1500 season tickets remain

[Van der MoodHoover]

This half fan can only get to about 6 home and about the same away games each season, so stop buying those seats up you full fans and leave a few for us!

more home games than me over the last few years mate.....so I must be a 3/8 fan at best

if we're attracting all these half-fans, we don't need a bigger ground as we'll be able to fit 60k in.....

[MuespachRam]

I have given my explanation. The logic is sound. More away fans, less home matches would boost the average attendance. PL football against bigger and better clubs. 6/7 games against some of the biggest clubs in the world with some of the best players in the world. No one is talking about expanding the stadium just because we went up. This is all based on the ambition of the club. Becoming an established mid-table (top half) club. This isn't about where we are but where we are going. You would have been the type to have said we don't need a 33,500 seat stadium when we were at the Baseball ground. 

I remain gutted that we moved to the souless pit that is pride park you are correct about that, the rest is rubbish.

The Premiershite isnt all it is cracked up to be, 6/7 games agaionst the biggest clubs in the World...give me strength...you are watchign too much Sky Sports News son... 1 or 2 against real big globally huge clubs and then the majority of games against  medicore clubs with medicore support like Palace, Stoke, Watford, Bournemouth, Leciester, Norwich, West Brom, West Ham, Swansea, Sunderland etc.

It is much better to have demand for tickets and sell out the ground against the big clubs than to have 20000 empty seats when we play Bournemouth, Watford, Palace, Stoke, Norwich, West Brom etc etc etc

[eddie]

Once we are in the Premiership there is also the option of safe standing areas which would add an extra 1500 to 2000 places bringing the capacity up to White Hart Lane standards. In the 1st Division heydays of the 70s we averaged just over 35000 at BBG. I know that is a long time ago but with the total coverage of Sky, BT etc. we are attracting more fans from outside the area. I think 35000 capacity would be just about right IMHO. If DCFC want to expand further they could look at installing new executive boxes possibly on the East Side.

There's no guarantee that Safe Standing will be introduced in the near (or even long-term) future.

[Van der MoodHoover]

Interested to know Southampton's current thinking on ground expansion, they are the benchmark to be aiming for over the next 3/4 seasons, they sell out every week, have a similar city/suburb population, are there any plans afoot for capacity increase?

Nothing has hit the local press down here to my knowledge. The ground (St Marys) isn't as conveniently situated as the iPro - it was crammed into an old gasworks site near the centre of town and the road/rail links aren't great.

[rammieib]

We might sell the home allocation out in there Premier League but really against expansion. I think a large majority of fans are now coming to games because they want to watch Derby, and care less about who the away team is. Sure more plastics will appear, that's obvious and more people who support the Prem teams will be sat in the home end, but a full house is far more exciting than 35k in a 40k stadium bar a few matches. I don't want to give visiting teams 5000 away tickets either!

Last season, just how many games did we sell out? Exclude Forest, did we actually sell out any other game. That gives you an idea of the supporter base at the moment. It's not there to support another 10,000 fans. 

The worst case of all this, look at Sheffield Wednesday or Leeds. More empty seats that taken up. Shocking atmosphere, and big name clubs turn into relics. No thanks! I like us just the way we are.

[MuespachRam]

We might sell the home allocation out in there Premier League but really against expansion. I think a large majority of fans are now coming to games because they want to watch Derby, and care less about who the away team is. Sure more plastics will appear, that's obvious and more people who support the Prem teams will be sat in the home end, but a full house is far more exciting than 35k in a 40k stadium bar a few matches. I don't want to give visiting teams 5000 away tickets either!

Last season, just how many games did we sell out? Exclude Forest, did we actually sell out any other game. That gives you an idea of the supporter base at the moment. It's not there to support another 10,000 fans. 

The worst case of all this, look at Sheffield Wednesday or Leeds. More empty seats that taken up. Shocking atmosphere, and big name clubs turn into relics. No thanks! I like us just the way we are.

Exactly right....we didnt sell out one game last season....or the season before that either, i got a ticket on the day of the game for Brighton at home in the play off semi final... we dont need a bigger stadium, there are a million things wrong with the stadium but the capacity is definitely not one of the problems it has.

[ashram]

'there are a million things wrong with the stadium'-really?? Wasn't it just voted best place to watch football in the Championship? I personally loved the BBG, but I wouldn't swap it for the envy of the football league we have today.

As for expansion... forget it. It won't be needed for at least another generation, and only if the City of Derby's population increases at it's current rate.

[curb]

Exactly right....we didnt sell out one game last season....or the season before that either, i got a ticket on the day of the game for Brighton at home in the play off semi final... we dont need a bigger stadium, there are a million things wrong with the stadium but the capacity is definitely not one of the problems it has.

What's with all the negativity about the I-pro?

What do you think the BBG would look like now if it was still our ground?

You couldn't redevelop it because of the space, and if you did manage to shoehorn some new stands in there, it wouldn't be the same anyway.

i loved the BBG, but it's days were long gone. If you're going to Grimsby, then stop and think when you get there, that could be us. They spent most of the 80s and 90s in the same division as us, so it could have gone both ways for both clubs.

i also appreciate the I-pro, and get a buzz of excitement walking up the steps.

 

its not the ground so much, it's the people in it, the demographic has totally changed. In the days of the BBG it was all lads on the piss all day, look at the old pictures of the Popside.

