Roker Rover

Fair enough. I have hardly slept since they moved me to Tyne and Wear against my will Long live the Land of the Prince Bishops.....

Boundary changes are a bit of an obsession with me, having been brought up in County Durham only to be dumped into the ridiculous 'Tyne and Wear' in the 70's shake up. Surely you can see the ridiculousness of using a modern boundary that was set up in 1975 to justify your team being the only team from that area in a league in 87 years when the area you are using a reference point didn't even exist at the time? I am an interested outsider on this thread as a ground hopper who has been to every one of the 42 in the Scottish league and who has also attended all 4 'ground hops'. I never really got this 'Junior','Senior' thing and I am encouraged to see what appears to be at least a start of a c change of heart from the Junior ranks. If your pyramid is to work successfully, then it needs to encompass ALL the clubs. The sub arguments about how the clubs are split this season and next are irrelevant in the great scheme of things. If ALL your clubs were in the pyramid, things would work themselves out for the most part over time. Everyone will find their own level and leagues become more competitive except at the very bottom, but that's fine as well. I also don't understand why the SFA would offer cup slots to the Juniors. If they are outside the pyramid then leave them to get on with that but don't give them prizes like SFA cup slots. Finally, why don't ALL teams in your pyramid get an SFA Cup entry if they want it? Just add some preliminary rounds like we do in England? Pretty much every club up to non league level 6 in England is in the FA Cup (that's 10 levels all in).

As an outsider who never got the chance to visit either of the old grounds in Falkirk town centre, what is the history re East Stirlingshire? Why the ground share with Stenny rather than sharing with Falkirk at the new stadium?

Having been to Albion Rovers and having seen the picture. I like it. I like it a lot. Its a massive improvement. I like to stand behind the goals. I might even have to go back and check it out.

Been spending a few hours on a Friday night reading this thread (I am a sad ground hopper who is well on the way to seeing a game at every professional ground in England and Scotland) and I have enjoyed the thread (thus far). I had to comment on this though as West Ham have now moved in and and I have been there to see my team Sunderland. Believe me, its probably the worst 'football' ground I have visited (and I also support Gateshead and have been to Cowdenbeath and Albion Rovers). Ours seats were in row 66 and the toilets were on the ground floor. There is no concourse for the upper level and all the so called facilities are miles away. The steelwork supporting the 'state of the art' roof totally blocked the view of the 'state of the art' video screen as well. The gaps between the upper and lower tiers are just weird and then you have the friendly loclas who made a nice welcoming party as we left the stadium and kicked the sh*t out of men women and kids. West Ham have sold their souls. They got that stadium on the cheap from tax payers and to be honest they are welcome to it as it will kill their club and everything it used to stand for. It's beyond hideous as a football stadium.

Gateshead's big game at Macclesfield on Tuesday had been postponed so next up for my home town club (and second team after Sunderland) is Dagenham and Redbridge on Saturday. If they can do to them what they did to Forest Green a week or so ago, then I will start to believe the play offs are on again for the Heed.

