North Stand Construction Discussion

[remember arthur mann]

You talking to me?

 

[Invisible Man's Bandage]

Also from the video - seats removed from SSL3 presumably for more rail seating?

As I have posted a couple of times, I had a call with the club regarding safe standing in SS3 a few months ago and was told all of the away section would have it on the the order of the ground safety authority. There are no plans to install in in the home sections currently (which suits me).

 

[jrb]

Apologies again for taking the thread completely off topic with the Anfield Road stand construction pictures that I will post shortly in 1 post. There won’t be anymore Anfield Road pictures after that post.

But I just wanted to show you what an absolute shit job LFC have done with the new Anfield Road stand. The work and snagging clearly isn’t finned yet.
The stand will look better after the work is finished. Regardless of the stand not being finished, the stand and the away end internally look dreadful. Maybe the home sections of the Anfield Road stand on L2 and L1 look better?

 

[jrb]

As you enter the away end via the turnstiles, just visible in the picture, this is the void, a dead space (similar to what there used to be as you entered SSL1, but is now the new bar area at the Etihad) that you walk into.

Then you go up the small set of steps and come into the new part of the stand. It's really weird.

Apparently the tarmac floor that stretches the full length of the back of the new stand used to where the old stand externally ended, and was the paving and or road outside the old stand(if you understand what I mean?), according to the stewards I was speaking with.

Seriously, look at the state of that.

There's another dead space/void that stretches along the back side of the main stand, even though it's part of the away end, which is an emergency exit.

I could be wrong here as I was a bit drunk at the time :-) and I didn't really investigate it to make sure what I've posted is correct. But, you then go into what used to be the old stand(?), which wasn't demolished, which you walk through to get to your seat. It's like City leaving NSL1 intact and building on to the back of it.

Pictures of the internal steel support, and unfinished work and snaging.

TBH I didn't go to the other new main bars, so I can't comment them. There's this little bar in the new stand. Let's just say it's very cute and leave it at that.

I'll let you make up your own minds about Liverpool 's new Anfield Road stand.

I found it very weird. The layout is dreadful. The internal appearance is awful, regardless of it being unfinished. And it just looks shit.

 

[spiny]

@jrb photos and experience confirms what we knew.

The development of Anfield mirrors what happened with the Old Trafford expansion decades ago. It is hard to see the PL being so amenable to accepting shortcomings of developments at the grounds of “lesser” clubs eg, a basic modern expectation of screens in an age of VAR being sacrificed for more seats or restricted views.

Most PL grounds have a standard pitch size of 105x68 metres. Liverpools 101x68 metres may not sound much different but is 272 sq m less which is significant at the top levels of football. When coupled with the closeness of fans to the pitch, it makes for a tighter, more claustrophobic space that suits Klopps style rather than Peps.

I would put a lot of the hype surrounding the atmosphere and excitement at Anfield down to this. Their owners have cashed in for a maximum ROI with the expansion in capacity rather than a new ground. Corners will have been cut. As the rags have found, it is a short term fix but with the quick, big returns their USA owners demand eager to cash in. It is clear they are not in it long term.

This will become more apparent once our North Stand development is complete. I think it will change expectations from stadiums for newer generations of fans. Like it or not, times are changing. The old days at Maine Road where toilets were an open outside area pissing against a wall collected by a gutter are long gone or even worse when urine flowed down the terraces at big games.

 

[jrb]

Internally it's as basic as you can get for a newly expanded stand. The tarmac flooring is honestly shocking.

According to the stewards an Irish building company is finishing off the work.

TBF the South stand expansion had quite a few construction issues. In the end it was rushed and lots of snaging issues were never finished off properly.

Hopefully the North stand expansion will be finished off properly and on time?

 

[spiny]

The tarmac flooring is honestly shocking.

Hope they got a good price and that it lasts better than most similar private driveways.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

@jrb photos and experience confirms what we knew.

The development of Anfield mirrors what happened with the Old Trafford expansion decades ago. It is hard to see the PL being so amenable to accepting shortcomings of developments at the grounds of “lesser” clubs eg, a basic modern expectation of screens in an age of VAR being sacrificed for more seats or restricted views.

Most PL grounds have a standard pitch size of 105x68 metres. Liverpools 101x68 metres may not sound much different but is 272 sq m less which is significant at the top levels of football. When coupled with the closeness of fans to the pitch, it makes for a tighter, more claustrophobic space that suits Klopps style rather than Peps.

I would put a lot of the hype surrounding the atmosphere and excitement at Anfield down to this. Their owners have cashed in for a maximum ROI with the expansion in capacity rather than a new ground. Corners will have been cut. As the rags have found, it is a short term fix but with the quick, big returns their USA owners demand eager to cash in. It is clear they are not in it long term.

This will become more apparent once our North Stand development is complete. I think it will change expectations from stadiums for newer generations of fans. Like it or not, times are changing. The old days at Maine Road where toilets were an open outside area pissing against a wall collected by a gutter are long gone or even worse when urine flowed down the terraces at big games.

I struck me yesterday how much of a shithole Anfield really is. The new stand looks very basic and there is nothing in the surrounding area which has any quality. The transport infrastrucure is non-existent. Impossible to get away from the ground all buses full and taxis run by bandits. One driver asked me for £30 to the station (usually £7) and another one (a black cab) said it would be £20 after driving me into an unlit council estate. Obviously I told him to fuck off so I walked back to Lime Street in the rain and it took over an hour. The new Everton stadium will be much better.

