Ground Ratings (a tale of two parades)

[GTFCfish]

Really not sure what more we can do to be higher up, everyone tells us our town is a complete shit hole so we go and build a ground in a different town and people still aren’t happy.
Fuck the lot of you.

 

[Grumpy Grecian]

Have to question the methodology used to work out the overall rankings?
To take an example comparing two close rivals, Exeter & Pl*mouth
Atmos: ECFC 4th PAFC 3rd
Location: ECFC 2nd PAFC 5th
Value: ECFC 6th PAFC 9th
Pint Rating*: ECFC 15th PAFC 24th
Pie Rating: ECFC 7th PAFC 11th
Program: ECFC 3rd PAFC 23rd
Character: ECFC 6th PAFC 12th
Stewarding: ECFC 4th PAFC 24th
So, in all but one of the rankings ECFC beat the Scum - in some cases by a "westcountry mile" yet, in the OVERALL assessment
ECFC 6th PAFC 3rd
How can that have happened??? One can only presume that they had managed to infiltrate the Cornish equivalent of Dominic Cummings onto the final adjudication comittee!

*One small point (and not an advert) but surprise we featured so low in the "pint" category. Not only a City Centre ground with a good selection of hostelries within easy walking distance (including 3 'spoons') but also the club facilities are readily available to (MOST) of our visiting guests. Admittedly the fare from the kiosks in Red Square is somewhat limited but venture into the Centre Spot bar itself (again MOST are welcome) and you will usually find the legendary FECRACE (Famous Exeter City Ale & Cider Emporium). Manned by volunteers there is a constantly changing range of Ales and Ciders available at competitive prices!!!

 

[BlackHaddock]

but venture into the Centre Spot bar itself (again MOST are welcome) and you will usually find the legendary FECRACE (Famous Exeter City Ale & Cider Emporium). Manned by volunteers there is a constantly changing range of Ales and Ciders available at competitive prices!!!

Why didn't I know about this?

I had to endure 'Doombar' in the run down (and recently taken over) St Anne's Well last month.

 

[Spanishstag]

It’s a decent ground, though it’s odd when they announced 14,000 against Shrewsbury last season and there was maybe 8,000 there (we were trying to work out how many and came to that number - the 3 really decent Bradford fans behind us said that was common place)

The grounds not in the best part of town, though Bradford from manchester is easy enough

Ooh adamstag mentions manchester yet again never lets us forget

 

[Grumpy Grecian]

Why didn't I know about this?

I had to endure 'Doombar' in the run down (and recently taken over) St Anne's Well last month.

Should have asked your fellow Grimsbonian "Les"!!! Top chap he is! Knows all about ECFC he does! Top, top chap.

 

[BlackHaddock]

What a crock of SHIT.

Blundell Park came second in two categories, third in another and 4th in yet another! Add a 14th and 15th into the mix and we still end up 20th.

I demand a recount!

 

[BlackHaddock]

Should have asked your fellow Grimsbonian "Les"!!! Top chap he is! Knows all about ECFC he does! Top, top chap.

Les was sat at the next table to us in St Anne's bloody Well, so if he knew, he didn't have a pint on your 'Centre Spot'!

 

[Grumpy Grecian]

Why didn't I know about this?

I had to endure 'Doombar' in the run down (and recently taken over) St Anne's Well last month.

Look, you took a vital 3 points off us....what more do you want???

 

[BlackHaddock]

Look, you took a vital 3 points off us....what more do you want???

A decent Pint!

 

[The Jovial Forester]

What a crock of SHIT.

Blundell Park came second in two categories, third in another and 4th in yet another! Add a 14th and 15th into the mix and we still end up 20th.

I demand a recount!

Rare example of being less than the sum of your parts.

 

[Boletus Edulis]

I note that our stewards are 24th out of 24. Not really surprised, though I have noted in the last year they are getting better.

Be interesting to see what people think once the Grandstand is up, whether it adds to the experience/atmosphere, or dilutes it?

 

[RebornKirtonRed]

What a crock of SHIT.

