One season in - are we happy with the move

DDignam · Post by **DDignam** » Wed May 09, 2007 11:48 am

I have just been reflecting on the season we have had at teh emeriates, not the football we have played but being an Arsenal fan, the club is about teh football and fans so surely we should be happy.

Reason i bring it up, is that I watched permiership years last night, 97/98 season, seeing highbury just made me think how much I miss being there.

The emirates to me just does not feel like home, its an impressive ground, and one I would love to visit as an away fan but as home I think its dispaointed.

The atmosphere is stale, even on sunday we could not string any song together with more than one word, I know alot of teh clockenders and Nortbankers are around teh ground (red action). Cant see when we will have a whole crowd singing a more complex song (berkgamp wonderland ect..)

I feel we have lost soem tradition, some of our history. Dennis bergkamo has a box at arsenal, and as a legend has not heard his name chanted once by teh entire groudn (red action excluded).

The clock end had great nater between the two sets of fans, now we have more banter with stewards or those grove tourists who stare and winge at any true gooner supporting the side.

I always felt furstrated at the start of a new season after we won teh league, you would have people turning up to games, supporting arsenal as a fashionable team. Now teh stadium is bigger there actually in teh game, not just idiots at bars.

In a way Highbury was great, 38,000 people week in week out, an exclusive club, guess now that club has been opened up and everyone is in, inevitably the fun of being in that club reduces

Dont take me wrong, an extra 22,000 arenal fans (silver, red and season tickets) is great, just a shame we cant control who gets these. At the moment it feels very much like alot of peopel i teh ground are there to see it, a nice birthday present, or a day out, not to support the team.

Another factor I guess is the east and west stands (notinly less atmosphere that CE or NB) are now mixed throughout teh ground.

All in all Im still wary of the move, hope things improve there, stewards calm down a bit. It is a shame that more cannot be done to create specific zones, such as red action.

The club shoudl become involved in this and not leave it up to fans

MK Gould · Post by **MK Gould** » Wed May 09, 2007 11:59 am

As one of those who have upgraded from Red to Gold membership I have to be delighted we've moved! I only like exclusive clubs when I'm a member!

Can see your point though. I'm fed up with being looked at just because I sing!! Maybe next season we won't have as many people going along just because its a new ground. I can imagine that this season we attracted a fair few "92 club" members just wanting to tick it off the list.

The club could have helped by offering season ticket holders the chance to move to a quieter/noisier area as part of the renewals process. This they didn't do, so maybe RedAction etc should apply some pressure to ensure that this is introduced for 2008/09.

DDignam · Post by **DDignam** » Wed May 09, 2007 12:11 pm

It would make sense that behind the goal and the corners should be seen as atmosphere areas - reason being that the view of the game is probably better from the sides (and worked at highbury)

In any eventuaility it would be quite easy for the club to colour code the online ticket purchase thing, green blocks singing, warning of standing ect, and blue blocks are for those who want to view the game ect, make everyone happy.

Gooneroonie · Post by **Gooneroonie** » Wed May 09, 2007 2:07 pm

I will say again that after travelling to numerous away grounds this season the atmosphere on Sunday was bloody good in comparison. Maybe it sounds different if you are sitting in one of the east / west standsâ€¦ Although I think we can get caught up with this whole atmosphere thing. We need to give credit where credit is due.

Trevheff · Post by **Trevheff** » Wed May 09, 2007 2:07 pm

I too have benefited from the move as although I managed to get to 5/6 games each year at Highbury on my silver, I managed to get a ST this year. I'm one of the lucky ones as I'm in Block 4 right next to the Red Section. The guys I sit with are bang up for it and although I'd never met them before this season, we have a cracking time and join in with the guys in the Red Section.

But I appreciate there are others marooned around other parts of the ground who are stuck on their own. The answer has to be Red Section 2. If the club and players want more backing and more support as they tell us in their programme notes then The Board need to step in and help. The Red Section has been a huge success in my opinion, but such a small area in such a big bowl is not enough. Have another section opposite the current one so we have sources of noise at either end of the ground and recreate the banter with the away fans.

Gooneroonie · Post by **Gooneroonie** » Wed May 09, 2007 2:11 pm

PS. I am happy with the move overall. Donâ€™t forget, lots left early at Highbury also, lots didnâ€™t sing, and lots still ate burgers!!!!!!!

gooner9349 · Post by **gooner9349** » Wed May 09, 2007 5:33 pm

Wish I could voice an opinion but I still haven't been able to get a ticket

. Been on the ST waiting list for eons and don't hold out much hope of ever reaching the top

I could join Red but I have an 8 yr old JG desperate to go. He can buy tickets 2 months in advance, Red only allows me 1 month advance sales. Call me over protective but I don't want to send him in alone while I go and sit elsewhere, that's assuming tickets would be available. Kinda ruins the Dad/Son at the footie thing too.

