Would you swap Madejski Stadium for Elm Park?

floyd__streete · by **floyd__streete** » 18 Jan 2016 11:06

Ok we’ve had our fun, two spells in the top flight and arguably none of that would be possible without having moved to the Madj. But imagining if we could rebuild EP brick-for-brick would you swap what we have now for what we had then?

Inaudible PA system, biohazard toilets, barbed wire, Southbank mesh fence, the ‘boink’ as a clearance hits the South Bank roof, proper floodlight pylons creating a glow you can see from the other side of town, The Rendezvous, a ladder blocking your view, gerroutthewaaaaaaaaay, The Tilehurst Road slope will be closed for 15 minutes after the game......

The caveat is that you also have to have Mike Conroy rather than Orlando Sa......DEAL.

John Smith · by **John Smith** » 18 Jan 2016 11:13

100%. In a heartbeat

Lenny The Tramp · by **Lenny The Tramp** » 18 Jan 2016 11:24

For one match a season.

Preferably FA Cup, home to Cardiff. Replay that goes to extra time. (That was Elm Park atmosphere at its best).

But for every one of those games though, there were dozens of matches where the ground was silent and mostly empty. Anyone else at the Chesterfield home game in 81-82 - attendance just over 1,900. Tilehurst End more morgue-like than ever.

Tony Le Mesmer · by **Tony Le Mesmer** » 18 Jan 2016 11:32

I actually had a dream recently that we started the season at Elm Park because everyone at the club had forgotten that we'd moved

Someone pointed this out half way through a game and we all refused to move.

Green · by **Green** » 18 Jan 2016 11:53

100%, would mean I'd start attending home games again.

Sutekh · by **Sutekh** » 18 Jan 2016 11:55

Tony Le Mesmer I actually had a dream recently that we started the season at Elm Park because everyone at the club had forgotten that we'd moved

Someone pointed this out half way through a game and we all refused to move.

Hurry, free drinks for all concerned...

Winchester Royal · by **Winchester Royal** » 18 Jan 2016 11:55

It would actually have to BE at Elm Park though, none of this retail park malarky.

West Stand Man · by **West Stand Man** » 18 Jan 2016 12:06

Swap a clean, modern stadium with good cover, plenty of space, catering to suit the crowd in favour of a piss stained, shit smelling dump in Tilehurst. Hmmm, tough call that one.

I wonder how many of those voting in favour actually went to Elm Park at any time? It was a horrid stadium that was holding the club back. Anyone seriously thinking it was better than Madejski really does have strongly rose tinted glasses.

Tony Le Mesmer · by **Tony Le Mesmer** » 18 Jan 2016 12:26

West Stand Man Swap a clean, modern stadium with good cover, plenty of space, catering to suit the crowd in favour of a piss stained, shit smelling dump in Tilehurst. Hmmm, tough call that one.

I wonder how many of those voting in favour actually went to Elm Park at any time? It was a horrid stadium that was holding the club back. Anyone seriously thinking it was better than Madejski really does have strongly rose tinted glasses.

FUCK OFF

Forbury Lion · by **Forbury Lion** » 18 Jan 2016 12:26

Didn't Middlesborough keep their old ground as a training ground when they moved the the Riverside?

In an ideal world Elm Park would have been kept as a football museum and used for testimonials/historical matches and so on.... but without selling it on we would not have been able to have the Madejski.

Elm Park was great, but I personally found it very discomforting to stand for an entire game and my back would often lock up - usually just before we scored and someone pushed me forwards in the surge.

We can't go back but maybe we can learn lessons from the past to make the future a better experience by attempting to replicating the better things from the old days, like the atmosphere.

floyd__streete · by **floyd__streete** » 18 Jan 2016 13:07

West Stand Man catering to suit the crowd

The one thing which EP and the Madj have in common actually is the catering, which was/is absolute pigswill in both cases.

genome · by **genome** » 18 Jan 2016 13:26

Nah. I feel the novelty would wear off after a few games.

The Sum of the Parts · by **The Sum of the Parts** » 18 Jan 2016 13:47

Without the move to the MadStad there'd have been no Steve Coppell, no 106-point team and no Premier League.

So no.

One8Seven1* · by One8Seven1* » 18 Jan 2016 13:55

Give me a 25,000 capacity Elm Park and I'd be the happiest man alive!
As that can't happen, I'd rip out the seats in the East, South and North and replace the roof with rusty tin in a heart-beat!

tidus_mi2 · by **tidus_mi2** » 18 Jan 2016 14:45

I feel like a dick voting for the MadStad considering I never actually went to Elm Park.

The Royal Forester · by **The Royal Forester** » 18 Jan 2016 15:47

Elm Park was where we could watch the best team in the world, (according to us Biscuitmen fans anyway). Now we are at the Mad Stad. we can watch the best team in much more comfort, getting to the stadium and parking is a bit easier as well, crowds are bigger, the class of football has been raised including two spells in the top tier. Who would have thought that, when watching Reading play Workington at Elm Park? Now that age has crept up on me and my legs, I don't think I would be able to stand for a couple of hours, so my answer to the question is no, I am just as happy watching at The Madejski Stadium but not when we lose, but that was also the case at Elm Park.

West Stand Man · by **West Stand Man** » 18 Jan 2016 15:57

Tony Le Mesmer
West Stand Man Swap a clean, modern stadium with good cover, plenty of space, catering to suit the crowd in favour of a piss stained, shit smelling dump in Tilehurst. Hmmm, tough call that one.

I wonder how many of those voting in favour actually went to Elm Park at any time? It was a horrid stadium that was holding the club back. Anyone seriously thinking it was better than Madejski really does have strongly rose tinted glasses.

FUCK OFF

Ah yes, the old balanced argument with a bit of fact thrown in. Wins every time.

Royal Rother · by **Royal Rother** » 18 Jan 2016 16:01

I far far preferred supporting RFC at Elm Park but obviously The Madejski Stadium is BETTER from almost every possible viewpoint.

Now I enjoy my football standing on one of the 4 or 5 steps of the terracing at Windsor's Stag Meadow and that suits me far better.

Better pitch, better grub (FAR better grub actually after having one of those shitty hot dogs against QPR), decent cuppa and a far nicer set of people than support Reading.

Oh and it only costs £6 to get in with free parking which is all football is worth in reality.

Portsmouth Royal · by **Portsmouth Royal** » 18 Jan 2016 16:13

I started out watching at Elm Park, and loved it....But how could anyone in any seriousness at all wish to go back in time? It was a dump, just it was our dump.

I enjoyed watching football more back then...but I was younger and it was a far more entertaining team under McGhee.

Agreed about the price thing. A football match really should give you change from a tenner if you don't buy any extras...

WoodleyRoyal · by **WoodleyRoyal** » 18 Jan 2016 17:15

It a was fab, proper match day experience. It was natural not forced the way it is now with rumblesticks, blaring music out the pa system so you can't hear what the person is saying next to you and no goal music. oh to do the walk along the oxford road again before the game - it was always fun.

You didn't need a season ticket, you could just pick and choose the games you were able to attend and not have to worry about being sat on your tod because all your mates now have no spare seats around them. All your mates would have their bit of the south bank, you knew where they were, you could just pitch up squeeze through and go and stand with them. You could sneak a couple of tinnies in smoke call the oppo fans oxf*rd as much as you wanted without the fear of some fleece wearing oxf*rd turning around and saying "can you mind your language there is a kid sat here"

. After the game you could jump on an old red routemaster and by the time conductor had got round the bus to take the fares you were already off

depressing soules megabowl is not how football should be.