Life Near the Top of Division 2

[William Henry Foulkes]

Decided to go to Derby v Brighton, 3rd v 1st, to see what life is like near the top of Division 2.

Buying a ticket online last night was really simple, didn't have to (officially) "join" or anything - though I do have a fan number - which is in the thirty millions, so maybe they're a bigger club than you might think
Cost £36. I think it's a decent seat. Lowest adult price was £30.
Modern looking stadium ten minutes stroll from the train station in what is in effect a sprawling and utterly characterless retail park
Statue of Clough and Taylor in close embrace outside the ground
Ticket office easy to find and get to (and not stuck away on the far side of the ground with queues round the car park)
As was the ticket collection point, which is where I should've been
On the ground is a (tax-dodging?) Starbucks which is where I am atm
Queues here are out the door but the tea lady, ok coffee lady, took my order and it was ready when I got to the till
Clientele look like they're average age 40-50, disposable income apparent in clothes and phones, and pricey beverages, a few kids as part of families.

First impressions are that here at least the game is a gentrified product. There will be die-hard football fans of course, but I wonder what proportion of the crowd they are.

I don't venture over to Centertainment but that's what this most resembles to me.

Very mixed feelings about the whole "experience". But istm at BDTBL we're light years away from this vision/version of the present/future, and not just on the pitch.

 

[bladesmanluke]

I lived in Derby for a few years and went to many games at Pride Park. They get great support numbers wise, but that stadium, that whole area is just dead

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

Statue of Clough and Taylor in close embrace outside the ground

Sounds faintly pornographic.

Btw, the welcome lack of the "gentrified product" you describe at Bramall Lane is something our board ought to be greatly credited for (credit where it's due) - long, long may it continue. We've had (& continue to get) modernisation without bland conformity & sterility.

Enjoy the game, WH. (Expecting one of your excellent, succinct bullet-pointed reports later...)

 

[HillmortonBlade]

Decided to go to Derby v Brighton, 3rd v 1st, to see what life is like near the top of Division 2.

Buying a ticket online last night was really simple, didn't have to (officially) "join" or anything - though I do have a fan number - which is in the thirty millions, so maybe they're a bigger club than you might think
Cost £36. I think it's a decent seat. Lowest adult price was £30.
Modern looking stadium ten minutes stroll from the train station in what is in effect a sprawling and utterly characterless retail park
Statue of Clough and Taylor in close embrace outside the ground
Ticket office easy to find and get to (and not stuck away on the far side of the ground with queues round the car park)
As was the ticket collection point, which is where I should've been
On the ground is a (tax-dodging?) Starbucks which is where I am atm
Queues here are out the door but the tea lady, ok coffee lady, took my order and it was ready when I got to the till
Clientele look like they're average age 40-50, disposable income apparent in clothes and phones, and pricey beverages, a few kids as part of families.

First impressions are that here at least the game is a gentrified product. There will be die-hard football fans of course, but I wonder what proportion of the crowd they are.

I don't venture over to Centertainment but that's what this most resembles to me.

Very mixed feelings about the whole "experience". But istm at BDTBL we're light years away from this vision/version of the present/future, and not just on the pitch.

Went to watch Derby against Rangers a couple of years back. The stadium and surrounding area is an interesting civil engineering project at best. Soulless. Fans reduced to drinking in a Frankie and Bennys.. Give me BDTBL always, and not just the proximity of the city centre and its pubs.

The modern stadiums following the example of the US stadiums, but I understand that over there the modern thinking is to introduce a variety of stand architecture to offer greater differentiation.

 

[SwissBlade]

Landlord at the pub in the village Where my parents live was a massive Derby fan, he used to have two season tickets, the second being a spare, so I went with him occasionally.

Remember watching Derby v Leeds in the days of huckerby and bridges up top for Leeds. Probably the worst 0-0 I've seen and this was premier league football. Those two up front were typical of that time, all pace and no ability.

But onto the point, the ground was pretty full but soulless, like others have said

Reminds me of an American retail park, went to watch Pittsburg Pirates baseball a couple of years back and it's just like that. Trying to build a feeling and an atmosphere around the ground with bars etc just doesn't work for me.

I love how bramall lane is part of the local area. Not with acres of space and car parks around it, just houses and pubs.

Chesterfield have been lucky that there are a couple of pubs near by, but the rest of the surrounding area is awful - the modern retail experience

 

[Tyler Durden]

£30-£36?

That's almost three Dortmund/Bayern Munich home games.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Half time.

Pace, technique, pace, athleticism, imagination, athleticism, and pace all over the pitch - particularly from Brighton.

Players bursting past opponents is such a basic part of football missing from our games. Saw one of the u18s do it the other week, I'd forgotten what it looked like.

Good cross from Murphy for Brighton's goal.

Equaliser, far post header from a corner. Simple stuff after all the fast-paced interplay.

The game is cursed with moaning whingeing diving and inconsistent refereeing, but when they shut up and play it's great to watch. Easy to see how last season's promoted teams are out of their depth (aren't they)?

£20m. Maybe it's not enough. Maybe it's nowhere near enough...

 

[WorkingtonBlade]

Btw, the welcome lack of the "gentrified product" you describe at Bramall Lane is something our board ought to be greatly credited for (credit where it's due) - long, long may it continue. We've had (& continue to get) modernisation without bland conformity & sterility.

