Mestalla to be replaced

**Risteard** · 23/08/2007, 6:32 PM

This is old hat i think but only found out now.
They're moving in to the Nou Mestalla in 2009.
It looks awful.
Sick of these new generic stadia.
The Mestalla always looked to me like a great intimidating venue on the telly so I'll have to get there before they move shop.

**Valencia Hoop** · 23/08/2007, 6:48 PM

Yes indeed, Mestalla's days are numbered. The club expect to be playing in the new ground in 24 months and I am most upset. The decision was made a couple of years ago and true to form no-one in Valencia raised a peep, taken in by shiny new ground and 20,000 new seats (that we don't really need). The location could be worse, the council did a deal with them, Real Madrid style but the ground is just the usual boring bowl. Mestalla is a fantastic ground with the fans right on top of the action, all new grounds seem to leave about five yards from the stands to the touchline. I don't want to go on right now, ****es me off so much.

**4tothefloor** · 23/08/2007, 8:46 PM

looks pretty impressive to me

**sligoman** · 24/08/2007, 12:33 AM

Mestalla is class in the sense that it has a real old feel to it. But I suppose every club wants the best possible stadium and this new one looks class in a completely different kind of way.

V Hoop, what are the plans for Mestalla when Valencia move? Apartments or something

**Risteard** · 24/08/2007, 1:03 AM

Originally Posted by 4tothefloor

looks pretty impressive to me

The Stade de France impressed me hugely when i first saw it, the Allianz Arena kind of copied the idea and Wembley was just plagiarism.
I've grown to despise the practice of one roof with a single circular stand.
Other culpits (not as bad), Millenium Stadium, Hampden Park, Amsterdam Arena, Allianz Arena and maybe Berlins Olympic stadium renovation.
The Emirates Stadium doesn't totally conform to that model but is to all intensive

purposes, rotten and soulless.

**seand** · 24/08/2007, 8:09 AM

I find these generic new stadia depressing. I was at the World Cup and found the Allianz Arena (Munich) and Olympiastadion (Berlin) underwhelming. Yep, you've got 80,000 seats and 90,000 McDonalds outlets but its all a bit soulless. Schalke's ground in Gelsenkirchen is new, but was designed not to be a uniform bowl and packs 60,000 in close to the pitch. Stuttgart and Dortmund both keep the crowd close to the action without being boring uniform bowls.

It would be hard to convince a football fan thats the Emirates is an improvement on Highbury, or that Stade Francais is a patch on the awesome Parc de Princes.

**jockser** · 24/08/2007, 1:24 PM

aye but the new Anfield will be the bogs ballix

**Risteard** · 24/08/2007, 1:32 PM

Ya, definitely different but they haven't really shown the interior yet have they?

**Dodge** · 24/08/2007, 1:41 PM

Originally Posted by jockser

aye but the new Anfield will be the bogs ballix

Hideous looking IMO

**jockser** · 24/08/2007, 1:41 PM

there is a new video "tour" of it out now....you see a little of the inside but not much of it alright

**Plastic Paddy** · 24/08/2007, 7:08 PM

Originally Posted by Risteard

The Stade de France impressed me hugely when i first saw it, the Allianz Arena kind of copied the idea and Wembley was just plagiarism.
I've grown to despise the practice of one roof with a single circular stand.
Other culpits (not as bad), Millenium Stadium, Hampden Park, Amsterdam Arena, Allianz Arena and maybe Berlins Olympic stadium renovation.
The Emirates Stadium doesn't totally conform to that model but is to all intensive purposes, rotten and soulless.

Hampden Park is awful. More atmosphere in my local boneyard. I generally dislike the modern-day stadia although I must say that Liverpool's new designs for Anfield do float my boat and I always enjoy visiting the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The rest of these new stadia either leave or appear to leave something to be desired, although I am looking forward to finally seeing the new Lansdowne in the "flesh".

PP

**DmanDmythDledge** · 25/08/2007, 12:02 AM

I think all these stadiums look class but take away the matchday experience which is the most important thing for a fan.

**Jaime** · 29/08/2007, 12:44 PM

Will have to try to get to the Mestalla at some stage as well. Athletic Bilbao have plans to build a new ground as well, not sure if the design has been finalised yet though. Most of these clubs don't seem to be able to evidence the demand for extra seats though.

**Valencia Hoop** · 29/08/2007, 1:22 PM

The new grounds are all "impressive" but they have no character or style or intimacy.

Valencia's move is as much to do with making money (to pay off the huge debt that the prodigal owners have built up) as to accommodate new socios.

**Risteard** · 29/08/2007, 1:23 PM

I'd say the Parc Des Princes looks like it might be an exception to my comments above but I haven't actually been inside it.

**Jaime** · 30/08/2007, 1:52 PM

Originally Posted by Risteard

I'd say the Parc Des Princes looks like it might be an exception to my comments above but I haven't actually been inside it.

Never been myself but from what I've seen of it it's quite run down and certainly not in any way modern looking. It has a bit of character though, which as has been said, goes a long way.

**Saint Tom** · 30/08/2007, 9:21 PM

agree with a lot thats been said above. I was at the France v Italy Euro qualifier at the stade de france a few days after we played in stuttgart and despite sitting in the "away" section with 500 " hardcore fans of the world champions" it was lame, pathetic crowd from italy considering they had just won the world cup and were playing against the team they played in the final and the best that the french could come up with was a mexican wave after they went three-one up..

**Stevo Da Gull** · 02/09/2007, 12:23 PM

Sad news IMO, One of my favourite stadiums. The atmosphere in la liga aint allways great but the Mestalla can be quite a cauldron of noise. They will gain an extra 22000 seats but lose much more.

**DaveyCakes** · 03/09/2007, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by Saint Tom

agree with a lot thats been said above. I was at the France v Italy Euro qualifier at the stade de france a few days after we played in stuttgart and despite sitting in the "away" section with 500 " hardcore fans of the world champions" it was lame, pathetic crowd from italy considering they had just won the world cup and were playing against the team they played in the final and the best that the french could come up with was a mexican wave after they went three-one up..

I thought there was a decent enough atmosphere at that game. I was at the far end from you! Cracking football on the pitch, so I didn't particularly care about the atmosphere anyway.

**Over the post** · 04/09/2007, 4:35 PM

Atl�tico Madrid are also moving to a half-built olympic stadium on the outskirts of the city, like Espanyol did in Barcelona. The fans are understandably furious.

Espanyol have never filled the olympic stadium in Montj�ic as far as I know and Valencia and Atl�tico will have similar trouble. It's all about property deals.