Most...and least...hospitable grounds

[HertsWolf]

Maybe a bit of a variation on the 'Best Championship ground' thread but what's the most hospitable ground you've been to? Obvs not all are Championship.

For me, in recent years, the 'best grounds' in terms of a mixture of facilities, welcome, friendliness.....
1) Swindon.....brilliant the way they give over their members' club to the away support. They also have the world's best burger van. I know this because that's what it says on the sign. Decent, old-fashioned ground too.
2) Wigan. The stadium is a bit anodyne but again, they hand over the members' club to the away support.
3) Forest. Intimidating in many ways but also friendly.
4) Sunderland. Soulless bowl of a stadium but about 30 of them helped me find my hire car when I lost it in some big estate about ten years ago.
5) Charlton. Fond memories of a stunning goal and a friendly crowd.
6) Posh. Brilliant when they had that end terrace. I think it's gone now?
7) Bradford. Two-thirds of the ground is straight out of the PL. One third of the ground is out of non-league. Great crowd.
8) QPR. Just for sombrero man alone. Legend.
9) Bournemouth. Nice but odd. It's like a Lego stadium. A small one. Bigger grounds in the Scottish First Division.

Worst?
1) Port Vale. Just utter toss. The ground, the town, the four other towns, much of the entire county. A stadium designed as a tribute to a dog turd. Vicious, nasty stewards, police and police dogs. Only place where we've been sledged by some potty-mouthed 7yo on the walk to the station.
2) Ipswich. Like watching the game from the back of a large forest. 75% of the pitch obscured by stands and lattice work. Middle of fucking nowhere. Shit pies.
3) Wembley. Obvs not been there with the Wolves but still a shit, plastic ground.
4) Newcastle. Utter tossers putting the away support up on Level 13. Gash but pleasant view of the countryside.
5) Pompey. Shittest away end of all. Cramped concourse, nasty stewards, one loo for 4,000 people, it seems.
6) Sheff Weds. Unpleasant atmosphere all round. Imagine 15,000 Walkley Owls. But decent pies, I recall.
7) Old Trafford. Great noise, but it was all just so corporate and beige. Still I've done what 99.9% of Man U fans have't - actually been there.

I admit that many will probably say Molineux is crap. I've seen our stewards and police all high-handed and unpleasant.

 

[Tom_ITFC]

Your view on us doesn't make Portman road less hospitable. We are probably one the most hospitable grounds by the simple fact we only have one rivalry, we rarely have anything against other clubs.

Your comment on the pie is unexpected as the Portman pie was voted one of the best in recent years

 

[HertsWolf]

Your view on us doesn't make Portman road less hospitable. We are probably one the most hospitable grounds by the simple fact we only have one rivalry, we rarely have anything against other clubs.

Your comment on the pie is unexpected as the Portman pie was voted one of the best in recent years

Just didn't find it particularly friendly inside or outside the ground. The pie was nasty.

 

[Etienne Vermeer]

Clearly we are the most hospitable.

 

[rudebwoyben]

The only Scottish Championship ground that might be bigger than Bournemouth's is Dundee Utds!

 

[HertsWolf]

The only Scottish Championship ground that might be bigger than Bournemouth's is Dundee Utds!

Other than Hibs. And I said the first division. Hampden holds 51,000 although admittedly Queens Park only fill it when Albion Rovers visit.

 

[AFCB_Mark]

Just wait until we move to a slightly larger Lego stadium in the middle of nowhere. We're bound to climb up Herts' list!

Have enjoyed some very pleasant and friendly days with Charlton, Leicester, Burton, Carlisle, Newcastle, Fulham to name a few. Newcastle came across as one of the friendliest bunch of supporters you could hope to meet, despite us having effectively relegated them at the time.

Also proper local Man United fans, with actual vaguely Mancunian accents would you believe, were also ridiculously friendly and accommodating the time we went to Old Trafford and the game got abandoned due to a bomb scare. Their club couldn't give a shit, but they were first class.