Updates in Red Scotland Premiership - 12 Visited Celtic Motherwell St Johnstone Kilmarnock Aberdeen Inverness Caledonian Thistle Hamilton Academicals Ross County Partick Thistle Heart of Midlothian Rangers Dundee Championship - 9 Visited Falkirk Raith Rovers Dumbarton Queen of the South Alloa Athletic Hibernian St Mirren Dundee United Greenock Morton League One - 9 Visited Stenhousemuir Forfar Stranraer Cowdenbeath Albion Rovers Livingston Dunfermline Athletic Peterhead Airdire United League Two - 10 Visited East Fife Queens Park Elgin City Annan Athletic Berwick Rangers Clyde Arbroath Stirling Albion Edinburgh City Montrose Scottish Lowland League - 12 Visited Threave Rovers Gretna Vale of Leithen Selkirk Gala Fairydean Dalbeattie Star East Kilbride Spartans Whitehill Welfare Edinburgh University BSC Glasgow East Stirlingshire England - Now just listing what I have left to do Since last update I have been to Mansfield Town, Bristol Rovers, Stevenage, Cheltenham Town and Burton Albion (on Friday night just gone) Premier League - Visited all 20 Championship - 22 Visited Brighton and Hove Albion Bristol City League One - Visted 19 Walsall Coventry City Shrewsbury Town Oxford United AFC Wimbledon League Two - Visited 16 Barnet Newport County Cambridge United Wycombe Wanderers Exeter City Plymouth Argyle Yeovil Town Colchester United National League - Visited 6 Gateshead Grimsby Town Guiseley Tranmere Rovers Barrow Lincoln City Other Top end Non League Hayes and Yeading Darlington Blyth Spartans Workington Town Kendal Town Lancaster City Harrogate Town Spennymoor Town Tadcaster Albion Uxbridge Ruislip Manor Whitby Town Bath City Northern League - Visited all 44 clubs over two divisions Re-visited Blyth Town last week as they have rotated their pitch through 90 degrees and built a new stand plus added floodlights so as good as a new ground really Northern Alliance - Visted 44 clubs out of 48 over three divisions Still the same but done some extra but clubs have left and new ones joined. Dome about 4 more since last update Wearside League - Visited all 20 Clubs Now down to 19 as clubs left and two new came in in and got to get over to Windscale which is a right pain from here Durham Alliance - Visited 16 out of 19 clubs This league is now down to just 7 clubs and 2 of those are new and I have yet to visit Old Grounds that no longer exist (plus one new one that's no longer in use) Arsenal - Highbury Manchester City - Maine Road Sunderland - Roker Park Cardiff City - Ninian Park Coventry City - Highfield Road Doncaster Rovers - Bell Vue Hull City - Boothferry Park Leicester City - Filbert Street Middlesbrough - Ayresome Park Millwall - The Den Reading - Elm Park Southampton - The Dell Rotherham - Millmoor Darlington - Feethams Darlington - Dalrington Arena Southall West Ham - Upton Park Wales The New Saints Foreign Grounds Dublin - Lansdowne Road Barcelona - Mini Camp Slavia Prague Viktoria Zizkov Lokmotov Vltavin Viktoria Plzen Zakynthos (Zante) Ergotelis (Heraklion) ADO Den Haag Willem II Sparta Rotterdam Got Planned - Den Haag v Vitesse Arnhem, Willem II v Heracles and Sparta Rotterdam v PEC Zwolle on a lads trip in February. Did these three games and had a great time Also got planned, the latest Scottish ground hop in March which will be Preston Athletic and Hawick Royal Albert in the Lowland league plus Ormiston, Eyemouth and Coldstream in the East of Scotland League, plus got tickets for Slovakia U21's v England U21's in Kielce and Germany U21's v Denmark U21's in Krakow in the Euro U21 championship in June while on a European holiday with the wife. Possibly will also do Oxford United, Walsall, Shrewsbury Town, Coventry City and Yeovil Town this season. That will get me down to about 10 left in the 92 in England depending on who goes down and who comes up. Brechin City and Ayr United will both hopefully be done in July in the group stages of the league cup which will complete the 4 top leagues in Scotland. Then we are looking at another European lads trip like the recent Netherlands one for early 2018. Possibilities are Germany, Belgium, Poland, Hungary or back to the Czech Republic. Anywhere we can get 3 games in a long 4 day weekend.

I have a visit to Darlingtons new base in the town at Blackwell Meadows planned for Wednesday 22nd of March when they face Bradford Park Avenue. I have previously seen them play a home match at Feethams, the Reynolds Arena and at Heritage Park, Bishop Auckland during their ground share, so Blackwell Meadows will be the 4th home ground I have seen a Darlo play at.

That's good to hear. Glad they have not just thrown money at it and stuck with the players who earned their place.

