first experience of the Emirate Stadium

[TheCook]

Moaning about public transport links to the stadium is incredible. What more do you want?

Arsenal, Finsbury Park, High & I, Caledonian Road are all within walking distance.

Restrictions at Holloway Rd & Drayton Park are frustrating, but there are plenty other options to compensate. I used the Piccadilly LIne from Kings X from years to both stadiums, and you know what ; if you try to squeeze onto a tube 20 minutes before KO, you only have yourself to blame.

More evidence that Arsenal fans can moan about anything.

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

Moaning about public transport links to the stadium is incredible. What more do you want?

Arsenal, Finsbury Park, High & I, Caledonian Road are all within walking distance.

Restrictions at Holloway Rd & Drayton Park are frustrating, but there are plenty other options to compensate. I used the Piccadilly LIne from Kings X from years to both stadiums, and you know what ; if you try to squeeze onto a tube 20 minutes before KO, you only have yourself to blame.

More evidence that Arsenal fans can moan about anything.

I like it, irony

[SPARKSY]

People talk about the lack of history/trophies in the grove as the reason for it's lack of atmosphere but personally I dont think that is the case - regardless of trophies, highbury was "home" to many generations of Arsenal fans and all the trophies in the world cannot replace the feeling of belonging that highbury had for those people. The fans who dont feel the same attachment to highbury (ie the youth and the jcl's) havent been in the place or been a Gooner long enough to have built up the sense of belonging in The Grove and both reasons contribute to the lack of a home and fortless like feeling

This is true but i also believe that a large chunk of the peole who go to watch Arsenal now are not what you call true supporters. By that i mean, at Highbury you had a hard core of around 20,000 who would turn up every week to support the team. And this was at a time of boring boring Arsenal, old style grounds, terracing, lots of singing, football hooliganism, crap pies and burgers which when you add it up meant that only those who went did so because of their loyalty and enthusiasm for the club. Arsenal then was a football club.
It is also worth mentioning that then, there was no Sky........................
Now, it is primarily a business to make money for shareholders and be it tickets prices, merchandise, food and drink or dinner upstairs, cash is king. Yes the team will try to win trophies but at the end of the day as long as the balance sheet looks healthy then that is No.1
For various reasons the support at the Emirates now is made up of people who go a few times a year and are not fussed if Arsenal win or lose. They can have a 3 course before the game, a nice comfy seat, decent food (allegedly), no pushing and shoving and a sterile atmosphere to boot. These people just want a nice friendly afternoon and don't have the passion, hence thats why there is no singing to be had over there anymore. Those are the people that only know one song "We're by far the greatest team"!!
The hard core from Highbury has been diluted to such an extent that it is the minority now. Being someone who spent many years at Highbury and now the Emirates,i can see the difference and whether you like it or not that is how football is at present, certainly while Sky are in charge.

[DB10GOONER]

Highbury could really rock but Highbury could have its quiet days too, no doubt. But I think we were more forgiving of them because it was Highbury, it was home.

And as VOR says above there were many elements to that; the fact Highbury looked like no other ground, the beautiful 1930's Art Deco design of the East and West stands, knowing that generations of fans had stood and supported The Arsenal on that exact spot where you were, the history and legendary status of the CE and NB and the Marble Halls, the fact the tube station right outside the ground was called "Arsenal", seeing the same faces for years, the same guy selling you a dodgy (doggy?? ) burger outside with the same banter, so many intangibles that added up to the match day experience.

I think another factor is the social make up of the fans. What you Ingerlish call "class" I suppose. Now I know the class structures in Ingerland have been diluted alot in the last 10 - 20 years and the lines are less distinct, but they do still exist to some degree...

Alot of the regular fans at Highbury were local working class lads that went every game with their mates. It was the highlight of the week. Now days the numbers of middle class fans and even upper class fans has increased with the popularity of the game and many of those local working class lads and their mates and families etc have been priced out of regular attendance at the new stadium.

I'm not saying middle class people didn't go to Highbury, of course they did, just that the numbers of them have increased hugely at the Conglomerates, and most of the "new" middle class fans we now see are not Arsenal nuts but rather just having a day out at the footy. And of course it's not just middle class fans that are there on a jolly, alot of modern football fans just actually have a lot more things to do in their leisure time than people did back in the day. Football isn't life or death for them. It's a bit of fun, a good day out and if we lose they can just put it behind them. Look around you and note how many people are sat there playing with their iPhones during the game. This is just the way the game has changed.

Anyballs, that's my theory and if you disagree you are wrong. Thank you.

[Theoperator]

Moaning about public transport links to the stadium is incredible. What more do you want?

Arsenal, Finsbury Park, High & I, Caledonian Road are all within walking distance.

Restrictions at Holloway Rd & Drayton Park are frustrating, but there are plenty other options to compensate. I used the Piccadilly LIne from Kings X from years to both stadiums, and you know what ; if you try to squeeze onto a tube 20 minutes before KO, you only have yourself to blame.

More evidence that Arsenal fans can moan about anything.

If a match has to start 15 minutes later due to public transport problems (V Saints 23.11.13) thats not really Arsenal fans moaning is it

[REB]

im lucky enough to have stood in the old NB a few times in the 80s before it was knocked and while some games were quiet others you couldnt move nd the noise was immense, the new stadium is beautiful and comfortable but it has no passion and very little soul because people have split up and even now if you stand up to sing people are moaning telling you to sit down, our fan base these days has got a bit too cosmopolitan for my liking and people dont even seem bothered too much when we lose a game .