 

[Fat Chance]

[

'Lets get ready to rumble'

 

[Alex - Not City Matters]

That’s good to hear. As you say I think it’s important to keep making the argument for a proper home end with safe standing included. They can have the corporate areas around the ground, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Thanks for all the hard work mate!

That was the exact point we made.

I understand that the club need to see a return on the investment, and that they would like the North Stand (inclusive of the wider City Square development) to help turn the Etihad into a seven day a week visitor attraction, however there is a very fine tipping point between having an atmospheric end and a hodgepodge that is all things to everyone and yet actually fails to do any of them very well. Personally, I fear that if elements such as the corporate front of Level 2 are not rectified, very few of our singers will move to the North Stand.

 

[Jesus H Gabz]

That was the exact point we made.

I understand that the club need to see a return on the investment, and that they would like the North Stand (inclusive of the wider City Square development) to help turn the Etihad into a seven day a week visitor attraction, however there is a very fine tipping point between having an atmospheric end and a hodgepodge that is all things to everyone and yet actually fails to do any of them very well. Personally, I fear that if elements such as the corporate front of Level 2 are not rectified, very few of our singers will move to the North Stand.

The semi corporate area at the front of level 2 is exactly why I wanted them to build one under the lip of tier 1, even if that meant two levels of corporate boxes (which would also help with acoustics/sound travel up the tiers) starting to think the club will just safe stand all of SSL3 and leave the NS for day trippers & charge a fair whack

 

[Centurions]

That was the exact point we made.

I understand that the club need to see a return on the investment, and that they would like the North Stand (inclusive of the wider City Square development) to help turn the Etihad into a seven day a week visitor attraction, however there is a very fine tipping point between having an atmospheric end and a hodgepodge that is all things to everyone and yet actually fails to do any of them very well. Personally, I fear that if elements such as the corporate front of Level 2 are not rectified, very few of our singers will move to the North Stand.

Just as well that it's not corporate then I guess.

 

[Prophet of Doom]

it’s fairly obvious they don’t want the NS to be a new home for singers/atmosphere.

They want a shiny new stand full of tourists and newbies paying top whack for tickets and spending pre and post match in the new City square.

I’m sure season cards in the new stand will be limited to those that already have them on level 2 of the existing NS - with maybe a few thrown in as a token gesture

 

[Coatigan]

it’s fairly obvious they don’t want the NS to be a new home for singers/atmosphere.

They want a shiny new stand full of tourists and newbies paying top whack for tickets and spending pre and post match in the new City square.

I’m sure season cards in the new stand will be limited to those that already have them on level 2 of the existing NS - with maybe a few thrown in as a token gesture

Don't forget Japanese students, Scottish schoolchildren and away fans.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Just as well that it's not corporate then I guess.

We’ve talked about it before, but to me your splitting hairs with it really. Corporate, corporate lite, hospitality - for most people it’s pretty similar.

Seats in ss2 are £1350 - last time I checked. If it’s those prices that means large numbers of our fans, young adults in particular, would be priced out. If we want an atmospheric home end why would you do that right at the front.

There’s loads of areas in the ground with expensive seats. Just make north stand level 2 the same prices across the board - reasonable prices. Surely you’d want that?

 

[Centurions]

We’ve talked about it before, but to me your splitting hairs with it really. Corporate, corporate lite, hospitality - for most people it’s pretty similar.

Seats in ss2 are £1350 - last time I checked. If it’s those prices that means large numbers of our fans, young adults in particular, would be priced out. If we want an atmospheric home end why would you do that right at the front.

There’s loads of areas in the ground with expensive seats. Just make north stand level 2 the same prices across the board - reasonable prices. Surely you’d want that?

They're labelled GA+ at the moment with no guarantee they'll stay that way, not corporate (there's no such thing as corporate lite) and there's just 1,000(?) of them. Corporate are a very different kettle of fish. If people think they're the same thing then that's their failure, there's only so many times you can point out to someone that they're wrong.

 

[wolfie1988]

Think the third crane is in progress as of today. The yellow crane is back on site to build it.

 

[jrb]

Think the third crane is in progress as of today. The yellow crane is back on site to build it.

Thanks.

Another crane to go after this one. And then a 5th one at a later date.

I'll nip down later in the week when the 3rd crane has been erected and take some pictures of the 3 cranes and the steel structure that has recently gone up.

The Spring and Summer months should see a lot of progress onsite. :-)

 

[HelloCity]

Can see the crane locations on here. This was before Sisk took over the whole thing.

 

[supercity88]

They're labelled GA+ at the moment with no guarantee they'll stay that way, not corporate (there's no such thing as corporate lite) and there's just 1,000(?) of them. Corporate are a very different kettle of fish. If people think they're the same thing then that's their failure, there's only so many times you can point out to someone that they're wrong.

There are 648 GA+ seats on the plan. They have access to a separate bar area but it doesn't have its own toilet facilities, they're shared with the wider concourse and GA (scum). So I don't think you're going to ask a lot more for them. I wouldn't imagine they offer anything other than a pay as you go service. Great seat locations is the other benefit but I don't think we should view them as a threat to the success of the stand. Would it be better without them, of course. But let's be positive instead. 9,500 GA seats in a single tier...that's one hell of an opportunity to make some noise.

I don't believe the plans around that area will change. It's designed up, the club will have pricing strategies in mind - all part of the appraisal before they pressed the button on the planning and build. But I don't think we should be too frustrated about the club having a little bit of a premium offering amongst a huge single tier.

It all comes down to pricing. If they can price it right and incentivise it as a home end then that's what it will become.