Favourite quirks of Scottish stadiums.

[GordonD]

12 hours ago, ArabAuslander said:

It's a Listed Building (and one of Archibald Leitch's last remaining stands) so don't see how they could do that.

I meant when it was first built.

[PauloPerth]

It was a feature of some stands from around that time so that people at the end of the stand could see the far end of the pitch better.

[GNU_Linux]

Murals:

Auchinleck Talbot's Beechwood Park




Holm Park home of Clydebank & Yoker Athletic

[killiepiemuncher]

R.P mural. I do like a good mural at football grounds.

[RandomGuy.]

Our "mural" 

[Old Pack]

Our "mural" 

Broon paid Banksy a fortune for that.

[D.A.F.C]

Cliftonhill reminded me of what it used to be like at grounds. 
Went into the main stand sat down, can’t see half the pitch. Moved behind the goals, decent view but wee boy nearly kills himself on a nail sticking out the wall. Steward nails it back in tbf. Half way through the first half an elderly disabled Albion fan comes down from the top of the hill drives all the way to the wee enclosure for disabled fans only to find its full of pars fans. 
It’s brilliantly shit, the chairman was out at half time with the groundmen helping out with the pitch.

If they were ever to film a rags to ritches story it would make a brilliant before ground. Or a nuclear apocalypse set.

No disrespect, I like it. Proper oldskool.

[Kwaka Mal]

I've always thought Dundee's main stand was an odd design, with the centre being further from the pitch than the ends. I know it's because it follows the line of the street outside but surely it wouldn't have been that difficult to make the inside edge parallel to the pitch.

They used to hold greyhound racing there. The shape of the main stand was to accommodate the traps at the start.

[PauloPerth]

7 hours ago, killiepiemuncher said:

R.P mural. I do like a good mural at football grounds.

That's superb.  

We were agreeing on the Saints threada year or so back that a mural celebrating our cup win would look brilliant on the wall between the Main and Ormond Stands.

[tamthebam]

1 hour ago, D.A.F.C said:

Cliftonhill reminded me of what it used to be like at grounds. 
Went into the main stand sat down, can’t see half the pitch. Moved behind the goals, decent view but wee boy nearly kills himself on a nail sticking out the wall. Steward nails it back in tbf. Half way through the first half an elderly disabled Albion fan comes down from the top of the hill drives all the way to the wee enclosure for disabled fans only to find its full of pars fans. 
It’s brilliantly shit, the chairman was out at half time with the groundmen helping out with the pitch.

If they were ever to film a rags to ritches story it would make a brilliant before ground. Or a nuclear apocalypse set.

No disrespect, I like it. Proper oldskool.

I'm so old I've stood in the crumbling terracing in the background. I remember seeing the fiery glow of a steelworks from it.

[GordonD]

9 hours ago, tamthebam said:

I'm so old I've stood in the crumbling terracing in the background. I remember seeing the fiery glow of a steelworks from it.

That really dates you.

[killiepiemuncher]

That's superb.  
We were agreeing on the Saints threada year or so back that a mural celebrating our cup win would look brilliant on the wall between the Main and Ormond Stands.

There’s quite a few round R.P especially round the police box at the Moffat/East stand corner.

[BIG BEN]

Back in the days of grounds having mostly terracing, my dad would always want us to sit in the stand so for a lot of years it was interesting seeing the different seating areas. Raith and Dundee Utd both had those weird L shaped stands which I liked but always imagined would look great if they extended further round. Tannadice in particular was impressive since it hangs over the road outside. It's a shame the seats were uncomfortable and had no legroom.
The best bit about East End Park before the new stands came up was the dressing room doors leading out to the pitch with a little set of stairs between them and the playing surface. It was expecially neat if you sat in the stand because you could tell by the roar from the cage that the players were coming out before you could see them. 
These days, I like the fact that the front row at NDP is high up with the toilets and coffee bar beneath - you're going to get a good view wherever you sit and you can see the game while waiting for food and drink. 

Not any more. Its like watching a game through a fishing net now. I would rather take the risk of a stray shot than watch a game through that

[Arch Stanton]

On 08/07/2020 at 17:40, GordonD said:

I've always thought Dundee's main stand was an odd design, with the centre being further from the pitch than the ends. I know it's because it follows the line of the street outside but surely it wouldn't have been that difficult to make the inside edge parallel to the pitch.

It's called a Crank (honest); Simon Inglis covers it in one of his books, the idea being that those furthest from the centre line have an improved view by being slightly closer to the touchline. The old main stand at Easter Rd was cranked as is one side at Molineux.

[Arch Stanton]

[welshbairn]

Can't find any better pictures of the Falkirk South Stand murals, either side.

[Stag Nation]

24 minutes ago, Snafu said:

Don't know if this has been covered yet on here but is there still grounds around Scotland with houses that have a full or partial view of the pitch?

Can't think of any in the Premiership as the stands would block a view and a lot of the newer stadiums are built away from housing estates now a days.

Below, Grant Street Park home of Clachnacuddin showing the hospitality boxes running both sides of the pitch.

Station Park, Nairn

 

Back in the 60s, Clach had more cover than the yhave now. Progress?

[G51]

My favourite is the big hill at Harmsworth Park - you can see it in the photo here http://www.huntlyfc.co.uk/index.php/matches/post-match-reaction/1728-podcast-2018-19-wick-academy-v-huntly

There's an entrance at that end of the ground, which cars can access and park at the top of the hill. So you can sit in your car and watch the whole game if you want to. Very handy for older people, since there are only a handful of seats at Harmsworth (or were - maybe they've stuck seats in the terrace on the kirkyard side of the ground since I last visited in 2016).

I'm sure there are other stadiums that can also offer drive-in football, but that's my favourite. Great view.

[The Mantis]

15 minutes ago, Snafu said:

What was there behind the new shed where Benula Road is I have no idea, before my time.  Don't know if it was open ground or there were houses there. If there were houses there they probably wouldn't have been high enough to see over the mound that the old wine shed is perched on.

I think the first time I was there must have been about 1984 and the ground covered a large area, large enough for a top flight team to build a good size stadium on. The Main gate was out onto Grant Street and there was a decent size car park. The Main Stand was large and an unusual shape, when I see the Main Stand at Dens Park this reminds me of it.

I've not seen pictures of cover on the Kilmuir Road side of the ground, it might have always been open terracing and same goes for the side of the ground where the changing rooms and toilets are. The building there I have no idea how old it is, doesn't look like it was ever a residential house, back in the 80's it was the Clach Social Club.

If you were there in 1984 that was before my time. I never saw the main stand but I remember the gap where it was, and there was a decent sized covered terrace either side. Also you must remember the rickety old covered end at Benula Road. I think It was much bigger than what’s there now.

[The Mantis]

2 minutes ago, Snafu said:

Yeah I'm remember more now, I walked through the left side gap and standing at the railings in front of that covered stand and it wasn't 1984 it was this game in the vid below as Clach were not the opposition. I don't remember ever going to watch Clach on their own turf until the late 90's. I remember walking around the ground up to the social club and then back, not sure back then you could do a complete walk around the pitch.

I didn't remember the covered stand on the other side of the Main Stand, but it would have been there at that time and I've seen a photo of it. Both standing areas would have been demolished when a large part of that side of the ground was sold off. Not sure if either stands were damaged in the fire.

I had a look for a program for the game but all I have are Caley ones from Telford Street.

I see in the vid the old 'wine shed' missing a good bit of its back wall.

 

I’ve just found a photo I took back in the day watching Caley. I’m on the Shetland ferry just now and the WiFi is shit so I can’t see your vid but I’ll try posting the photo.