Does anyone wish we still played at Maine Road and why?

[Stoned Rose]

Which you could quite easily have done on far too numerous occasions at Maine Road

 

[Stoned Rose]

Pretty much how feel. Full disclosure, I did move to the US shortly before we moved to the Etihad, so I’ve only ever been there about once a season on average over the intervening years. In fact, I’ve been to more away games in that period, as my business trips to the UK are usually to the Midlands, or that London.
As other have said, it’s the pubs that I miss the most. I used to love the ritual we had of meeting up in the Birch Villa before the game and then walking over. Even though it’s not that much more of a walk from the NQ/ Piccadilly area to the Etihad, and it’s nice to walk down by the canal, it just isn’t the same. The stadium still seems like some monolith stuck on out the fringes. I’ve not been for a couple of years and maybe the Coop Live and stuff makes it feel better nowadays?
I also laugh at some of the hand-wringing on here about the atmosphere. Let’s not pretend that Maine Road was a seething cauldron every match.

The Birch. Seriously good days them.

 

[BringBackSwales]

Hot Bovril,

Stinky toilets

Invalid cars at the corner flags,

The old box scoreboard at the scoreboard end.

Can I mind your car mister?

Great days.....

It was a shithole but it was our shithole, and I fucking loved it. Apart from family, one of the most formative parts of my life

 

[Gordyola]

Absolutely not it became a monument to swales and his disastrous reign

 

[The Norfolk Blue]

Miss it YES, go back NO … but wish we had the fanbase now that we had back then.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

I miss the pubs and food choice. There’s f all in Beswick and the surrounding areas.

 

[Blue_Lightsaber]

if we hadn't of moved grounds I doubt we'd of had our current owners involved with us

I sorta doubt that.

Sheikh Mansour originally wanted Liverpool but he got Hicks & Gilette'ed. A classic case of holding on to a stock too long.. they could have made out like bandits but didn't want to take profits.

But City became available at just the right time due to the coup in Thailand and Thaksin needing funds and asylum.

It really was divine intervention in a way and it changed the fortunes of a lot of people.

Had nothing to do with the Stadium back then but I'm sure it didn't hurt the Etihad was "modern"

 

[Eaststander1]

one of the biggest myths in English football

Some games at Maine Road produced an atmosphere to match that at any English ground ..... Boro League Cup ..... Everton FA cup .... a few derbies with United.... beating Liverpool 2-1, White both goals ....... but granted, it wasn't always like that .

 

[ColinBellsjockstrap]

I agree, the one with the old stands, the proper Kippax, or as my Dad used to say, Kippax Street. Platt Lane with the long wooden forms to sit on, this was before I was old/big enough to go in Kippax. The smell of cigar smoke wafting from Main Stand. I remember during evening kick offs, looking across to the Main Stand and you could see the flicker of lighters or matches when people where lighting their cigarettes or cigars. Funny how you remember things.
I thought the whole ground looked a mess when they created that monstrous seating stand where Kippax was.

100% agree with this.

I used to stand in the Kippax and watch people light up in the main stand every ten seconds. Used to fascinate me at the time. Lol!

 

[Sir peace frog]

maine road will always be special

getting to the top of the stairs looking down over the pitch on a night match,

we grew out of it, it was a shithole , but it was home

 

[remember arthur mann]

I miss the fucking pubs.

The Medlock Arms will soon be open.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

2 minutes walk from mine, atmosphere 100x better, cracking banter with the away fans top corner of the Kippax, much more of a “belongs to us” feeling than the Etihad, better boozers, better scran places, could get away with putting a spliff to bed. Loved it.

The football is miles better at the Etihad but the vibes aren’t in the same universe.

Spot on.

 

[ColinBellsjockstrap]

"Joe Mercer, Joe Mercer
Is it true we're gonna win the football league?"


"Sha la la la Summerbee"
Opposition fans:- "Who the fucking hell is he?"


"Pardoe, Pardoe,
He's off to Mexico,
With Bell & Lee" & Summerbee
Pardoe, Pardoe, Pardoe, Pardoe"

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

Yes. Loved it. Much better experience than now.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

Some games at Maine Road produced an atmosphere to match that at any English ground ..... Boro League Cup ..... Everton FA cup .... a few derbies with United.... beating Liverpool 2-1, White both goals ....... but granted, it wasn't always like that .

Don’t forget the Charlton game…

 

[Blue Calx]

100% agree with this.

I used to stand in the Kippax and watch people light up in the main stand every ten seconds. Used to fascinate me at the time. Lol!

I did that as well as a kid.Looking from the Platt Lane over to the Kippax thinking one day I am fooking goin in there.

 

[dickie davies]

Some games at Maine Road produced an atmosphere to match that at any English ground ..... Boro League Cup ..... Everton FA cup .... a few derbies with United.... beating Liverpool 2-1, White both goals ....... but granted, it wasn't always like that .

Don’t forget the Charlton game

I couldn't agree more, but I'm on about the myth that it was a buzzing atmosphere week in week out, which it certainly wasn't

One of the best I remember was when we played Blackburn in late January 93 who were a top team
At HT we were 2-0 down and the players were booed off
Second half was a real turnaround and we ran out 3-2 winners
The second half was a fantastic performance by the players and a fabulous atmosphere

Just after one of my customers was laughing telling me he took his nephew to his first ever match for this and after the game his nephew asked if it was like this every week!. To which Stan said yes

 

[malg]

Nope.

 

[jimharri]

Some games at Maine Road produced an atmosphere to match that at any English ground ..... Boro League Cup ..... Everton FA cup .... a few derbies with United.... beating Liverpool 2-1, White both goals ....... but granted, it wasn't always like that .

Looking back at clips of games from the late eighties and through the 90s on YouTube. Let's be honest, there were times when there were plenty of empty seats at each end of the ground.

 

[Brightwell’s left peg]

I miss the terraced Kippax.