Not been keeping up with the league for my sins (been distracted by the ongoing and seemingly never ending plight of my beloved Sunderland alongside various meanderings through the lower leagues in England in my quest to get somewhere close to finishing the 92). Seems Edinburgh are more than holding their own after a very shaky start. Whats the massive upturn in fortunes down to then? Getting to grips with the league? Change of personnel? The way the table looks tonight and going on current form, they seem a decent bet for a play off spot. They were worthy winners of the Lowland league last season and the terrible start seemed to indicate a big gulf in standard between the two levels ,which I don't think is healthy for your embryonic pyramid. Hard as it may seem to fans of the clubs concerned, I think its vital that there is a churn at the lower end of the SPFL as is the case down here in England, as that not only encourages ambitious clubs outside the set up to improve but also forces the teams at the lower end of the league to raise their game. Relegation is never a nice thing, I should know having seen Sunderland relegated 7 times since I started supporting them (that may very well be 8 by the end of this season), but its essential if the league and the competition as a whole is not to stagnate.

Not being an arse licker here, but genuinely the friendliest places tend to be in Scotland. Been particularly well received in Annan, Queen of the South, Stenhousemuir, Arbroath, Partick Thistle, Ross County, Dundee, Airdrie, Stranraer and Montrose. We were also given a great welcome by one person in the ground at Brechin even though there was not even a game on and we had effectively trespassed through an open gate. Rather than threaten to call the police when we told him we were just having a look around the ground he offered us a drink. I think the only negative experience I can recall up there was not even at a ground. It was in a pub in Forfar prior to a match when the landlady having already served me came over and asked if it was a football shirt I was wearing and then asked me to cover it up and said if she had known she would not have served me. There was noboby else in the bar so I don't know who was going to get offended. In hindsight I should have just got up and walked out. As is also the case up there some of the bigger clubs down in England are impersonal and you don't really get to interact with anybody other than a steward from the club. The smaller places are generally better. Next new ground for me is Whaddon Road for Cheltenham v Wycombe Wanderers on Friday 30th of December and I will go into the new year with 19 English and Scottish League grounds remaining having started this season with 32 to do, so that's 13 new ones knocked off since July.

Have been to Stevenage and Mansfield Town since my last update so now down to 2 Scottish and 18 English ones left to do of the 134. Still planned are Coventry (although that one is dependent on being able to get away from work in time). Did Mansfield last Tuesday after work and got away about 4 but Coventry is another 30 mins. Was a very late night but its done and out of the way, so don't mind doing the odd one this way. Been to Liverpool with Sunderland this weekend and we have Burnley away on New Years Eve. I am not a big fan of NYE and we normally stay over at Sunderland away games, but being in Burnley on NYE does not appeal. Spoke to my mate at Liverpool and suggested driving down to Cheltenham the day before and taking in their evening match and having our beer and day out there, then stay over and just drive to Burnley then home. He was up for that so that will be another one knocked off. Still considering Cambridge v Coventry in the FA Cup next Sunday as well.

Been to Crawley v Bristol Rovers and Gillingham v Brackley town in the FA Cup on the same day and Stevenage v Yeovil Town in the league in the last three weeks and am also seriously considering a midweek trip to Mansfield Town on Tuesday night when they play Blackpool. Mansfield will be my 11th new English and Scottish league ground this season and take me to 114 out of the 134. The visit to Mansfield will also mean that Ayr United is the nearest ground to my home in the English and Scottish Leagues that I have yet to visit. Still got another 4 planned this season on top of that. Its a marathon not a sprint...

Not much chance of that. The South Stand is now the designated singing section and full of some of the loyalest fans who travel home and away and the adjacent corner is now the family enclosure and the club have also introduced a fan zone outside this area so will not want away fans adjacent to that, nor will they want to move people from the south stand. Most likely location is the North East corner or North West corner I reckon. Wont need to happen anyway for next season if we are relegated. Logistically the North West corner would be the easiest to segregate and get the away fans in and out by road. I would not be surpirsed if both Newcastle and Sunderland got a dispensation to this rule for derby matches as well with backing from Northumbria Police. Those games are always full and have good atmospheres anyway.

At West Ham, get a lower tier ticket if you can. The place is terrible for football, I was in row 67 and the toilets are at ground floor level and the view from up there is like being on a passing plane.

