Crowd tonight

[Keef Chedwyn]

I think it's fucking awful. The view we had was shit (admittedly near the front).

It's soulless. No character. Is it functional? Maybe, but who cares about functional? The toilets are better than the Kop (not saying much), but still massive queues. Not sure the food kiosks/bars were any different to any other TBH. I don't think the acoustics were particularly good, I just think they're unique in having both sides near the away end make loads of noise (and fair play, they did that well last night, but that drum is fucking awful!). If all their fans were at the far end I think you'd struggle the hear them.

The worst thing is the whole out of town/retail park shenanigans. The areas around grounds (particularly pubs and food outlets) help define the match day experience. What defines the Madejski? The Travelodge on the M4 eastbound? Also, if you need to go back into Reading, the transport links are terrible.

I remember playing Sheffield FC in a preseason friendly at the Don Valley. It was shit. The Madejski is Don Valley without the running track and TBH, the area surrounding Don Valley was better equipped to cater for occasional influxes of people than than the area around the Madejski is!

A weird thing about these bowls is that the design of them starts to look outdated quite quickly (probably because of all the others that you visit that are brand new), whereas older stadiums can (if upgraded correctly) improve with age. This is particularly true when every club is falling over themselves to sell up and ship out to a bowl and classic older grounds are becoming rarer. Being one of the first bowl type designs, the Madejski already looks older than it is.

It's everything Bramall Lane isn't (remote, inaccessible, nowhere near the centre, nowhere near streets filled with pubs/restaurants/cafes/chippies/bookies, etc). There's no mad bastards on approaching streets promising Jesus will save you, deafening you with "THREE POUND FIFTY YOUR MATCH PROGRAM", or playing godawful bag pipes. There might have been if the ground was in the middle of the town (or still at Elm Park).

It's a godawful place that I'm not in any particular hurry to ever revisit. My turn to express an unpopular opinion: Millwall have a better ground, and I honestly think it's a better matchday experience.

If we moved from Bramall Lane to a bowl by the side of the M1, I'd probably never set foot inside a football ground again.

Maybe I should've put very unpopular opinion.
Suppose my match day experience is different to a lot of other people. Travel alone, don't drink and like walking. My way of relaxing and getting away from it all. Bit of a boring weirdo to be fair.
Also looking from the point of view of when my kids build up a few points so they can come along. I think they'd have liked it last night and they would have been able to see the match for once but I appreciate it's not for everyone, especially ones who've got good memories of proper old grounds.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

A rather enjoyable rant Flawed and I agree with every word. Down with my local ground it expresses everything West Ham fans say about the move from Upton Park to Stratford.

But the big plus for me was this:

I'd probably never set foot inside a football ground again.

Big likes for not using 'step foot' which has crept in of late. Right up there with 'should of' in the grammar irritant league in my book.

 

[Greenwich Blade]

This kind of stuff is what can drag this wonderful place down for a while to the levels of most other football forums when you mosey for a nosey... I always sidestep it all , not worth getting involved in as I feel pretty much all the other regular great posters and contributors do the same as well. It's not my place to do anything like that even if I felt any compunction to..S24SU welcomed me in November 2015 and its felt like 'home' ever since.

Oi, mate! Hillsborough's that way*.

*For future reference y'see.

 

[BushBlade]

The one in the red was the one who was giving Hendo the most grief with his "Paedo" chants. I'm a peace loving hippy on the whole but I really hope he got chinned outside as well. As I pointed out at the time, he must be especially thick because he was the only one wearing red so he stood out like a sore gormless twat.

Sure enough, as we headed to the buses back into town after the match, I spotted him coming out of the ground and heading in the direction of the Blades coaches. Oh I hope so, I really hope so.

As a side issue, is it in any way illegal to chant "Paedo" at England's number one? The other crime they committed was to chant that he was "just a shit Jordan Pickford."

View attachment 72923

Have you zoomed in on that section of the crowd around him? It looks like a horror film. There’s what looks like a kid with an adult’s face sat on a woman’s knee.


Edit: Zombie Apocalypse

 

[1973Blade]

I would describe myself as quite a 'quiet fan' at away matches, I'm not sure if it matters? I shout 'COME ON' randomly every few minutes, sing the Greasy Chip Butty' and occasioanly join in the 'An S-H-E-F-F-I-E-L-D U-N-I-T-E-D Sheff United FC' chant, but I must suffer from verbal dyslexia because I get confused about what letter comes next.

 

[1973Blade]

Head's gone.View attachment 72928

Does Gary Lineker walk around with Paul Gascoigne's head attached to the back of him?

 

[Sharrowblade]

I was down near the front last night, and judging by Greenwich Blade's picture, right behind him.

You do get a different sound experience the lower down you are, and I thought we were subdued last night.

I think its also fair to point out that we have a good number of elderly supporters (no disrespect intended) who follow us away.
Its not in their chemistry to be consistently singing 'He's our striker he's our number nine' or whatever.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Back on topic, as someone who was watching the Facebook stream I have to admit that the main noise I heard was from the home fans

Fuck off to Hillsborough.

 

[Varkanoid]

"You're shit, aaagh!" after every goalkick.

That was getting tiresome watching at home. Some great noise from the fans though, several chip butty songs, few others I recognised but highlight of the night was Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Na Na Na Billy Billy Sharp, Billy Sharp Billy Billy Shaaaaarp and (repeat) after the great goal. Thought he did well when he came on.

 

[GallonofMagnet]

Why were they singing Blades songs? I did only watch it on tv but we did sound fairly loud, particularly early on and late on. As for them, that fkin drum was so annoying.

I think they were trying to encourage us.

 

[Asabanana]

We ended up sat right next to the Reading fans and couldn't hear anything other than that inane drum for most of the game so hard to get any momentum going.

 

[BushBlade]

Does Gary Lineker walk around with Paul Gascoigne's head attached to the back of him?

Yes, it’s a human centipede type thing. That’s why Gazza looks rough and mental, he spends most of his time clamped to Lineker’s arse.

 

[Johnnyblade]

One thing I must comment on was the phone data reception,I had the Facebook live stream on my phone whilst watching the game.
Ended up seeing all the multi angled replays of both goals (great as both were the opposite end) and all chances etc,also replays of the soft penalty decision.
Phone reception or WiFi definitely needs to be improved at Bramall Lane

 

[HammerInPeace]

Blades fans are generally a broad church., from fundamentalists to the agnostics and curious. In my 50 years of following they have generally been very accepting, tolerant and understanding and that was replicated on this forum, which is why I joined. Indeed, opposition fans who behaved were accepted and some stick around, like JonnyRed(WCFC) and HammerInPeace, whilst those that wanted to troll, shenanigans was declared and members could go to town on them before the ban came.

I wouldn't dream of going on an oppo's forum & being a cunt. It's the height of ignorance & bad form.
I like coming on here now & again & having a chat. I don't even mind the insults!

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

I wouldn't dream of going on an oppo's forum & being a cunt. It's the height of ignorance & bad form.
I like coming on here now & again & having a chat. I don't even mind the insults!

But it's all done in the best possible taste