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The "Matchday Experience"


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There are two sides to every coin. The MatchDay experience at OT is appalling, the seats are too narrow, there isn't enough leg room, if you are in an upper tier the trek up the steps is quite long for some and the view is appalling (in fact the view low down isn't good either), they only serve big brand beer, their food is poor, the atmosphere is pretty poor. However, they get 70,000 plus every game. Why because they are Man United.

 

We are not Man United, if our ground wasn't falling apart we might attract more fans, if our executive boxes weren't portakabins on stilts we might get more higher paying fans, (I know of one bloke who stopped paying extra for a seat in the exec box because he wanted some atmosphere) and more use of them with conferences and banquets.

 

The list of reasons why people have stopped going is endless, but quite a few have got absolutely nothing to do with the state of the team. The landlords as yet have done nowt about most of them, in fact they've created some themselves. Most of the problems actually stem from Stott and Lees, but richer backers may have done something more about them than our lot. Some people would go watch Oldham if all we had was an uncovered terrace, and somewhere to urinate. Others need more.

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We were talking about this on the way home. The Mongs are marketed towards kids. Give it 10-15 years and they'll have a decent fanbase that will never know that the Wombles existed (sadly) young adults that that have known nothing but League Football in MK. (Doesn't make it right) And I agree with the OP, everything a new ground should and my man of the match was definitely the Chicken Balti Pie at HT! Glad I've ticked off stadium MK now though, the Womble murdering barstewards are getting no more of my money...

 

Take the MK dons factor away. If this was a new stadium for any other team? would you look forward to a trip back there?

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Some people would go watch Oldham if all we had was an uncovered terrace, and somewhere to urinate.

 

It may be an urban myth, but my uncle told me many times that when the BP crowd was tightly packed, like when it was over 47,000 v Sheff Wed in the Cup, it was impossible to get to the gents, so blokes used to piss in the pocket of the nearest fellow-supporter. :shock:

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It may be an urban myth, but my uncle told me many times that when the BP crowd was tightly packed, like when it was over 47,000 v Sheff Wed in the Cup, it was impossible to get to the gents, so blokes used to piss in the pocket of the nearest fellow-supporter. :shock:

 

so thats how they kept warm

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so thats how they kept warm

 

I'm not sure, every part of it looks like a work in progress, from the unfinished top tier to the open back of the ground. From the pot-holes in the car-park to the muddy swamp outside the away end. What they do have on that site is incredible potential but for me it felt a little too sterile. Fantastic facilities but it lacked unique character, in fact it felt more like a visit to the MEN than a football ground…

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It may be an urban myth, but my uncle told me many times that when the BP crowd was tightly packed, like when it was over 47,000 v Sheff Wed in the Cup, it was impossible to get to the gents, so blokes used to piss in the pocket of the nearest fellow-supporter. :shock:

 

ah the wet-pocket, it still happens at Festivals and the like

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Irrelevant to the subject matter. Grounds like that will become the norm for SUCCESSFUL clubs which I fully expect MK to become

 

How so irrelevant? If you read the post it states: "Well - I'm all for tradition and comfort - impossible dream maybe for Oldham but we live in hope" Entirely relevant I'd say.

 

As for citing MK Dons as an example of a club that has got it's facilities right - cannot agree more. But if that's what it takes to get these facilities (steal a club, rip it's heart out and relocate the club 62 miles away, rename it) then I want no part of that.

 

Here's a scenario - someone comes in and buys Latics - relocates to Stafford - renames the club Stafford New Latics - and builds a plush new stadium - do you want any part of that successful club?

 

No me neither.

Edited by TheBigDog
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radio manchester were at stadium:mk and they said the facilities were premiership standard but there was no atmosphere at all. one thing they said was 'if the home fans were all together and not spread out, they might be making some noise at their team for not shooting'

 

they basically said however good a stadium is, if you havent got the fans to fill it, it doesnt look good

Edited by oafc-latics
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They're not the first team to move! Look back 50 years at where teams were and where they are now located. It's happened before.

 

Doesn't mean I like it any more than you, just the truth.

 

So how many other town/communities in the last 50 years have had their hard earned football league place stolen from them?

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How so irrelevant? If you read the post it states: "Well - I'm all for tradition and comfort - impossible dream maybe for Oldham but we live in hope" Entirely relevant I'd say.

 

As for citing MK Dons as an example of a club that has got it's facilities right - cannot agree more. But if that's what it takes to get these facilities (steal a club, rip it's heart out and relocate the club 62 miles away, rename it) then I want no part of that.

 

Here's a scenario - someone comes in and buys Latics - relocates to Stafford - renames the club Stafford New Latics - and builds a plush new stadium - do you want any part of that successful club?

 

No me neither.

Course not - absolute anathema, although I do think the Wimbledon/MK situation was more complex than that and I do get a littel weary of AFCW fans taking the long term moral high ground when their club has now gone to anotehr borough and played a not in signifcant part in diminishing Kingstonian. The point was about the facility itself, not how it came to be there.

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its nothing special would much rather be at boundary park.

 

Same here!

 

The facilities are better but at the end of the day its still the same pint of beer, same coffee, same pies and chocolate bars on sale, it doesnt make me spend anymore or less than i would at any other ground.

 

Went through some fancy turnstile and sat in a padded seat and had a pi*s at HT in a slightly nicer urinal other than that its a football ground and all i reallty care about is the match.

 

Nearly 8000 people there but it was like a morgue and i honestly thought it looked like there was less than 5000 there.

 

It all looks very nice but doesnt quite feel like football to me. Give me BP or pretty much any other of the 90 odd grounds (bar Leicester, Southampton and other souless bowls) compared to that

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Moving off topic somewhat, however I can see this being nothing but good sense on the part of their physio or coach's instruction. I'm one of the first to scoff at the snood wearing ponces that cramp up at the sight of an ice cube; but it is today's game. The professional player is (by-and-large) a finely tuned athlete that requires a large amount of attention and care. Might sound soft, and of course there are going to be exceptions but these lads aren't the lardy, Capstan smoking footballers that graced our game half a century ago.

Sean Gregan earlier in the season <cough>

I am sure there were recent players that liked the odd cig?

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Same here!

 

The facilities are better but at the end of the day its still the same pint of beer, same coffee, same pies and chocolate bars on sale, it doesnt make me spend anymore or less than i would at any other ground.

 

Went through some fancy turnstile and sat in a padded seat and had a pi*s at HT in a slightly nicer urinal other than that its a football ground and all i reallty care about is the match.

 

Nearly 8000 people there but it was like a morgue and i honestly thought it looked like there was less than 5000 there.

 

It all looks very nice but doesnt quite feel like football to me. Give me BP or pretty much any other of the 90 odd grounds (bar Leicester, Southampton and other souless bowls) compared to that

I took a neutral on Tuesday that I usually go to local non-league stuff with. It's probably 20 years since he has been in a league ground - he's still talking now about how good it was. As I say, hanker for the past but you are in a minority and it's shrinking.

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Here's a scenario - someone comes in and buys Latics - relocates to Stafford - renames the club Stafford New Latics - and builds a plush new stadium - do you want any part of that successful club?

 

This scenario might appeal to patrons of the Booze Bus, which used to call in at the Stafford Rangers Social Club on the way to away matches. :wink:

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Do you reckon? I still think people will feel bitter about them. Maybe not as many, but they've set a precident which if it's allowed and accepted will see more teams like that.

 

 

Who? 50 years time i'll be 89, pissing me pants and making no sense at all..... nobody will even be able to remember why the Dons bit is even in their name - if its still in there at all.....

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