It takes something special to get shitty with Bournemouth of all clubs so I don't think we come across too much agro anywhere. However Wolves was actually one of the more unpleasant days, obviously they aren't all gentleman like our resident Wolves chaps Herts and Mark are. Pompey another, perfectly friendly when they were the bigger fish, but when the tables turned they became suddenly ugly. Stoke for some random reason also stick out, maybe they're like it with everyone.

 

[HertsWolf]

However Wolves was actually one of the more unpleasant days, obviously they aren't all gentleman like our resident Wolves chaps Herts and Mark are. Pompey another, perfectly friendly when they were the bigger fish, but when the tables turned they became suddenly ugly. Stoke for some random reason also stick out, maybe they're like it with everyone.

It's difficult to know what to say about the situation at Molineux. It really is bad. I've taken away supporters (in colours) to the Great Western pub on Cornhill before games and I know they have enjoyed it. Unless the glazed smile was simply sheer terror. But then the attack on that Watford fan happened on my normal walk to the ground from the station (and just yards from the main away support car park).
If it's any consolation, I had to move my boat up the canal in Wolvo and we were asked if we were foreign by local feral 11yos who then pelted the boat with stones further down. Nasty.

I have never liked going to Stoke or Birmingham because the atmosphere is just not pleasant. Vast majority of the fans of both clubs are great, albeit with considerable learning difficulties, but it's the minority of teenage scum (and I am sure they never go to matches) that cause all the problems.

 

[Another Walkley Owl]

Found Yeovil very hospitable with a huge marquee selling food and beer a local dj/comedian on and both sets of fans mixing happily together. Was also a 5 a side pitch at the back were kids were playing football. The Old Den, surrounding area of Maine Road (with the exception of 1 year when we drunk quietly in a pub full of locals) Ayresome Park and Bramall Lane on Derby day all not quite so hospitable to me.

 

[tiltontrev]

The most hospitable in the Championship for me would be Fulham, you couldn't be angry with a Fulham fan if you tried, aside from the tourists out for the day the few actual hardcore Fulham fans I've met have been cracking people, many great days down there.

As expected I've had more hostile receptions than hospitable ones in my times, notable mentions to Bristol City, Leeds, Forest, Huddersfield but far and away the most hostile place we visit is Molineux, every single visit without fail regardless what time of day etc there's always large scale grief before, during & after. Every year I say I won't go back, every year I somehow find myself back!! See you all again next season you backwards yokels

 

[tiltontrev]

...surrounding area of Maine Road (with the exception of 1 year when we drunk quietly in a pub full of locals)

Had some right fun in and around Maine Road, from a near full scale riot when Blues starting singing about Cantona in the mid 90s to getting lost being chased by a bus load of Mancs back around Moss Side. Talking of Moss Side, remember the away pub used to be a huge old building on the outskirts of Moss Side with a field opposite for parking on? we were once walking back to the car (after the bus chasing incident) to see a gang of Mancs all in a circle on that field, couldn't quite see what was happening until we got close, there was a solitary Blues fan swinging a fence post round keeping 10 Mancs at length, as we got closer it became clear it was none other than my Uncle, pissed out of his tree

 

[Etienne Vermeer]

Most: nobody in this division.

Least: Birmingham and Cardiff were the two clubs visited with the worst aggro, but generally the ferals from most clubs come out when we visit to "test" themselves or something.

 

[Muzzle]

New grounds and modern football: none
70'and 80's: Brum was always fun, Derby always there to try an ambush, Stoke walking through out the away end, Wolves, Everton and our old ground Burnden, not the friendliest of places for any away fan

 

[The Southbank]

Where do we start? Wolves is the obvious choice...

Back in the day Vetch Field and Ninian Park were inhospitable. The Manor Ground (Oxford) on a derby day was quite intimidating. Went to a pre-season game at Aldershot where it kicked off big time and we were getting pelted with bricks - absolute dosshole of an area as well. Luton is another place to avoid; had the back windows of our minibus smashed in when we went there on a Friday night once.

All of the new grounds are quite bland, with perhaps one or two exceptions. I've always enjoyed a day out at Charlton. Newcastle is a good laugh.

