Muskrat If ever the song "this is a sh1t hole, I wanna go home" was apt to be sung it's here. Absolutely dire place and stadium. I used to live in Charlton and that was Shangri-La compared to Deptford or Bermondsey.
Charlton is horrible - bland, southeast London suburbia, with no redeeming features at all. The only thing Charlton the place has going for it is the fact that it is in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
Yes, the immediate area around The Den isn't great, a scrap yard for old lorries, a traveller camp, some council estates and mix industrial units, but Bermondsey the place pisses all over Charlton! Bermondsey has some great old London pubs, as well as new micro breweries, a lovely riverfront along the Thames, lots of charismatic houses and streets and the location makes it both central London, but with the feel of an old fashioned London 'manor'. Deptford too - home to some great pubs, an exciting music and art scene and also charismatic houses and streets.
As for The Den. Ha, I can't argue there. But, as a Millwall fan I like the fact that it's a bit crap. If Millwall had to move from Cold Blow Lane into a new all seater stadium then thank Reg Burr that it was into a stadium that wouldn't look out of place in some Eastern bloc country. Functional and without glamour. Perfect. All I think we need to do is fill in the corners and make the lower tiers safe standing to top it off.
Furthermore, as others have pointed to the Reading fans who have said that The Den is a pain to get to...
It is a 4 minute train ride from London Bridge (one of the capitals most central stations) and South Bermondsey is the first stop & actually overlooks the ground. There is also a walkway direct from the station to the away turnstiles. Trains for South Bermondsey run every 20 minutes or so. If that's a pain to get to then I can only assume that those posters expect to be dropped off at the turnstile in a golden carriage or only go to watch Reading away at Aldershot in a pre-season friendly?!?
The Den is all ringed by Bermondsey, Surrey Quays and Canada Water tube stations. Or, you could get the train to New Cross and walk the old way to the ground. Plus, there is a bus stop a 2 minute walk from the ground. Pain to get to??
There are pubs near(ish) the ground - The Surrey Docks, Ancient Forresters and the Blue Anchor are all walkable. However, bar the Surrey Docks (a weatherspoons), probably best to avoid. There a plenty of good pubs around London Bridge. Then hop on train for a 4 minute trip to South Bermondsey (pain to get to??!!).