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Post by milton58 on Sept 10, 2023 15:19:26 GMT
Watched a you tube video of a bloke who goes around alot of grounds did stoke got to say he was very complimentary about stoke.... went to where the old Vic was and was admiring the street names all former stoke players and one was named after a old dear who followed stoke for years... went to the Brit and was well impressed outside the stadium and the roads named after players etc... good watch tbh
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2023 15:32:14 GMT
There’s no going back, but the Brit isn’t “fine”. It’s better than it was when we moved in, but it’s still largely the cheap, bland and subpar identikit that it was the day we moved in. The stadium is the club, and ours isn’t a home befitting this great club.
It should be redeveloped.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2023 15:32:26 GMT
Watched a you tube video of a bloke who goes around alot of grounds did stoke got to say he was very complimentary about stoke.... went to where the old Vic was and was admiring the street names all former stoke players and one was named after a old dear who followed stoke for years... went to the Brit and was well impressed outside the stadium and the roads named after players etc... good watch tbh I think I've seen the same video. Is it the Footy Adventures channel by any chance?
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Post by metalhead on Sept 10, 2023 15:40:43 GMT
That's true and as I said, it's an opinion. Yours is different. I think we could and should have persevered and I will be saying that until the day I snuff it or until the Britannia/bet365 becomes a more welcoming home. A train station would go a long way. What can we learn from it all? I'm sure it'll not be an issue again in my lifetime You are probably right. I don't imagine Stoke will move again and tbh, if we did, there wouldn't be much resistance. The overwhelming majority of supporters are ambivalent towards the Brit. It's okay. We've had some great times there and I've experienced some wonderful matches and seen some of the best football in my life, but it just isn't a very nice ground in my opinion. I can't really express it any other way. The ongoing problems with parking are not helping matters and right now, we're not even getting capacity crowds. Do you feel the fans were adequately consulted regarding leaving the Vic? I was a kid, but I do remember a lot of ill-feeling towards the Britannia even before it was finished. My grandparents were all dead against it, as were my parents. They were never asked. Were there any real consultations inviting fan feedback? Are consultations like that even necessary? Suppose that's a rhetorical question, it was Peter's business he made the decisions. For me, the lesson is to protect our heritage sites and that includes football grounds. I suppose it begs the question, when a club needs to expand, is it feasible to expand the 'current' location? However surely that can be taken on a case-by-case basis. As it is, we knocked a ground down and let it turn to scrub land. It's now a bland uninspiring housing estate. Do teams ever move to a new ground and the old ground kept as a training facility or something? I know Man Utd kept the Cliff after they moved to Carrington and still use it for youth and (some) reserve games. I accept that the comparison isn't fair though.... they are training complexes, not proper grounds + all of the maintenance that goes with them. A train station would go a long way. Would it? I'd imagine it'd go from the ground to Stoke Station and back. Imagine if it went to Longport?
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Post by metalhead on Sept 10, 2023 15:50:37 GMT
There’s no going back, but the Brit isn’t “fine”. It’s better than it was when we moved in, but it’s still largely the cheap, bland and subpar identikit that it was the day we moved in. The stadium is the club, and ours isn’t a home befitting this great club. It should be redeveloped. I'm in agreement with this. It's not that the Britannia is terrible, it's just that it's not good. It's a pretty boring and uninspiring ground. Identikit is a very apt term for it really. It could just be any other football ground. There's nothing that makes it distinctive or special to our club. It has very little 'warmth', both literally and metaphorically.... and it's an absolute shithouse to get to. I'm quite lucky in that I am privileged enough to afford a train + taxi's when necessary or can drive.... but the recent parking situation up Stanley Matthews has taken a real nosedive and the only place where you can guarantee parking without a ticket is on the estate by the Hem Heath which is a good 20-25 minute (about a mile) walk. So if I go back to using the train, it'll be at least £10 for me + child, then another fiver or so to the ground, and another fiver back to the station. Not ideal at all. I'll continue to do it, like everyone else does, to support our football club, but this idea we should all be eternally grateful for a cheapo football ground which is a pain in the arse to get to, when we had one that was perfectly accessible.... Nope. I also agree that it feels cheap. I was actually admiring some of the truly dreadful plaster work in the Boothen End during half time of the Preston game. I appreciate that it's a football ground, but it doesn't have to be utilitarian by nature. Not all football grounds are 'shitholes' for the sake of it. The money required to modernise the Brit a little bit, would be in the millions but you're talking a relative drop in the ocean considering what we've spunked on players.
