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Gary Strodders shank 12:25 Sat Oct 23
Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

It's long gone now of course with some of our younger fans never having had the pleasure, as time evolves this will become the majority.
For me the Bowl (with no soul) will never raise a glove regardless of the level of football to Upton Park but maybe i should move with the times get myself some popcorn & a hot
Chocolate put on my binnocu and enjoy the new sanitised surroundings

Gary Strodders shank 12:26 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

Binoculars (drink tajen)

Pub Bigot 12:37 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

I wouldn't, and I don't love the ground and didn't want to move in the first place. However, I was in favour of moving.

The biggest issue for me was the lies and the stadium not being fit for purpose. However, it's where we are, and it DOES have potential IF it's transformed into a football stadium.

I've had some good times at the bowl, and there have been games where the place has been rocking. It's not as if Upton Park never had its dour atmospheres, but it was home and it was ours.

My ideal situation would have been us extending the Chicken Run and the capacity upped to 55k.

Alfs 1:06 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

Absolutely not. It's raised our financial clout significantly and within the next few years we'll either buy it for a song or be given permission to redesign it into a proper football stadium and get the fans close to the pitch.

CamHam 1:07 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

I’m getting used to the London Stadium but modern football is shit. There is part of me that would love to support us in the lower leagues, no hope of success.

But, I absolutely love the team we have now, shit modern football and all. And I don’t mind my new seat at LS.

Most of my yearning for UP is nostalgia.

So, what I’m saying is, I’m a fickle bastard.

, 1:11 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

Depends on which version of the Boleyn ground you mean. I would only want to go back if we had standing on north and south banks and the chicken run.

Never had any affection for the all seater ground.

Crassus 1:14 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

The damage was done in 68 (?) when the Run was rebuilt.
That was absolutely our sliding door period
Should have spun the ground, making the West Side and new 'Run' behind the goals
I know there was some bollox about the bus station but history had revealed that more a flag of convenience. That would have given us a footprint for ever, where we should still be

Oh, and that was in the immediate aftermath of Greenwood turning down Banks to pay more and break the world record fee for a keeper in signing Ferguson

Add Setters as Sir Bobby wanted and we would have been upon a different plain, then and now

The old place lost it's spark after the all seater thing, but it had scope, it 'retired' a lopsided old gaffe but it was ours and still had it's moments - I'd take that over the Bowl any day
A rebuilt 'Run' and 45k of proper fans would batter this crappery with 75k all day long - would pay the price of a notional relegation for that

twoleftfeet 1:18 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

I would not give up what we have going on right now. I loved the Boleyn but I love the way things are going at this present time.

Ask me again in a year.

Athletico Easthamico 1:59 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

On reflection couldn't they have spun the ground around when the North Bank got made all seater?
Or when the South Bank got made all seater.
Whatever was earlier.

jfk 3:09 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

For atmospheres nothing will ever get close to a rocking Upton Park late 70’s,80’s London derbies,FA cup ties,man utd,Liverpool ………
Them days are long gone and nothing will ever replicate those days again.
This season I feel along with loads others the bowl has become more tolerable as we have been for the best best part a joy to watch and everyone has got used to pre match pubs,there’s loads of decent pubs with established regulars now.
I’m not over Upton Park being flattened and don’t ever want to return to the area as it was a big part of my family’s history and remember fondly taking my sons to their first games as proud as punch.
It’s never coming back it’s much easier to stop getting angry and enjoy the great performances on the pitch at the moment.
GSB are absolute cunts and will never be forgiven.
Back to the OP loved to have stayed put but we’ve proved we have the support to fill week in week out a much bigger ground than Upton parks footprint could have allowed.

Sydney_Iron 4:23 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

Similar story when grounds went all seater and the terrace went out the door, that kind of changed the atmosphere and of course the need to be nimble on your toes when that surge forward occurred!!!! (Or back on occasion if the old bill waded in to grab someone!) I’m not sure I would trade our PL status for still being a UP though.

Its just change and evolution of the game, plenty of teams have moved to bigger and better grounds, it’s just most if not all of them went to stadiums built with football in mind, we got an athletics bowl! But having been twice its not as bad as some make out but granted it could have been better.

Manuel 4:55 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

I'm really not a fan of lower league football, even the championship. I hated the couple of years we spent in there in recent times. It's shit. So the answer is no, fuck off. And modern day football isn't shit at all. Grow up.

Mex Martillo 10:50 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

Two things I don’t like about the bowl.
1) Distance from the pitch. Why didn’t they just put seats right up to the pitch and then have a big gap between the lower seating and the upper seating. When you in the upper part the distance is not so critical your a long way off whatever.
2) Leaving the ground, the route they make us walk, the stop go signs. Really crap. I never expected that at all. What are they afraid of letting us walk out the way we choose?

Dan M 11:26 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

It's pretty easy to walk from the ground to the station without encountering a stop/go board. I do it after every game.

BRANDED 11:31 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

You only ever live in the moment so enjoy it.

AKA ERNIE 11:59 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

Never come across a stop go sign coming out ok section k straight over bridge back in pub in 15mins

Mex Martillo 12:04 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

AKA, Dan, do you just ignore the stewards / police and go past them the way you want? What about entrances to the Westfield, all closed off aren’t they?
To tell the truth, I don’t go often enough and easily get lost...

smartypants 12:17 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

The London stadium isn’t very forgiving, if we’re playing shit, it’s really shit, at the moment it’s ok. The bigger issue is the soulless setting, which I doubt I will ever get used to.

smartypants 12:18 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

If we were playing like this and in Europe at Upton Park, it would be miles better

Mex Martillo 1:05 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

I agree Smarty, it’s not too bad going in, the atmosphere in the Westfield isn’t too bad, you can have a beer and a bite to eat.
Coming out it’s dire, after a win it kind of saps your joy of the result and seems appropriately depressing after a loss. I really dislike it.
In comparison it was an absolute joy coming out of Upton Park.

the coming of gary 1:43 Sat Oct 23
Re: Hypothetical Who would forgo our PL status for playing at Upton Park

When the Stratford rebuild eventually comes , i think a slightly smaller ground would be better, as Juventus did with theirs
.

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