I opened my inbox this morning to discover an email from Arsenal regarding standing at the Grove. They say;

In one or two sections of the stadium, it is becoming increasingly apparent that supporters have been standing throughout some of the matches.

Although;

[the Club] have no objection to people standing in order to see a particular move or at crucial points in the game.

They cite the general welfare and comfort of other supporters as their main concern, although safety is a major factor.

Let's deal with 'general welfare and comfort' first. The club felt the need to point out that when you stand up, people behind can't see, and not necessarily just the person directly behind. I sympathise with young supporters and supporters who cannot stand for great lengths of time, I really do. I've been in a situation myself where someone standing directly resulted in me being unable to see. At 6' something, that's no longer an issue - so long as I stand up myself. 

I never stand up unless it's absolutely necessary. For example, when a goal has been scored. When the guy ten rows back shouts to stand up if you love Arsenal/hate T*ttenham. When we get to the tenth man to have gone to bed with a certain number three in east Fulham. You get the idea. 

Standing up at matches helps engineer an atmosphere. I have no doubt in my mind that the atmosphere at the Grove improves tenfold during periods of standing, and I think it would improve more if standing were allowed in the stadium. (But then let's face it, it wouldn't take much at certain matches.) 

Now for the safety issue. They talk about a potential 'domino effect' of people falling over onto each other, potentially causing injuries. Potentially. I understand their concerns, but I feel they've gone too far. Firstly, the stewards do their jobs properly; I've never seen the gangways blocked by fans at any match except at the ends when the stewards attempt to stagger the emptying of the stadium. Secondly, there is just as much risk at the start and end of every match when fans are flocking in and out of the stadium, especially upper tier. The 'elf 'n' safety crew at the Grove would have heart attacks if they saw King's Cross during rush hour. 

There is a point to my rambling, and it's this; I understand people enjoy standing and singing at matches. I also understand that people enjoy sitting and get annoyed when people disrupt their view. The solution is simple; bring in an all-standing area. This way, those who want to stand can. Those who want to sit, can. Kids and those who can't stand for a great length of time can enjoy the game without their view being disrupted. Safety concerns about the standing areas could be alleviated by building in several large exits to the concourses to avoid crushes. I know it's an odd conclusion to come to following an email saying we should remain seated as much as possible, but there you go.

Finally, I've had a look at the seeding for the up coming Champions League season. Qualifying could potentially be tricky, with Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray potential opponents. In the group stages, assuming all the seeded teams qualify, we could end up in a group with; Bayern Munich, Roma or Villarreal; Juventus or Zenit St. Petersburg and; Spartak Moscow, Shakhtar Donetsk or Fiorentina. There's a real group of death lying in there. That'd be great!

Til next time.  

On Wednesday, I came back from a holiday to the States. You never realise how bad Britain is until you return from a holiday. The streets are dirty, people are rude, the toilets have fag butts in the bowls, and absolutely everything is more expensive. The American's even do sports stadia and events better.

Whilst I was in the States, I went to a baseball game. I had never even seen a baseball game before, so I didn't really know what to expect. The Minnesota Twins hosted the Cleveland Indians at the Metrodome, and it was one of the best sports games I have ever been to. I won't pretend to understand the game as much as I do football, but the game was thoroughly enjoyable, and not just because the Twins won 4-3; the whole matchday experience beat the crap out of a day out at the Arsenal.

To start with, the ticket was incredibly cheap. My ticket cost $25 -- not even Junior Gunners pay that little. The grub inside the stadium was good (and hot, which tends to help), and cost relatively little. I can't remember the exact price, but it was certainly less than at the Grove.

The exteriors of the two stadia were fairly similar; mainly concrete, with the odd bit of decoration here and there, although the Metrodome was far more decorated. However, the outsides of the stadia could not have been more different; whereas the Grove has a great number of Magazine and Programme stalls, fanzine sellers, burger vans and very little else, the Metrodome has a small fete. Food and drink is available, but you can also buy some official merchandise. There was a basketball hoop for kids and adults to play on, and there was an autograph session with an ex-player going on. All this outside my gate!

The interiors of the stadia could not have been more different. The Metrodome is full of colour and life. Photographs along the walls show you the current crop of Twins players, as well as the odd legend. There is a ring along the top of the wall providing you with the results for the various youth sports events the stadium has hosted. Food, drink and official merchandise kiosks are colourful and manned by friendly people who actually smile at you (and not just because I have a British accent, thank you very much). Not one of the walls showed bare concrete. You could tell you were inside a sports stadium, and whose stadium it was, without having to look up at the flat-screen TVs hanging from the ceiling. This is in stark contrast to the concourse of the Grove, which is grey, lifeless and boring.

When it came to the bowl of the stadium, there was, again, no contest. The Metrodome was comfortable. You could see all of the action and you weren't constantly berated for standing up to cheer. The stewards were virtually invisible, which I think is a good thing. Naturally, the seats were not as good as at the Grove, but every single one had a cup holder on the back. The bowl itself wasn't as nice to look at, and several thousand seats were folded away to accomodate the outfield, but it was still very good aesthetically. During the match, the atmosphere was great. Everyone was having a great time. The mobile food vendors weren't as loud and disruptive as I thought they might be, and they actually enhanced the atmosphere.

The only bit of the stadium I didn't like was entering and exiting. Due to the inflated roof, the air pressure inside was different to outside, so your ears popped upon entering and exiting. It took me by surprise both times, but I suppose it's just something you get used to.

All in all, though, this was definitely one of the best sports events I've ever been to. The only ones that beat it are the 2006 Heineken Cup Final (when Munster beat Olympique Biarritz) at the Millenium Stadium, and last season's 2-0 Champions League win over AC Milan at San Siro. Not one game at the Grove or Highbury came close. That really is very sad, and I think it's definitely something we, as Gooners, and the club need to work on.