 

[markwwfc1992]

Seeing a lot of love for Wolves being everyones favourite away day

 

[Another Walkley Owl]

Seeing a lot of love for Wolves being everyones favourite away day

Been half a dozen times, never had any real bother. Remember being taken as a kid with my dad and one of my school mates and my dad going in a pub full of local skinheads, me and my mate were shitting ourselves while my old man chatted away with em like they were long lost buddies.
Nearest to bother was in the 90s some local cowardly tosser spat in my mates (then long) hair (picked on wrong person) he went after him, for him to hide behind the police shitting himself and trying to get my mate locked up.
Walked towards ground where we see 30 Wolves lads with said tosser pointing us out, yes all 3 of us.
Tosser becomes brave again, I shit myself, my mate still wants to kill him and isnt backing down. Fortunately for us coppers everywhere and we manage to get to ground in one piece.
Hate twats like that ( I know everybody has em) and to this day my mate has Wolves second to only the Blades on his hated list.

 

[markwwfc1992]

Been half a dozen times, never had any real bother. Remember being taken as a kid with my dad and one of my school mates and my dad going in a pub full of local skinheads, me and my mate were shitting ourselves while my old man chatted away with em like they were long lost buddies.
Nearest to bother was in the 90s some local cowardly tosser spat in my mates (then long) hair (picked on wrong person) he went after him, for him to hide behind the police shitting himself and trying to get my mate locked up.
Walked towards ground where we see 30 Wolves lads with said tosser pointing us out, yes all 3 of us.
Tosser becomes brave again, I shit myself, my mate still wants to kill him and isnt backing down. Fortunately for us coppers everywhere and we manage to get to ground in one piece.
Hate twats like that ( I know everybody has em) and to this day my mate has Wolves second to only the Blades on his hated list.

Sadly we do have a lot of these 'twats', and they give the majority of our decent supporters a bad name. There has been many incidents in recent seasons:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-11387678

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-33774353

http://www.itv.com/news/2017-02-26/...etween-wolves-and-birmingham-city-supporters/

The club has tried to fix the issue, this season we have handed out life bans to a lot of the idiots who are well known offenders. A major problem is in some of these cases (especially the attack on the Watford fan) was done by scumbags who aren't Wolves fans, or football fans, who didn't even attend the match ... just some chavvy little twats who think they can attack innocent members of the public when they're in a group, but shit themselves when you single them out. Maybe it's a wider community issue that Wolverhampton as a city has to tackle in general, it's sad to hear that most away fans have a bad experience of Molineux because of a minority of idiots.

 

[HertsWolf]

Been half a dozen times, never had any real bother. Remember being taken as a kid with my dad and one of my school mates and my dad going in a pub full of local skinheads, me and my mate were shitting ourselves while my old man chatted away with em like they were long lost buddies.
Nearest to bother was in the 90s some local cowardly tosser spat in my mates (then long) hair (picked on wrong person) he went after him, for him to hide behind the police shitting himself and trying to get my mate locked up.
Walked towards ground where we see 30 Wolves lads with said tosser pointing us out, yes all 3 of us.
Tosser becomes brave again, I shit myself, my mate still wants to kill him and isnt backing down. Fortunately for us coppers everywhere and we manage to get to ground in one piece.
Hate twats like that ( I know everybody has em) and to this day my mate has Wolves second to only the Blades on his hated list.

Sorry to hear that. To be fair, most Wolves fans are decent, non-aggressive people. Most of are genuinely saddened to hear these kinds of stories.

 

[Another Walkley Owl]

Sorry to hear that. To be fair, most Wolves fans are decent, non-aggressive people. Most of are genuinely saddened to hear these kinds of stories.

Like I said everywhere has em, we have our fair share too. Should put em all in a field and let em get on with it.
Would be a good spectator sport too.

 

[Walkley_Owl]

Molineux seems to have a higher percentage of bulky boys outside the ground after a game, proper horrible bastards, remember that little subway where they would try and ambush you but it's not the least bit intimidating.

 

[markwwfc1992]

Molineux seems to have a higher percentage of bulky boys outside the ground after a game, proper horrible bastards, remember that little subway where they would try and ambush you but it's not the least bit intimidating.

