If you do it you need to go full steam into having MLS style ‘capos’ and cringe names like ‘The Rebellion’, ‘The Midnight Riders’ or ‘The Raging Bull Nation’. ****ing hell I can see the ‘Scum Army’ banners now.
Thanks mate. You've literally made me want to kill myself. Can't stand that ****e and don't get the obsession with it. Much prefer the reactive atmospheres over here. Some ****s in Europe don't even stop drumming n **** to celebrate goals.
Maybe though they will. The amount of boxes with away fans is quite large so it wouldn't be an issue?
Can't see it. Especially as they would need to build a safe standing area for away supporters. There are strict rules for supporters using hospitality boxes and having away fans just in front of them would just cause problems I think.
I’m completely undecided about this, I can see both pluses and minuses, and I hope all the consequences of any changes are thoroughly thought through before being implemented. I’ve only ever sat in the Northam once, which was a bit of a one-off situation. It was when Rafa’s Newcastle were going downhill and they sent back part of their allocation, so Saints fans like me who managed to pick up the extra tickets ended up actually sitting with Newcastle fans, completely unsegregated. Given that was a fairly unique situation, I suppose making the Northam home-only is really only feasible if a completely segregated area is provided for away fans both inside and outside the ground somewhere else. Where else can the away coaches park apart from Britannia Road? How are away fans going back to the railway station going to get up to the Old Northam Road? As far as I can see the only area which satisfies those criteria is the Northam-Itchen corner, but that’s a complete can of worms to sort out.
I would have thought the best place for visitors would be in the Kingsland end, adjacent to the Northam end. Most visitors will be coming from the town centre direction and can be monitored down one road from the train station all the way to the stadium. Block off the pedestrian bridge over the train tracks, to home fans, erect a removable fence between the Northam stand and the Kingsland stand, and another part way down the outside of the Kingsland stand and you then have a safe section for visitors. Also need to cut off the area under the stands to prevent mingling and issues. Moving away fans to the Chapel end would open up a lot of access issues, imo, with the increased likelihood of a few idiot fans crossing each other’s paths.
Coaches could be put in the industrial estate or the south car park - which would have knock on effects that would need resolving. As for trains, could they be forced to walk the long way round? Down through industrial estate and over the railway on chapel road? Im assuming the club has thought of this as these are the reasons it has been put off for so long.
Yeah Kingsland north is a non starter imo. Also don't see Itchen North working due to the hospitality and ticket office. Realistically it would have to be the Kingsland Chapel corner with a decision made which way to go for FA Cup games where extra is required. Edit: would probably go into Kingsland due to disabled seating in Chapel? Could then have family stand in current Itchen South?
Yeah I think this is what will happen. There was a Q&A section on the article that Saints put up, and it said they are considering moving the away section to where the current family stand is, which I think is the Kingsland/Chapel corner? Presumably the south car park and industrial estate will be where away coaches go, and maybe they'll just funnel away fans (going to the train station) behind the chapel, then down Britannia Rd to the current route.
Yeah the only unanswered question is the route the away fans would take back to the station. Your suggestion would work but would likely require them being kept in for 20-30 minutes, in particular for high profile games. Tbf even with normal games it's not ideal for away fans to immediately be waking past the family section. Maybe for standard games they all get directed through the industrial estate to make own way from there and then high profile games where an escort is required they're kept in and then escorted the way you mention? I really can't see how a police escort would work going the other way, you'd either need to go through parks which surely isn't a good idea or an incredibly long way round chapel and then along Kingsway?
Yeah surely the best place for away fans (if we are having an all home fan Northam, which is a change I like) would be Kingsland South/Chapel corner. Not ideal (logistically) to have away fans down there, but not sure there's any other options. Will all come down to how they deal with them after the game.
If we can put a man on the moon I’m sure they can work out the logistics to move a bunch of away fans. This is totally unexpected but what many of us have been asking for for years. I’m really surprised they are actively pursuing it. It’s great. Quite apart from whether it makes our atmosphere any better the main point is diminishing the heavy away support behind a goal.
Agree totally. Why give the away fans one of the better sections of the ground and in direct competition with our own fans? Away fans are quite often more vocal and if the Northam aren't the most noisy of fans, why give away fans the opportunity to drown them out? Put them in a corner looking along the goal line or failing that put them in the fanzone. Instead of looking at reasons why it may not work, it's far better to see that the club are reacting to what many fans have asked for. If the atmosphere is no better it's not the club's fault, it's up to the fans to deliver now and having a "home end" alone justifies it IMO. As for away fans going to the station, the home and away fans mix at the end of the railway bridge just now so no real difference there. As Le Saint has said above it can't be beyond someone to work out suitable logistics when leaving the stadium. I think it's an excellent move and I'm surprised they've got it past the Old Bill who have been the main obstacle for years.
I think the Northam would grow if this goes ahead. Like someone said, lots want to sing but hold back in the quieter corners. Gives another option. Even if the Itchen and Northam club together, could be more raucous and may grow from there. Interesting that they are serious about it.
At the moment I'm very much undecided on how I feel about this. A number of issues/factors, but as yet very little detail. Even the Q&A on the website only goes as far to say that they are considering relocating the away fans to the Family section. That's hardly definitive.
I'd wager that's what they're looking at but are being cautious with the wording so as to not upset STHs based there. Seeing as they've announced feedback sessions and a consultation period they're not going to want it to look like the decision has already been made. Apart from anything else I don't see where else they could go. Unless they stick them entirely in the chapel and then we have what we have now just flipped round.
Oh yeah, I'm sure that will roughly be the area. But even then, would it be the exact current blocks of the family section? Or less? Or more? I don't actually know what the current capacity is of the family section (there are more blocks in the family section that in the away section, but many of those blocks are smaller). If it's more, does that mean taking blocks away from the Kingsland or from the Chapel? The Chapel has already lost one block to the family section fairly recently - it only has three left at present! And then where does the family section go? I don't think it can be as simple as flipping them into the opposite Chapel corner, because that potentially might mean only one block between them and the new away end - depending on the above. Like I say, I need more detail before I can form a view.