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Post by bayernoatcake on Sept 10, 2023 15:55:04 GMT
The problem with the Brit imo is the longing for the past.
The Brit is easy to get to.
Central in the city.
Loads more parking than most grounds.
Good bus service.
Great views.
Linked with a modern football legend “a cold wet Wednesday in Stoke”.
Yeah there’s some crap parts, the concourses are too small and there needs to be a fanzone. But that’s about it.
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Post by metalhead on Sept 10, 2023 16:07:36 GMT
The problem with the Brit imo is the longing for the past. The Brit is easy to get to. Central in the city. Loads more parking than most grounds. Good bus service. Great views. Linked with a modern football legend “a cold wet Wednesday in Stoke”. Yeah there’s some crap parts, the concourses are too small and there needs to be a fanzone. But that’s about it. Lol, longing for the past or just a reasonably accessible football ground? You must tell me where this parking is, in fact there's a bloody thread you can reply on if you like where I've been updating regarding the woes of those who are trying to park on Stanley Matthews way. Your current options are: The £10 Car Park opposite the official car park. I turned up early for the Preston game as I could foresee issues, and it was full at about 14:00. PetsAtHome ScrewfixHem Heath Pub and risk a fine. The Estate by the Hem Heath pub and risk pissing off the residents.
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Post by thehartshillbadger on Sept 10, 2023 16:09:41 GMT
The problem with the Brit imo is the longing for the past. The Brit is easy to get to. Central in the city. Loads more parking than most grounds. Good bus service. Great views. Linked with a modern football legend “a cold wet Wednesday in Stoke”. Yeah there’s some crap parts, the concourses are too small and there needs to be a fanzone. But that’s about it. Inside the ground is fine, the rest is bad
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Post by danceswithclams on Sept 10, 2023 16:48:45 GMT
Isn't it strange that whenever there's no football matters to discuss (or a loss to complain about) that longing for The Vic/complaining about the 'new' badge/pining for Tony Pulis etc raises its head?
I don't recall anyone bellyaching about the stadium when we were bumming Arsenal, Spurs and Man City/playing in the Europa League.
Also makes me chuckle when people moan about access and parking. What other stadiums have you been to (aside from a number in London well served by public transport) that have an abundance of on-site parking from which you're able to quickly and easily be on your way home within 5 minutes of the final whistle?
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Post by TinkerT on Sept 10, 2023 17:08:49 GMT
It's the location which is the main problem for me. If we built a ground in the centre of the city (hanley) it would totally come alive and bring the area into the modern era, this is why we need a bigger arena than the 3k one they are supposed to be building too. I was in Wrexham this weekend and the whole centre was buzzing with activity and fans. A central stadium with a proper tram service through the city would bring stoke on trent alive.
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Post by metalhead on Sept 10, 2023 17:11:23 GMT
Isn't it strange that whenever there's no football matters to discuss (or a loss to complain about) that longing for The Vic/complaining about the 'new' badge/pining for Tony Pulis etc raises its head? I don't recall anyone bellyaching about the stadium when we were bumming Arsenal, Spurs and Man City/playing in the Europa League. Also makes me chuckle when people moan about access and parking. What other stadiums have you been to (aside from a number in London well served by public transport) that have an abundance of on-site parking from which you're able to quickly and easily be on your way home within 5 minutes of the final whistle? I've always maintained my opinion on the Vic including during our Premier League days. Am I going to dig through thousands of posts to prove it? No, so you'll just have to take my word.
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Post by blooter on Sept 10, 2023 17:11:27 GMT
Took 7 years before I finally went to the Brit. It just didn't sit right with me having to watch my team playing somewhere else.