In the 70/80s there was an incident where WBA fans were in that subway and some of the Wolves fans lit a fire at both ends. Now it serves more of a purpose to the homeless guy selling pork scratchins.

 

[Walkley_Owl]

Now it serves more of a purpose to the homeless guy selling pork scratchins.

Poor old Herts

 

[HertsWolf]

Poor old Herts

You should feel sorrier for the people who buy them. Getting the pork bits out of my stubble is the easy part.

 

[GTFCfish]

The stewards at Wolves (albeit it was about 13-14 years ago) are the biggest wankers I've ever come across at an away game.
Back then away fans shared the stand behind the goal with the Wolves fans and after we went 1-0 up the Wolves fans stood up for the rest of the game giving us the cut throat gestures, but as soon as any of ours stood up they threatened to kick us out.
One of our fans eventually being taken out in a headlock all whilst the Wolves fans we're still stood up, absolute bell ends, so I took great delight in that victory for us being the start of Wolves late season collapse that saw West Brom nick 2nd place off them and then they also fucked up in the play offs and lost to Norwich. Sweet.

 

[HertsWolf]

The stewards at Wolves (albeit it was about 13-14 years ago) are the biggest wankers I've ever come across at an away game.
Back then away fans shared the stand behind the goal with the Wolves fans and after we went 1-0 up the Wolves fans stood up for the rest of the game giving us the cut throat gestures, but as soon as any of ours stood up they threatened to kick us out.
One of our fans eventually being taken out in a headlock all whilst the Wolves fans we're still stood up, absolute bell ends, so I took great delight in that victory for us being the start of Wolves late season collapse that saw West Brom nick 2nd place off them and then they also fucked up in the play offs and lost to Norwich. Sweet.

But no grudges held.

 

[markwwfc1992]

In black country culture giving someone a cut throat gesture is actually intended as a greeting.

 

[Walkley_Owl]

The stewards at Wolves (albeit it was about 13-14 years ago) are the biggest wankers I've ever come across at an away game.
Back then away fans shared the stand behind the goal with the Wolves fans and after we went 1-0 up the Wolves fans stood up for the rest of the game giving us the cut throat gestures, but as soon as any of ours stood up they threatened to kick us out.
One of our fans eventually being taken out in a headlock all whilst the Wolves fans we're still stood up, absolute bell ends, so I took great delight in that victory for us being the start of Wolves late season collapse that saw West Brom nick 2nd place off them and then they also fucked up in the play offs and lost to Norwich. Sweet.

Ah the spring of 2002, a balmy April afternoon and Wulfs took an early lead at Hillsborough much to the delight of the travelling hoardes behind the goal in the Leppings Lane end but an incredibly shit Wednesday team clawed level through Simon Donnelly in front of the away fans and Gary Megson's name was blasting out from the home masses, the ISWT then decided to take the piss and went 2-1 up in the second half as Paul McLaren presented Shefki Kuqi with an open goal and even old 50p head couldn't cock that one up, Klingon Lescott nodded home the leveller for the old Gold before 50p head Kuqi and Gerlazy Sibon had a bit of handbags as we were awarded a late penalty, 50p head won the battle but lost the war as he missed the spot kick and it ended 2-2, Wulfs blew promotion and Sheffields favourite ginner after Blademan89 celebrated promotion at the Hawthorns.

 

[blademan89]

Ah the spring of 2002, a balmy April afternoon and Wulfs took an early lead at Hillsborough much to the delight of the travelling hoardes behind the goal in the Leppings Lane end but an incredibly shit Wednesday team clawed level through Simon Donnelly in front of the away fans and Gary Megson's name was blasting out from the home masses, the ISWT then decided to take the piss and went 2-1 up in the second half as Paul McLaren presented Shefki Kuqi with an open goal and even old 50p head couldn't cock that one up, Klingon Lescott nodded home the leveller for the old Gold before 50p head Kuqi and Gerlazy Sibon had a bit of handbags as we were awarded a late penalty, 50p head won the battle but lost the war as he missed the spot kick and it ended 2-2, Wulfs blew promotion and Sheffields favourite ginner after Blademan89 celebrated promotion at the Hawthorns.

Fuck off