I went to Crawley Town v Bristol Rovers and Gillingham v Brackley Town in the FA Cup on Saturday in my ongoing quest to complete the 134 grounds in England and Scotland. Currently on 112, so 22 left, 2 in Scotland and 20 in England. Currently also got planned; Stevenage v Yeovil Town next Saturday Mansfield Town v Blackpool - November 22nd Coventry City v Sheffield United - December 15th Den Haag v Vitesse Arnhem - February 3rd Willem II v Heracles - February 4th Sparta Rotterdam v PEC Zwolle - February 5th Burton Albion v Sheffield Wednesday - February 24th Walsall v Chesterfield - February 28th Also got my eye on the Sunday of the FA Cup 2nd round and Good Friday to knock off 2 more of the English 92 and that lot should get me to 13 left to do by the end of this season plus Ayr United and Brechin City in Scotland. Also waiting for Sunderland Ladies spring fixtures to be released and if they play Yeovil or Reading away, I will be going to those games if it does not clash with a Sunderland first team game. Yeovil now play at Huish Park and Reading ladies currently play at Wycombe Wanderers so that would knock off two more. After that I think I need a pre season tour of the West Country as need to get to Both the Bristol clubs, Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City and would also like to do Torquay United.

Interesting to look at this thread about a year on to see how far I have progressed. The ones in Blue are my additions to the list (obviously the divisions have changed due to promotions and relegations) Scotland Premiership - 11 Visited Now 12 Celtic Motherwell St Johnstone Kilmarnock Aberdeen Inverness Caledonian Thistle Hamilton Academicals Ross County Partick Thistle Heart of Midlothian Rangers Dundee Championship - 9 Visited Falkirk Raith Rovers Dumbarton Queen of the South Alloa Athletic Hibernian St Mirren Dundee United Greenock Morton League One - 5 Visited Now 9 Stenhousemuir Forfar Stranraer Cowdenbeath Albion Rovers Livingston Dunfermline Athletic Peterhead Airdire United League Two - 9 Visited Now 10 East Fife Queens Park Elgin City Annan Athletic Berwick Rangers Clyde Arbroath Stirling Albion Edinburgh City Montrose Scottish Lowland League - 7 Visited Now 12 Threave Rovers Gretna Vale of Leithen Selkirk Gala Fairydean Dalbeattie Star East Kilbride Spartans Whitehill Welfare Edinburgh University BSC Glasgow East Stirlingshire England Premier League - Visited all 20 Now 19 due to West Ham Move - Going next Saturday for the Sunderland game. Not changed the league line ups but the extra ones I have done are as follows; Huddersfield Town (Been today on way back from Stoke v Sunderland yesterday) Accrington Stanley Crewe Alexandra Rotherham United Oldham Athletic Chesterfield Morecambe Port Vale Rochdale Arsenal Aston Villa Chelsea Everton Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United Newcastle United Stoke City Sunderland Tottenham Hotspurs West Bromwich Albion Swansea City Southampton Crystal Palace Leicester City AFC Bournemouth Norwich City Watford Championship - 20 Visited Now 21 Derby County Ipswich Town Leeds United Middlesbrough Nottingham Forest Birmingham City Charlton Athletic Blackburn Rovers Sheffield Wednesday Bolton Wanderers Reading Fulham Cardiff City Wolverhampton Wanderers Brentford Hull City Queens Park Rangers Burnley MK Dons Preston North End League One - Visted 13 Now 17 Sheffield United Swindon Town Peterborough United Bradford City Doncaster Rovers Barnsley Scunthorpe United Fleetwood Town Blackpool Millwall Wigan Athletic Southend United Bury League Two - Visited 8 Now 12 - York City and Grimsby changed places but balance each other out as been to both. Northampton Town York City Hartlepool United Portsmouth Carlisle United Luton Town Leyton Orient Notts County National League - Visited 5 Now 6 Gateshead Grimsby Town Guiseley Tranmere Rovers Barrow Lincoln City Other Top end Non League Hayes and Yeading Darlington Blyth Spartans Workington Town Kendal Town Lancaster City Harrogate Town Spennymoor Town Tadcaster Albion Uxbridge Ruislip Manor Whitby Town Northern League - Visited all 44 clubs over two divisions Not updated this lot but done a few more as teams drop out and new ones join etc Northern Alliance - Visted 44 clubs out of 48 over three divisions Wearside League - Visited all 20 Clubs Durham Alliance - Visited 16 out of 19 clubs Old Grounds that no longer exist (plus one new one that's no longer in use) Arsenal - Highbury Manchester City - Maine Road Sunderland - Roker Park Cardiff City - Ninian Park Coventry City - Highfield Road Doncaster Rovers - Bell Vue Hull City - Boothferry Park Leicester City - Filbert Street Middlesbrough - Ayresome Park Millwall - The Den Reading - Elm Park Southampton - The Dell Rotherham - Millmoor Darlington - Feethams Darlington - Dalrington Arena Southall West Ham - Upton Park Wales The New Saints Foreign Grounds Dublin - Lansdowne Road Barcelona - Mini Camp Slavia Prague Viktoria Zizkov Lokmotov Vltavin Viktoria Plzen Zakynthos (Zante) Ergotelis (Heraklion) Got Planned - Den Haag v Vitesse Arnhem, Willem II v Heracles and Sparta Rotterdam v PEC Zwolle on a lads trip in February. Good progress over all. Just 2 Scottish Grounds left now and the completion of the Lowland league in sight as well. Got my remaining English ones down to 23 now but will be 22 next week and coming down fast. Waiting for tomorrows FA Cup draw as the 1st round games are staggered over 4 days and looking to use this to my advantage and knock off two or three more of my outstanding English league grounds.