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Post by silsdenstokie on Sept 10, 2023 17:14:10 GMT
It's the location which is the main problem for me. If we built a ground in the centre of the city (hanley) it would totally come alive and bring the area into the modern era, this is why we need a bigger arena than the 3k one they are supposed to be building too. I was in Wrexham this weekend and the whole centre was buzzing with activity and fans. A central stadium with a proper tram service through the city would bring stoke on trent alive. Good shout re: location A site between Stoke and Hanley would have been ideal. Good for the station too
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2023 17:14:53 GMT
The problem with the Brit imo is the longing for the past. The Brit is easy to get to. Central in the city. Loads more parking than most grounds. Good bus service. Great views. Linked with a modern football legend “a cold wet Wednesday in Stoke”. Yeah there’s some crap parts, the concourses are too small and there needs to be a fanzone. But that’s about it. "Longing for the past" we had a key cultural asset that was unique to the identity of the club. We no longer have that. People proposing structured redevelopment of the brit aren't longing for the past; we're looking to a future where there's no longer a temptation to long for the past. When it comes to this subject bayern I find your take completely at odds with your take on the playing side over the last however many years. You've been quite rightly one of the most vocal critics of the happy clapping/passive acceptance of our fate in recent times, yet whenever this subject comes up, you're adamant that the brit is "fine" and therefore people like me proposing changes are misguided. The architecture of the brit is bland and uninspiring, but far more relevant to even the people who don't see what I claim to see; the supporter facilities are cheap and nasty. As metalhead alluded to, structured redevelopment of the brit to create something that's unique, iconic, and has top class facilities; would be pennies down the back of the sofa to daddy bet365. It's an opportunity to truly make the brit a home and cultural asset that we can all be proud of. It's a legacy that the family could create that would have a far greater impact than the footballing side; which we are all well aware is always going to be subject to the ebbs and flows that middling sized clubs like ours inevitably enjoy/endure. All the best will in the world hasn't saved us from the last half decade+ of misery. I don't see how you can be so willing to settle for less than mediocrity in this regard, when you rightly would never settle for less than excellent regarding the footballing side of the club. Can you honestly say that you're proud of our home ground?
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Post by middleoftheboothen on Sept 10, 2023 17:15:10 GMT
Isn't it strange that whenever there's no football matters to discuss (or a loss to complain about) that longing for The Vic/complaining about the 'new' badge/pining for Tony Pulis etc raises its head? I don't recall anyone bellyaching about the stadium when we were bumming Arsenal, Spurs and Man City/playing in the Europa League. Also makes me chuckle when people moan about access and parking. What other stadiums have you been to (aside from a number in London well served by public transport) that have an abundance of on-site parking from which you're able to quickly and easily be on your way home within 5 minutes of the final whistle? I'm yet to visit one mate if there is. As you have mentioned the London ones are the easiest but that's purely because of their location in a huge city with great transport links. If we take somewhere similar to ourselves such as Burnley for instance, now the parking there is a shitty cricket club that you can be stuck on for well over two hours after the game, that's not to mention the attacks from the neanderthal home fans while you are waiting. Our ground isn't perfect by any means but it could be a lot worse.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2023 17:29:59 GMT
Isn't it strange that whenever there's no football matters to discuss (or a loss to complain about) that longing for The Vic/complaining about the 'new' badge/pining for Tony Pulis etc raises its head? I don't recall anyone bellyaching about the stadium when we were bumming Arsenal, Spurs and Man City/playing in the Europa League. I've seen this point made before but I don't think it's the great point the people making it seem to believe it is. When the footballing side is great, overall supporter satisfaction is naturally going to be high. And under those circumstances, if it's even true what you're claiming (that complaints on this subject weren't there during the successful times) all it proves is that people who are happy overall are less likely to focus on the aspects of the club that they're dissatisfied with. The latest period in our history being so bad means people are more likely to respond to their overall feelings of discontent with the club by analysing their unhappiness and searching for solutions. It would make complete sense for these sorts of criticisms to be more noticeable in recent times.
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Post by neddy on Sept 10, 2023 17:49:35 GMT
Anyone have a season ticket for door X? Always made me chuckle 🤭.
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Post by noustie on Sept 10, 2023 18:15:18 GMT
Pretty sure I lost my virginity in there as my bollocks broke my hymen getting smashed into a barrier at the back of the Boothen when Stein scored v Man U.
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Post by tommycarlsberg on Sept 10, 2023 18:26:36 GMT
Isn't it strange that whenever there's no football matters to discuss (or a loss to complain about) that longing for The Vic/complaining about the 'new' badge/pining for Tony Pulis etc raises its head? I don't recall anyone bellyaching about the stadium when we were bumming Arsenal, Spurs and Man City/playing in the Europa League. Also makes me chuckle when people moan about access and parking. What other stadiums have you been to (aside from a number in London well served by public transport) that have an abundance of on-site parking from which you're able to quickly and easily be on your way home within 5 minutes of the final whistle? It’s almost as if 28,000 people going to the same place at the same time would cause some traffic.
