Opinions pls: develop putney end into the new home stand.

[Adam87]

Now that the redevelopment of the ground will be up and running soon, it makes you think where are the club going to go next with this as they must be looking to get things moving now, which im glad the club have as we desperatly need to start competing with the top clubs or risk of being left behind in the long run....im talking finances and attendences here....

So....i was chatting with my friends and we were all in agreement that the putney stand should be made the new home end, i proposed that they should build a huge single tier stand, a smaller version of the borussia dortmand stand (my fav ground). I dont know how far up they could build, as expanding into bishops park would happen and getting permission for that is going to be a struggle. But the thought of having a 9,000 seater stand of fulham fans next to the cottage when the players come out is a quite a picture. I know alot of people have alot of attachment to the hammersmith end, but alot of the older supporters will tell you the putney end was the home end along time ago.

Anyway...thoughts on this please...

[rhyspabsolom]

It'll be a long time before we develop any OTHER stands but I definitely see your point.

I've always wondered why the 'home end' is so far away from the Cottage.
'Neutrals' next to it in league and then away right next to it in Europa, seems strange.

Imagine them making that change though, the traditionalists (read: old fogies) would be throwing their season tickets into the Thames.
Then again, if that happened I suppose Ruiz would get some respite.

[JBH]

I think both ends should be for the Home fans only and make the JH stand for Away and Neutral 065.gif

[tommy]

I thought it worked well during the Europa games when the away fans has the section of JH. We don't have the fan base though to fill both ends.

[JBH]

I thought it worked well during the Europa games when the away fans has the section of JH. We don't have the fan base though to fill both ends.

If that was case we wouldn't need to increase our current capacity. Our fan base is growing all the time and as long as the games are priced correctly it will continue to do so.

[Holders]

I goes against the grain but I do see the argument for it.

[Rupert]

I've argued for this for years, imagine the opposition coming out to a hostile (well, Fulham-type hostile  :021:) reception, with their own fans away in the far corner of the ground?
At half time they walk back towards that atmosphere.

It must have some sort of psycological effect.

[The Doctor]

I'm with JBH...why not two home ends?  I think someone last week suggested tucking the away fans into a few blocks of the new Riverside nearest the Putney End

We are the Putney, we are the Putney, we are the Putney End of the ground...

We are the Hammy, we are the Hammy, we are the Hammy End of the ground...

[MJG]

Maybe..just maybe the police prefer the away fans at the putney end as the coaches park down that end.
Not so much room at the Hammersmith end. That way the fans don't really have to pass each other right outside the JH stand.

I would still give the away fans the corner next to the river, but I would get rid of the neutral part and fence off the away part with turnstiles in the park for away fans.

[TonyGilroy]

The neutral area is clearly good for sales and there's been no aggro.

There is an issue with crowd noise at present as it simply doesn't carry to other stands. It might after the new stand is built. When it is the club will want to sell out and the neutral area will become even more important.

Turnstiles into Bishop's Park have never been allowed.

[ScalleysDad]

Tweaking the Putney End for a starters might help. P1 to P4 designated home sections for home fans only, P5 neutral tourists and guests as well as away fans for those big fitures. P6 onwards for away oiks. Lower the roof to improve the acoustics, some of us do put an effort in, and get the away oiks to sit the heck down. If we stand up to chant we half expect a red dot to appear on our chest before being taken out.

Fair point about away fans MJG but the ridiculous exit strategy means there is plenty of scope for things to kick off if the mood ever went that way. When we did this topic before the idea of gates straight out into the park was muted but I suspect the planning department might trash that option.

[TonyGilroy]

If we stand up to chant we half expect a red dot to appear on our chest before being taken out.

That would work for me.

[MJG]

Im pretty sure that the new stand plans have turnstiles in the park..but like most times I may be wrong.

TG im fully aware of what the neutral zone allows and brings to the club having sat in P1/2 for the last couple of years. Its one of the things that make me always question do we have enough real fans to fill 30k. Yes the big games are nearly full price but the other 50% of games seem subsidized.
No aggro that's right, but to get a more fulham related experience we need to sort out the segregation rules in that end. Not that I care much but its just another thing for oppo fans to beat us over the head about.

[TonyGilroy]

If you're a regular and want the Fulham Experience then the Putney End isn't the place to be, surely.

It's for casuals, people who can't get a seat elsewhere or people who want to with friends who aren't regulars.

[MJG]

If you're a regular and want the Fulham Experience then the Putney End isn't the place to be, surely.

It's for casuals, people who can't get a seat elsewhere or people who want to with friends who aren't regulars.

I'm a regular and have been for 35 years. The reason I was in the Putney end for 2 years was a financial decision for me & my old man after the European run cost a bomb.
The fulham experience as I said was about Fulham fans being togther which is how the club pushed P1 & P2, they did not keep to the sprit of the marketing and the whole of P1 accross is really just mixed fans.
Cottage corner is not for casuals as you put it and a large number are 'real' fulham fans and have been for a long time, I would say they have been let down by the club in not enforcing the away fan policy in those blocks.

[epsomraver]

They are not very good at enforcing that in any  part of the ground but I take your point regarding the cottage corner.

[zzamora]

The simple fact of the matter is we cannont build back with that stand. So your dreams of a broussia style home end (which holds a lot more than 9,000) is just a dream.

Personally, I think we should give away fans half of the riverside stand and turn the putney end into another home stand, with the other half of the riverside stand being home/netural.

It would ONLY work however, if a number of the more vocal from the Hammersmith End agreed to move to the Putney End.

[mangoputney]

Don't quite understand the need for Hammy end recruitment to the Putney end, like already noted there's a fair few proper fulham nuts in there who give it a lot of voice... Just massively outnumbered due to away ticketing guidelines...

Acoustics at the cottage is rubbish, you really struggle to hear the Hammy most matches

Club should really think about putting away fans in the extended Riverside, all the silence merchants in the JH and more vocal behind each goal

Surely a massive home advantage

[MJG]

Acoustics at the cottage is rubbish, you really struggle to hear the Hammy most matches

Thats a really good point, if you sit in the Hammersmith end you would think we sound so noisy, but honestly if you are in the Putney end you cant really hear anything from there.

[rhyspabsolom]

Might we tuck away fans into the giddy heights of the new stand?
Not quite St. James Park but a similar idea, get them as far away from the pitch as possible.

That said, wouldn't want them benefitting from the lush new mod-cons we'd have up there.