Nowadays everyone drives, there are more older people, more women and kids going to football who wouldn't be stood up baiting the oppo fans, everybody's sat there playing with their phones, it's just not the same people who go now, that would've happened whatever ground we play in. Different times.

[MuespachRam]

What's with all the negativity about the I-pro?

What do you think the BBG would look like now if it was still our ground?

You couldn't redevelop it because of the space, and if you did manage to shoehorn some new stands in there, it wouldn't be the same anyway.

i loved the BBG, but it's days were long gone. If you're going to Grimsby, then stop and think when you get there, that could be us. They spent most of the 80s and 90s in the same division as us, so it could have gone both ways for both clubs.

i also appreciate the I-pro, and get a buzz of excitement walking up the steps.

 

its not the ground so much, it's the people in it, the demographic has totally changed. In the days of the BBG it was all lads on the piss all day, look at the old pictures of the Popside.

Nowadays everyone drives, there are more older people, more women and kids going to football who wouldn't be stood up baiting the oppo fans, everybody's sat there playing with their phones, it's just not the same people who go now, that would've happened whatever ground we play in. Different times.

I think the new ground is as good as it could have been, i hate that it is on an indsutrial park in the middle of nowhere and that you have to drive to get there and that there is no community feel to the place at all, but i also accept that football has moved on totally.....and i am also 100% sure it isnt for the best..

[eddie]

I think the new ground is as good as it could have been, i hate that it is on an indsutrial park in the middle of nowhere and that you have to drive to get there and that there is no community feel to the place at all, but i also accept that football has moved on totally.....and i am also 100% sure it isnt for the best..

It's closer to the city centre and the railway station than the BBG was.

[Animal is a Ram]

It's closer to the city centre and the railway station than the BBG was.

Especially now they've put an entrance on the Pride Park side.

Dead easy to get there, only about 15 mins walk [45 mins if you happen to get stuck in the Harvester...]

[Srg]

People having some teary eyed memories over the shithole that is Derby city centre? The area around the BBG was horrendous.

[MuespachRam]

It's closer to the city centre and the railway station than the BBG was.

and..?

there is nowhere to park, no decent pubs, no houses around to create a community atmosphere.

I remember being really excited when they started building it and the opening of it etc, but from the first game i knew it wasn't gogin to be the same anymore...i guess football has changed.... and if i was any sort of person i would now be typing a hashtag and then against modern football....

[ram59]

Yes, it would have been great to stay at the BBG. Just like my faithful old broom, mind you its had 5 new handles and 6 new brushes over the years. 

How many grounds look anything like they did 40 years ago?

[Van der MoodHoover]

Yes, it would have been great to stay at the BBG. Just like my faithful old broom, mind you its had 5 new handles and 6 new brushes over the years.

How many grounds look anything like they did 40 years ago?

Belper Town?

[eddie]

and..?

there is nowhere to park, no decent pubs, no houses around to create a community atmosphere.

I remember being really excited when they started building it and the opening of it etc, but from the first game i knew it wasn't gogin to be the same anymore...i guess football has changed.... and if i was any sort of person i would now be typing a hashtag and then against modern football....

Contradicting yourself or moving the goalposts?

There are thousands of parking places on Pride Park whereas the only car park 'near' the Baseball Ground was Rolls Royce, which involved a trek along Osmaston Road, through the jitty and down Columbo Street, or along the footpath over the railway footbridge, past the Pear Tree Tavern and up Vulcan Street.

As for 'decent pubs' - where were they? It was from an era of tied houses selling rubbish 'lager' like Skol, rubbish 'bitter' like Whitbread Trophy and the like. Regarding the presence of the houses, they were the reason for moving the ground because the club were unable to get planning permission to build new stands because they would have blocked out the light from the houses. The Brunswick is only 15 minutes from the ground, and it's better than anything that was available anywhere near the BBG.

It's ok to just say "I don't like the iPro".

[MuespachRam]

Contradicting yourself or moving the goalposts?

There are thousands of parking places on Pride Park whereas the only car park 'near' the Baseball Ground was Rolls Royce, which involved a trek along Osmaston Road, through the jitty and down Columbo Street, or along the footpath over the railway footbridge, past the Pear Tree Tavern and up Vulcan Street.

As for 'decent pubs' - where were they? It was from an era of tied houses selling rubbish 'lager' like Skol, rubbish 'bitter' like Whitbread Trophy and the like. Regarding the presence of the houses, they were the reason for moving the ground because the club were unable to get planning permission to build new stands because they would have blocked out the light from the houses. The Brunswick is only 15 minutes from the ground, and it's better than anything that was available anywhere near the BBG.

It's ok to just say "I don't like the iPro".

i dont like the iPro.

Street parking....FREE

Baseball chippy....AWESOME

The Grange....ATMOSPHERE

(but the Brunswick is a great pre match beer i have to agree)

[rammieib]

Biggest gripe for me is how far away from the pitch the crowd is.

[Animal is a Ram]

i dont like the iPro.

Street parking....FREE

Baseball chippy....AWESOME

The Grange....ATMOSPHERE

(but the Brunswick is a great pre match beer i have to agree)

I park on street for free - 10-15 mins walk away.

And no, I'm not having you steal my spot.

[ossieram]

I also park on Pride park for free and it's less than 5 minutes walk to the ground and handy for the Merlin and a couple of pints of IPA or whatever bitter they have on.