Just another example of the fact that the good things about SUFC are the long-term things. The bad things are the short term things, which can be fixed.

Supporting SUFC is so frustrating partly BECAUSE there is so much that is good about the club, and we just need to get it right on the pitch to make supporting the Blades fantastic fun once again.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Second half more of the same really. Derby passed it about with real pace on the ball but generally looked to move it forwards fairly quickly.

Movement off the ball was good for both sides. It was first half too, just forgot to mention it.

Brighton were more obviously, to me anyway, counterattacking, and when they broke it was with speed and directness, which is how they went 2-1 up.

Derby kept pressing, with fast direct passes up either wing, or even through the middle. Worked space out left and got a penalty for a shove with three minutes left. 2-2.

The highest level I played at I remember the game was the same as I'd always played it, but a lot faster. It was a bit like that today.

Watch the Oldham "highlights" on x1.5 and you'll get the idea.

Murphy played 90 minutes and looked useful on the break, which is how we tried and generally failed to use him when we'd gone 1-0 up.

Ref was no better than we're used to
Big screen was HD
Flags were left out for the fans
Big screen told the fans to Wave Your Flags
They did and it looked pretty good
30 000 crowd
A couple of chants/songs new to me
1. You (2,3,4) Twat (2,3,4) - repeat to fade
2. Is there a fire drill - as some Derby fans were leaving early

Like I said in the OP istm like we're light years away, both on and off the pitch. But if and when we do get there it'll be a blast.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Sounds faintly pornographic.

Btw, the welcome lack of the "gentrified product" you describe at Bramall Lane is something our board ought to be greatly credited for (credit where it's due) - long, long may it continue. We've had (& continue to get) modernisation without bland conformity & sterility.

Enjoy the game, WH. (Expecting one of your excellent, succinct bullet-pointed reports later...)

I was wondering about "role models". Which teams have progressed but haven't sold their stadium and/or their souls?

Would Stoke be one?

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

Flags were left out for the fans
Big screen told the fans to Wave Your Flags
They did

Wow. Just wow.

Almost makes me love our constant whingeing & sullen silence at the Lane.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

I was wondering about "role models". Which teams have progressed but haven't sold their stadium and/or their souls?

Would Stoke be one?

Palace, Watford, West Brom, Burnley

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Wow. Just wow.

Almost makes me love our constant whingeing & sullen silence at the Lane.

Tbf I think the fans would've waved the flags without being told but fact is they were.

This encapsulated the Derby model for me, manufactured but it *looked* good.

A successful in its own terms entertainment product.

If we're going to fill the Lane then we have to accept that a fair proportion will be fair weather fans, they'll need something to attract them and keep them coming.

In lots of ways it's not a fair comparison bc I wonder what the reaction would be if they were mid-table no-hopers.

Another comparison might be the Steelers or the Sharks, though I've never been to either.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

Tbf I think the fans would've waved the flags without being told but fact is they were.

This encapsulated the Derby model for me, manufactured but it *looked* good.

A successful in its own terms entertainment product.

If we're going to fill the Lane then we have to accept that a fair proportion will be fair weather fans, they'll need something to attract them and keep them coming.

In lots of ways it's not a fair comparison bc I wonder what the reaction would be if they were mid-table no-hopers.

Another comparison might be the Steelers or the Sharks, though I've never been to either.

Just hope we never turn into that manufactured sort of "product" (however good an option it might be for other clubs).

It's not that we aren't "directed" by the club from time to time for visual, or other, effect. Take the "green day" tomorrow for the Hodgy tribute, or the poppy tribute on the kop last season - the sorts of things I imagine no-one objects to.

But, when it seeps into the everyday matchday experience, well... Just take the fuss about goal celebration music, or even the ongoing debate about music to "stimulate" singing of the GCB.

I just think that, for better or for worse, we're a more organic, traditional club. And there are quite a few other clubs out there still who don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater & cut off their ties to their roots. (Mixed metaphors, but you get my meaning.)

 

[metalblade]

What does bc and istm mean William Henry Foulkes ?

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

ahem Mr Foulkes


http://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?forums/other-football-and-sport.18/

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

ahem Mr Foulkes

http://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?forums/other-football-and-sport.18/

It was reconnaissance.

The point was to have a look round and figure out: Can we get there, and if so how?

(Also it's interesting to see how they've developed as a club, and can we learn anything from that: either what to go for, or what to avoid.)

More specifically the Prince's £20m looks like it'll be nowhere near enough. Even if a substantial proportion hadn't been blown on sub-standard players. I don't think any of our (current ) players even at the top of their game would've been in either of those teams, or possibly on the bench. Maybe the Beard, but Brighton's RB was MoM for me. So that's an entire squad who are as good as or better than Brayford we'll be needing then.

 

[Coily]

There is no point in spending anywhere near £20m while we are in L1. It would just be wasted on money grabbers from the Championship who aren't good enough to play there anymore and want a last payout. Get back to the Championship and the money will come in handy.

The hardly secret trick is to recruit athletic potential with pace, and if half of this fucking division can manage it then you never know we might just work out the formula and do the same in the next 10 years.