[DB10GOONER]

Moaning about public transport links to the stadium is incredible. What more do you want?

Arsenal, Finsbury Park, High & I, Caledonian Road are all within walking distance.

Restrictions at Holloway Rd & Drayton Park are frustrating, but there are plenty other options to compensate. I used the Piccadilly LIne from Kings X from years to both stadiums, and you know what ; if you try to squeeze onto a tube 20 minutes before KO, you only have yourself to blame.

More evidence that Arsenal fans can moan about anything.

More evidence of Arsenal fans moaning about Arsenal fans moaning.

[TheCook]

Moaning about public transport links to the stadium is incredible. What more do you want?

Arsenal, Finsbury Park, High & I, Caledonian Road are all within walking distance.

Restrictions at Holloway Rd & Drayton Park are frustrating, but there are plenty other options to compensate. I used the Piccadilly LIne from Kings X from years to both stadiums, and you know what ; if you try to squeeze onto a tube 20 minutes before KO, you only have yourself to blame.

More evidence that Arsenal fans can moan about anything.

If a match has to start 15 minutes later due to public transport problems (V Saints 23.11.13) thats not really Arsenal fans moaning is it

So out of the hundreds of matches held there, you use one example to try and prove a point?

"Its pretty hard to get there on time if coming by tube on the Picadilly line. Its a joke. Ive never yet got there at the right sort of time, im either over an hour and a half early or late"

Looks like you need to plan your journey a bit better as you keep getting it wrong.

[swimmer1]

My first experience was DB10 Ajax game and first look at my brand new seat for the season and was so far up thought what have I done that cost me £1,200.00 then got smashed

[flash gunner]

Welcome maZu glad you enjoyed your first game. Up the Gunners!!!

[maZu]

Welcome maZu glad you enjoyed your first game. Up the Gunners!!!

cheers !


does anybody know when the red ticket sale will be available from arsenal for the game against City on the 13th of Sept..?
theyre currently available to MO and SM members... i assume thats gold and silver members...?

[RoscommonGooner]

Welcome maZu glad you enjoyed your first game. Up the Gunners!!!

cheers !


does anybody know when the red ticket sale will be available from arsenal for the game against City on the 13th of Sept..?
theyre currently available to MO and SM members... i assume thats gold and silver members...?

Tickets go on sale to Red Members 1 month before the fixture, so that'll be 13th of August.

[maZu]

Welcome maZu glad you enjoyed your first game. Up the Gunners!!!

cheers !


does anybody know when the red ticket sale will be available from arsenal for the game against City on the 13th of Sept..?
theyre currently available to MO and SM members... i assume thats gold and silver members...?

Tickets go on sale to Red Members 1 month before the fixture, so that'll be 13th of August.

cool thanks... and what time will they be available... 9am?

[Theoperator]

Welcome maZu glad you enjoyed your first game. Up the Gunners!!!

cheers !


does anybody know when the red ticket sale will be available from arsenal for the game against City on the 13th of Sept..?
theyre currently available to MO and SM members... i assume thats gold and silver members...?

Tickets go on sale to Red Members 1 month before the fixture, so that'll be 13th of August.

cool thanks... and what time will they be available... 9am?

Usually at 10am.

So out of the hundreds of matches held there, you use one example to try and prove a point?

"Its pretty hard to get there on time if coming by tube on the Picadilly line. Its a joke. Ive never yet got there at the right sort of time, im either over an hour and a half early or late"

Looks like you need to plan your journey a bit better as you keep getting it wrong.

Clearly the Piccadilly line from central London isnt up to the job at peak pre match times- Ive given up and go Victoria to H & I now. I dont get to every match, but V Saints someone by me said it wasnt the first & wont be the last time....

Have to say though that I find most other grounds where people tend to walk are a lot easier to get to on time that The Grove.

If you are seriously saying that the tube or train serves AFC well at peak times, pre and post match then perhaps Redaction isnt canvassing supporters very well. The queues at Arsenal H&I post match are horrendous, again I ve given up and go by bus.

[cardinal2011]

Welcome maZu glad you enjoyed your first game. Up the Gunners!!!

cheers !


does anybody know when the red ticket sale will be available from arsenal for the game against City on the 13th of Sept..?
theyre currently available to MO and SM members... i assume thats gold and silver members...?

Tickets go on sale to Red Members 1 month before the fixture, so that'll be 13th of August.

cool thanks... and what time will they be available... 9am?

Usually at 10am.

So out of the hundreds of matches held there, you use one example to try and prove a point?

"Its pretty hard to get there on time if coming by tube on the Picadilly line. Its a joke. Ive never yet got there at the right sort of time, im either over an hour and a half early or late"

Looks like you need to plan your journey a bit better as you keep getting it wrong.

Clearly the Piccadilly line from central London isnt up to the job at peak pre match times- Ive given up and go Victoria to H & I now. I dont get to every match, but V Saints someone by me said it wasnt the first & wont be the last time....

Have to say though that I find most other grounds where people tend to walk are a lot easier to get to on time that The Grove.

If you are seriously saying that the tube or train serves AFC well at peak times, pre and post match then perhaps Redaction isnt canvassing supporters very well. The queues at Arsenal H&I post match are horrendous, again I ve given up and go by bus.

I cannot see what your problem is. To avoid the crowds all you have to do is get into the ground twenty minutes into the game and leave ten minutes early. Oh and miss five minutes either side of half time so you can buy yourself a delicious burger