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Post by furballxl5 on Jan 13, 2014 13:26:03 GMT
So some important questions I've always wondered about EP:
1. Where did the original scoreboard come from? Is it true it came from Villa Park? And why has it never worked properly? Surely it's not a complicated piece of kit to control? What happened to the amusing cartoons we used to have on it?
2. The Cheadle End is very functionally designed, with no extra flourishes, except for a random bit of steel work at an angle over the ticket office. Was this purely to hold the 'tickets' sign? It seems a bit of effort and is oddly placed.
3. For the typographers here, what is the typeface used for the Stockport County AFC on the main stand?
All important questions I think you'll agree.
Any ideas? Or further strange things you've noticed at EP (excluding players, fans, officials and CEOs)
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Post by Henry Pratt on Jan 13, 2014 13:30:45 GMT
1. I heard both Sheff Utd and Blackburn. It did work for a bit, but suffered from bulbs popping and not being replaced, I think. There was a discussion on the mailing list years ago, where the guy who controlled it was asking for help to program new fun whackiness. Given its age, I suspect there wasn't a nice friendly Windows/Mac interface, but rather you had to create the cartoons using ASCII characters and MS-DOS.
2. The Cheadle End is a shit design, both inside and out. As well as the bit you talk about, what about the red circles on the back? And restricted view seats in a post 1990 stand? It's one of the worst of the "new" stands I've seen.
3. I wish I knew, but you're right, it's a very important question.
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Post by Jack on Jan 13, 2014 13:37:52 GMT
So some important questions I've always wondered about EP: 1. Where did the original scoreboard come from? Is it true it came from Villa Park? And why has it never worked properly? Surely it's not a complicated piece of kit to control? What happened to the amusing cartoons we used to have on it? 2. The Cheadle End is very functionally designed, with no extra flourishes, except for a random bit of steel work at an angle over the ticket office. Was this purely to hold the 'tickets' sign? It seems a bit of effort and is oddly placed. 3. For the typographers here, what is the typeface used for the Stockport County AFC on the main stand? All important questions I think you'll agree. Any ideas? Or further strange things you've noticed at EP (excluding players, fans, officials and CEOs) You are Rob Clare and you are building a Cheadle End replica at Woodley - and I claim my £5. Now it all fits.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2014 14:07:15 GMT
The original scoreboard was a blackboard on a stick,with half-time scores chalked on it .
,This was carried round the ground by an old chap named Ernie.The scores were sometimes obliterated by snowballs but he still completed his circuit of the pitch.
How's that for a useful bit of information?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2014 14:21:52 GMT
The amusing cartoons were great, I remember it used to show things like I O County when we won a corner and various other simple chants. I can't remember exactly when they stopped using them now you've mentioned it.
I recall a while ago someone saying the extra iron work was to stop someone being able to drive into the ticket office. Equally I could've made that up in a random dream as it seems a bit ridiculous as well...........
What's the restricted view in the Cheadle End though? I've sat in various parts of it over the years and never had any issue with the view at all.
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Post by furballxl5 on Jan 13, 2014 15:09:26 GMT
With the state of the team in recent years the restricted view seats would probably be worth more. Opportunity missed.
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Post by furballxl5 on Jan 13, 2014 15:20:57 GMT
2. The Cheadle End is a shit design, both inside and out. As well as the bit you talk about, what about the red circles on the back? And restricted view seats in a post 1990 stand? It's one of the worst of the "new" stands I've seen. Agreed. Steve Bellis once told me, (does that make me ITK?) not long after it had been built that the next part of the plan was a nearly identical version at the Railway End but with a real upper tier, followed by the same on the pop side and eventually main stand. The corners would be filled in but the corners at the CE left open. Supposedly there was at least preliminary drawings made looking into how the pop side could be built backwards on raised legs. It could and I'm reasonably certain is an apocryphal tale.
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Post by Henry Pratt on Jan 13, 2014 15:24:49 GMT
The amusing cartoons were great, I remember it used to show things like I O County when we won a corner and various other simple chants. I can't remember exactly when they stopped using them now you've mentioned it. I recall a while ago someone saying the extra iron work was to stop someone being able to drive into the ticket office. Equally I could've made that up in a random dream as it seems a bit ridiculous as well........... What's the restricted view in the Cheadle End though? I've sat in various parts of it over the years and never had any issue with the view at all. There's a number of seats in the front row of the upper tier which are directly behind the handrails which serve the steps to get up to the stand from the concourse. I sat in one once and it's an appalling view. There aren't many - maybe four for each set of steps - but in a modern stand there shouldn't be any at all.
