Well I have been to the Emirates, just to look around, whilst I was in london, but never watched a match there. (Much like the Allianz)
What are we classing as "Been to....." just been inside, or watched a game there? If its just been inside, you can add St Andrews, the Emirates and Allianz to my list, though I did not watch matches there. If I find myself in a City with a major football ground and a spare hour or so, I will usually give it a look inside, visit the store etc, just to have a butchers.
Yeah I like how it does that. Doesn't it glow blue when 1860 play too? Scene of your greatest triumph too.
Oh I did watch Chelsea play the MK Dons at the Stadium:MK last year as well Not sure if thats a notable ground, though I was very impressed with it. 30k seater, for such a new club. With space and planning permission, to expand by another 6k I think. They are all set if they get promoted to the PL.
Been to Arsenal, OT, City ground, The Hawthorns, Huddersfield Town, Elland Road, Hillsborough(A mouldy Skip), Bramall lane. Back in the day I'd been to Maine Road.
Lucky to have been to quite a few, I'm a season ticket holder down The Lane and I can also tick off: Chelsea, Palace, Everton, Liverpool, City, Utd, Southampton, Stoke, Swansea, West Brom and West Ham at Upton Park. Should be doing Hull and Burnley while possibly Leicester and West Ham at the London Stadium too. I've also been to Charlton, Villa, Newcastle, Wolves and Fulham when they were in the Prem. Best away fans at The Lane - Man Utd, always loud and arrive in full numbers. Villa were loud at times when they were in the Prem, too. Worst away fans at The Lane - not many stand out, quite a few don't seem to embrace the whole away day vibe. Best fans I've seen when away - Swansea, was their first season back in the Prem though so they probably had that buzz factor. Worst fans I've seen when away - Chelsea, never sing apart from when their side score and then that dies down after about a minute. Outside of the Prem, the best fans I've ever seen at The Lane were Wisla Krakow, was about 8 or 9 years ago and it was crazy. When they weren't jumping up and down chanting with their shirts off, they were whistling to a deafening sound whenever Spurs sang, never known an away set of supporters to deafen WHL like that. PAOK were also very loud and were similar with the jumping up and down, could also smell them smoking joints, was a bit jealous!
I enjoyed reading that. You've done quite a lot of the current prem, and the fans summary was spot on.
Went to Maine Rd a few times back in the day too. Slap bang in the middle of Moss Side. I remember nipping off before the game to go and buy some fags and ending up down some 'Coronation St' terraces, not knowing my way back to the ground. Dressed in full colours too, I thought I was in for a kicking that day. I used to go home and away regularly between 87 and 91. Been to a fair few grounds. Highbury White Hart Lane Stamford Bridge Upton Park Plough Lane (anybody remember that?) Selhurst Park The Dell Kenilworth Rd City Ground (Nottm Forest) Baseball ground Portman Rd Villa Park Old Trafford Maine Rd Anfield Goodison St James' Park My mate used to have a Renault 5 and we'd squeeze four blokes into it and drive up to Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham etc. ****ing awful journeys looking back. Especially if you'd lost. Setting out at 6am and not getting home until midnight / 1am etc
Oh and the Emirates. Beautiful stadium, but the big mistake Arsenal made when they sold season tickets for the Emirates was splitting everybody up who used to stand (then sit) at the North Bank and Clock End. So now days you are just as likely to be sitting next to some Japanese tourists or a family with young children as you are somebody who wants to stand up, chant, swear and sing. Part of the reason they should bring back safe standing imo. But that's on another thread ....
You certainly took the wrong turn if that's where you ended up. Gang wars were at their peak back in the 90's. If you had taken the other turning you would have ended up on Wilmslow Road, Manchester's Curry mile.
Just remember it being full of terraced houses down tightly packed streets. Loads of City fans milling around and me in my Arsenal top, looking decidedly lost. Maine Rd was a great ground though, and there used to be some good banter between the away fans and the City fans down in that right hand corner where the two terraces met.
Had a few cracking days out at Maine Road. The two most memorable were probably coming from two Niall Quinn headed goals at half time to come out and wreck them, winning three two with a Roy Keane winner after two Cantona goals, inevitably. We were in the corner of the Kippax next to the Kippax itself, fortunately. Our kid and another mate were in the City bit of the Kippax and had to celebrate silently. We could gleefully goad that bitter prick Summerby who was in the commentary box above verging on tears. The other good one was when they famously beat us 5 -1 when they were **** (they still are as far as I'm concerned) we had tickets in the North Stand, which is not an away area. By the second goal we'd been clicked and by the third they were booting us in the back of the head. Kicked off in the concourse at half time and we were chucked out so we missed the best goal of the game, by Mark Hughes. Spent the afternoon playing pool in Hulme. The only time I saw us lose there so they can have that one.
Been to loads over the years. I used to smoke drugs under Malaga's stadium, they have loads of tunnels and ****, and it's right next to gypsy land. Hid in tunnels during match days, some people actually live under there.