improvements done

 

[Stevo71]

The corner next to their away end is rarely available.

But the eye test should tell you that their Kop is much bigger. As is their North Stand.

Our family stand is actually pretty small and the corner between that and our Kop is poorly built.

Their kop holds around 1k more than our kop so I wouldn't say it was much bigger

 

[Berkshire Blade]

South stand gets done first ( if ever) as that's where the money is made.

 

[BushBlade]

It's still a fine historical stadium but it's like owning a good condition E type jag.

I’d say it’s more like owning an old jag that would struggle to pass an MOT, is covered in rust and stinks of piss.

 

[metalblade]

Re. the ground, it is embarrassing to think a lot of people had to experience the Kop for these games; especially any women using those toilets, which must be even worse, without having the advantage of a man and being able to have a piss anywhere, quite easily.

The club should set some medium/long term plans to rebuild the stand entirely. Rip up the cheap/it’ll do option McCabe had planned and do a proper rebuild of the stand - moving it back a meter (or whatever it needs to be for UEFA so we don’t need seats closed off) and get rid of/or find a way to rebuild over the mound. It needs a properly covered, steeper inclined stand, with far better access and facilities. It’d also be worth factoring in some safe standing (top third of stand, for example). Exec boxes could also be added at the top, as I’m sure we are full on capacity there too. We don’t need it to be huge, just increase the size of it by a few thousand at most and at the same time, work out how we could infill the corner on the Cherry Street side, if needed, as a next step.

We might not be able to afford to build it yet, but having a better plan in place that truly future proofs it, is surely something that needs to be done to not only act as a legacy from the Euros, but also for the fans of the club.

This ^^^^^, the fly in the ointment being the McCabe owned corners, but yeah do it right = do it once, a few years in the Premier league needed rather than a quick fix bodge job knock the bugger down and do it right concourses under cover, the lot.

 

[SwissBlade]

South stand gets done first ( if ever) as that's where the money is made.

From the Plans that do the rounds every year or so It also makes sense to do that first as the big upgrades to South Stand will be backwards into the car park. I remember that there was once a plan to extend the capacity on the south stand but that could be done later.

Kop would be a bolt on extension on Whats already there in terms of capacity, though to do it right it would need ripping out and starting again - less likely to happen.

Main thing with the kop is concourse and roof.

Capacity at the lane is not too bad, but will never be enough if we’re in the Prem long term. So we either need an owner with money to get if done whilst we’re in ghe championship or we get it done in the prem.

Either way the lane has attracted boxing, rugby league, womens euros, u21 games and the like… so we’re proving we can put on big and varied events

Get the pulp come back at the lane and we’re laughing