Attendances

[franksinatra]

So once the additional 200/300 seats go in will that increase the capacity to 55,097 or is that in addition to the currently stated capacity?

 

[Deleted member 58678]

I wasn't quite sure which thread to put this. Some Chelsea fans don't seem too impressed.

Good. It's about bloody time. It is our stadium. They just happen to come along once a year to visit. You don't have a mate come round and stay at your house once a year and give him your nice King Size bed in your nice bedroom, you shove him in the box room on the pull-out bed and he doesn't fucking moan about it as he's just a guest.

Away fans were given pride of place, bang in the prime camera spot, splitting our singing sections up, making it hard for us [the home team in our own stadium] to get an atmosphere going for 12 fucking years! It's about time that changed.

Like i never moan about away sections at other grounds - because i have no right to - they should shut up about our new away section set-up.

 

[M18CTID]

Good. It's about bloody time. It is our stadium. They just happen to come along once a year to visit. You don't have a mate come round and stay at your house once a year and give him your nice King Size bed in your nice bedroom, you shove him in the box room on the pull-out bed and he doesn't fucking moan about it as he's just a guest.

Away fans were given pride of place, bang in the prime camera spot, splitting our singing sections up, making it hard for us [the home team in our own stadium] to get an atmosphere going for 12 fucking years! It's about time that changed.

Like i never moan about away sections at other grounds - because i have no right to - they should shut up about our new away section set-up.

Well said. I'm not sure what Chelsea fans are moaning about - away fans have had it way too easy since the ground opened in 2003. We get shoved in the corner at Stamford Bridge and even with the bigger allocation you don't see much of the away fans on the box. When O' Neill became manager at Villa he ordered the away allocation to be moved from behind the goal to the side and out of sight of the TV cameras. Interestingly, I was browsing West Ham's KUMB forum yesterday and one of their fans was saying that the "squeezing" of away fans is a good move by us - he went on to lament West Ham's own policy of doing something similar with the away fans at Upton Park that we'd previously done at our gaff. Another agreed and said he was sick of the amount of times visiting teams have scored at the away end at West Ham and the players and fans have celebrated together.

The triple whammy of splitting away fans over 3 tiers instead of 2, the new 3rd tier with the noise reflecting back off the roof, and the new singing section in the old away blocks will totally redress the balance.

 

[Gary James]

Thanks Derby County 72 was the last League gate to beat yesterday's (55023)

That's correct. It was the last game before the North Stand became seated and Maine Rd's capacity dropped from 63,000 the next season. People may wonder why no League crowd was over 53,000 in 1972-73 yet the Sunderland game was 54k plus. Maine Rd's capacity for 1973 onwards was about 52,500 and in 1972-73 that appears to be the League capacity. In interviews I have performed the Sunderland cup game is viewed as an anomaly. Bernard Halford admitted to me that as this was his first game in charge as secretary he underestimated how long it took to close down the turnstiles and he gave the order as capacity was close to shut the gates. It took longer than he expected and in the end an official crowd, which matched the safety certificate, was announced. That was higher than the capacity for League games.

Personally, I'm not certain what our final capacity will be this season when the extra seats are added, but I hope our record crowd is for a game v Bournemouth or a smaller team, not MUFC. Would much prefer the record to show that we fill our stadium, not the quality/rivalry of the opposition.

 

[worsleyweb]

So we got 54,371 against Chelsea - I estimate 300 to still go in in the North West Corner - I also think there is scope at some stage this season to put some more in in the South East and South West Corners - those 3 rows we used to have for the legends lounges? That would be say 40 long x 3 rows x 2 section - 240.

Potentially if they are creative they could get up to 54,911?? At Watford I am going to spot anywhere a seat can be squeezed in and I will email the club! Will get it to 55,000 somehow.

 

[franksinatra]

So we got 54,371 against Chelsea - I estimate 300 to still go in in the North West Corner - I also think there is scope at some stage this season to put some more in in the South East and South West Corners - those 3 rows we used to have for the legends lounges? That would be say 40 long x 3 rows x 2 section - 240.

Potentially if they are creative they could get up to 54,911?? At Watford I am going to spot anywhere a seat can be squeezed in and I will email the club! Will get it to 55,000 somehow.

Its been stated the capacity is 55097, by the MEN. Surprised they would be so specific in not confirmed by the club.

 

[stag]

There were definitely empty seats in the Chelsea end on Sun, even if only 150/200 that would still take the actual capacity now before any new seats go in up to 54500+

 

[franksinatra]

There were definitely empty seats in the Chelsea end on Sun, even if only 150/200 that would still take the actual capacity now before any new seats go in up to 54500+

I think it is a given Chelsea sold out for this game so likely they would have been included in the attendance

 

[Gingers Dad]

That's correct. It was the last game before the North Stand became seated and Maine Rd's capacity dropped from 63,000 the next season. People may wonder why no League crowd was over 53,000 in 1972-73 yet the Sunderland game was 54k plus. Maine Rd's capacity for 1973 onwards was about 52,500 and in 1972-73 that appears to be the League capacity. In interviews I have performed the Sunderland cup game is viewed as an anomaly. Bernard Halford admitted to me that as this was his first game in charge as secretary he underestimated how long it took to close down the turnstiles and he gave the order as capacity was close to shut the gates. It took longer than he expected and in the end an official crowd, which matched the safety certificate, was announced. That was higher than the capacity for League games.