Just got back from Stoke (via a nice little detour to see Huddersfield v Sheffield Wednesday today). As I life long Sunderland fan, I have to say we have had it this season I reckon. We don't create anywhere near enough and are fragile at the back which is a brutal combination in this league. I have personally witnessed 6 relegations. I can smell a relegation a mile off and this season reeks of it. We do have some good young uns coming through and hopefully they will develop and help us to be competitive in the championship next season if the inevitable finally happens. I am not depressed about the situation as I have seen it all before and know that life (and Sunderland football club) will go on and I will still get my footy fix with the lads most weekends. Might help me with my quest to complete the 92 as well, although there are only 3 grounds in the current championship I have not visited.

Good stuff and I see your sense of humour . I also follow the Heed as my second team and still have high hopes for one or even maybe two visits to Wembley in May (the wife wants me to book something as its our 25th anniversary in June) but we have better options for time off in May, I am looking at city breaks that allow me the option of a quick exit back to London on either weekend just in case. Went when we played Cambridge in the play offs a few years back and continued my 100% failure rate watching my teams at Wembley. I was born in Newcastle and have lived in Gateshead all my life, firstly at Leam Lane and then in Ryton as that's where my wife is from. She and her family are all Newcastle fans (great people and I could not have ever wished for better in laws) and I am not one of these supporters who 'hates' the oppo. As I have always said, Newcastle and Sunderland fans are actually very similar in reality. They come from the same area, have the same life experiences and are mostly down to earth decent working class people. The only major difference between us is the colour of one stripe on the clubs shirts. Far too much baggage with this fixture when the fans are basically the same really. We met some Newcastle fans in the pub in Annan before the Stirling Albion game yesterday and they were spot on. They were up to a see a game as Newcastle had a free weekend. Four of us in our Sunderland shirts and we had a bit crack on with them and a bit of banter. All good humored and a good time was had by all. I respect anyone who goes to a game like that as they are clearly proper football fans.