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Post by bayernoatcake on Sept 10, 2023 18:32:33 GMT
The problem with the Brit imo is the longing for the past. The Brit is easy to get to. Central in the city. Loads more parking than most grounds. Good bus service. Great views. Linked with a modern football legend “a cold wet Wednesday in Stoke”. Yeah there’s some crap parts, the concourses are too small and there needs to be a fanzone. But that’s about it. "Longing for the past" we had a key cultural asset that was unique to the identity of the club. We no longer have that. People proposing structured redevelopment of the brit aren't longing for the past; we're looking to a future where there's no longer a temptation to long for the past. When it comes to this subject bayern I find your take completely at odds with your take on the playing side over the last however many years. You've been quite rightly one of the most vocal critics of the happy clapping/passive acceptance of our fate in recent times, yet whenever this subject comes up, you're adamant that the brit is "fine" and therefore people like me proposing changes are misguided. The architecture of the brit is bland and uninspiring, but far more relevant to even the people who don't see what I claim to see; the supporter facilities are cheap and nasty. As metalhead alluded to, structured redevelopment of the brit to create something that's unique, iconic, and has top class facilities; would be pennies down the back of the sofa to daddy bet365. It's an opportunity to truly make the brit a home and cultural asset that we can all be proud of. It's a legacy that the family could create that would have a far greater impact than the footballing side; which we are all well aware is always going to be subject to the ebbs and flows that middling sized clubs like ours inevitably enjoy/endure. All the best will in the world hasn't saved us from the last half decade+ of misery. I don't see how you can be so willing to settle for less than mediocrity in this regard, when you rightly would never settle for less than excellent regarding the footballing side of the club. Can you honestly say that you're proud of our home ground? Of course we do and it’s central to something that is known globally. It’s absolutely fine. Could be better, could be worse. There are minimal changes needed.
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Post by Numismatist on Sept 10, 2023 18:33:15 GMT
Pretty sure I lost my virginity in there as my bollocks broke my hymen getting smashed into a barrier at the back of the Boothen when Stein scored v Man U. Better the second time
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Post by theonlooker on Sept 10, 2023 18:35:04 GMT
I just liked the location of the Vic. You could park in literally any street you wanted and were away in no time. The current ground I hate and always have done. The comment above about when we were beating the likes of Arsenal etc, fair point but most issues that can't be changed will always be dulled down by good performances and good times, and will always be amplified by the bad times.
I've never agreed that the Vic had a better atmosphere because an atmosphere is generally index linked to the performances of the team. It could be a freezing cold morgue at the worst of times. It was purely location for me. If we could pick up the current ground and plonk it on the site of the old one i'd be as happy as larry.
Speaking of the current ground, it would be good if they could redesign the Q Railing Stand and make some kind of feature out of it. Big project for sure but would be decent I think and definitely doable whilst we are bumming around in the lower half of this league?
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Post by AlliG on Sept 10, 2023 19:08:51 GMT
It’s tidy enough. I was thinking about a comparison with a stadium that rebuilt one side of the ground and then revamped the other three. If I recall correctly, the plans for the Victoria Ground was a new Butler Street stand, and then put seating into existing terracing on the Boothen End and the Boothen and Stoke End paddocks. Would have looked really shite and a capacity of around 22,000 which isn’t enough for a club with premier league ambitions. It would have needed more inspiration and imagination. We could have done with Uncle Peter’s £Bs. Didn't the club end up getting sued by the architects for the fees (£250k) owed for the work they did on the feasibility of re-developing The Vic? It didn't bode well for the prospects of redevelopment.
