The best and worst grounds in the Northern Premier?.

[Guest]

In your Northern Premier Unibond League, where are the best and worst grounds - and why?. I've been to Barrow (though about 10 years ago), how do the rest compare?.

[Guest]

Burton is OK, covered on all sides but painted an appaling banana yellow.

Spennymoor is a hole, Lancaster is freezing cold due to an open end behind one of the goals.

Alty is a nice ground but the pies are rank!

Barrow's ground has been rebuilt (more or less) in the last 10 years to conform to safety standards. The old wooden main stand has been demolished and replaced by an all seater cantilever affair (Very nice too!)and the Holker street end has had it's roof taken down (probably before it fell down). The 'Popular side' (also known as moaners corner) has had a new roof and was renamed the Ray Wilkie Stand, after the Manager who took us to FA Trophy glory in 1990. (Sadly he died a short time later).

[Guest]

Colwyn bay in my opinion has the worst ground in the Unibond Prem

[Guest]

Why is Colwyn Bay so bad?

[Guest]

It's in Wales, It's freezing, its in Wales, Barrow hardly ever win there, it's in Wales, it's miles away from anywhere, the pubs are rank, it's in Wales, the pitch is a quagmire and the atmosphere generated by the 35 fans is lousy!<p>Did I mention it was in Wales? <img src="graemlins/grrr.gif" border="0" alt="" />

[Guest]

No good then this place Wales?.

Colwyn Bay sounds a bit like Grays - without the sheep.

[Guest]

Emley have a jolly nice ground too, which we share with the Wakefield Wildcats rugger boys. The old Welfare ground is still used for training and a few games (not 1st team) but the wind, rain, hail etc still rattles round the thermals a bit!<p>What about the result at Altrincham last night: a Unibond 11 v the England semi-pro side. 4-3 to us. Interesting fact: this is only the 2nd time they've won in 18 years!

Maybe the new management team of Graham Heathcote and Bernard Taylor have picked a decent side for a change...?

[Guest]

Heathcote never picked a decent side when he was at Barrow, why should he start now?

[Weysider]

What do non Gateshead fans think of the International Stadium? In theory its the best ground in the league what with its 7,000 seater stand.

I was brought up near Gateshead and used to watch them a lot, personally I think they'd be better off at a smaller ground as you just cannot get a decent atmosphere from 200 fans scattered around a huge stand half a mile from the pitch (theres a running track around the pitch in case you didn't guess)

[Guest]

I think that Gateshead fans have got a bit more on their plate to worry about than their ground! The man sponsor has pulled out (the group who built the Metro Centre I believe) and they need £60K to make it to the end of the season according to their chairman. <p>The players have also agreed to play for free which shows that loyalty to clubs and fans is alive and well in the unibond! <p>Good luck to all at Gateshead. At Barrow, we are going through nearly the same thing, but can now see light at the end of the tunnel.

[Weysider]

I only heard the news about the sponsors pulling out this morning, nothing surprises me about Douglas Hall and his pals. If they wanted to pull out then they could have done in a less hamfisted way.

I hope the people of Gateshead pull together and save the club, they might only have a relatively small hardcore support, but what they lack in numbers they make up in passion.

[Guest]

I heard today that Gazza has given the club £10K to make it till the end of the month. Also that Newcastle have pledged to play a friendly.

Gazza also suggested that players such as Alan Shearer should put their hands in their pockets too. Too bloody right I say!<p>We play Gateshead at Holker Street tomorrow, hope to see lots of Geordies supporting their team. I heard there will be a collection at the ground for Gateshead funds, which should raise quite a bit if we get the usual 1200+ attendance.

[Weysider]

I heard news from the north east that local business and the council have turned their back on Gateshead FC in their hour of need. Something makes me wonder whether they would have done the same if the Gateshead Harriers Athletics club had been in this position. The Heed have been down this road many times before however and I'm confident they'll pull through somehow.

I think its brilliant Gazza has still got time for his home town club. He might be a bit of a plonka but his heart has always been in the right place.

[Guest]

I find it difficult to comprehend that in an area which proclaims itself to be passionate about football, they cannot see past the black and white striped shirts of St James Park.<p>I hope the local businesses do rally round. At the moment they should be ashamed to call themselves footy fans no matter which team they support.<p>And I've not even mentioned 4-1. (oops)

[Guest]

I thought that Burtons ground was pretty good. A nice ground with good facilities (parking, drinking etc).

Good luck this year to all at Burton (exept young Nigel who just would not lose gracefuuly).

[Guest]

The Cameron Hall company is trying to destroy all sport in the north east apart from NUFC.<p>A few years ago they bought my local ice hockey team, Whitley Warriors, changed their name to Newcastle warriors and moved them from where they had played for years to their new 'home' in Newcastle. No thought of tradition whatsoever.<p>Of course, the whole thing flopped as people felt betrayed and did not want to travel to Ncle to watch what was no longer their team, and a few years later, the team changed the name back and moved back to Whitley Bay.<p>The Gateshead thing is just the latest in the long line of blunders and it makes me mad!

[Guest]

Sadly I think you are right about Cameron Hall these sort of people know the cost of everything yet the value of nothing!

[Cyclops]

Cameron Hall only have a small share of NUFC now as well, and I heard that whichever of the Hall family has his hands on the purse strings has pawned a large number of shares to raise a bit of cash.

[Guest]

Hyde is one of the best grounds in the league, shame were getting relegated.

The worst, by a long way is Frickley. It does have a certain charm, however (in a post nuclear Chernobyl with a bit of Beirut thrown in for good measure kind of way). Add a few embittered ex miners as fans and you have a surprisingly entertaining day out.

 

 

[Guest]

Well, I may be biased but I think that Southport's ground (now that we have been relegated) is rather splendid for the Unibond. Runcorn & Halton's (or whatever the team's called this week) is bloody awful - nice pies though. I seem to recall going to watch a Southport match at Colwyn Bay once. I can't recall if it was a cup match, or a friendly but I do remember that I agree with every word that Anon uttered. It is a hole - or at least it should become one!