| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold 07:04 - Jun 12 with 13525 views | unstableblue |
Seen discussions of whether much of the rebuilding of the Cobbold could be completed whilst keeping much of the existing capacity intact for a period to to avoid the 3 sided atmosphere issues that caused Town problems in rebuilding the end stands.
Much like the Anfield Road stand at Liverpool where the 7000 lower tier get going as the upper tier was replaced with a whopping 9000 capacity:
Well I stumbled across this photo from the rebuild of the Pioneer back in there day, where it seems we followed a similar tactic:
I’m sure much of the surrounding works could be completed whilst the Cobbold still functions, but not sure its tier configuration quite lends itself to ‘doing a Liverpool’.
Any historians out there remember if the old west stand/pioneer was out of action for portions of a season? Before my time. |  |
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| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 16:30 - Jun 13 with 1696 views | oldburian |
| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 16:17 - Jun 13 by PhilTWTD |
The fire was in 1975-ish, after a meeting against Exeter, if memory serves correctly. Was similar to the source of the Bradford fire, rubbish under the stand ignited by a dropped cigarette. It was fortunate that the fire didn't take hold until after the meeting and people had left and only one end of it was damaged. |
Well the memory is still working, that is a relief. In the 70’s the wife and I would go to Foxhall every Thursday and Saturday to the football in the season. Great sport and the children arrived, do not know how but they did. In true style I still continued to watch the football and my two boys are committed Town followers, they had no choice.
My father went blind in 1962 and I often think how amazed he would be if he could see the ground now. Mind you he would not be impressed with cricket played in pyjamas. |  | | |
| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 16:41 - Jun 13 with 1664 views | grow_our_own |
Love the old pics in this topic.
I hope we don't completely rebuild. A new stand would have to comply with FIFA's stupid rule that pitch must be a minimum of four metres from new stands and stadiums. That dead-space is a fan experience and atmosphere killer, whose only motivation is boosting ad hoarding space. If we keep the lower-tier, then it's not a new stand, it's only a new upper tier, and we can keep Cobbold's excellent close proximity to the pitch.
I doubt we can keep the upper tier. The seat rows are too tight by modern standards, as anyone who's suffered the legroom there will testify. So the concrete "risers" will have to go too. Any changes to lower tier can be sold to FIFA as a "refactor" rather than a rebuild. We've just extended it, honest Mr Infantino sir! [Post edited 13 Jun 2024 17:13]
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| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 16:41 - Jun 13 with 1664 views | PhilTWTD |
| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 16:30 - Jun 13 by oldburian |
Well the memory is still working, that is a relief. In the 70’s the wife and I would go to Foxhall every Thursday and Saturday to the football in the season. Great sport and the children arrived, do not know how but they did. In true style I still continued to watch the football and my two boys are committed Town followers, they had no choice.
My father went blind in 1962 and I often think how amazed he would be if he could see the ground now. Mind you he would not be impressed with cricket played in pyjamas. |
I think people underestimate how quickly the club has grown from the Sir Alf era onwards. We were very much a lower division club in that era, the ground not dissimilar to Colchester. Remarkable changes really. Could get even bigger if we establish ourselves in the Premier League, become East Anglia's Premier League club, something Town and then Norwich both failed to do in their previous stints.
I loved going to Foxhall as a kid, grew up very close, the other side of the old water tower in fact. Was at that meeting although not in the stand and remember the fire being talked about at the time. |  | | |
| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 17:13 - Jun 13 with 1589 views | lurcher |
| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 16:10 - Jun 13 by NthQldITFC |
Is that right? Was there actually design consideration into amplifying or directing the sound in the North Stand? Whilst not knowing too much about it, I would have thought that the kicked up front of the roof is the major problem. And the lack of co-ordination between upper and lower.
I think it would be worth the club looking at re-roofing it (higher at the back and a single downward slope, if some of the houses can be bought up behind, or suitable compensation agreed) and also electronically porting noise from lower to upper and vice-versa to help co-ordinate singing.
A powerful end stand is way better than half of a side stand in my opinion. |
Yes, the roof profile amplifies the sound naturally. Sheepshanks even mentioned on completion that the club wanted a design that would increase the volume. Sadly to get the full benefit the front edge would.need to be below the roofs of the side stands I don't think there is any scope to do anything with the North as its already over hanging the road and it is the most modern stand on the ground. |  | | |
| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 08:29 - Jun 14 with 1384 views | Churchman |
| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 16:41 - Jun 13 by PhilTWTD |
I think people underestimate how quickly the club has grown from the Sir Alf era onwards. We were very much a lower division club in that era, the ground not dissimilar to Colchester. Remarkable changes really. Could get even bigger if we establish ourselves in the Premier League, become East Anglia's Premier League club, something Town and then Norwich both failed to do in their previous stints.
I loved going to Foxhall as a kid, grew up very close, the other side of the old water tower in fact. Was at that meeting although not in the stand and remember the fire being talked about at the time. |
I think it also has to be appreciated how quickly the club had grown in the 20 years prior to Sir Alf too. And from that you have to take out 6 years of war. It’s why the memories of Pat Godbold and our most senior supporters are so important.
Attached is a picture of the new East/Portman/Cobbold stand in its early form in 1971. It looks very smart. No Ipswich Town lettering on the stand.
https://pixels.com/featured/ipswich-town-portman-road-east-stand-03-bw-1971-lege
As a child that was a good place to stand with a cut down stool. The pic highlights just how many restricted views there are at the back of the stand. [Post edited 14 Jun 2024 8:37]
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| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 09:15 - Jun 14 with 1348 views | LegendofthePhoenix |
| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 08:29 - Jun 14 by Churchman |
I think it also has to be appreciated how quickly the club had grown in the 20 years prior to Sir Alf too. And from that you have to take out 6 years of war. It’s why the memories of Pat Godbold and our most senior supporters are so important.
