[Albion] How to improve NS and Amex atmosphere?

[Weststander]

There is room for maybe an extra 8 rows, which works out about 800 seats. I don’t see how this would have much impact on the transport as we hardly ever get 30,000 at the ground anyway.

The main obstacles are if the roof can be held up without the back wall and if we would need extra exits and another concourse. I think there is room for those further back.

Also, I spoke to someone who had worked there during the building and he said the North Stand could be expanded. He might’ve been humouring me, who knows?

If we could add 8 rows, it might look a bit like this:
View attachment 119969

The back wall of the NS is not structural, so wouldn’t prevent your idea.

The roof is held in place by the giant curved trusses, anchored underground in each corner.

 

[Bob!]

Need the whole of the North Stand to be safe standing.

Make the North Stand a bit bigger, if it can be done.

And the most crucial part, move the away area to blocks N1G, N1H, N1I, E1A, E1B and half of E1C. This totals about 3,046. The interaction between home and away fans is severely missing.
View attachment 119971

You need to have 4,500 seats available for away fans to satisfy the allocation for Cup games.

 

[BeHereNow]

The back wall of the NS is not structural, so wouldn’t prevent your idea.

The roof is held in place by the giant curved trusses, anchored underground in each corner.

I know the trusses hold up the West and East roofs, but isn’t the North roof held up by the big girders (not in this picture) that are attached to the steel behind the wall?

 

[BeHereNow]

You need to have 4,500 seats available for away fans to satisfy the allocation for Cup games.

I’m sure they can take seats from other areas like they do now for cup games.

 

[father_and_son]

Need the whole of the North Stand to be safe standing.

Make the North Stand a bit bigger, if it can be done.

And the most crucial part, move the away area to blocks N1G, N1H, N1I, E1A, E1B and half of E1C. This totals about 3,046. The interaction between home and away fans is severely missing.
View attachment 119971

The reason the away fans are where they are is that the south has been configured with 'removable barriers' on the concourse so that the are can be expanded/contracted as required. This was clarified by PB a few seasons back when it was suggested the away fans should be in the SE corner. At the time he suggested that reconfiguring the concourses would be prohibitively expensive.

It needs to be an area that can expand to over 4,500 for cups games; 3,000+ for league and 500 when Burnley come. Any increase in home capacity impacts the away end too. We can't just add extra seats to North without making changes to the South.
And that degree of flexibility between league and cup means we have to have it covered with match day tickets as you can't sell them to STH.


Designing the stadium to have these barriers along the concourse behind a goal and not in a corner seems like a dumb idea to me but that's what we have so that's what we work with.

 

[drew]

It’s a football match, not the ****ing opera.

Think you’ll find we are subjected to far less homophobic abuse than before.

 

[Weststander]

I know the trusses hold up the West and East roofs, but isn’t the North roof held up by the big girders (not in this picture) that are attached to the steel behind the wall?
View attachment 119972

Looking online, you’re right, the NS and SS roofs are traditional cantilevers.

Interestingly that makes the North and South stands completely independent of the ES and WS trusses. So these stands can be rebuilt or remodelled larger, without having to take down the hugely expensive and complex trusses, as always been stated in these discussions.

 

[BeHereNow]

The reason the away fans are where they are is that the south has been configured with 'removable barriers' on the concourse so that the are can be expanded/contracted as required. This was clarified by PB a few seasons back when it was suggested the away fans should be in the SE corner. At the time he suggested that reconfiguring the concourses would be prohibitively expensive.

It needs to be an area that can expand to over 4,500 for cups games; 3,000+ for league and 500 when Burnley come. Any increase in home capacity impacts the away end too. We can't just add extra seats to North without making changes to the South.
And that degree of flexibility between league and cup means we have to have it covered with match day tickets as you can't sell them to STH.


Designing the stadium to have these barriers along the concourse behind a goal and not in a corner seems like a dumb idea to me but that's what we have so that's what we work with.

Yes, but that’s Barber’s spin and he’ll come up with any excuse to try to stop a rowdy atmosphere.

I really don’t think it would be that difficult to add a couple of extra barriers. This away end could be extended into the East if need be, just like we did when we had away fans in the East before.

Let’s be honest, having the away fans down the other end really is shit. We can barely hear them and they can barely hear us. The interaction between home and away fans should be a massive part of the stadium experience. It doesn’t feel like the away fans are there and to some extent it doesn’t even feel like we’re playing another club.

Moving the away fans would liven things up a bit, but at the moment it just seems like the atmospheres going down hill.

 

[BeHereNow]

Looking online, you’re right, the NS and SS roofs are traditional cantilevers.

Interestingly that makes the North and South stands completely independent of the ES and WS trusses. So these stands can be rebuilt or remodelled larger, without having to take down the hugely expensive and complex trusses, as always been stated in these discussions.

Maybe put the roof on top of the arches, don’t know if they would hold though!

 

[drew]

Don't you just love these threads that bring out the amateur architects. They appear periodically but follow the same format.

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure the north and south stands are not cantilever in construction. The club have previously stated that the roofs all support each other. The front edge of the north and south attached to the two arches on the east and west.

That said, there is all this talk about increasing capacity but it's been said before, it's not just about putting in extra seats, it's the transport, escape routes etc etc, but hey, this is fantasy land so let's ignore all that.

The thread was about getting those in the north stand to sing. Why not keep it at that.

How many of those complaining about it have sought to move their seat each season to be closer to a singing group therefore increasing the size of that group?

