Last night

[Kernow Yellow]

On the hooligans issue, can you really call them hooligans?! They got within ten yards of each other and then just spent a long time pointing and swearing at each other?! They couldn't even push past the stewards at the top and no one tried anything as soon as 5 police appeared.

It was different outside.

The hoolis were waiting for the Luton coaches to park up outside the North Stand and there was a lot of real contact as soon as the Hatters fans disembarked.

See my note earlier in this thread about not making it so easy for the morons.

This worries me a lot. I must admit I'm not so concerned by posturing and taunting inside the ground. That's been going on for years with no serious repurcussions.

But if people can't come to Oxford as away fans without fear of being attacked - and right outside the ground, ffs - that makes me embarrassed as a fan. Also, it can easily be stopped - just have more stewards/police near the away entrance before and after the game, surely?

It's been going on a while now - the Bury fans' team minibus was attacked in the car park after a game several years ago. This kind of behaviour is despicable.

[Ascension Ox]

Woudlnt a set of barriers around the dropoff point be more efficient? Any person entering the area not from the coach to be arrested.

The “barrier

[boris]

Why do you bother going in North Stand though, Snake? It's a lairy, nasty place. Not a wind-up.

For the price (the same as SSL) the view from the North Stand is the best in the ground. And it's only nasty when there's a game like Tuesday's. I'm sure that against Eastbourne on Saturday week there'll be no similar shenanigans.

[GodalmingYellow]

Why do you bother going in North Stand though, Snake? It's a lairy, nasty place. Not a wind-up.

For the price (the same as SSL) the view from the North Stand is the best in the ground. And it's only nasty when there's a game like Tuesday's. I'm sure that against Eastbourne on Saturday week there'll be no similar shenanigans.

I would seriously question it being the best in the ground.

My seat is next to the Directors Box on the half way line, half way back in the top tier of the SSU. You would struggle to get a better view anywhere in the ground.

[Baboo]

I would seriously question it being the best in the ground.

My seat is next to the Directors Box on the half way line, half way back in the top tier of the SSU. You would struggle to get a better view anywhere in the ground.

Most seats in the Kasstad offer an excellent view, particularly when compared with many / most grounds we have to visit in the BSP.

[Snake]

Why do you bother going in North Stand though, Snake? It's a lairy, nasty place. Not a wind-up.

When we closed The Manor it meant I had to move from the left side London Road, so I got a ST at the very back of the East Stand. I chose to sit next to Graham Hilsdon and his partner for the first season at Minchery Farm. That was partly because I wanted to contribute in a small way to getting the rear of that stand turned into a place where you could get up on your hind legs and watch football at OUFC. It’s a long story and if Graham ever stopped being a lurker on this board then he could help to fill in people on here far better than I ever could about how important it is to challenge the legal situation regarding atmosphere and Margaret Thatcher’s 1980’s rule about Us all sitting down nicely.

I realise that doesn’t answer your question about why I now sit in the North Stand, but I'm not Desmond Morris.

[boris]

Why do you bother going in North Stand though, Snake? It's a lairy, nasty place. Not a wind-up.

For the price (the same as SSL) the view from the North Stand is the best in the ground. And it's only nasty when there's a game like Tuesday's. I'm sure that against Eastbourne on Saturday week there'll be no similar shenanigans.

I would seriously question it being the best in the ground.

My seat is next to the Directors Box on the half way line, half way back in the top tier of the SSU. You would struggle to get a better view anywhere in the ground.

You obviously missed the now emboldened bit.

[slappy]

Apart from the clientele, each stand has various seasonal pros and cons.
OM Stand on an August evening can have the sun in your eyes even from the back. As it gets more seasonal, those at the front of OM can get soaked as the rain swirls in.
North Standers can need sunglasses some games.
South Standers can err ...

[Ascension Ox]

Why do you bother going in North Stand though, Snake? It's a lairy, nasty place. Not a wind-up.

When we closed The Manor it meant I had to move from the left side London Road, so I got a ST at the very back of the East Stand. I chose to sit next to Graham Hilsdon and his partner for the first season at Minchery Farm. That was partly because I wanted to contribute in a small way to getting the rear of that stand turned into a place where you could get up on your hind legs and watch football at OUFC. It’s a long story and if Graham ever stopped being a lurker on this board then he could help to fill in people on here far better than I ever could about how important it is to challenge the legal situation regarding atmosphere and Margaret Thatcher’s 1980’s rule about Us all sitting down nicely.

I realise that doesn’t answer your question about why I now sit in the North Stand, but I'm not Desmond Morris.

Moving on, all seater stadia are fine for atmosphere imo. No one is moaning about the KasStad aura now we are having a great run. It was quite brilliant on Tuesday, despite the desperate old hoolies.

