Best ground for atmosphere

According to this site, we are ranked the best ground for atmosphere in league two for last season. Wimps second despite their massive "loyal" support!


https://fanbanter.co.uk/every-league-two-club-ranked-by-visiting-fans-for-best-atmosphere/6/

Quoted from mimma

According to this site, we are ranked the best ground for atmosphere in league two for last season. Wimps second despite their massive "loyal" support!


https://fanbanter.co.uk/every-league-two-club-ranked-by-visiting-fans-for-best-atmosphere/6/

If Wimps refers to Lincoln they were ranked third according to that.

Looks right to me though  

Surprised tbh.  BP at full chat is well deserving of 'classic ground' status, it's a shame that it doesn't reach those highs often enough.

What are they rating? The home fans or the best place to be as an away fan?

(Can't see full article because of the adverts)

I’ve always thought that we should have the Osmond stand as our home end , the acoustics are much better even if you can’t see the pitch  

Quoted from grimps

I’ve always thought that we should have the Osmond stand as our home end , the acoustics are much better even if you can’t see the pitch  

Don't start this debate again! I've said before they should switch it around and chuck away fans in the pontoon but get shot down because its tradition

Clickbait

Quoted from lukeo

Don't start this debate again! I've said before they should switch it around and chuck away fans in the pontoon but get shot down because its tradition

It caused outrage last time and was soon switched back.

I believe the idea of using the Osmond is to create atmosphere from the usual 35 travelling away fans...
Plus the seats are black n white in the pontoon, imagine the look on JSFs face at the cost of swapping out the red seats in the Osmond, he'd be at Wilko's buying tins of paint, poundstretcher for his brushes and doing Kate's every nights to paint the seats himself!!

As we're covering old ground, I'll say again that putting a side on the main stand end of the pontoon would improve the acoustics by reflecting the sound back towards the crowd and pitch

The view from the back of the Osmond is poor because of the low roof and posts. Stay in the Pontoon.

our support at home is shite, its like a morgue, and if you disagree you're kidding yourself

Compared to FGR, Morecambe etc. the atmosphere at BP is good. There's not many grounds with 4,500 in, that can generate a better atmosphere. It does go flat if Town struggle though, but that will be the same anywhere. The officials get a hard time from the crowd when they are crap which can help.

Quoted from Hagrid

our support at home is shite, its like a morgue, and if you disagree you're kidding yourself

I'm not sure how you can argue with fanbanter, it doesn't get much more conclusive than that.

Quoted from bedders78

As we're covering old ground, I'll say again that putting a side on the main stand end of the pontoon would improve the acoustics by reflecting the sound back towards the crowd and pitch

And prime for advertising too!
Shame that some  people don't (want to) listen to  suggestions

There would be a better atmosphere inside Blundell Park if there weren't three open corners. I think we are the only league club that doesn't have at least one side stand that covers the entire length of the pitch.

People sat high in the upper Findus are so far from the players that they are not inclined to provide vocal support. Any noise they do make goes over the Main Stand and out to the estuary.

The way our fans are traveling at the moment I would argue that wherever we go that ground has the best atmosphere.

I think the club literally made a huge mistake in 1982 with the Findus Stand. There was no all-seater requirement at that time. They should have just built a fully-covered standing terrace.

If I was GTFC chairman with several million pounds in my bank account, I would dismantle most of the upper Findus and use the seats to extend the lower tier and Main Stand. The ground capacity would be the same, but there would be a much better atmosphere, especially at the Pontoon end.

I would also remove the windows from the corporate boxes, as people sat behind glass don't make any noise for the team.

Quoted from White_shorts

I think the club literally made a huge mistake in 1982 with the Findus Stand. There was no all-seater requirement at that time. They should have just built a fully-covered standing terrace.

At the time it was built they were considering rotating the pitch 90 degrees and buying up the houses behind the main stand. There is space below the stand for dressing rooms and it would have been the right size for an end. Ultimately this never happened.

You could argue it was a mistake to build a new stand at all at Blundell Park. Lots of people owned cars by 1982. The lack of parking spaces must have been an issue even then.

Did GTFC make any effort to acquire the land where Sainsbury's and Alexandra Retail Park were built? Could the Fishing Heritage Centre and Heritage House have been incorporated into a new stadium at Garth Lane?

It annoys me that the club seems to have had its head in the sand for decades with regard to relocation. We paid a big price in 1995 when BP was made all-seater. Ground capacity and atmosphere was lost.

