Its interesting he went that route - generally everyone chooses Old Trafford or the Emirates. Nice to see he likes a classic, yet modern ground.
DW would have been last for me probably, and I'd have Goodison & Anfield higher. Not sure about the Stadium of Light either, but perhaps I'm influenced by atmosphere having been to a couple.
The guy's a fool ........... elevating charmless, meccano style, modern stadia above the classic, original, atmospheric, older stadia. He seems obsessed with his view of the game, from his seat; and fails to understand the history behind some of the old football grounds. The beauty of an Archibald Leitch stand, and the idiosyncracies of stands built decades ago, which give the live viewing experience it's advantage over the television alternative.
It's one guy's opinion, and not everyone is going to appreciate the same things. There does seem to be more of a trend, if not exactly a consensus, in the USA to appreciate modern stadiums more than might be the case here. I've read fans in other forums fans slating the last remaining old-style baseball stadiums at Wrigley Field and Fenway Park as awful dumps that need pulling down.
Really bizarre list. I do think that the Stadium of Light is one of the better modern stadiums but it shouldn't be top. I hate the Emirates because the lower tier is so shallow and you get a crap view. My favourite in the Premier League is probably St James' Park. Great place to watch football.
I guess everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. If anything it created a bunch of controversy on the Sunderland/Newcastle threads which is always fun!
Stamford Bridge is the only stadium I've visited in the Premier League, so I can't say if the list is right or wrong, but shall it not be at a higher ranking than 11? I was very impressed and I've always thought that it is top 7 at least.
I agree - Stamford Bridge is quite nice. I've been to it a couple of times actually and I think it is much nicer than some of the ones that got rated higher. Its quite modern as well.
i love these kinds of stadia rankings. they're utterly pointless, and even what constitutes 'good' is subjective, let alone which fit the criterea. why bother, really? ... so here goes with mine. 1) white hart lane/THFC - quite biased here. but i know what i like, and even if i weren't spurs, it would rank high. can't beat an afternoon in the park lane upper, and a pint or two at the bell & hare. when the lane comes down - as is scheduled within a few years - i will be wholly gutted. 2) goodison park/everton - this is exactly what a big english football club's ground should be like, to my mind - from outside and in. granted, when i've been, i've selected my seat quite carefully, and not been sat behind some massive post with a shit view. so for me, there's no downside. goodison's great. i wish everton fans all the good fortune in the world ... unless they move out of this 'stadium' - then they're just as crap as everybody else. 3) loftus road/QPR - lovely little ground in a fine west london neighborhood. the walk from either shepherds bush (preferred) or white city (a quick pint at the springbok, perhaps?) is a nice prelude to 2 hours in a cozy, tidy, wonderful little ground. if the folks in charge there decided to drop a division and return to quasi-reasonable ticket prices, that'd only make it better. 4) the valley/charlton (hey, it was in the prem when i was first there) - the walk to the ground is among the very best in england, in my honest opinion. a really friendly club (i used to wonder what that phrase meant, until i went to charlton athletic), the ground's been nicely modernized without sacrificing it's traditional charm, and a saturday afternoon at the valley feels like english football ought, to my mind. 5) craven cottage/fulham - i've only done the stevenage road stand on the two occasions i've been, and i doubt it's as good from elsewhere (unless you like a bit of space and unobstructed views, mind), but it still rates for me. one of archibald leitch's finest stands, it oozes character, with it's fabulous brick facade and original wooden seats. in a splendid neighborhood and right on the banks of the thames, what's not to like? er ... don't answer that ... let's stick with why it's good. 6) upton park/west ham - those faux-castley bits in front are a bit daft, but other than that, i'd say this is a perfectly fine ground. again, they've had to modernize a bit - like most others - but haven't sold their soul to do so (not that they're likely to have had offers for it), to their credit ... or not, when you consider they'd prefer to be in that olympic abomination. then again, daniel levy did a bit of demonic coveting, himself, so i won't be holding that against WHUFC. 7) stamford bridge/chelsea - have you ever stood amongst 40k chelsea fans as their team pissed away a three-goal lead in the second half? it's friggin' awesone. the stadium's ok, too. it'd be a shame if they left their traditional home, i guess ... but then, i probably wouldn't lose sleep over it. 8) st andrews/birmingham city (again, it was top flight when i was there) - the walk to the ground and the neighborhood sucks (i guess i could say that about white hart lane, too, though), and it's chock full of brum fans ... so ... well ... it's ok. i've been to worse. 9) madejski stadium/reading - speaking of worse ... a bitch to get to, surrounded by nothing, no character, whatsoever ... alright, it's not that bad. clean, modern, fresh ... good views ... the steak and kidney pies aren't bad ... yeah ... didn't like it. 10) molineux/wolves (they're down now, too, aren't they?) - meh. 11-20) not been - though a can guarantee that most of them would rank above #s 9&10. hmmm ... when i started this, i figured i'd been to more top flight grounds. but most of my experiences have been at lower levels, in retrospect. now ... lower league and non-league grounds ... that's where it's at! but i won't bore you (further). and look at the time. anyway, that other guy's list is daft.
Goodison Park is a dump. I would take Villa Park as a good example of a traditional stadium that suits the modern game. Plus you can see the pitch from all seats!
villa park would rate at the very top had they not pulled down the old trinity road stand. but they did. ... philistines.
worst ive been to is Goodison...simply because every time ive been I have been stuck behind a bloody metal post holding up the roof! Same used to happen every time we went Cov away at Highfield...bloody metal posts everywhere.
oh, i'm not saying that villa park is poor. i'm just lamenting the fact that when they pulled down the old trinity road stand, they demolished one of the 3 or 4 greatest stands in the world. criminal.
Well the deal is almost done for us to move to the Olympic stadium. As it stands it isn't a football stadium but they say it is going to be transformed into one with an attendance of 60k.
in 'em, though. just kiddin'. i actually feel quite bad for you folks regarding the olympic stadium. it'll be shit, whereas upton park is quite good. oh well ... better you than us.
"...and Lineker taps into the empty net. You have to say that was on a plate there, Brian" Definitely. If they just completed the East Side of Upton Park, making it 45000 or so, it'd be perfect.