In my personal opinion I prefer away games to the home ones, these are the reasons why. - At home, it feels familiar and its conveniant for me to get there, the stadium being a five minute walk from my Ancoats home, and my section of the ground (Man City, North Stand corner next to the old Kippax AA block) is one of the louder parts of the ground, along with the South Stand corners. However, we only really up the volume for the big games which does my head in. - At home I am surrounded by kids and numpties who obviously wouldn't have followed football in the 80's. Its a mix of old lads, passionate away goers and families. I'd prefer to be in the South Stand which is all lads but I failed in getting a transfer last season. Thus the football experience is diluted for me when I join in with a chant. I'm usually the first one to start joining in in my block, and then others will join in. But not that many. - Beer prices at home are a RIP OFF. - I want to stand all game like they do in the South Stand, but I can't due to people moaning. Generally the passion aint there, unless its a big team. Now compare this to away games. - Going down the motorway is great. Everyone sizes you up in thier cars, going... OMFG... FOOTBALL HOOLIGANS. We take beer onto the coaches and from 9am to however long it takes to get to Arsenal, Everton or Birmingham away we're usually p*ssed, then when we get near the ground we start chanting 'Oh city we love you' and if we see a portly gentleman we jab our fingers at him and chant... 'Have you ever seen a salad, 'Av you fcuk'. Then the escort to the ground is great. Like at wolves away last season, about 1000 City fans were grouped in an escort and we crossed the road and saw a 14 year old kid on the bus wearing a Man United shirt. He literally looked like he would wet his pants as everyone chanted 'Scum scum scum' at him. - The atmosphere at away games is amazing. For example, Crystal Palace away this season, we didnt shut up all first half and the loudest chant of the afternoon was 'Walking in a Keegan wonderland'. When we score we dont do what we do at home and just jump, and clap your hands, we go barmy. A goal scored away from home is like sex to be honest, and you have to watch your possessions as people crash into you, arms flail everywhere and the increased chanting that everyone joins in with.
I would usually agree with the original post. You get the true/hardcore fans going to away grounds and it's great banter. However, it is not as much fun in the SPL. We get regularly ripped off with the cost of match tickets and most of the opposing teams do everything possible to stifle the atmosphere. ie, banning our drums, banners, flags... It's really poor in that respect.
At least for home games I don't have to put up with driving up and down the M6 for the 300th time. I do like away games, I don't go to that many any more. The novelty just wears off. Once you been to pretty much every ground in your division two or three times it doesn't have quite the same excitement any more. It's pretty common to go to more or less every away game, certainly on a saturday, for about 5 or 6 years, then gradually you start to pick and choose. At first (for southern fans anyway) you start to think that you really don't fancy that 8am start for the trip to Bradford. The going to Stoke seems too much of a pain. Before you know it anything beyong a 90 minute drive doesn't seem worthing wasting the day for and get very rapidly down to local games only. I have to confess that despite the improved facilities I enjoy home games at the Madejski much less than games at our old elm park, with the one exception of the supporters bar at the Madejski which is great.
I have to put up with travel anyway as my home matches are 200 miles away. Away matches are a great experience. It is always fun to get to cities that you won't usually get to. For example, this season i got to spend the weekend in Plymouth, which turned out to be a very nice and beautiful place. I wouldn't have gotten there otherwise. Sometimes you have to go to Crewe, but there are plenty of trips that make up for that.
It's the same for me; most away matches are much easier to get to than home ones. I like our revamped stadium, but since it was extended a lot of the atmosphere has been lost. Some people blame the design, others the 15,000 extra season ticket holders and others blame complacency of supporters. Given that we do manage to generate an atmosphere once or twice a season I tend to favour the last option. Away games certainly have an edge to them. Even people who are non-singers at home feel that they have to give more vocal support when they are away.
I've got to be up in a few hours.... 8:10 train from King's Cross.... going to Preston The things we do...
Try being up at 6am to get a coach to Crystal Palace and still being snarled up in traffic around Croydon at 2pm, thus meaning we only get 45 minutes for beer.
Defo Away games. The last one was at Anfield in the FA Cup last year. We set of from Jarrow at half eight in the morning. Drink Drink and more drink. Safe to say the Stewards wouldnt let me in, cause i was too pissed. Not to worry. Slept on the way back home.
I'd tend to on the whole prefer home games. Whilst away trips are certainly interesting, and I'm intending to add Northwich to that list soon, the treatment of away fans leaves something to be desired at some grounds. Carlisle force you into a seated area, and the one which doesn't properly line up with the pitch either, Burton in particular (although a decent ground) force you into such a small area that you can be close to fans (both home and away) that you'd rather not be, Chester is a right pain to get out of, and the positioning of the urinals at Stalybridge leaves little to the imagination.
i'm quite excited about going to see Rotherham - Leeds. I don't know if i'd be as excited going if it were Leeds - Rotherham.
You really need to get out more Cap!!! I never even went to any away games until I stopped playing - and now we're in the Champions league, I'm fcuked if I'll do Wigan on a wednesday night??? Us old uns need our bed
Nothing like a trip that is 165 miles each way on a monday night to see a team which is crap play against a team which is even more crap. Is it worth the trip? yes.
Yes but not if its Portsmouth away. God that away end should be banned from football. Open ends are fine in countries which are warm, but in England? ffs.
Already did Pompey away midweek this season. We had them in the League Cup. I really don't like going there as well. I think the best away i've been to in a while was midweek in Plymouth. Now that is a wonderful city to spend a bit of time in.
The away end at Fratton Park is a complete disgrace, I do have to agree. Nightmare. It's not even in line with the pitch if you get squeezed into the far corner. You're watching the game over the heads of the first row of home fans in the facing stand (mind you, used to be like that at Maine Road too sometimes). I like away games, but I wouldn't say I like them better than home games. I just like going to the games.
Another thing i like about away matches is being sat next to different people. My home season ticket is in a block of only other season ticket holders, so i sit next to the same people at every match. Then again, that's one of the things i like about my season ticket as well. And I agree with Matt, I just like going to games.