In an age in which it's seemingly every clubs ambition to built a new state of the art stadium, this previous weekends fixtures served as a welcome reminder that older, more atmospheric grounds have their advantages.
Home wins at Anfield, Selhurst Park, and Carrow Road saw Liverpool record their best start to a Premier League season since 1994, Crystal Palace get their first points on the board and Norwich hit back after an uninspiring start to the campaign. Each clubs set of supporters played a huge part in these significant victories.
Anfield's infrastructure is perhaps a little dated compared to the teams they're looking to mix it with this season but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Whilst Arsenal secured an impressive win against Spurs at the Emirates on Sunday you could hear the substantial difference in noise on the TV sets between the two games. Anfield is intimate, its intimating, its the kind of ground which you rarely come across these days that can completely destabilise the opposition and strike fear into the most accomplished of teams. You could see in the final ten minutes how Liverpool fed off the crowd - with their backs to the wall they cleared every United attack and never looked like conceding. Anfield makes its players feel invincible in the famous red shirt. The Emirates meanwhile is the loneliest of places when the chips are down - think Swansea at home last season.
Selhurst Park has to be a fortress this season and the old fashioned, albeit weary looking ground suits Palace's needs perfectly. Sunderland didn't turn up in the first half and the Palace fans preyed on this, upping the noise, getting on top of every Mackem mistake and urging Palace on in the early stages. Demanding a response from Palace and encouraging the Eagles to press hard succeeded in producing a goal which helped settle the players' nerves after a return of no points from Palace's first two games and provided the platform for an impressive win. The wooden seats and rusty turnstiles are visually unappealing but when the steeply built Homesdale Road stand is in full swing its a hostile end for opposition to attack.
Norwich City fans have been officially voted the best supporters in the Premier League two seasons in a row and part of the reason for this is Carrow Road. A ground of the old breed, it could certainly do with a lick of paint but you can't knock the relentless noise its supporters generate. With demand for tickets consistently high Carrow Road it crammed full every weekend and the Canary supporters are rarely out sung, willing Norwich on and helping to establish some momentous victories against Arsenal and Manchester United in recent years.
Fulham are a force to be reckoned with on home turf too, whilst often failing to deliver on the road. The idyllic setting by the Thames has been a source of inspiration for the Cottagers since their return to the Premier League and the smaller capacity ground means seats are filled regularly. For foreign players arriving in London a ground like Craven Cottage is immediately appealing. It's homely, close to the supporters and has a recognisable, welcoming DNA.
Now more than ever revenue is an integral part of a clubs immediate future. As a result it's a clubs identity which is at risk of being sacrificed. West Ham are still keen on a move to the Olympic Stadium for financial incentives among others, though you can understand why the die hard Hammers fans are reluctant to leave Upton Park. A host of teams view Upton Park as their 'bogey ground', including Manchester United. To wipe away this psychological advantage and move to a home which was never truly theirs in the first place could effect West Ham more than they expect.
Newer stadiums have a more neutral feel; anyone who says the Emirates comes even close to Highbury for atmosphere and character is deluding themselves. The Emirates has never been described as 'rocking' and though the Etihad has become a difficult place for visiting teams to go every City fan still longs for the gritty nights at Maine Road, where they could really get in the travelling fans faces. There have been a few notable examples of stadiums where home advantage has clearly lost its edge in the past. The Riverside, home to Middlesbrough, was a ghost town during their relegation season and the Reebok Arena and DW Stadium were too frequently half capacity when Bolton and Wigan needed them full. Coventry City meanwhile are now feeling the full force of administration, their move to the Ricoh Arena particularly unnecessary financially, with the days of Premier League football and a sell out Highfield Road a distant memory.
In modern football there are few more depressing sights than a half empty 40,000 seater stadium. It's the Anfield's of football that maintain English football's marvellous heritage and can celebrate Bill Shankly's 100th anniversary in style; enclosed stands reverberating the supporters' raw passion, a passion which is sometimes lost in the tidy modern stadiums lacking in history and memories.
Fulham are a force to be reckoned with on home turf too, whilst often failing to deliver on the road. The idyllic setting by the Thames has been a source of inspiration for the Cottagers since their return to the Premier League and the smaller capacity ground means seats are filled regularly. For foreign players arriving in London a ground like Craven Cottage is immediately appealing. It's homely, close to the supporters and has a recognisable, welcoming DNA.
Now more than ever revenue is an integral part of a clubs immediate future. As a result it's a clubs identity which is at risk of being sacrificed. West Ham are still keen on a move to the Olympic Stadium for financial incentives among others, though you can understand why the die hard Hammers fans are reluctant to leave Upton Park. A host of teams view Upton Park as their 'bogey ground', including Manchester United. To wipe away this psychological advantage and move to a home which was never truly theirs in the first place could effect West Ham more than they expect.
Newer stadiums have a more neutral feel; anyone who says the Emirates comes even close to Highbury for atmosphere and character is deluding themselves. The Emirates has never been described as 'rocking' and though the Etihad has become a difficult place for visiting teams to go every City fan still longs for the gritty nights at Maine Road, where they could really get in the travelling fans faces. There have been a few notable examples of stadiums where home advantage has clearly lost its edge in the past. The Riverside, home to Middlesbrough, was a ghost town during their relegation season and the Reebok Arena and DW Stadium were too frequently half capacity when Bolton and Wigan needed them full. Coventry City meanwhile are now feeling the full force of administration, their move to the Ricoh Arena particularly unnecessary financially, with the days of Premier League football and a sell out Highfield Road a distant memory.
In modern football there are few more depressing sights than a half empty 40,000 seater stadium. It's the Anfield's of football that maintain English football's marvellous heritage and can celebrate Bill Shankly's 100th anniversary in style; enclosed stands reverberating the supporters' raw passion, a passion which is sometimes lost in the tidy modern stadiums lacking in history and memories.
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