Alexander LitvinenkoWest Stand Man I love all the rose tinted memories of the Elm Park atmosphere. I spent many a year going onto the South Bank, starting in 1966 and going through until we moved. I also sat in the stands on the odd occasion. It was great but throughout the time I was going there I dreamed of us moving to a decent stadium where I could feel proud of being a Reading fan rather than a urine infested flea pit.
As I have oft made clear, I don't have a hankering to return to standing. If it comes back under popular demand so be it. I do find it odd that the same group of people who are currently sitting together believe they will create a different atmosphere by standing. Again, if that is a popular belief, so be it. I still think it will take a lot to make the government 'take the risk' on this change. The proponents an cite evidence from safe standing in Germany but the legacy f the Englsh past lives on for too many people.
Strangely, while the noise on the South Bank sounded great when you were there but less so from the other side of the pitch. The pitched roof did that, trapping the sound in rather than reflecting out to the pitch. I have been to more atmospheric games at Madejski than I did at Elm Park. Mind you, that may be because we now get regular big crowds. Even before EP was limited to 11k we rarely got crowds that could really make the atmosphere hum.
But no-one is talking about a return to big, old terraces like the South Bank ... this is a much smaller scale, say just 15-25% or so of the stadium.
And it's not just about atmosphere - it's about choice. Lots of people prefer to watch matches while standing - this is letting them do so, while making sure they do it safely, and it also improves things for people who don't want to stand or who can't, because those who do want to are now somewhere else and not in their way any longer.
You have successfully managed to completely miss the point of my post.
