Best Grounds

Downbeat Bee

Downbeat Bee

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Best Grounds

Visiting Villa Park (First time for me - which seems a bit strange) I was wondering what what GPGers thought were good / not so good grounds.

I'd certainly put Villa Park up there with Craven Cottage. 'The Emirates' certainly would not be up there. I liked Meadow Lane.

In bygone days Elm Park and Belle Vue certainly would not have been up there.
 

Best Grounds

Downbeat Bee said:
Visiting Villa Park (First time for me - which seems a bit strange) I was wondering what what GPGers thought were good / not so good grounds.

I'd certainly put Villa Park up there with Craven Cottage. 'The Emirates' certainly would not be up there. I liked Meadow Lane.

In bygone days Elm Park and Belle Vue certainly would not have been up there.
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Can't exactly call you a glory hunter...!
 

Best Grounds

WarrenBee said:
Love Villa Park, but I'll never drive there again, we had a mare of a trip there and back!
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Got the train from the West Country. The walk from the city centre was beautiful - bizarre how deserted it was for about two miles.
 

Best Grounds

Haven't done away games for ages, although I did go to Palace, and it was like nothing had changed.
Tight turnstiles, that you had to squeeze through, eating and drinking out in the open, pissing into a trough, and pillars obscuring your view.
Just like the good old days.
 

Best Grounds

TW3Bee said:
Haven't done away games for ages, although I did go to Palace, and it was like nothing had changed.
Tight turnstiles, that you had to squeeze through, eating and drinking out in the open, pissing into a trough, and pillars obscuring your view.
Just like the good old days.
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I thought it was simultaneously different and the same. Obviously the Holmesdale End is rather different to thirty years ago.

Pictures in the 60s are amazing - it looked like a field with a bit of terracing.
 

Best Grounds

TW3Bee said:
Me too.

Shrewsbury is a nice place to visit too.
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Last time I went there (the old ground) I got chatting with a group of local fellow scooterists in the pub and ended up missing the game!
 

Best Grounds

A Real Mysteron said:
Last time I went there (the old ground) I got chatting with a group of local fellow scooterists in the pub and ended up missing the game!
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Probably a good thing, as we nearly always lost there.
 

Best Grounds

WarrenBee said:
Love Villa Park, but I'll never drive there again, we had a mare of a trip there and back!
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Easy park up for me. Got there 1.15pm and was five minute walk from ground on residents parking. Getting out was carnage.
 

Best Grounds

WarrenBee said:
Love Villa Park, but I'll never drive there again, we had a mare of a trip there and back!
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Crawled from the Fort Dunlop flyover all the way to Villa area :(

Did you get caught up in the M40 incident on the way back? We had a police car in front of us slow the traffic down with a flashing ‘Do not pass’ sign, and then stopped all the traffic on the motorway for 20 mins.

I parked in the car park at the Premier Inn in Richard Street. That whole area is bizarre - terraced streets with absolutely no one around plus industrial units on deserted side roads. It had that ‘headless torso of dead prostitute found here’ feeling all over the entire place ?
 

Best Grounds

Silly Hat said:
Crawled from the Fort Dunlop flyover all the way to Villa area :(

Did you get caught up in the M40 incident on the way back? We had a police car in front of us slow the traffic down with a flashing ‘Do not pass’ sign, and then stopped all the traffic on the motorway for 20 mins.
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Yep, got caught in both of those, then after the M40 one coming home, my car wouldn't start (and we were in the middle lane!). A couple of my passengers managed to push us onto the hard shoulder where thankfully after a few minutes the car started again! Got home just after 20.00.
 

Best Grounds

Silly Hat said:
Crawled from the Fort Dunlop flyover all the way to Villa area :(

Did you get caught up in the M40 incident on the way back? We had a police car in front of us slow the traffic down with a flashing ‘Do not pass’ sign, and then stopped all the traffic on the motorway for 20 mins.

I parked in the car park at the Premier Inn in Richard Street. That whole area is bizarre - terraced streets with absolutely no one around plus industrial units On deserted streets. It had that ‘headless torso of dead prostitute found here’ feeling all over the entire place ?
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I had a similar thought walking up there. I thought 'you could imagine a serial killer operating round here'.
 

Best Grounds

Luton Town going through someone’s house to get in is novel. Once inside it’s a shut hole and a place it’s impossible for big lads to sit.

Norwich I quite like decent day out close to the train station and lots of nice pubs

Exeter city another old school ground with great food and boozers
 

Best Grounds

Villa is a proper old-school ground. I like Carlisle's ground as well.
 

Best Grounds

rebus said:
Easy park up for me. Got there 1.15pm and was five minute walk from ground on residents parking. Getting out was carnage.
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Yes, got there at 1:45, going M5>Aston Expressway, a very fortuitous parking spot across Aston Park... you've just got to remember that is will take 30-45 minutes to get out again afterwards. Bought 99's from a nearby ice cream van and sat with the car windows open smiling about the game.
 

Best Grounds

jlove said:
Yes, got there at 1:45, going M5>Aston Expressway, a very fortuitous parking spot across Aston Park... you've just got to remember that is will take 30-45 minutes to get out again afterwards. Bought 99's from a nearby ice cream van and sat with the car windows open smiling about the game.
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What a beautiful image: Brentford - West Midlands motorways - Mr Whippy.
 

Best Grounds

Downbeat Bee said:
Visiting Villa Park (First time for me - which seems a bit strange) I was wondering what what GPGers thought were good / not so good grounds.

I'd certainly put Villa Park up there with Craven Cottage. 'The Emirates' certainly would not be up there. I liked Meadow Lane.

