I was reading this article and it got me thinking. Is Loftus Road one of the best stadiums to watch Premiership football for away fans? In comparison to the placement of away fans by other clubs and freedom of restrictions of arriving and leaving the ground. http://www.epltalk.com/man-united-looks-to-move-away-fans-to-nosebleed-section-of-old-trafford-40361 Manchester United is one step away from permanently moving away supporters in their Old Trafford stadium. On April 15, United will move the visiting Aston Villa supporters from their regular position in the ground, in the SE quadrant, to the third tier of the Sir Alex Ferguson stand. For TV viewers, who are accustomed to the view of the main camera when games are played at Old Trafford, this will mean that instead of the away fans appearing in the right corner of the ground, they will face the main TV, but will be nestled in the lofty section of the third tier, under the roof. If the trial goes successfully, Manchester United will make this a permanent decision beginning with the start of the 2012-13 season. The implications of this move are numerous. Currently, the away supporters are often easily visible within view of the cameras, as well as often being significantly louder than the home fans. By moving the away section of the ground to the nosebleed section, away fans will be out of sight and out of mind, in addition to being very difficult to hear on television. Manchester United defends the potential decision by reporting that home fans have overwhelmingly supported the decision. Plus, according to the club website, âThe last few seasons have seen a noticeable decline in the number of away fans coming to Old Trafford and because of the way the segregation works in the SE corner of the stadium, this can often mean hundreds of seats are left empty for security reasons because they cannot be made available to United fans who want to come to the game. Many more United fans are being denied the chance to watch their team because of the poor uptake in away allocations.â The statement on the website adds that âThe club sees the proposed move as being in the best interests of matchgoing Manchester United supporters as a whole and has put a lot of effort and thought into the solution.â Nowhere in the clubâs statement do they once mention any thoughts or concerns about the away supporters. I, for one, will miss seeing the away supporters being in a corner of the ground where they definitely add a lot of atmosphere to a, sometimes, very quiet Old Trafford ground on matchdays. By moving the away supporters into the far flung reaches of the ground, Old Trafford will be just like the only other ground in the Premier League where away fans are practically invisible â Newcastleâs St. Jamesâs Park. Revenue is obviously a key motivator for Manchester United to consider moving the away fans, as well as reduced stewarding and policing costs. But *I wonder how much of a factor in this decision is Man United fans wanting to silence the away section. Ultimately itâs a bad move for neutral fans, away fans and TV viewers. Moving the away supporters to a section of the ground where itâll be very difficult to hear the supporters will only serve to decrease the atmosphere at Old Trafford. But selfishly, for Manchester United, it would mean more revenue to pay down the debt.
I think most away fans hate Loftus road cos of restricted view/no leg room etc That's a ridiculous and selfish decision by Man U though, seems they're just angry their atmosphere is ****e
Not sure! i think they've changed it a bit now but i know at least a couple of years ago, away fans were angry they couldn't see the goal on their side of the pitch
Id hate getting to Loftus Road if I were an away fan. I hate it when I get into the train station the other end and I need to get another train or bus. QPR, if you were coming into Euston would require, tube to Victoria, train to Clapham Junction, train to Shepherds Bush and then the mission of actually finding the ground through the estates and like.
Aparently there used to be a few seats behind the floodlight pylon in the upper tier! A spurs mate said he had a seat a few away from there some years back. Behind the pylon, my word!
I hate Old Trafford, won't go again. Dosen't feel like a proper football stadium to me and feels like you are in space squashed up against that little corner like that. The Bridge is pretty easy to get to, WHL is a bit of a treck but I like it. I prefer grounds where you can generate an atmosphere and the away fans are all in one part of the ground. I've always liked West Ham and Fulham away, and Tottenham because it's well.... Tottenham.
You can see where they are coming from. It makes for a better atmosphere in a big game to see the away supporters filling the away end behind one of the goals and making a hearty contribution to the overall noise levels but that will obviously be to the detriment of the successful home clubs who could easily sell out all the seats each game to their own fans. You posed the question but did not offer any answers yourself. IMO, the Stadium of Light was probably the best arena to watch as an away fan and getting in and out of the stadium was simple because Sunderland organise a free park and ride for fans from the neighbouring business parks. Let's not forget also that we charge away fans a ridiculous price to watch football at Loftus Road, given the legroom. When we have a stadium that has excellent unobstructed views of the action, decent legroom and we regularly offer a high quality of football, we can match the prices charged by our neighbours. Until then visitors will always regard visits to our HQ as a rip off.
I seem to remember seeing people complaining one year we came down that if they were sat down in their seat (upper tier obviously) then they couldn't see the goal at that end because of the angle. I haven't noticed it myself, but being over six foot I've never tried to sit down at your place because of the legroom.
TBH..our ground aint the best...last time i was over i couldn't see the goal at the away end so ended up watching the big screen......dont think many would think our place is great! Best i've been to is the Emerates, but that was last season for a CL match and seats we nothing short of amazing. Shame about the noise levels.
LR one of the best stadiums around. Just p***** me off all these complaints about lack of comfort. Some people do not care about or crest nor do they like LR I wonder why they do consider themselves as QPR - pathetic.
