"Our Kop is Crap" - Official Club Statement ;-)

[Kenilworth]

The Kop would be much improved if they got rid of all the seats and placed some safety barriers on the terracing.
It would be a proper Kop then.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

The problem for me is they are going to redevelop the kop on the cheap.......Again.
It should be rebuilt to the same height and rake of the south stand so both can be eventually joined together. Once the roof is off the kop it is effectively nothing more than a concrete covered "spoil heap." So basically easy to re-shape, move or flatten.

 

[BigBed]

This thread is eather full of really lucky people or LIARS!!!!
Since when have so many people been able to get a pie at half-time when they've sat on the kop!!!!????!!!! I could understand 3 or 4 of you but I'm not having it that there are more pies available than that!!!!!!

 

[Blade58]

The problem for me is they are going to redevelop the kop on the cheap.......Again.
It should be rebuilt to the same height and rake of the south stand so both can be eventually joined together. Once the roof is off the kop it is effectively nothing more than a concrete covered "spoil heap." So basically easy to re-shape, move or flatten.

Don't hold yer breath Carl

Can't see owt happening until such times as we hit the promised land

 

[BushBlade]

The problem for me is they are going to redevelop the kop on the cheap.......Again.
It should be rebuilt to the same height and rake of the south stand so both can be eventually joined together. Once the roof is off the kop it is effectively nothing more than a concrete covered "spoil heap." So basically easy to re-shape, move or flatten.

You took your time replying to this thread.

 

[Sheffsteel]

The problem for me is they are going to redevelop the kop on the cheap.......Again.
It should be rebuilt to the same height and rake of the south stand so both can be eventually joined together. Once the roof is off the kop it is effectively nothing more than a concrete covered "spoil heap." So basically easy to re-shape, move or flatten.

I said many times before any expansion MUST have a business plan.

Imagine approaching a bank asking for a bank loan to borrow millions to improve the Kop.

SU: We want to borrow £30 million to join the Kop on to the South stand.
Bank: So how many years will it take to recoup the £30 million investment?
SU: Yer what?
Bank: How much will prices increase by on the Kop? 30%, 40%?
SU: No we don't intend to increase the prices?
Bank: OK, so how much will the current 32K capacity increase by?
SU: Joining the Kop to the South stand means capacity stays exactly the same.
Bank: Thought the plan was to put an extra 3,500 seats at the back of the Kop?
SU: That's the old plan that was going to cost £12 million but our fans thought it was the cheap option and don't want to use the Kop because the seats are too cramp and we don't want to lose unhappy fans.
Bank: What evidence do you have that fans won't accept the cramped seats in the Kop. Presumably it's the most unpopular stand and half empty?
SU: No, it's always full.

See what im getting at?
The current Kop goes well past the corner flag and past the South stand, so joining them together means we actually lose 1000 seats at gangway A but gain 1000 in the corner bit, hence no increase in capacity.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Not a fan of the kop. A good many of our supporters insists it's not only the best place to watch a game from....it's the only place to watch a game from! Completely baffling to me. I have sat in there a handful of times in my life and only when I haven't had the choice.

The incline is slightly too shallow meaning that if the person in front of you is two or three inches taller you have to stand on your tip toes to see an attack. I'm not even short so I have no idea how smaller folk get on! I can't be dealing with having to get up and down every time United attack that end. I would rather stay seated or stand for the whole thing. Add to that the dated facilities in that end and it doesn't leave me with much positive to say.

I have sat in the South Stand for most of my time supporting the club and overall I would say it's my favourite place to sit. John Street is ok but it's a bit too quiet. Bramall Lane end upper and the corner to the right of it have fantastic views but they do seem full of Blades that are either day tripping or those that sit in a different stand each game.

 

[cahill]

I'm happy on the kop stood up at the back. Quite like the rough and ready of it, not that it's that rough.

 

[RammyBlade]

Why is the Coventry fan worried anyway as with just 390 tickets (not sure if all sold) its hardly exploitation by SUFC ?

 

[TJB.]

If we were to knock down and completely rebuild, and greatly increase the incline of the stand, wouldn't that mean more room for enterprise/offices as it'd be taking up less land?

(trying my best to speak the McCabe language, here)

 

[nopigfansintown]

Can see a South stand extension being done first. Reasoning: 1) ticket price is higher and the stand sells out for any moderately "big" game.
2) The opportunity to incorporate further hospitality for home and away fans - as well as corporate hospitality for any other events (see Kell Brook fight in which hospitality was quickly sold out). Corporate hospitality also sells out for reasonably attractive fixtures in league one.3)It would alleviate need to give BL upper/lower, and maybe corner at end of South to our fans. We can keep home and away allocations high, and satisfy South Yorkshire police in one fell swoop.

I wish we'd have used the Tevez money and parachute payments to completely rebuild the kop: improve the view and legroom, remove the posts, improve halftime facilities and access the land underneath. I wouldn't necessarily make it bigger, and certainly not alter its essence, as a large, ambient single tiered structure.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Why is the Coventry fan worried anyway as with just 390 tickets (not sure if all sold) its hardly exploitation by SUFC ?

I don't suppose he is worried any more. The original post was from 2013

 

[Working Class Hero]

If we were to knock down and completely rebuild, and greatly increase the incline of the stand, wouldn't that mean more room for enterprise/offices as it'd be taking up less land?

(trying my best to speak the McCabe language, here)

Yes but it would also mean a lot less seats, unless it was built significantly higher. That would make planning permission a lot harder to obtain, construction a lot more expensive and would also affect the balance of the ground.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

I said many times before any expansion MUST have a business plan.

Imagine approaching a bank asking for a bank loan to borrow millions to improve the Kop.