Football is football at the end of the day and most people I meet on the way are decent and friendly. Obviously when I am following Sunderland like next weekend at Southampton, there is more pressure on the game as its my team and it means a lot to me, but I can still normally switch back to normal a few mins after a bad defeat and enjoy the rest of my day. Last season we lost 8-0 at Southampton but we still enjoyed the day and the night out after the match. I don't follow Sunderland to win things!! At neutral games I just relax and take in the view. Love my trips up to Scotland though and am doing the Lowland league hop again in two weeks. After that I will have 9 grounds left to complete the 4 Scottish divisions plus the lowland league. Not done any Highland league teams and I fear that may have to wait till I retire as its logistically just too difficult from where I am based most of the time. I also plan to complete the 92 in England and ironically a Sunderland relegation (and/or a Gateshead promotion) would hugely boost my chances of doing that. Done both Rochdale and Port Vale as a neutral in recent weeks and also have my eye on a few more over Easter but still only on 63. Done loads more over the years but they keep building new grounds, going bust and getting relegated to the non leagues. It seems like a never ending task. For e.g I have seen Sunderland play Darlington away at three different grounds and they are currently in the process of moving to a 4th yet none of those are currently in the 92. You do three or four a season on top of following Sunderland, Sunderland Stiffs, Sunderland Ladies and Gateshead and then find you are only 1 nearer to the 92 when the next season starts. I honestly think most members of the 92 club are either neutrals or supporters of clubs like Wimbledon or Wigan who have gone up and down the leagues over a relatively short period of time or single. If I waited till Sunderland got an away cup draw at the the League One and League Two sides I still have to visit, I would need to live to 400. Only way is visiting as a neutral and I have only started to do this over the last few seasons due to my circumstances allowing it. My daughters are now both adults and don't require my supervision at weekends or any other time and my wife still works week on week off nights so I am free every other weekend to do what I like.

They are playing down at level 7 of the English System which would put them off the map in the Scottish pyramid as you only have 5 steps as far as I can see. You can have standing terraces at step 3 in England and would get a years grace at step two (the championship) if promoted.

To be fair to our near neighbours, at least you have a clear view of the pitch even if you do need an oxygen mask and a telescope.

This is a good picture which gives an impression of what the 'facilities' are like at the rear of the Anfield road end at Liverpool as an away fan. This is from a Southampton match. £47 for that anybody? Would you pay it? The reality down here is that about 75% of Premier League clubs sell out all their away tickets for league games and my own club is one of those. You need to have a certain number of 'loyalty points' to even apply for an away ticket and sadly, you also have absolutely no say in where in the away end the ticket you ultimately receive will be. For e.g. I have very good loyalty points but in two consecutive seasons at Stoke have been given the front row (they obviously started selling then from front to back) and the back row (started selling them back to front). To be fair its not a major issue at Stoke as although I would prefer an elevated view all their seats have a clear view of the pitch. You can imagine our trepidation at Liverpool though. I have been on the wrong end of that before and its a complete piss take.

And its associated dangerously crowded concourse. Was there for Sunderland's game a few weeks back and saw not one but two separate instances of fathers trying desperately to carry crying terrified kids out while I battled my way to the toilets at half time. The kids were not babies either, probably 9 and 12 respectively I would guess, A throbbing packed concourse can be quite enticing to a fit (and slightly pissed) adult football fan, but its a threatening and dangerous place for a young lad who probably just wants to stick beside his dad and have some refreshments and use the toilets at half time. Liverpool of all clubs should surely be aware of the risk of overcrowding in gangways and concourses, yet they had police and stewards standing on a raised platform viewing the fans below and presumably with their main aim being to identify 'troublemakers' and arrest people. The reality was that the space provided was totally inadequate for the purpose it was intended for (i.e. using the toilets and getting a pie or a drink, and was dangerously overcrowded to the detriment of anyone who was not a pretty fit able bodied male). They charged us £47 for the privileged of using that away end and the back 6 rows do not even have a view of the far goal when fans in front stand up (and we all know all football fans stand up in seated areas when it looks like a goal may be scored). The Liverpool away end is an affront to decent football fans everywhere and I just wish the likes of Alan Green and his 'another great European night at Anfield' was forced to sit there for a game and had £47 removed from his bloated wallet for the privilege. I suspect his gushing tones would be slightly reduced on subsequent visits* *Given that he is also what I would respectfully call 'well fed', I suspect he would have particular issues pushing his massive frame through the throng and may well end up soiling himself before reaching his destination.