Blundell Park came second in two categories, third in another and 4th in yet another! Add a 14th and 15th into the mix and we still end up 20th.

I demand a recount!

I blame all those postal votes

 

[RebornKirtonRed]

I'm sure Blundell Park would be considerably higher in the Away End Category if they created some space by removing a few rows of seats to allow the away fans ( on their walk through the terraced backstreets to the ground ) to select and provide their own seating preferences from the extensive kerbside range of well-aired comfy sofas and their like ?

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Solely judging grounds is too vague. You can have a cracking old stadium in a terrible location or a bland stadium in a great location. I tend to judge it on the wider awayday itself. So in my opinion:

ELITE - Macclesfield, Grimsby, Mansfield, Carlisle, Plymouth, Newport

GOOD - Cambridge, Morecambe, Exeter, Cheltenham

AVERAGE - Vale (would probably enjoy it more if it wasn't a local game), Swindon, Bradford, Leyton Orient, Northampton

POOR (BUT SAVED FROM SHITE BY BEING NEAR TO AN AFFORDABLE MAJOR CITY) - Walsall, Oldham, Salford

SHITE - Colchester, Scunthorpe, Stevenage, Crawley

TOO SHITE TO BE CALLED SHITE - Forest Green

The ELITE all have a range of fantastic pubs for away fans within proximity to the ground and/or station and the walk to the stadium from the station or town centre is straightforward.

The GOOD are all good drinking towns but the walk to the stadium is the one thing I'll hold against them. Morecambe's wouldn't be as bad if you didn't have to meander all around the estates to get from the town to the ground but the other three are treks from the station.

The AVERAGE - Vale is a bastard of a walk to get to but I'd probably appreciate the pubs a lot more if there wasn't bad blood between us two. The others (except Northampton) are decent old school grounds with not much around them, so it'd be harsh to call them shite. Northampton is a bland ground but it's cheap to get to and there are a couple of decent pubs as well.

The POOR are saved by Birmingham in the case of the former and Manchester in the case of the latter two.

The SHITE are either two old school clubs with terribly bland out of town stadiums in the case of the former or just two boring London dormitory towns with out of town bland stadiums in the case of the latter.

As for Forest Green, everything about the day is just terrible. Transport, food, lack of pubs, distance from a major town/station, that bastard hill you have to walk up, the open air away side. It's absolutely ridiculous.

Going off my logic, Crewe would fall under elite as it has everything an away fan should want, even if the away end isn't the best. Cheap pubs and an easy to find ground though go a long way!

 

[Chris FGR]

Lack of pubs? We've got pubs a lot closer to our ground then some places. The Britannia, Village Inn and the George Inn for starters. Plus Egypt Mill. Nailsworth isn't a big place but does well for pubs and eateries.

Why did you walk up the hill. Just catch a bus if it's too much for you to walk.

 

[GTFCfish]

I'm sure Blundell Park would be considerably higher in the Away End Category if they created some space by removing a few rows of seats to allow the away fans ( on their walk through the terraced backstreets to the ground ) to select and provide their own seating preferences from the extensive kerbside range of well-aired comfy sofas and their like ?

It’s called open plan mate you should try it.

 

[denzel ecfc]

Les was sat at the next table to us in St Anne's bloody Well, so if he knew, he didn't have a pint on

Solely judging grounds is too vague. You can have a cracking old stadium in a terrible location or a bland stadium in a great location. I tend to judge it on the wider awayday itself. So in my opinion:

ELITE - Macclesfield, Grimsby, Mansfield, Carlisle, Plymouth, Newport

GOOD - Cambridge, Morecambe, Exeter, Cheltenham

AVERAGE - Vale (would probably enjoy it more if it wasn't a local game), Swindon, Bradford, Leyton Orient, Northampton

POOR (BUT SAVED FROM SHITE BY BEING NEAR TO AN AFFORDABLE MAJOR CITY) - Walsall, Oldham, Salford

SHITE - Colchester, Scunthorpe, Stevenage, Crawley

TOO SHITE TO BE CALLED SHITE - Forest Green

The ELITE all have a range of fantastic pubs for away fans within proximity to the ground and/or stadium and the walk to the stadium from the station or town centre is straightforward.

