The Hotel End

A simple question asking for advice.

For the last few seasons I have our season tickets in the East Stand with my youngest, sat about halfway up and on the halfway line as I like the view it gives.

However my lad no longer wants to go, and the atmosphere is pretty dead in the East. I do long for a bit of singing/shouting/hurling abuse like I used to have when I went years ago.

Should I stick with my current seats or look to move into the North or West?

Personally i like a level of elevation that only the west stand can offer. Gives you the best overall view of the pitch and team shape and formation in my opinion.

If price matters to you, then go with the north. If it doesn't and if there is availability then have a look at low numbered seats in the West, that's where the majority of the noise comes from.

i don't think i would sit in the East if someone paid me to. On the plus side i guess if you are sitting in it, then you don't have to look at it like i do from the West.

Price doesn't really matter, I'll see what is available in the West.

I always tell people the benefit of sitting in the East is that you can't see how bad it looks!  ;D

Ditto, It always annoys me when I am late to the party for cup games and get shifted to the east or north west as its absolutely dead.

There’s a seat next to me in the West upper.  :o ;D

I always used to sit in the East. I actually liked that you were lower down, were closer to the action and could hear a lot of what was being said on the pitch. We only switched to the West when they started the redev work. When we had the option to move back we declined, purely because it looks like you'd get piss wet through with the big gap between the seats and the raised roof. I kind of miss sitting over there, to be honest; it had a friendlier atmosphere and we got to know the people sitting around us much better. Been sitting in the West for years now but still only on nodding terms with people as we pass them on our way to our seats.

West stand upper 2 blocks from the away end as far back as you can get.

Fair enough, if you prefer to be closer to the action, then i understand that. Completely agree with the rest of your post. the atmosphere is probably somewhat friendlier over there on account of it being where the family area is located. In its current form though it offers zero protection from the elements and thus, like you, i wouldn't want to sit there now

I’d be happy sitting on a pallet on the toilet block next to the East Stand. Jesus I miss it.

In terms of protection the East offers zero from the weather, unless there is no wind and the rain is coming directly down from the sky in a straight line.  ;D

 ;D This could be interesting.

What's your row/seat number, I'll come and cramp your style next time I'm up... ;)

Lower West stand is a bit cheaper, but if at the front you can still get wet!!

Upper Middle 50% tend to see game better, as higher up

Lower middle you can hear more on the pitch banter, but more of a side on view as you are lower and can’t see player positions so easily..

Ends are too near goal line so harder to see them going in, especially if being taken at the opposite end (like Wembley in the heights)

The lads who tend to be more up for a fight so to say, tend to be West Stand, South end, the good old Anglo Saxon probably isn’t for wallflowers/young kids, unless they want to learn a new set of vocabulary??

Never tried North/South stands, except for away matches and apart from being with fellow supporters, game isn’t that great game watching wise. I guess Sixfields would be similar??

Row N seems quite good tho!!

;D

I've had season tickets in the; west upper, south end, one row from back. Definitely the noisiest part of ground and if you like industrial banter between home and away and (at times) between fellow supporters this is the place for it. Its also the driest, warmest part of ground; lower middle west stand as close to concourse and central as possible offers best consistent view through the full ninety minutes; North stand, where I've been for last 12/15 years on back row is my favourite point though. With the small depth of North my seat is roughly where I would choose to stand/sit when travelling away (slightly to one side of goal) and I always find away games a more enjoyable experience to be honest. Still occasionally get wet though, even at back.

You’re near me, as is Coolcat.

It’s not a bad area.. Especially if we do get up a bit of an atmosphere. Good area as well for I think it the most accurate reflection of the supports feelings.

West every time. We had a season in the East, and the sun often made it very hard to see the football.


hold on...

Ive had a season ticket in North, East and West. North for the price. Row F just to the left of the goal was as low as I'd want to go. The far end a long way off and without the height can be difficult to see. I enjoyed the East, looking on to the West is a better outlook than looking on to the East. The sun makes it awkward and uncomfortable viewing though. And no facilities in there now. At least in the old East you had a kiosk. West for me now for the last 5 years, 3rd block in from the South, upper tier. On the fringes of the singers And good overall views including the dugout activity and the starlings over the lakes for when the football is dull.

Indeed, it’s for the more cultural supporters of a certain age 😎👍

If you can repeat this... it's your 3000th post!  ;D

Next time your up let me know 👍🍺🍺🍺🍺

Pay for a North one and walk into the West before the game starts, simple.