 

[Weststander]

Don't you just love these threads that bring out the amateur architects. They appear periodically but follow the same format.

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure the north and south stands are not cantilever in construction. The club have previously stated that the roofs all support each other. The front edge of the north and south attached to the two arches on the east and west.

That said, there is all this talk about increasing capacity but it's been said before, it's not just about putting in extra seats, it's the transport, escape routes etc etc, but hey, this is fantasy land so let's ignore all that.

The thread was about getting those in the north stand to sing. Why not keep it at that.

How many of those complaining about it have sought to move their seat each season to be closer to a singing group therefore increasing the size of that group?

No. The NS’s cantilever roof information came from various engineering websites, eg:



Also:
http://albionsections.co.uk/doc/21.pdf

 

[drew]

No. The NS’s cantilever roof information came from various engineering websites, eg:

View attachment 119974

Also:
http://albionsections.co.uk/doc/21.pdf

Fair enough although it seems that confirms we are both right, ie all four roofs are interconnected.

The fact remains the club, despite all the planning restrictions, will not spend tens of millions just to put 800 seats in.

 

[father_and_son]

Yes, but that’s Barber’s spin and he’ll come up with any excuse to try to stop a rowdy atmosphere.

Wow! F**king paranoid or what?!

Do you run these statements through you own head before you write them?

 

[oneillco]

To summarise no, but it’s a contributing factor, and of course other top six boards are not going on about being infuriated by Albion fans, but some like the Manchester and Chelsea message boards do blame tourist supporters for a lack of atmosphere at their grounds.

Anyway as I said I know Albion fans who support other teams as their first team, but they are my friends and anyone who supports the Albion are by and large welcome.... but they won’t cheer and sing in the same way as me or other Albion supporters, Andy certainly won’t get as pissed off as me when we lose.

Have a good evening fella

"are by and large welcome"...ha! That is very noble of you oh Johnny Come Early...

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Update from Paul Barber on the North Stand is that he is interested in thinking about factors affecting the atmosphere.

It could be that an “area” in NWC and west end of NS would work better as a focal point for atmosphere (i.e. the area with more relaxed stewarding) than the current situation spread across the back rows.

It would have to happen over time without forcing anyone out but maybe we could work towards gathering together fans in that area who want to lead the atmosphere and create a consistently positive vibe for the rest of the stadium to be able to pick up on.

To be fair to PB he is incredibly willing to engage with fans. Given the very demanding, high level, nature of his role it is very unusual and very welcome that he is prepared to talk to us about this stuff in such depth.

 

[Insel affe]

"are by and large welcome"...ha! That is very noble of you oh Johnny Come Early...

I thought so.

And feck you for mocking the shite, we had to put with on and of the pitch...

You know what, I’m sure your a nice guy and I’m not coming across in the right way, but let’s agree I’m wrong your right and long live the Albion.

 

[dazzer6666]

Update from Paul Barber on the North Stand is that he is interested in thinking about factors affecting the atmosphere.

It could be that an “area” in NWC and west end of NS would work better as a focal point for atmosphere (i.e. the area with more relaxed stewarding) than the current situation spread across the back rows.

It would have to happen over time without forcing anyone out but maybe we could work towards gathering together fans in that area who want to lead the atmosphere and create a consistently positive vibe for the rest of the stadium to be able to pick up on.

To be fair to PB he is incredibly willing to engage with fans. Given the very demanding, high level, nature of his role it is very unusual and very welcome that he is prepared to talk to us about this stuff in such depth.

Sounds positive........and agree re Mr B. Very few club CEOs would engage as he regularly does. Doesn’t deserve the stick he gets IMO, impossible job keeping all interested parties happy.

 

[whosthedaddy]

I do believe there are moves afoot by the club to try and remedy the atmosphere question, albeit we're not as quiet as some clubs. I've been to most Premier League away grounds this season following the Albion so I can speak from experience.

My personal view is that in the coming year our club should;

1. Look at giving over a section of the North Stand to all-standing status & allow those who want to stand and sing together to do so.
2. Move the away fans closer to the North Stand. Re-allocate them in the East Stand lower (South end) like at Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium, or East Stand lower (North end) like at Aston Villa's ground, both promote and generate good lively banter & chant interaction with each others' fans.
3. Expansion of the North Stand, I'm sure planners should be capable of fathoming out a way to do this. If the club was really behind this idea and wanted to push it forward it would happen, but are they willing to? Let's hope so.

Keep ideas on this theme going, and if possible express them to the club, collective feedback on a large scale is what drives most changes from within.

 

[oneillco]

I thought so.

And feck you for mocking the shite, we had to put with on and of the pitch...

You know what, I’m sure your a nice guy and I’m not coming across in the right way, but let’s agree I’m wrong your right and long live the Albion.

Agreed; my angle is that I have to put-up with that kind of piss-take from Palace cretins of my acquaintance and so it gets up my nose when Albion fans throw fuel on the fire. My take on it is that we lost a generation of fans but we are re-building around a hardcore, with old geezers like me who used to go to the Goldstone and occasionally Withdean, but become committed again once Falmer was built, and others who have discovered their local team. It's a good story.

 

[BeHereNow]

Wow! F**king paranoid or what?!

Do you run these statements through you own head before you write them?

Not paranoid. If the club wanted a better atmosphere, they would move the away fans.

We know Barber likes to keep the ‘family club’ feel.