Attached is a picture of the new East/Portman/Cobbold stand in its early form in 1971. It looks very smart. No Ipswich Town lettering on the stand.
https://pixels.com/featured/ipswich-town-portman-road-east-stand-03-bw-1971-lege
As a child that was a good place to stand with a cut down stool. The pic highlights just how many restricted views there are at the back of the stand. [Post edited 14 Jun 2024 8:37]
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That's a great picture, thanks, and how I remember it (orange paint - why??). We were amazed and thought it was state of the art - a cantilever design with no stanchions (except for those unfortunate enough to be at the back). If I recall, there was very little disruption to the normal season, it was mostly completed during the off season. The lower terrace was fine when it was standing, but once the ground became all seater, the size and capacity limitations were all too apparent. |  |
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| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 09:37 - Jun 14 with 1323 views | Churchman |
| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 09:15 - Jun 14 by LegendofthePhoenix |
That's a great picture, thanks, and how I remember it (orange paint - why??). We were amazed and thought it was state of the art - a cantilever design with no stanchions (except for those unfortunate enough to be at the back). If I recall, there was very little disruption to the normal season, it was mostly completed during the off season. The lower terrace was fine when it was standing, but once the ground became all seater, the size and capacity limitations were all too apparent. |
It was open for the start of the season, but anyone looking at it should remember it was only two thirds the length it is now. I notice in this picture that underneath the stand it is still a building site.
The footprint of the stand looks little different to the Chicken Run. Maybe that was the reason it was able to be built so quickly.
https://pixels.com/featured/ipswich-town-portman-road-east-stand-02-bw-august-19
I thought the executive boxes and lower seating took a lot out of the stand which as you say, was impressive for its time. | | | |
| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 11:14 - Jun 14 with 1256 views | Slambo |
| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 15:23 - Jun 13 by unstableblue |
Just a few things to add to the thread and your point on atmosphere.
I do think what the ground is missing is one steep, wide and high bank of uninterrupted Town fans. A single section of scale.
With the North development being a missed opportunity to have one very steep bank as a lower and a smaller upper.
I think Block A can evolve into this in the new Cobbold. So a large lower tier to the Cobbold, then exe boxes raised high enough so those below can stand. And then a smaller upper tier. Like Ashton Gates new main stand. But with singers encouraged to be in it. This would be adjacent to the away area. And so quite an atmosphere could be generated. |
We've got in Ashton and Luke Werhun's ears a few times about (when the Cobbold redevelopment starts in earnest) relocating the club shop and filling in that corner with a European style 'Curva'. Housing a couple of thousand of our most vociferous fans in one unbroken block, standing of course, looming right down onto that corner of the pitch. Would be immense. Would also go some way to replenishing the seats lost to away fans/press boxes, plus adding a thousand or so on. We're some way off that of course, but Luke is certainly intrigued by the idea... |  |
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| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 11:22 - Jun 14 with 1230 views | tonybied |
| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 11:14 - Jun 14 by Slambo |
We've got in Ashton and Luke Werhun's ears a few times about (when the Cobbold redevelopment starts in earnest) relocating the club shop and filling in that corner with a European style 'Curva'. Housing a couple of thousand of our most vociferous fans in one unbroken block, standing of course, looming right down onto that corner of the pitch. Would be immense. Would also go some way to replenishing the seats lost to away fans/press boxes, plus adding a thousand or so on. We're some way off that of course, but Luke is certainly intrigued by the idea... |
That would be great but I struggle to see how it could be achieved due to the 2 tier design of the SBR, unless that design was adapted into the Cobbold. That's not what we want though as that's what has affected acoustics in the SBR isn't it? |  | | |
| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 11:27 - Jun 14 with 1221 views | NthQldITFC |
| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 11:14 - Jun 14 by Slambo |
We've got in Ashton and Luke Werhun's ears a few times about (when the Cobbold redevelopment starts in earnest) relocating the club shop and filling in that corner with a European style 'Curva'. Housing a couple of thousand of our most vociferous fans in one unbroken block, standing of course, looming right down onto that corner of the pitch. Would be immense. Would also go some way to replenishing the seats lost to away fans/press boxes, plus adding a thousand or so on. We're some way off that of course, but Luke is certainly intrigued by the idea... |
That sounds fantastic. Keep up the pressure!
Architecturally it might be a bit of a challenge, but I can see how it could potentially be done if the new East stand was a single tier job. The curve from that could join to the upper tier of the North and rise away from it with a small mod to the corner of the North Stand roof. You could tweak the gradient a little as you went round the curve, and tweak the horizontal footprint of the curve to bring the front of the East Stand to the right place relative to the edge of the pitch.
I think you'd be left with a little wedge of vertical wall infill from the lower North in both the plane of the North Stand and the East Stand, but that could be something interesting and useful like a glass fronted bar! [Post edited 14 Jun 2024 11:37]
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| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 15:16 - Jun 14 with 1116 views | lurcher |
| Talking about ‘doing a Liverpool’ when rebuilding the Cobbold on 11:14 - Jun 14 by Slambo |
We've got in Ashton and Luke Werhun's ears a few times about (when the Cobbold redevelopment starts in earnest) relocating the club shop and filling in that corner with a European style 'Curva'. Housing a couple of thousand of our most vociferous fans in one unbroken block, standing of course, looming right down onto that corner of the pitch. Would be immense. Would also go some way to replenishing the seats lost to away fans/press boxes, plus adding a thousand or so on. We're some way off that of course, but Luke is certainly intrigued by the idea... |
You couldn't fill the corner in without rebuilding the whole north stand. the stand is wider than the pitch and the blue things either side support the roof and the upper tier. | | | |
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