In bygone days Elm Park and Belle Vue certainly would not have been up there.
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Wash your mouth out you cretin ?
Proper grounds with atmosphere should include Fratton Park and Bramall Lane. The Cottage is a jolly little ground by the Thames that is a great day out but not a proper ground
 

Best Grounds

Yesterday was the first time to Villa Park for me and I have to say, I liked it. There was a "proper" atmosphere, not a plastic one, like at Stamford Bridge or The Emirates. Villa fans certainly know how to make a noise.
 

Best Grounds

If you're talking about fantastic old grounds you can't beat The old Den.
It may have been a sh*t hole, and a horrible place to go to, as a visiting supporter, but there was nothing else like it.
Not just the ground, but also the roads around it.
 

Best Grounds

BlueJayBee said:
Yesterday was the first time to Villa Park for me and I have to say, I liked it. There was a "proper" atmosphere, not a plastic one, like at Stamford Bridge or The Emirates. Villa fans certainly know how to make a noise.
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You’re right, it’s a great stadium and up there with the very best.
 

Best Grounds

Villa Park is a beautiful ground, best in the league by a mile in my opinion.

I always liked Oldham, we used to get there early and could normally park in the front row of their giant car park and could even keep an eye on the car from the away end! Always freezing though.

Exeter is a great shout, liked our trips there. Wrexham too.

Bournemouth's used to be great, but is now plastic and terrible.

Like Huddersfield's stadium, hate their fans.

Couldn't believe how awful Selhurst was; I dont think I can remember a worse ground, certainly not from the seats we had. Could see the players' ankles on the far side of the pitch but nothing else. Genuinely would rather go to Luton!

Ashton Gate has always been good, and we've got a great record there.
 

Best Grounds

Going back, Aldershot's recreation ground has to be the pit bottom.Just one of many reasons why l always remember where we came from
 
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Best Grounds

beebopalula said:
Going back, Aldershot's recreation ground has to be the pit bottom.
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It’s close between that, Wigan (Springfield Park), Colchester Community, The Withdean and Don Valley.
MK Dons stadium has no atmosphere but looks ok, sure I’ve missed somewhere but that’s my worst
 

Best Grounds

sonofabee said:
It’s close between that, Wigan (Springfield Park), Colchester Community, The Withdean and Don Valley.
MK Dons stadium has no atmosphere but looks ok, sure I’ve missed somewhere but that’s my worst
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...........Gillingham...........awful pit................
 

Best Grounds

Plough Lane Wimbledon was my first ever away game. A bit of a dump. Springfield Park was awful as someone else has alluded to. Exeter and Bournemouth were good grounds to visit, we more often than not did well there. Carlisle was normally a good day out on the train and Roker Park and their new ground are great days out. Anfield is a great experience too. 89 cup game was amazing.
 

Best Grounds

Bootham Cresent, is up there for me, as I have visited 3 times, and on all 3 occasions the Bees have won! Also, a nice City with many watering holes.
Villa Park was awesome yesterday, its one of the more recently visited grounds for the Bees and we remain undefeated after 4 visit, but yesterday was special as it was full and noisy, terrific atmosphere.
 

Best Grounds

sonofabee said:
Wash your mouth out you cretin ?
Proper grounds with atmosphere should include Fratton Park and Bramall Lane. The Cottage is a jolly little ground by the Thames that is a great day out but not a proper ground
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I hate to say it but I think it is a good ground. One of the few grounds where the seats have made it far better.
 

Best Grounds

The cottage has always been my favourite away ground .

Made my 3rd visit to villa park yesterday, probably next best favourite. Atmosphere always great & proper old skool ground. Only downside m40 /m6 always sh*t, pub selection is sh*t , Birmingham area is sh*t, apart from that I love it .
 

Best Grounds

How you think of grounds is often from the worst part of the ground, the away end. So sometimes seeing games there as a neutral, changes my opinion of a ground. However I have only seen the Bees at Ashton Gate but the away section has been in both ends of the ground as they rebuilt. I have also sat in both sides of the ground. The worst occasion was getting given complimentary tickets in the main stand only a tow behind their most vocal fans in the terraces. We go and win 3-0 and didnt even make a murmur in reaction. That was tough. But its a great ground and we have an excellent record there but also the worst memory of relegation back into the third tier, and a poor team performance.

I actually like the rest of Aldershot*s ground and because they often played on a Friday night I would go to games on the way home from work.
Elm Park was another ground that I had done all 4 sides as I had neighbours who supported them. Though it was old and rough around the edges I prefer my memories of it to the Madejski
 

Best Grounds

Villa park is up there as top old school ground not far behind was Goodison park, Roker park and Highbury, Ayresome park sadley the later 3 not with us.
 

Best Grounds

cheshirebee said:
Layer Road. The word ‘ramshackle’ was invented to describe it.
That said, had some cracking trips there. Although Ken wouldn’t have approved.
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I remember an easter away game at Layer Road in the early 70s. possibly our relegation year of 73, when it was particularly mental with mad stuff going on everywhere. Beebop mentioned Aldershot's Rec, I still miss games at that place, always lively.
 

Best Grounds

Always like the character and mishmash of old and new at Fratton Park and the atmosphere. The City ground, Bramall Lane are good too. Looking forward to Elland Road this year.
Left field choice but I quite like Valley Parade ?
 

Best Grounds

I enjoyed the Deva Stadium at Chester.
Best sound system in any away end.
Million watt speakers every 7 feet
 

Best Grounds

cheshirebee said:
Layer Road. The word ‘ramshackle’ was invented to describe it.
That said, had some cracking trips there. Although Ken wouldn’t have approved.
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My first ever away day was there. What a sh*thole!
 
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