Unreserved seating worked in the mid 90's because back then we were only averaging 8k crowds. Not sure it would work so well now. You have people who like to pick a certain area to sit in when they purchase tickets online (RS1, RS2 etc etc). Change it to unreserved seating and if they turn up at 2.55 they might be forced to sit near the front when they usually sit near the back.
Not sure that that would be much of a problem - possibly only if the whole stadium was unreserved which wouldn't happen. I couldn't see that on-line purchasing in an unreserved seating area would be possible either.
Can't see what the problem is. With the family area moving To the lower rous, the vic home end can be used for those who want To make a noise in unreserved seating. The rest of the Ground can be as usual, reserved seating so not to upset the old Folk! Easy really
So in other words, The Vic Road end for home fans side will consist of the Yellow Order plus say 50 other Watford fans. Yeah, imagine the noise!! After about 3 home games of this the club will revert it back (Family end moving back to Vic Road End) as they wont like the home and away fans having banter between the two sets of fans (Stewards will be the ones to complain/bring it up). Family club image being important and all that.
Whether 5, 50 or 1500 went over there, at least it be a place for some to make a noise, and a place where you won't be told to 'sit down, shut up' by over zealous stewards or old folk moaning! As for the family area going back to the Vic end, it be a bad idea. If you want kids to get to enjoy footy more, being by the dugout, seeing the players at close range and being close to the pitch, will attract much more families then being stuck in the vic, being at a distance from it all with the away fans laughing at you all the time. It's well worth a go, then doing sweet FA. Everyone has noticed how poor the support is.
Just had a look at the tickets available for the Derby game and while there are less than 200 tickets available in the entire Rous stand, there is bags of space still in the Rookery. That is where you expect most noise to come from, but sometimes it is very quiet. I don't think you can engineer noise, it happens if the game warrants it. From what I see the family area in the Vicarage Road stand is always half empty, so there is clearly an opportunity to get more families and junior football clubs to be involved with the club. Also with the tickets for there not available on-line how can attendances be increased for that end of the ground? I don't know if it has ever been considered, but instead of splitting the stand vertically, could it be divided horizontally? Put the home fans at the back so that objects cannot be thrown down on them, and make the away area varied to suit the number of visiting fans. Lots of people are going to Brum and handing over their cash to that club. Let's get as much from other clubs as we can.
Sadly the existing configuration of entrances/exits, toilets, refreshment stands etc. in the Vicarage Road end does not lend itself to splitting horizontally without significant investment in building work. It might just work in the Rookery where there are two sets of entrances/exits - but then the greater capacity of the Rookery would be lost to home fans.
Surely it's simply a matter of finding a way for the 600-700 who regularly travel to away matches to also sit together at the Vic. That must be possible even without unreserved seating.
Being trialled at the Cardiff game; http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/10262093.Unreserved_seating_to_be_trialled/ Anyone going to move over to the Vic Rd end to give it a go?
Interesting debate. I can only give a personal view and for me home games are different to away games (I know it sounds obvious but it's true). I enjoy the increased banter and noise at away games, but at home games I enjoy the camaraderie of those who sit around me that I have come to know over the past few years. Of course there are also those familiar faces that you often see at away games, but for me the atmosphere and the whole experience is different, which is what I want it to be. For me I think the noise will be even further diluted with this move, but I think it needs to be tried to see if it has legs. But I'll be staying in the Rook with, I suspect, the vast majority of those who sit around me (although I'd love the woman behind me to go down the other end!!!)
For those of you going in the Vic Road end for the Cardiff game, dont forget to bring your zimmer frames and take some painkillers beforehand