To be honest it p*sses me off and no doubt thousands like me. I've stood and watched The Arse with my Dad since Sammy N was showing us his arse

and now I can't take my own boy

Where do the club think the next generation of fans will come from when the johnny -come -latelys have fucked off back to whatever they did before

Sorry..Rant over

DDignam · Post by **DDignam** » Wed May 09, 2007 6:11 pm

Gooner9296

You and your boy can go together

Become a red member next year and wit till tickets go on sale to red members. When purchasing you can buy the two tickets together using the two numbers.

This season lots of games went to red members, including liverpool and otehr big clubs (i would say 85% at least went red) - problem with red is your left with the most expensive seats

collins · Post by **collins** » Wed May 09, 2007 6:26 pm

i think we should have a kind of redsection in every stand and that way we could have more songs circulating the whole ground which could be better for the team and more intimidating with the whitsles and booing and stuff

Hatfield Red · Post by **Hatfield Red** » Wed May 09, 2007 7:38 pm

It will take a few seasons for things to be ironed out. Also if we were really pushing for honours this year then the atmosphere would have been better. Although you could argue its up to all of us to create it in the first place.

I sit in block 4 again next to red action, they do make a difference. I also asked the club about moving for next season, THEY DID SAY THAT AS LONG AS YOU RENEW AND SEND IN A COVERING LETTER THAT YOU WANT TO MOVE THEY WILL TRY AND ACCOMADATE YOU. Basically they want your money first then they will try and do something.

Do any of the editors have access to people at the club regarding atmosphere etc?? Also earlier posts suggested that the club did not tell people about where red action were seated when thye renewed. However, when i renewed last year they told me that they were in the corner and that is why i chose the seats where i sit.

ANDERS LIMPAR IS A LEGEND.

tenementfunster5 · Post by **tenementfunster5** » Wed May 09, 2007 10:09 pm

Overall I am pleased with the move. It is a fantastic stadium, the best modern stadium around. The feelings of Highbury are bought by the history and memories we all have from our old home. These momories will come with time. The move to a new stadium was essential for the future of the club. It will enable us to continue to dine at the top table of English and European football.

gooner9349 · Post by **gooner9349** » Thu May 10, 2007 3:42 pm

Sometimes people restore your faith in human nature

Shouldn't have been surprised by the Gooner family

Come On You Arsenal

Cus Geezer · Post by **Cus Geezer** » Sat May 12, 2007 1:52 pm

In a way Highbury was great, 38,000 people week in week out, an exclusive club, guess now that club has been opened up and everyone is in, inevitably the fun of being in that club reduces

I'm sorry but Highbury was greater when it wasn't an exclusive club, when you could turn up to a game on the day and pay to get in. I wasn't in the ground on May 7th 2006, but was there when the real Highbury died on May 2nd 1992, pre-all seater and pre-bond.

The greatest problem with the move to the new ground is that it hasn't opened the club up, its increased the space for corporate tickets, and the prices are higher here than it was at Highbury.

I've managed to go enough times to have seen a game from all four tiers of the stadium, but the feeling that highbury lacked by the end hasn't returned like it did for the odd League Cup match at Highbury. Like I've said before here over the last 15 years people who's association with the club stretched back decades have been cut off, with a 60,000 capacity you hoped that would be redressed, far from it.

Like I mentioned earlier I've seen a game from all four tiers, the first one being Arsenal's first win there against Dinamo Zagreb at club level got from the corporate hospitality department of the insurance company my sister works for. The abiding memory of this night is observing the now customary dash to grab the free drinks before the half time whistle, saying to my lifelong Arsenal fan father "so where's the Clock gone then?" and some bellend in front of me goes over there pointing to the one on the scoreboard totally missing the point.

I remember observing the Dinamo Zagreb fans directly opposite me bobbing up and down in unison, like I was observing English football's dim and distant past. The stadium was spectacular to look at, but left me numb, like I was in a country club rather than a football ground. The one crumb of consolation I wanted was the boast that I saw Arsenal's first win at their new ground and that I got, I'm baffled as to why several others didn't seem to be too arsed about that priviledge and walked out with 5 mins left, missing the winning goal. Theo walcott came on and looked as if he could get his first goal for the Arsenal, still people didn't care and were more bothered about catching a train.

After the final whistle I saw what they wanted to avoid, an hours wait to get to Finsbury Park station, which luckily hasn't been quite so bad on the times I've been since, but still, if you want to be home less than half an hour after the final whistle go down the local pub for fuck sake.

The times I come up to the Arsenal now, whether to watch at the game or down the 12 pins I'm struck by the gentrification of it all. Sitting next to young kids on the tube on the way to Arsenal and hearing their plummy accents. I don't begrudge their interest, but I think back to my first days at Arsenal in 1985 and had I been born 20 years later would I have ever been able to get in the ground, having had to pay Â£66 for the only tickets left over for red members I seroiusly doubt it. Arsenal (or indeed football) has become the preserve of the well off and it makes me sick. It makes me sicker when I see the apathy that's displayed on match day by these people, "oh its ok to dash off for the free drinks because you can still see it on the plasma screen", "oh i had to miss the last four minutes to beat the dash to the station, excuse me sir, yes you with the programme in your hand, it did finish 3-0 didn't it".

The spirit of the North Bank terrace lives on, but sadly its in the 12 pins.