SU: We want to borrow £30 million to join the Kop on to the South stand.
Bank: So how many years will it take to recoup the £30 million investment?
SU: Yer what?
Bank: How much will prices increase by on the Kop? 30%, 40%?
SU: No we don't intend to increase the prices?
Bank: OK, so how much will the current 32K capacity increase by?
SU: Joining the Kop to the South stand means capacity stays exactly the same.
Bank: Thought the plan was to put an extra 3,500 seats at the back of the Kop?
SU: That's the old plan that was going to cost £12 million but our fans thought it was the cheap option and don't want to use the Kop because the seats are too cramp and we don't want to lose unhappy fans.
Bank: What evidence do you have that fans won't accept the cramped seats in the Kop. Presumably it's the most unpopular stand and half empty?
SU: No, it's always full.

See what im getting at?
The current Kop goes well past the corner flag and past the South stand, so joining them together means we actually lose 1000 seats at gangway A but gain 1000 in the corner bit, hence no increase in capacity.

Yeah but I didn't say we needed a bigger stadium....... Just a better one.
Develop the ground in such a way that we can expand it more easily in the future.

 

[Living In a Fantasy World]

Not a fan of the kop. A good many of our supporters insists it's not only the best place to watch a game from....it's the only place to watch a game from! Completely baffling to me. I have sat in there a handful of times in my life and only when I haven't had the choice.

The incline is slightly too shallow meaning that if the person in front of you is two or three inches taller you have to stand on your tip toes to see an attack. I'm not even short so I have no idea how smaller folk get on! I can't be dealing with having to get up and down every time United attack that end. I would rather stay seated or stand for the whole thing. Add to that the dated facilities in that end and it doesn't leave me with much positive to say.

I have sat in the South Stand for most of my time supporting the club and overall I would say it's my favourite place to sit. John Street is ok but it's a bit too quiet. Bramall Lane end upper and the corner to the right of it have fantastic views but they do seem full of Blades that are either day tripping or those that sit in a different stand each game.

Ive only sat in the kop the odd time, I think my legs are too long, kinda have to sit sideways to be comfortable lol, southstand is where i'm located it's much nicer (as far as sitting in a stand goes)

 

[Lane Ender]

The Kop would be much improved if they got rid of all the seats and placed some safety barriers on the terracing.
It would be a proper Kop then.

Never been an end since it was all seater.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Ive only sat in the kop the odd time, I think my legs are too long, kinda have to sit sideways to be comfortable lol, southstand is where i'm located it's much nicer (as far as sitting in a stand goes)

Agreed. I'm a South Stand man. I had a season ticket for about 15 years in there apart from one year when we decided to move to John Street for a change and we ended up switching back the following season. It probably didn't help that the year we switched was the Blackwell/Speed/Adams relegation season!

I live down south now so only get to about a dozen games a season tops but I always sit in the South Stand generally when I come up for a game.

 

[Stretch]

I sat on the Kop last night for the first time in a long time and I have to say that I haven't missed it. Don't get me wrong, the atmosphere is more lively and in general there are more laughs to be had but it's far to cramped and far too shallow. At 6ft I am hardly a short arse and was having to go on tip toes to see anything to my right near the Kop end goal, and that was from row AA so a reasonable distance back.
The Odyssey of the half time piss was also a chore although I accept it was a busy(ish) one and to be fair the South Stand ain't much better in that respect.

I think I have just officially started the transition into old fart and now like my comfort. The Westfield has rapidly become my new favourite these days. Unfortunately they wouldn't sell me a ticket there for last night's game. Pissed me off to see empty seats in there.

 

[Aston max]

Had a season ticket on the lower BL from 1994-96 and the upper in 81-82 and both stands are much better than the Kop stand. It was always a cheap and nasty build to start with (much in the image of the Chairman of the time... Mr Woolhouse) and now we can add dated to that list.

Had season tickets in every stand at the Lane and South Stand is the best of the lot. In the old days John Street east terrace was numero uno.

In was introduced to being a blade in the early 60,s with my dad and uncle first memories being passed to front with instructions of "don't move yer little twat until I find you at end of game" aah that was parenting at its best

 

[snootyfenooty]

In was introduced to being a blade in the early 60,s with my dad and uncle first memories being passed to front with instructions of "don't move yer little twat until I find you at end of game" aah that was parenting at its best

Same here. Used to stand there shitting myself after the final whistle worrying that my dad might forget about me. There used to be quite a few of us didn't there, hanging around at the end like a bunch of orphans?

 

[tyke1889]

http://www.coventrycity-mad.co.uk/n...g_more_at_sheffield_united_780224/index.shtml

"Our Kop which people always consider as the equivalent area (to the Away end) as it is behind the opposite goal has a high percentage of restricted view seats due to pillars and all concessions and toilets are uncovered and outside which can be affected by adverse weather. "

Careful on that site, something just tried to download an apk on my android device!

 

[TJB.]

I've no qualms about saying that parts of the Kop at half time were dangerous.

The bottleneck type thing I was stuck in for about 5 minutes was ridiculous. Top right hand side where the toilets, food kiosk and top of the stairs are. It was a waddle job and people could barely move.

I'm not saying some dickhead is going to bomb the Lane, but if summet were to happen in that scenario which caused mass panic, people would get hurt. Likewise if someone were to fall ill in the middle of it all, what's chances of getting a medic there in good time?

 

[snootyfenooty]

Not unique to the Lane though is it? Any scenario where you have a crowd and all heading for the same exit in a mad rush is going to end up not looking too good. Fingers crossed eh.

 

[Triggster]

I know for a fact that McCabe sat on the Kop during a weekday when the ground was shut and said that it wasn't good enough . This was well over 10 yrs ago. With the new build about to start on the corner with cherry st I don't see anything happening anytime soon . I agree with the person who said the s stand extension is more likely to happen first.