You're right, the fact is the establishment don't want terraces back, they like it the way it is now, the way they see it they have largely priced out the hooligan element, in their eyes introducing standing terraces and therefore reducing ticket prices would only encourage these yobbos back into the game. This is not the case, cctv is so advanced now its not possible to get away with causing trouble inside a football ground whether sitting or standing. Here's a nice side shot of the Holte End And here's a shot right at the back of the Holte End.
The first picture is with the short-lived (1990-94) roof extension, added after the Taylor report when it was planned to simply add seats to a re-profiled terrace (as done at both Sheffield clubs). Post 1977-ish The Holte End more or less met all the current days for terraces, with lateral and radial aisles (including one at the front), continuous crush barriers in each section etc. Of all the big terraces its capacity was reduced the least in 1989 after which it still held over 19000. If Villa had dropped down to the lower divisions would it still be open today holding that many?
Lovely sentiments Liverpool won the league at ours in '77 and pretty much filled the South Bank. Pitch invasion after they clinched it.
Ahh !!! Bliss. I can just recall those wonderful hot summer days down the Old GM with my mate trying to get from the Riverside End, through the School End and into the the Main stand to find the ''Shitter'' after downing a bad pint of Banks'. Oh!! and that wonderful aroma of Pipe Tobacco and stale piss while queuing to pee into the pipe that would overflow all over my brand new white trainers''. And now what do we have? Other than plenty of toilets in every stand, the option of sitting with a pleasant smell with complaint's being the ''Steel pans are cold'' or the buffet queues a bit long. ''They don't know they were born''. I do miss the old GM for its convenience to the local hostelries, yet if we'd stayed a few years longer we could quite possibly be doing a ''Hereford''.
What is it about the other end, it always seems closed? Anyway the away terrace at London Road (Peterborough) had some cracking acoustics.
John47, I'd argue that it isn't so much pricing people out of football that has controlled the hooligan element as the development of football intelligence by the police. I might be wrong but it does seem a more obvious link. *edit* just re-read your post, I see the point you were making now, sorry mate!
Forget your Wembley's, Maracana's, Camp Nou's & San Siro's - This was & still is the best ground EVER! My only gripe with new Hampden is that they could've, and should've, made it bigger. I used to hate that away end at Forest, I went 4 times, each stuck in the fecken corner with the floodlight pylon & 3 of the 4 times had to fight to get to the station past the industrial estate & over the bridge & another industrial estate. I'm the coppers used to hold us back on purpose just to Forest mob up & have a field day. It was the same at Anfield Road & the old Kemmy corner, except that was just as bad inside the ground as it was when you got outside. Not all a bed of roses at times back in those days. I used to love going on the Jungle, no other terrace/stand in the world could touch it for atmosphere. Hail, Hail.
A couple here of the old Milton Road end at the Dell, first pic is early 80s going by the kit (around the time i started going) and the other two must be late 80's early 90's. Spent most of my formative years on those terraces - upper as a kid, under the roof in the lower as i got older - great days that i miss hugely and will always look back on as some of the best times in football (as a fan)
was probably the first season of the premier league, and from memory they did it at every ground that season
Just a few from our old home at Elm Park. Tilehurst Terrace (South Bank) Great pictures and posts, The Valley (Charlton), Holte End (Villa Park) & South Bank at Molineux all particularly impressive.
Yup upper Milton was standing, not sure how many it held but it was the family stand for a bit if memory serves. I do remember the drop down the back of the stand though as you could look over the tiny (well it felt that way) wall and look down at the buses passing below. No way that'd get through health and safety these days! Talking of which if you want weird upper tier terraces you should check out the Chocolate Boxes at the Dell (before my time sadly, but i heard some great stories of them from older people i know that used to go mind) they used to be our equivalent of the boys pens at other grounds and safety standards were definitely not something of a concern! some images here to give you an idea of what grounds were like when they had character (small one isn't great size but gives you an idea of how sketchy a build they were) Sure some of the older saints lot here can tell you a bit more about them