Quoted from White_shorts

You could argue it was a mistake to build a new stand at all at Blundell Park. Lots of people owned cars by 1982. The lack of parking spaces must have been an issue even then.

Did GTFC make any effort to acquire the land where Sainsbury's and Alexandra Retail Park were built? Could the Fishing Heritage Centre and Heritage House have been incorporated into a new stadium at Garth Lane?

It annoys me that the club seems to have had its head in the sand for decades with regard to relocation. We paid a big price in 1995 when BP was made all-seater. Ground capacity and atmosphere was lost.

Prime land in the centre of town. It would cost a fortune just to buy it.

There was a reluctance to build new stadiums in the centre of towns, hence they were built out of town. It probably wouldn't have been given planning permission back then.

As has been discussed before, the Pontoon was paid for by supporters (in the '60's, I think?). For that reason alone, it should remain a home stand.

It was that way right in the early days of the club. When it was mooted that we move to land in the open space between Grimsby and Cleethorpes (to what became Blundell Park) one director proposed that we leased the adjacent land to develop a multi-sports club. The board decided not to and just lease sufficient space for the football ground. If they had leased all the land we’d have space now for a swanky big stadium.

Quoted from White_shorts

You could argue it was a mistake to build a new stand at all at Blundell Park. Lots of people owned cars by 1982. The lack of parking spaces must have been an issue even then.

Did GTFC make any effort to acquire the land where Sainsbury's and Alexandra Retail Park were built? Could the Fishing Heritage Centre and Heritage House have been incorporated into a new stadium at Garth Lane?

It annoys me that the club seems to have had its head in the sand for decades with regard to relocation. We paid a big price in 1995 when BP was made all-seater. Ground capacity and atmosphere was lost.

There were a number of possibilities at the time that would have resolved the problems. The new stand was to be the offices and changing rooms etc. and a new stand built to replace the Main Stand. It was believed that there could be land available from the railway for car parking but this came to nothing as in any case the Ramsden era came to an end and the money dried up. The full reasons for that remain obscure, at least to me.

As to other possibilities, the first new ground proposal I heard of was when FA Would was still chairman in the mid 1960s and offered the club what was known as the Woolco site. This was on Cambridge Road where the Cambridge Park estate is now. Woolco was the wholesale arm of Woolworths and a warehousing unit was planned for the site which would also have had the new BP. The club was not keen, probably the distance from the town had something to do with it. Anyway the deal fell flat.

Quoted from grimps

I’ve always thought that we should have the Osmond stand as our home end , the acoustics are much better even if you can’t see the pitch  

Isn't the Osmond Stand still our home end in the second half of every game? I can't stand change....

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

There were a number of possibilities at the time that would have resolved the problems. The new stand was to be the offices and changing rooms etc. and a new stand built to replace the Main Stand. It was believed that there could be land available from the railway for car parking but this came to nothing as in any case the Ramsden era came to an end and the money dried up. The full reasons for that remain obscure, at least to me.

As to other possibilities, the first new ground proposal I heard of was when FA Would was still chairman in the mid 1960s and offered the club what was known as the Woolco site. This was on Cambridge Road where the Cambridge Park estate is now. Woolco was the wholesale arm of Woolworths and a warehousing unit was planned for the site which would also have had the new BP. The club was not keen, probably the distance from the town had something to do with it. Anyway the deal fell flat.

Never knew that RRFC. Thanks.

Quoted from White_shorts

I think the club literally made a huge mistake in 1982 with the Findus Stand. There was no all-seater requirement at that time. They should have just built a fully-covered standing terrace.

If I was GTFC chairman with several million pounds in my bank account, I would dismantle most of the upper Findus and use the seats to extend the lower tier and Main Stand. The ground capacity would be the same, but there would be a much better atmosphere, especially at the Pontoon end.

I would also remove the windows from the corporate boxes, as people sat behind glass don't make any noise for the team.

The Lower Findus was standing when it was built

When I said acquire the land, I meant secure a deal to piggyback a stadium onto the retail element. I assume Sainsbury's paid for the site at Corporation Road.

I did a little bit of internet research. The supermarket opened in September 1988 and the Heritage Centre in 1991. Some might say the club was unfortunate to just miss out on a potential development partner after the all-seater ruling was made. I would argue GTFC should have had more foresight.

Tesco on Hewitt's Ave was under construction in 1990, the same year as the Taylor Report.

I don't know when Morrisons at Laceby Acres was built, but there is a huge field behind it.

