45 replies to this topic

[Tommy The C5t]

I for one won't be sad to the see the old girl leave us, well maybe I will, in fact I'll miss her dearly as she's one of a dying breed of Rugby League stadia in this country. It's grounds like Knowsley Road that define the greatest game with there character and history.

She's got a certain charm about her, even if I've just watched us lose there by our highest ever score (narrowly beating the 58-14 Easter Monday game back in 1999).

Anyhow after having a well informed tour of her earlier today I ended up taking something close to 100 pictures of every nook and cranny, so here from me to you is a few of the pictures I took, because a few forum members on here never leave the couch to attend games like the the majority on here and it's only right we showed them what they are missing.

































**Keep checking this thread as I'll update it with more through the week.

Edited by Tommy The C5t, 14 August 2010 - 07:46 PM.

[rugby female]

What an absolute pile of ###### that ground is!!! You can only get better!!!!!!!!!

[Old Frightful]

What an absolute pile of ###### that ground is!!! You can only get better!!!!!!!!!

Knowsley Road is a traditional rugby league ground and I'm sure when it was in it's prime and of the day it was as good as most. Sure, we've moved on now and demand much more of our stadia but I for one will miss the charm of places like this, Wheldon road and others.

I read a post from someone on here once describing the new places like the KC, DW and the Galpharm as "Soulless places" and, although I love sitting in comfort in these sort of grounds with modern facilities, I knew exactly what he meant.

[Old Frightful]

What an absolute pile of ###### that ground is!!! You can only get better!!!!!!!!!

Are you the same person that wrote the nfollowing on the Scrumdown thread?

Attended every home, away and Cup match (including Wembley!) in the 80's and 90's and also took my nephews with me. What a brilliant time we had as Wigan fans, experiencing all those different grounds/fans, you will never have the same experience again.

Some beautiful, old Stadium, standing areas, very few seating areas, but enormous amounts of atmosphere!!! Our new Stadia will never compete with the old, rickety stadium!!!

[1976PMJwires]

Are you the same person that wrote the nfollowing on the Scrumdown thread?

Class Rob.

[rugby female]

Class Rob.

Yes, but i still think your Stadium is a pile of ######!! And as much as i love the old stadia, we all have to move on and improve if we want to survive! It's nice to occassionally reminisce!

[rugby female]

Plus i suppose this posting should have been titled " St Helens against Bradford Bulls" not " St Helens against Bardford Bulls"?

[1976PMJwires]

Yes, but i still think your Stadium is a pile of ######!! And as much as i love the old stadia, we all have to move on and improve if we want to survive! It's nice to occassionally reminisce!

Fair comment

[saintsbird]

Great pics Mick, brings a tear to my eye thinking about leaving there. Yes I know the new stadium is needed & will be fantastic but I have been going to KR for 31 years. Memories that will last forever. I am gonna be a mess at the last game

RIP old girl

[l'angelo mysterioso]

I'd much rather watch rugby league in a modern stadium.
I believe that the 'soul' of a stadium isn't provided by the bricks and mortar and let's face it corrugated iron, but by the people and the events that take place there.
Thousands of people such as saintsbird provide a ground with its soul, through their memories, passion and emotional attachment and it takes a long time for it to develop.
In decades to come all of these new grounds will develop a 'soul' as things happen and as more people start to call them 'home'.

Edited by l'angelo mysterioso, 14 August 2010 - 01:16 PM.

[Tommy The C5t]

Great pics Mick, brings a tear to my eye thinking about leaving there. Yes I know the new stadium is needed & will be fantastic but I have been going to KR for 31 years. Memories that will last forever. I am gonna be a mess at the last game

RIP old girl

I'll put them all in here, but I've lost a lead that connects my phone to the pc, so I'm having to upload them to Facebook then drag them across here which is proving painfully slow.


Here are some from yesterday

Edited by Tommy The C5t, 14 August 2010 - 01:44 PM.

[Scubby]

I'd much rather watch rugby league in a modern stadium.
I believe that the 'soul' of a stadium isn't provided by the bricks and mortar and let's face it corrugated iron, but by the people and the events that take place there.
Thousands of people such as saintsbird provide a ground with its soul, through their memories, passion and emotional attachment and it takes a long time for it to develop.
In decades to come all of these new grounds will develop a 'soul' as things happen and as more people start to call them 'home'.

I think it is the way the old grounds were put together that makes people very nostalgic. They weren't designed by architects etc. A lot of the stands were built when clubs could afford to build them. That makes many of them quirky and unique (e.g. the end stand at the Watersheddings and Willows, Snookers club side at Wilderspool, the changing rooms at the corner of Thrum Hall)

Many fans would pick their spot and happy reside there for many different reasons. I must admit though that I would prefer new stadia to be built on old (e.g. Widnes) than they flattening and moving to a new site - but economics and geographics determine that. The biggest shame was the Wigan saga where, at the time, Whelan wanted to re-develop the old Central Park. How awesome would that have been? I understand that problems at the time prevented this.

[Tommy The C5t]

[GazCoops]

Why is this titled 'Knowsley Road R.I.P'? It wasn't the last game to be played there, they have another home game and could possibly have a game in the playoffs there.

Is there a farewell game planned for after the season? Like they did at the Boulevard when Hull played New Zealand.

[Tommy The C5t]

Why is this titled 'Knowsley Road R.I.P'? It wasn't the last game to be played there, they have another home game and could possibly have a game in the playoffs there.

Is there a farewell game planned for after the season? Like they did at the Boulevard when Hull played New Zealand.

Well I won't be going to visit her again before she goes in October, so for me it is R.I.P

That reminds me I have over twenty photos that I took from our final league game at the Boulevard, I'll have to scan them and put them up on here.

[l'angelo mysterioso]

I think it is the way the old grounds were put together that makes people very nostalgic. They weren't designed by architects etc. A lot of the stands were built when clubs could afford to build them. That makes many of them quirky and unique (e.g. the end stand at the Watersheddings and Willows, Snookers club side at Wilderspool, the changing rooms at the corner of Thrum Hall)

Many fans would pick their spot and happy reside there for many different reasons. I must admit though that I would prefer new stadia to be built on old (e.g. Widnes) than they flattening and moving to a new site - but economics and geographics determine that. The biggest shame was the Wigan saga where, at the time, Whelan wanted to re-develop the old Central Park. How awesome would that have been? I understand that problems at the time prevented this.

I think that's a very good call.
in many ways the grounds were tangible history lessons however they were and are in some cases death traps.

[Manx RL]

I think that's a very good call.
in many ways the grounds were tangible history lessons however they were and are in some cases death traps.

[hindle xiii]

Anyone could've taken those photos...



















Kidding.

[Old Frightful]

Here's one NE took of the Twickenham stadium...

[The Boy Saint]

Are you the same person that wrote the nfollowing on the Scrumdown thread?

Brilliant mate, well owned!

Here's one NE took of the Twickenham stadium...

And again, your in top form!

In all seriousness though, cheer mick - some quality photos, its going to feel so weird walking out of Knowsley Road after the last game - i may even get a bit misty!