Knowing every game you are likely to be sitting in someone else's seat, moved on or worse!

Do you apply the same tactics every time you board a train too?

It’d be interesting to know why your youngest doesn’t want to go anymore...

I used to take my son (now 26) and although he never said he didn’t want to go anymore, I think he mainly came to please me. 

He lives in Bristol now (following university) and is a Liverpool supporter.  He still comes to a game if there’s one on when he comes back to visit; or when we’re away to Rovers and I’ve travelled down.

He’s not a Cobblers supporter however and doesn’t even keep up with the results.  Like you we used to sit in the East stand and I have wondered whether he might have got bitten by the bug had we sat somewhere there was more atmosphere - that’s what got me hooked in the county ground days.

On the other hand maybe I’ve done him a favour...

He's 15 and is a Cobblers supporter, but plays Saturday football and his girlfriend plays Sunday football and visits family afterwards. So Saturday afternoons are his time to see her at the weekend.  ::)

I'm tempted just to buy him a ticket anyway and then he can just turn up to what games he feels like.

Like you, I do think a bit more of the atmosphere might get him more excited but who knows.

Why not buy him and his girlfriend a ticket?

Careful, I took my new girlfriend on a first day out to watch the Cobblers and we ended up getting married.

Wouldn't tell her where we were going on this "surprise" day out but took her for a lunchtime drink in the Elephant, after a few I said we wont be needing the car now and walked her down Abington Avenue, did it for her!

I had M18 or nearby for a few seasons, quite a few window lickers from Milton Malsor sat around there at the time.

I would rather like the peace and quiet for a couple of hours.  ;D

Haha did she marry you if you promised not to take her again 😀
I bet she loved it in the Hotel end, with the smell of poorly wiped arses, p1ss, BO, fags and of course those moorish Ansell burgers emmmm.

I know what you mean, get in the west upper.

Girlfriend plays sunday football...
What's happening, the world has passed me by. Too late to persuade your son to persuade his girlfriend to simply watch him Saturday mornings? Yeah, I suppose so.

Eau du Hotel End. Splash it all over!

Makes girls weak at the knees...by nearly passing out  ;D

We're going to have such a blinding season and as half of teams now in league two's entire away support come in a car, expect a few forays into the south stand.  ;)

M18?

Unfortunately Sixfields only has one stand with a row M. Do you think any redevelopment will start soon. Oops!  :P

I was very close to there. I feel that I know some of the people that you refer to?
Was there a couple of very fat lads from Dav, in front of you, and to your left?

This would've been throughout the Atkins era, not he Atkins diet for the fat lads. Didn't they sit close to the exit with their bellies hanging over the barrier and extort food from passers by?

Sounds classy.

Yeah. you got em. And had three seats between the two of them. And their mum used to work as a steward. And she was hefty as well.
I could name them, but im not going to.

One of them came to work in a frozen food warehouse at Dirft a few years later if I have the right pair.He lost a load of weight and went from proper fat to just well fat.
 

Im laughing whilst im reading this. Yes it must be true. And the other one was a taxi driver.
No further comment from me.

Probably wise  ;D

I remember more now you mention their mum being a steward, she stood next to them in the exit and was in charge of obtaining food by menace. I was refused entry once and had to handover a sausage roll.

Being close to the away fans their stature was often pointed out, though I'm not sure how they knew about their parentage?

Larger of the two never seemed to have a shirt that completely covered his stomach. This worked to his advantage though on the occasions he needed to display the full extent of his belly to the public when singled out at away games. He would just raise it up to his neck without removing it and would wear it like a scarf. I still remember the rapturous applause he got at one particular away game (though sadly now not which one) when he revealed all to home and away fans while stood on the concourse in front of stand in the pouring rain.
Tremendous stuff.

I don’t want to cast aspersions on the two portly individuals. But weren’t they banned for a period of time?

Yes they were. They were also involved in something naughty at the County Ground. But I am not expanding on that. No way.

Can’t remember these two at away games; which seasons where they prominent?

Did it involve the urinals behind the Hotel End?

All I will say is that something was going on, and they were prosecuted for it. And it made the front page of the Chronicle.

 ;D  ;D ;D I can remember the "show" too now, all too clearly.

Funny how your mind blocks out such things!

I can’t remember that at all.. I must have seen it.