Best. Emirates for facilities. St James park for atmosphere. Worst. Old toilet for ****e leg room and glory hunting home supporters.
Best: Rio de Janiero's Maracana. Not the 2014 Meccano version of limited capacity and minimal atmosphere. I'm talking about the 1970's vast, concrete bowl which seethed with atmosphere and was packed, on the Sunday afternoon that I saw Flamenco vs Botafogo, with 180'000 fanatical Cariocas, every one of which, it seemed, had a drum or a whistle or another noise making implement of some kind, and they used them. The beat... the rhythm... didn't let up for a moment. Police with loaded rifles circled the roof of the stand in case trouble broke out and they wouldn't have been afraid to use them if it had. The pulse of the drums was relentless throughout and when goals were scored, it was, quite literally, deafening. The atmosphere crackled with noise and emotion and the smell of sweat. I've never encountered anything like it before or since and now that that incredible venue has been reduced to a mere shadow of it's former glory, nobody ever will. Worst venue: Millwall's Den (the old version). A hovel the like of which is now thankfully eradicated from the earth. That suppurating boil on the arsehole of humanity stunk of piss and was home to a vile collective of hooligans whom would even have made Hitler popular had he applied the Final Solution to them. Millwall are the club England should be ashamed to call one of its own and The Den was the symbol of their rank putridness. A visit there was something to be endured, not enjoyed..... following your club to that venue was the ultimate in fan loyalty. It showed the lengths you'd be prepared to go to to support your club.