The GOOD are all good drinking towns but the walk to the stadium is the one thing I'll hold against them. Morecambe's wouldn't be as bad if you didn't have to meander all around the estates to get from the town to the ground but the other three are treks from the station.

The AVERAGE - Vale is a bastard of a walk to get to but I'd probably appreciate the pubs a lot more if there wasn't bad blood between us two. The others (except Northampton) are decent old school grounds with not much around them, so it'd be harsh to call them shite. Northampton is a bland ground but it's cheap to get to and there are a couple of decent pubs as well.

The POOR are saved by Birmingham in the case of the former and Manchester in the case of the latter two.

The SHITE are either two old school clubs with terribly bland out of town stadiums in the case of the former or just two boring London dormitory towns with out of town bland stadiums in the case of the latter.

As for Forest Green, everything about the day is just terrible. Transport, food, lack of pubs, distance from a major town/station, that bastard hill you have to walk up, the open air away side. It's absolutely ridiculous.

Going off my logic, Crewe would fall under elite as it has everything an away fan should want, even if the away end isn't the best. Cheap pubs and an easy to find ground though go a long way!

Home Park is an easier walk to the City Centre than us? Really?

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Home Park is an easier walk to the City Centre than us? Really?

A far easier walk from the station and I enjoy the pubs there too. Apart from Yeovil and FGR you really can't go wrong with a South West awayday.

 

[denzel ecfc]

A far easier walk from the station and I enjoy the pubs there too. Apart from Yeovil and FGR you really can't go wrong with a South West awayday.

Sorry to correct, but it's exactly the same distance from their station to their ground as it is from St David's to ours. And that's assuming you aren't able to jump on a train to go to our very own station.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Sorry to correct, but it's exactly the same distance from their station to their ground as it is from St David's to ours. And that's assuming you aren't able to jump on a train to go to our very own station.

Having done both by train Plymouth genuinely feels a quicker walk, probably because it's a more straightforward one whereas you're meandering through Exeter to get to your ground. It probably doesn't help by the fact that for Plymouth, you walk towards the ground to get to the pubs whereas in Exeter you're tanked up in the city centre before you even make the walk to the ground.

That said, I enjoy both away days and will hopefully be doing both this season.

 

[Grumpy Grecian]

Sorry to correct, but it's exactly the same distance from their station to their ground as it is from St David's to ours. And that's assuming you aren't able to jump on a train to go to our very own station.

Quite so Denz. Perhaps it's just that nasty hill between St David's and the City Centre that our friend from Crewe doesn't like.
As for "pubs between Pl*mouth station and "The Theatre of Groans"...well, the only one I can think of it The Britannia - a no/no even on non match days: the type of establishment where you wipe your feet on the way out!
Otherwise it's a trudge from the station AWAY from the ground into their so called "shopping centre" for the handful of pubs there - a concrete desert that makes even Milton Keynes look interesting.
Not in our league for the moment but the one ground I'd put even below the TOO SHITE TO BE CALLED SHITE category would be Yeovil - even more remote than Colchester's without even the redeeming feature of a quick escape back onto the main road network?
Carlisle has always been one of my favourites - even better if they would open that away end behind the goal!

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Quite so Denz. Perhaps it's just that nasty hill between St David's and the City Centre that our friend from Crewe doesn't like.
As for "pubs between Pl*mouth station and "The Theatre of Groans"...well, the only one I can think of it The Britannia - a no/no even on non match days: the type of establishment where you wipe your feet on the way out!
Otherwise it's a trudge from the station AWAY from the ground into their so called "shopping centre" for the handful of pubs there - a concrete desert that makes even Milton Keynes look interesting.
Not in our league for the moment but the one ground I'd put even below the TOO SHITE TO BE CALLED SHITE category would be Yeovil - even more remote than Colchester's without even the redeeming feature of a quick escape back onto the main road network?
Carlisle has always been one of my favourites - even better if they would open that away end behind the goal!

That hill is a killer when you've spent four hours supping cans on the train down.