Personally, I'm not certain what our final capacity will be this season when the extra seats are added, but I hope our record crowd is for a game v Bournemouth or a smaller team, not MUFC. Would much prefer the record to show that we fill our stadium, not the quality/rivalry of the opposition.

Bernard never really did have a clue

 

[waspish]

If the the away fans dont take up all the allocation will they just have the 2nd tier and top tier?

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

So we got 54,371 against Chelsea - I estimate 300 to still go in in the North West Corner - I also think there is scope at some stage this season to put some more in in the South East and South West Corners - those 3 rows we used to have for the legends lounges? That would be say 40 long x 3 rows x 2 section - 240.

Potentially if they are creative they could get up to 54,911?? At Watford I am going to spot anywhere a seat can be squeezed in and I will email the club! Will get it to 55,000 somehow.

I think there is a serious danger of you developing a seat fetish and ending up on one of those people with strange hobbies programmes in years to come :-)

 

[Gary James]

So we got 54,371 against Chelsea - I estimate 300 to still go in in the North West Corner - I also think there is scope at some stage this season to put some more in in the South East and South West Corners - those 3 rows we used to have for the legends lounges? That would be say 40 long x 3 rows x 2 section - 240.

Potentially if they are creative they could get up to 54,911?? At Watford I am going to spot anywhere a seat can be squeezed in and I will email the club! Will get it to 55,000 somehow.

Worth noting that there's one fairly large area that the club have not filled that could be filled with seats with a bit of creativity - the service tunnel. At OT Utd have a seated area that lifts up to allow service vehicles in. Personally, I'm not certain that this is great from a safety aspect (ambulances etc.), but if anyone can achieve a safe, additional seated area then those running our club can. Maybe the tunnel could add another 500+ seats? There's also the extra tunnel above the players' tunnel that is unnecessary and could be blocked off and replaced by seats.

 

[squirtyflower]

So we got 54,371 against Chelsea - I estimate 300 to still go in in the North West Corner - I also think there is scope at some stage this season to put some more in in the South East and South West Corners - those 3 rows we used to have for the legends lounges? That would be say 40 long x 3 rows x 2 section - 240.

Potentially if they are creative they could get up to 54,911?? At Watford I am going to spot anywhere a seat can be squeezed in and I will email the club! Will get it to 55,000 somehow.

I don't know if you noticed but the aisle seat on the left hand side of each entrance has been removed for about 4/5 rows. There's an unusually large gap at the top of each exit/entrance now which could have been additional seats

 

[Wilf Wild 1937]

That's correct. It was the last game before the North Stand became seated and Maine Rd's capacity dropped from 63,000 the next season. People may wonder why no League crowd was over 53,000 in 1972-73 yet the Sunderland game was 54k plus. Maine Rd's capacity for 1973 onwards was about 52,500 and in 1972-73 that appears to be the League capacity. In interviews I have performed the Sunderland cup game is viewed as an anomaly. Bernard Halford admitted to me that as this was his first game in charge as secretary he underestimated how long it took to close down the turnstiles and he gave the order as capacity was close to shut the gates. It took longer than he expected and in the end an official crowd, which matched the safety certificate, was announced. That was higher than the capacity for League games.

Personally, I'm not certain what our final capacity will be this season when the extra seats are added, but I hope our record crowd is for a game v Bournemouth or a smaller team, not MUFC. Would much prefer the record to show that we fill our stadium, not the quality/rivalry of the opposition.

That's interesting. So the official gate versus Sunderland was exactly equal to the Safety Certificate? In other words even that match was understated! I was sat in the "new" North Stand that day (the one and only time I ever sat there) and the Kippax looked dangerously full. I stood in the Kippax for the Liverpool versus Everton semi-final in 1977 which was an all ticket 52,600 game and in the second half it started pissing it down.The Kippax was split by a temporary fence down the middle. A lot of Liverpool fans moved undercover from "Windy Corner" by the North Stand while the Everton fans did the same from the corner by the Platt Lane. The undercover part of the Kippax was no more full in the second half than for a number of City matches during that decade. We'll never know what the true crowds were. I think that the Safety Certificate was reduced in 1973 following the publication of the report into the Ibrox Disaster if I remember rightly.

 

[blueparrot]

I don't know if you noticed but the aisle seat on the left hand side of each entrance has been removed for about 4/5 rows. There's an unusually large gap at the top of each exit/entrance now which could have been additional seats

Forget all this fiddling about trying to fit a few hundred seats in they should just crack on and get the North stand extended.

 

[bluemoon98]

Slightly off topic but what's Danny wilson's email please?

 

[Wilf Wild 1937]

Forget all this fiddling about trying to fit a few hundred seats in they should just crack on and get the North stand extended.

I think we need to do both. It would be stupid to spend £80m on the South Stand extension and not maximise the existing potential capacity for this season. I do agree though that the North Stand extension should be sooner rather than later.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Its been stated the capacity is 55097, by the MEN. Surprised they would be so specific in not confirmed by the club.

The MEN must have counted them all when going through with their red pen.

 

[franksinatra]

The MEN must have counted them all when going through with their red pen.

Maybe the reporter lynch??? was one of the apprentices installing them. It sounds like a career step in the right direction and also engages his passion for seats.

 

[JOGAMIGMOG]

Funny how everyone is now clamouring for the N Stand to be built sooner rather than later. Not many sceptics now is there?