Quoted from lukeo

Don't start this debate again! I've said before they should switch it around and chuck away fans in the pontoon but get shot down because its tradition

It's not because it's tradition, it's because it's been done before and it was crap. Have you ever tried watching a game from the back of the Osmond?

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

There were a number of possibilities at the time that would have resolved the problems. The new stand was to be the offices and changing rooms etc. and a new stand built to replace the Main Stand. It was believed that there could be land available from the railway for car parking but this came to nothing as in any case the Ramsden era came to an end and the money dried up. The full reasons for that remain obscure, at least to me.

As to other possibilities, the first new ground proposal I heard of was when FA Would was still chairman in the mid 1960s and offered the club what was known as the Woolco site. This was on Cambridge Road where the Cambridge Park estate is now. Woolco was the wholesale arm of Woolworths and a warehousing unit was planned for the site which would also have had the new BP. The club was not keen, probably the distance from the town had something to do with it. Anyway the deal fell flat.

I imagine the club were not prepared to pay the asking price, or maybe the port authority did not want to allow vehicular access via Wickham Road.

Were the Ramsdens bankrolling the club? I wonder if we could have had another push for promotion to the top flight if we had kept Wilkinson and Drinkell.

Quoted from Hagrid

our support at home is shite, its like a morgue, and if you disagree you're kidding yourself

Spot on H, maybe when the Barratt Stand was still bursting or when the Stokies caused mischief, but very doubtful this decade?

Quoted from NorfolkImp

Spot on H, maybe when the Barratt Stand was still bursting or when the Stokies caused mischief, but very doubtful this decade?

When there’s sh1t on the pitch it’s hard for those in the stands to enjoy it

The problem is, the ground is hardly designed to be atmospheric, maybe the new board may be willing to spend a few quid to do something about this once ‘normality’ has been resumed.

Quoted from WOZOFGRIMSBY

When there’s sh1t on the pitch it’s hard for those in the stands to enjoy it

The problem is, the ground is hardly designed to be atmospheric, maybe the new board may be willing to spend a few quid to do something about this once ‘normality’ has been resumed.

It was actually designed to be atmospheric and in it's day was up there with the best.
Pontoon, main and Barretts stands were bouncy and banging complimented by the three corner terraces. With a few away fans in the Osmond and put all that under floodlights, Bob's your uncle.
Anyone lucky enough to be bouncing in the stands with twelve to twenty thousand in the ground will never forget.

Good job it's not the pitch

Quoted from The Yard Dog

The Lower Findus was standing when it was built

I'm well aware of that, Yard Dog. My point was that it could and should have been twice the size. It would now have fourteen rows of seats, instead of a pathetic seven.

This article suggests it was Dudley Ramsden who thought private boxes were a good idea:

http://www.extra-gtfc.co.uk/accounts/chairman

"The club were ahead of the game, through his vision, with only five other clubs in the country being able to boast private Executive Boxes and corporate dining facilities".

Quoted from White_shorts

I'm well aware of that, Yard Dog. My point was that it could and should have been twice the size. It would now have fourteen rows of seats, instead of a pathetic seven.

This article suggests it was Dudley Ramsden who thought private boxes were a good idea:

http://www.extra-gtfc.co.uk/accounts/chairman

"The club were ahead of the game, through his vision, with only five other clubs in the country being able to boast private Executive Boxes and corporate dining facilities".

And then it was downhill until 5th May 2021.

One of the best days in the life of GTFC.

Quoted from GYinScuntland

It was actually designed to be atmospheric and in it's day was up there with the best.
Pontoon, main and Barretts stands were bouncy and banging complimented by the three corner terraces. With a few away fans in the Osmond and put all that under floodlights, Bob's your uncle.
Anyone lucky enough to be bouncing in the stands with twelve to twenty thousand in the ground will never forget.

Unsurpassed - as a kid I was mesmerised by it - admittedly my early experiences were the McMenemy seasons but nowhere has bettered it. I've been on Kop at Anfield a few times but that's only one stand - full terracing on 4 sides with low roofs, woodbine laden mist hanging round the floodlights, that was better. Remember Lawrie Mac refusing to have a toss of the coin to decide the venue for the second replay v Southampton in 76 and insisting on a neutral ground - he admitted that he didn't want the game at BP under the lights.

TBF the Old Show Ground was decent with the Fox Street and half the Cantilever side full of Town fans - the FA Cup game there in the early 80s was a great atmosphere.