I'm a big fan of the Britannia, we had a great time in there the last time we played Plymouth. Probably helped they were already promoted but it was a great day in the sun nonetheless.

Yeovil's would have absolutely been in the same category as Forest Green's. I remember playing them in 2013 when they had a bumper crowd. We made Pen Mill station with seconds to spare due to the way out from the car park being simply awful. Had we not made it, we'd have been stranded. It's so far out of the town and away from everything I'm completely unsure why they thought it was a great idea to whack a ground there. Another abysmal ground when they were also in the league was Barnet's. Bar the decent bar underneath the stand it's perhaps the blandest stadium I've ever seen us play in, although Salford will give that a run for its money on Boxing Day!

 

[Grumpy Grecian]

I've heard that Salford's ground is surprisingly remote pub and public transport wise for such a "metropolitan" City.
Regarding Yeovil I'd actually suggest that, if you're coming from 'oop Norf' in the future it could even be quicker - and possibly even more economical - to group-book a 10 or 12 seater cab from and back to Taunton station?!
As for our own SJP...if you don't like "the hill" next time when you get to St David's just cross over to Platform 1 and hop on the Exmouth train (regular 1/2 hourly service) which will take you to Exeter Central station - does what the name suggests - or, if running late, just carry on to the next stop!
It's called ST JAMES PARK - the clue is in the name. Right by the ground (although there is a bit of a slope to get out of the station).

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Salford is a very strange case. Long story short it shouldn't actually be a city. But a few bungs here or there by a former MP over a century ago allegedly and it became a city to avoid being usurped into Manchester (and it effectively is a continuation of Manchester). The ground is actually just off the Bury Road rather than the Bolton Road where the main centre of the city is. So in actuality, it's miles from Salford in a place called Kersal Moor, which means it's a fair distance from the nearest tram stop too! Thankfully we play them Boxing Day which means coach travel will be essential up there.

It probably would given how slow the trains are from Temple Meads on the Weymouth line down to Pen Mill. Lovely journey mind. One I hope we won't be making for quite some time though!

Hopefully we get to play you guys on the Saturday this season, but I have a feeling one of us (more likely you) will make the FA Cup 3rd round...

 

[RebornKirtonRed]

Home Park is an easier walk to the City Centre than us? Really?

first problem ; get out of their carpark in one piece.

 

[Grumpy Grecian]

first problem ; get out of their carpark in one piece.

Err... that's the Second problem.
First is to get there in the first place!

 

[RebornKirtonRed]

It’s called open plan mate you should try it.

We did bauy ..... once we cleared all the Carling cans off we partook of a short rest every so often expecting to be refreshed by a salty onshore breeze, as it was the pungent fumes of wackybaccy eminating from all the open windows proved much more beneficial.

 

[RebornKirtonRed]

I've heard that Salford's ground is surprisingly remote pub and public transport wise for such a "metropolitan" City.
Regarding Yeovil I'd actually suggest that, if you're coming from 'oop Norf' in the future it could even be quicker - and possibly even more economical - to group-book a 10 or 12 seater cab from and back to Taunton station?!
As for our own SJP...if you don't like "the hill" next time when you get to St David's just cross over to Platform 1 and hop on the Exmouth train (regular 1/2 hourly service) which will take you to Exeter Central station - does what the name suggests - or, if running late, just carry on to the next stop!
It's called ST JAMES PARK - the clue is in the name. Right by the ground (although there is a bit of a slope to get out of the station).

can't get much closer than that bauy

 

[E10rifle]

The ELITE all have a range of fantastic pubs for away fans within proximity to the ground and/or station and the walk to the stadium from the station or town centre is straightforward.

AVERAGE - Leyton Orient

 

[RebornKirtonRed]

Err... that's the Second problem.
First is to get there in the first place!

Like dealing with any feral creature in it's own habitat one has to adapt.......feeding time at Zoo Corner is invariably from 3pm every other Saturday so what with the Jannerfolk sporting extra digits the tying up of shoelaces , doing up of buttons and even pulling of zips can proove problematic so there is a window of opportunity before the jannerfolk herd in which to take up a safe position