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Post by metalhead on Sept 10, 2023 19:13:22 GMT
It would have needed more inspiration and imagination. We could have done with Uncle Peter’s £Bs. Didn't the club end up getting sued by the architects for the fees (£250k) owed for the work they did on the feasibility of re-developing The Vic? It didn't bode well for the prospects of redevelopment. Curious about this
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2023 20:10:09 GMT
"Longing for the past" we had a key cultural asset that was unique to the identity of the club. We no longer have that. People proposing structured redevelopment of the brit aren't longing for the past; we're looking to a future where there's no longer a temptation to long for the past. When it comes to this subject bayern I find your take completely at odds with your take on the playing side over the last however many years. You've been quite rightly one of the most vocal critics of the happy clapping/passive acceptance of our fate in recent times, yet whenever this subject comes up, you're adamant that the brit is "fine" and therefore people like me proposing changes are misguided. The architecture of the brit is bland and uninspiring, but far more relevant to even the people who don't see what I claim to see; the supporter facilities are cheap and nasty. As metalhead alluded to, structured redevelopment of the brit to create something that's unique, iconic, and has top class facilities; would be pennies down the back of the sofa to daddy bet365. It's an opportunity to truly make the brit a home and cultural asset that we can all be proud of. It's a legacy that the family could create that would have a far greater impact than the footballing side; which we are all well aware is always going to be subject to the ebbs and flows that middling sized clubs like ours inevitably enjoy/endure. All the best will in the world hasn't saved us from the last half decade+ of misery. I don't see how you can be so willing to settle for less than mediocrity in this regard, when you rightly would never settle for less than excellent regarding the footballing side of the club. Can you honestly say that you're proud of our home ground? Of course we do and it’s central to something that is known globally. It’s absolutely fine. Could be better, could be worse. There are minimal changes needed. not sure what this is referring to? As a football club we are essentially lottery winners given we're owned by bet365, but FFP means we can't splurge those winnings. In which case, if it could be better (and it could clearly become one of the most amazing new grounds in the country with a structured redevelopment) then I don't understand why anyone wouldn't be desperate for it to become so.
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Post by danceswithclams on Sept 10, 2023 20:34:54 GMT
Didn't the club end up getting sued by the architects for the fees (£250k) owed for the work they did on the feasibility of re-developing The Vic? It didn't bode well for the prospects of redevelopment. Curious about this They didn't get sued but still forked out for plans that wouldn't ultimately come to fruition. With regards to any potential expansion of the current stadium as alluded to elsewhere on this thread (possibly by your good self - I can't be arsed to look back and check 😅), I'm led to believe that the ground is constructed in a way that will allow the addition of an extra tier to the Boothen, Tile Mountain and South Stands, should the necessity arise. Obviously, if this were ever to happen then there'll definitely need to be some remedial expansion works to the external surroundings carried out. I reckon there's enough space to accommodate this however.
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Post by AlliG on Sept 10, 2023 20:52:12 GMT
They didn't get sued but still forked out for plans that wouldn't ultimately come to fruition. With regards to any potential expansion of the current stadium as alluded to elsewhere on this thread (possibly by your good self - I can't be arsed to look back and check 😅), I'm led to believe that the ground is constructed in a way that will allow the addition of an extra tier to the Boothen, Tile Mountain and South Stands, should the necessity arise. Obviously, if this were ever to happen then there'll definitely need to be some remedial expansion works to the external surroundings carried out. I reckon there's enough space to accommodate this however. There was certainly a threat of legal action, which presumably "encouraged" the club to cough up. I remember the talk about the potential to add an extra tier, but on the basis that there were also supposed to be piles in the old scoreboard corner to allow that to be filled in as and when, that couldn't be found when the club actually did fill in the corner, I am maybe a bit sceptical about that idea as well.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2023 21:30:21 GMT
Why would we want to add an extra tier to the Boothen? It would look crap and completely unbalance the ground.
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Post by JoeinOz on Sept 11, 2023 4:35:48 GMT
They didn't get sued but still forked out for plans that wouldn't ultimately come to fruition. With regards to any potential expansion of the current stadium as alluded to elsewhere on this thread (possibly by your good self - I can't be arsed to look back and check 😅), I'm led to believe that the ground is constructed in a way that will allow the addition of an extra tier to the Boothen, Tile Mountain and South Stands, should the necessity arise. Obviously, if this were ever to happen then there'll definitely need to be some remedial expansion works to the external surroundings carried out. I reckon there's enough space to accommodate this however. The bizarre situation where SCFC engaged the services of an architect then spat the dummy when they were sent an invoice. It's another example of the impecunious nature of the club back then. And another pointer to the reasons why the move was correct.
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Post by kidcrewbob on Sept 11, 2023 6:33:32 GMT
Why would we want to add an extra tier to the Boothen? It would look crap and completely unbalance the ground. ...and just be more empty seats - we're a club with a very finite potential that peaked during the Prem years and will (IMHO) never return even if we scrape back in at some point - football as a leisure activity / "pass-time" or just a no-strings refuge from the rest of a crazy, crazy world has disappeared with the crass commerciality, politicisation and exploitation of the game at all levels generally.....
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