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‘EVERY STADIUM IS SACRED’
United We Stand fanzine editor, Andy Mitten, a self-confessed football ground-spotter, shares some of his memories of following United away…
“I’m predisposed to like any ground, because I like football grounds. Even stood on an open terrace in the rain, well, if you’ve seen United get a late winner there, like I did at Southampton in ’92, it colours your memories. I know The Dell in Southampton wasn’t fit for purpose at all and yet it was full of character. And it had a good pub behind the away end…
“I love Goodison – it’s the Wrigley Field of English football. I love how it’s packed into the community. I think Liverpool have developed Anfield really sensibly. I loved the ambition of Newcastle in building those two huge stands, and the location atop the city, looking down over the Tyne towards Gateshead in an area surrounded by bars and pubs.
“When I look back to some of the grounds when I first started going, they really were dank, dangerous places. The away end at Derby County, the toilets… I wouldn’t wish them on anybody! Cramped and dirty. I loved seeing Blackburn boom up. I loved the intensity of West Ham, the atmosphere, the closeness of the stands to the pitch, the ‘Chicken Run’, the edge that you’d get going to West Ham. QPR was tiny, but because you were so close to the goal, and because it was so tight, and because it was so steep, it meant that the atmosphere was really good in the away end. Huddersfield Town does deserve merit, architecturally, and I think it won the Building of the Year award. That’s a smart ground, and I never ever imagined seeing Huddersfield play in the Premier League.
“My favourite? I can honestly see merit in any ground, because you wrap up your perception of them with your memories of being there. I’ll happily talk to you about football grounds for five or six hours!”
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