Is Hillsborough forgotten?

[GodalmingYellow]

For the price (the same as SSL) the view from the North Stand is the best in the ground. And it's only nasty when there's a game like Tuesday's. I'm sure that against Eastbourne on Saturday week there'll be no similar shenanigans.

I would seriously question it being the best in the ground.

My seat is next to the Directors Box on the half way line, half way back in the top tier of the SSU. You would struggle to get a better view anywhere in the ground.

You obviously missed the now emboldened bit.

I did miss it, but what's the price difference? Less than £2 a game on an early bird season ticket? For me its money well spent, but I can see why others may see it differently.

[A-Ro]

But if people can't come to Oxford as away fans without fear of being attacked - and right outside the ground, ffs - that makes me embarrassed as a fan.

I think its important to remember that this is not just a one sided problem, on Tuesday 3 pubs were attacked and damaged by Luton fans and there have been similar incidents in the past with other supporters (York is one I remember). All fans have a responsibility to behave themselves.

[A-Ro]

Apart from the clientele, each stand has various seasonal pros and cons.
OM Stand on an August evening can have the sun in your eyes even from the back. As it gets more seasonal, those at the front of OM can get soaked as the rain swirls in.
North Standers can need sunglasses some games.
South Standers can err ...

I chose my season ticket (back of the SSL) using exactly those criteria. The view isn't too bad, the price is good, the sun never gets in my eyes and the weather is normally coming from behind and even if it isn't I'm far enough back for it not to matter. The only thing I never allowed for was the fact that Buildbase were going to buy the box behind me and fill it with away supporters every game which doesn't do my blood pressure very much good.

As a supporter I could never understand the design of the ground, if you're going to design a 3 sided ground why on earth would you erect a west facing stand instead of an east facing one? unless of course you're just a building designer and not a football supporter. Loads of grounds chuck the away supporters into the east end of the stadium because everybody knows, whether its sunny or rainy, you get the worst of it at the eastern end.

[ty cobb]

When I went for a tour as it was being built (before we demolished Sheff Utd - that was a good day) the stadium manager said it was designed so the away fans would have the sun in their eyes. At the time it was meant to be 4 sides.

On the subject of last night the stewards clearly were not in control. Had the fans wanted to get to each other they could have done, the police didn't arrive until far too late. The netting was removed far too easily and the Luton fans would have been able to come the whole way had they wished - had I been in that stand I wouldn't have felt safe.

On the pitch we had the better quality in the last third - that was the difference, the goal from Cooky would have graced a far higher level - hasn't he come on as a player. I knew Beano would miss the pen - he's been low on confidence for the last couple of games, and I though Luton had sussed us out to some extent - their wingers were getting in the space between our front 3 and full backs very easily - luckily for us they couldn't cross it.

Great atmoshphere (always is when trouble is in the air) and what a turn out for a evening game in the non league - just shows the potential is there to fill this stadium if we get 2000 away fans.

[Mally]

Apart from the clientele, each stand has various seasonal pros and cons.
OM Stand on an August evening can have the sun in your eyes even from the back. As it gets more seasonal, those at the front of OM can get soaked as the rain swirls in.
North Standers can need sunglasses some games.
South Standers can err ...

I chose my season ticket (back of the SSL) using exactly those criteria. The view isn't too bad, the price is good, the sun never gets in my eyes and the weather is normally coming from behind and even if it isn't I'm far enough back for it not to matter. The only thing I never allowed for was the fact that Buildbase were going to buy the box behind me and fill it with away supporters every game which doesn't do my blood pressure very much good.

As a supporter I could never understand the design of the ground, if you're going to design a 3 sided ground why on earth would you erect a west facing stand instead of an east facing one? unless of course you're just a building designer and not a football supporter. Loads of grounds chuck the away supporters into the east end of the stadium because everybody knows, whether its sunny or rainy, you get the worst of it at the eastern end.

Nobody ever designed a 3 sided ground. The design was always 4 sides. When Cox/Herd screwed up the financing and Taylor Woodrow walked they left the stadium partly built with the steel work started on 3 sides only. Then when Kassam took over and made the decision to only complete 3 sides the only option was to complete those already started.

A more valid question though is why was the East end of the ground designated as the home area in the first place? I don't know the answer to this other than perhaps to keep the relationship between the main stand and home end the same as it was at The Manor.

[A-Ro]

Then when Kassam took over and made the decision to only complete 3 sides the only option was to complete those already started.

Just my luck, if they'd started with the West Stand first instead of the East Stand I'd now be happily sitting half way up the right side not having to put up with opposition supporters behind me.