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Post by Henry Pratt on Jan 13, 2014 15:37:55 GMT
2. The Cheadle End is a shit design, both inside and out. As well as the bit you talk about, what about the red circles on the back? And restricted view seats in a post 1990 stand? It's one of the worst of the "new" stands I've seen. Agreed. Steve Bellis once told me, (does that make me ITK?) not long after it had been built that the next part of the plan was a nearly identical version at the Railway End but with a real upper tier, followed by the same on the pop side and eventually main stand. The corners would be filled in but the corners at the CE left open. Supposedly there was at least preliminary drawings made looking into how the pop side could be built backwards on raised legs. It could and I'm reasonably certain is an apocryphal tale. There were definitely long term plans for what you describe, because I've seen them. When the Cheadle End planning permission was going through, I went to look at the plans at the council, and they did relate to all four sides, as I recall (certainly three anyway - CE, Pop and Railway). As well as the plans, there was even a model of the Cheadle End, about two feet high, on display. I don't know whether it was to save money, or what, but they'd also had further plans drawn up for the rest of the ground - I assume this is what SB talked to you about. I don't remember legs on the Pop Side, but if you look at the ground from above you can see that the stand would either have to be slightly odd shaped or maybe be on legs at the reservoir end of it, if it was to go the full width, due to one of the reservoirs being in the way. Interestingly, the stand for which they got planning permission wasn't the one that ended up built. The design on the plan was quite different - the roof wasn't supported by the current red "goalposts" but seemed to have pillars, albeit smallish ones, towards the back. I remember talking to David Jolley as the Cheadle End went up, and I mentioned the plans had changed and he came over all defensive - "no they haven't!" I went on to say that I approved of the change, because there would now be no posts in the way, and he mellowed a bit. I did wonder at the time whether they'd had any grief for building something slightly different to the plans, though. One final point that's worth remembering is that when the Pop Side was seated in 93-94, they didn't just bolt seats on, but reprofiled the stand, meaning what's there now wouldn't have to be replaced if a second tier went on. This would, I was lead to believe at the time, mean that a new second tier would cost a lot less than the second tier of a completely new stand, because foundations, etc, are already in place, as is what would effectively become the bottom tier. Worth noting whenever you hear cost-based arguments for flitting.
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Post by hedleyverity on Jan 13, 2014 18:29:48 GMT
Wasn't the scoreboard from Sheff Utd? I remember some talk of it malfunctioning occasionally and reading 'Come on you Blades', never saw it with my own eyes though.
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Post by furballxl5 on Jan 13, 2014 18:44:47 GMT
Ah that does fit in with what Mr Bellis said that day. I seem to remember a hotel being mentioned as well. It seems strange that the vision for all that could change so quickly. I know Elwood starting to withdraw after the Maine Road fiasco started things off but why would that have been the end of his plans with EP, especially after redeveloping the CE. With the team where they were at the time a modernised EP would have brought more people in, like the Reebok did and facilities like a hotel would surely have helped funds. It seems the vision was given up on quite quickly at around the time the demise started.
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Post by someoneelse on Jan 15, 2014 2:03:01 GMT
The typeface on the main stand isn't a typeface at all. I actually did some research into it a couple of years ago. It was common when the stand was built for no particular typeface to be used but more a generic style.
The club should get a typeface of its own designed, based on those letters. It wouldn't even be that expensive. It could then be used in and around the ground. I think Arsenal did something similar with the Emirates using Highbury as inspiration.
And that big ugly metal structure in front of the ticket office is a strange one. I've heard it was put there to deter ram raiders, which seems odd to me.
What about those red dots? They're weird.
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Post by Imposter on Jan 15, 2014 10:55:03 GMT
What about those red dots? They're weird. They're not weird. They're load-bearing dots.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2014 12:20:34 GMT
What about those red dots? They're weird. They're not weird. They're load-bearing dots. they also give poor old dosser palpitations
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Post by someoneelse on Jan 15, 2014 14:02:36 GMT
What about those red dots? They're weird. They're not weird. They're load-bearing dots. Load what?
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