I'd have loved KR to have been modernised in an ideal world but we wouldn't have had the finances wasn't LP all tied in with the Tesco build?
If I could change one thing I'd have had the North standing or partially standing at least, away end could have been seated as there is only ever Wire and Wigan where it gets anywhere near full.
I agree. The Pop at KR was hardly the Kop or the Stretford End in terms of size. Most of the noise came from those on the back 7 or 8 steps, so replicating that in terms of size down one side of the pitch would have been fairly easy. Most of those at the bottom of the Pop stood there for the view and will be in the North or South now enjoying a similar view from a seat, so the North could have been designed 50/50, with the bottom half seats and the top half terracing, or vice versa if that is logistically easier. Everybody would have been happy then, as we'd have retained what made the Scaff special with the noise on top of the pitch from the half way line, but also provided thousands of seats with great views for those that wanted them.
North standing. South seating. West the 'family stand' (seated). East away - half seats, half standing.
My issue with seating is that the 'singers' always seem to be split up, with 'miserables' plonking themselves right in the middle of where the singing fans should be congregated. When all potential singers are clumped together, it's a pack mentality and even those a bit shy get swept up into the atmosphere, and often those on the periphery join in. I've been at the piedome in amongst the nutters and it's great. I've also been there when our group has turned up a bit late and ended up sat miles away from the core singing support (and if you do start getting boisterous, you get 'tuts' and dirty looks from the ones who prefer to watch in silence with the occasional polite applause). Back at Central Dump, you could turn up 2 minutes before kick-off but still weedle your way through the crowd to get close to the main atmosphere.
If you look back at all the old grounds, the main noisy terraces were all down the sides of grounds, whether it was KR, CP, Headingley, etc. Rugby League is a very 'side to side' game in terms of what happens, so viewing it from the side is a far better experience than watching it from one end or the other. The nuance of the game is watching how attacks develop, how defences line up, etc, and of course you can't yell 'forward' or 'gerrumonside' at the ref if you can't actually tell if either is happening.
It was strange then that all clubs (expect Warrington) then opted to try to recreate that by having the noise behind the sticks. It simply doesn't work as well in RL as it does in football were the ball is all over the place and the game is more end to end than side to side. I think the desire to have as many seats as possible in the best places meant that Saints just assumed that having terraces would pacify the noisy lot, but LP is now a perfect example of how that didn't work, with loads of former Scaffers now sitting on the half way line in the North because the view and the experience behind the sticks is just not the same, but unable to generate the same atmosphere because loads around them aren't interested. The North is about 60-70% full most games I reckon, so it's not even as if the policy worked really. The easiest way to fill that stand would be to make some of it standing, with the added bonus that the place would have more of a home advantage as well.
Oddly, I’ve always found it easier to see how a team is trying to manipulate the opposition when viewing from the end, with the existence of overlaps or gaps in defence more obvious. Having said that, I always preferred to view from near the halfway line but that might have been because you are then closer to play wherever it takes place. Accordingly, I stood near halfway in the paddock at KR and have a seat in the South stand close to the opposition’s bench but for away matches I’m content to stand behind the goalposts.
Spot on Dave .
roy litherland it's happened i told you it would
Now 21 years ago today, always worth another look!
https://youtu.be/PtcPcoQgAfU
Forwards win games. The backs decide by how much.
I was in the usual Spec half way up the popular side half way line- well that's where I started in the bedlam that ensued after the try we were bouncing all over the place hugging mates and strangers alike! (Pre Covid!!)
Time flies and in the same time again I'll be a fairly old man!
We couldn’t get our usual spot on the halfway line under the seating stand and ended up on the 25m line. With a minute to go we were thinking of getting ready to leave but we couldn’t move it was jammed packed.
Then West passed to Joynt and right in front of us James Lowes was coming across, we were at the wall and the next second Joynt raised his arm as he went in the clear.
We were all swept about 5 metres to the corner flag and watched all the players partying, Longy was good, dancing, wearing St Bernards head.
A bunch of us watched it in a pub in London where two fellow 'London Saints' met each other for the first time.
They're now married, living back up North, and take their two daughters to the games!
21 years eh?
COYS!
In always wonder how many people left the ground and missed everything unfolding!
Scully always said he started the Wide to West, I think it was his birthday that day.