Stadium should have been built where Tesco got located to make it just a bit nearer to the town centre, like we did with The HJ. But a much better location than Knowsley Road as it was only a short walk into town and of course it's great to have modern facilities.

They do need that cladding though as it was a bit windy and cold at times (I wouldn't like to be there when it rains) and of course it looks unfinished.

Stadium is ok, but spoilt by the wind. Did the Saints board run out of cash as it looks half finished ?

The big concern about last night though was the pre-match entertainment. What the hell was going on ? From the small parts that were legible I got the impression they were singing about Typhoo Tea ?

Credit to Saints on the admission price for kids too. I had a ticket which I paid £18.50 for from Warrington and I understood that it would be £20 on the turnstile (which it was). As this is exactly the same pricing as our terraces I assumed it would be the same for kids, so when I took a ticketless 12 year old lad with me I thought I would have to pay the £14 it costs me to get him into the South Stand on a match day. I was therefore delighted to get to the turnstile and discover it was only a fiver! Warrington please take note!

Yeah, but we all know what happens when you sell cheap tickets

I heard that it was supposed to have cladding all the way round but because the roof came off pre-season they couldn't finish it.

Also it was rather funny when the electrician was needed for the control room and a fan shouted they haven't payed the bill

Thoroughly enjoyed it and liked the stadium design, (obviously the game helps), but, some of the openness, as opposed to it being unfinished doesnt help contain the atmosphere.

Easy drive from M62, parked in Chalon Way multi storey only a pound and an easy walk to the ground. Noticed a few pubs that might be worth visiting next time to let the traffic 'go' after the game as we were on 12th floor.

If I was being really picky, the walk past Tesco and across THE bridge was a bit tight esp after match when larger numbers approached at the same time.

Nice ground, easy parking, no trouble, no underlying threat of trouble, nice experience, friendly staff, impressed.

You get an attendance which is bigger than Warrington's capacity?

It's a totally different experience in the piddling rain. Trust me, soaked was an understatement at the England game when I was queuing for ale. So overall, first experience has ruined my opinion of it. The grounds turd and unfinished. Although last night was better due to the dry conditions, bigger attendance and better atmosphere.

Still no HJ though, regardless of how many it holds.

Instead of using the bridge it's easier to follow the road next to the East stand up to the roundabout and turn left into Parr St to Chalon Way car park. www.sthelens.gov.uk/media/207883 ... l_plan.pdf

Instead of using the bridge it's easier to follow the road next to the East stand up to the roundabout and turn left into Parr St to Chalon Way car park. www.sthelens.gov.uk/media/207883 ... l_plan.pdf

Once the cladding is up the atmosphere should improve. Beyond that, why would you say the HJ is better? The facilities are better at Saints ground, the view of the pitch is excellent from anywhere in the ground as well.

Same for me. Really enjoyed the night, good atmosphere and a quality controlled performance from us.

It's miles better than the HJ.

I prefer the HJ to the all seater KCs, DWs and Galpharms of this world, but Langtree Park is a big improvement.

The cladding makes a world of difference. Just feels unfinished and soulless. Probably agree to disagree here but I'm glad to be at the HJ and wouldn't swap anytime soon.

Hated it when I went to the Exiles game, but it seemed ten times better last night. Maybe that was to do with the fact it was full and not ing it down. Plenty of decent pubs in the town centre, although I didn't go in I liked the bar in the stand, something we should look into, if we haven't got space to build one maybe stick a marquee up outside, would be a nice little earner for the club. Very impressed at how quick the service was inside the ground after hearing bad reviews from Saints fans, the 'beer only' queue was a great idea. The stewards were like the Gestapo at the Exiles game and ruined it for me, but there was none of that nonsense last night. Once the cladding is sorted out it will be a brilliant facility.

Unless you are behind the sticks on the first level, with Burly stewards in front of you (at one point 5 in number) we could not see the action on the left side. Why the Mounted police?

How do you think i feel when i have to pay £14 for my six year old boy.Plus the cost of my ticket some sundays it cost me the best part of £50 for the both of us.Thats with food and drink

That's right, Saints don't do student tickets so they have "young adult" tickets which is people from 16-21 years old.

Thought the stadium was great, sort out the cladding and can't be much to complain about. Nice Bridge aswell however its downhill from there for me. Got dropped in the town centre and the nicest shop was the McDonalds or the massive 99p store.

Whether they do student tickets or not shouldn't affect the price for a child though, so absolute credit to Saints for that price. "Young adult" is better than student anyway. I was a student between the ages of 16 and 21, but lots of school leavers are on low waged jobs, apprenticeships, etc (assuming they are lucky enough to have anything at all in the current economic climate) which means they aren't students but aren't rolling in dough either.

Warrington should charge less for kids (circumstances dictate season tickets aren't suitable for everyone before someone says that) so well done to Saints.

The location is great, the parking is fine if you do a bit of research on where to park beforehand and the stadium looks great from the outside. Once inside, I thought the open concourses seemed a strange design, and as we’ve heard from all quarters, will be awful in the winter and wet. However the food and drink facilities on offer were very good.

Once inside the stadium itself, I felt it was a massive let down and it is no way better than the HJ for a viewing spectator or in terms of its visual impact. The main stand with the exec boxes looked brilliant, but the halo and open corners, whilst brave in concept, looked dreadful and the swirling wind and rain on a bad night will be ridiculous. Cladding will certainly help, but that won’t sort the concourses out.

I also thought that Saints’ corporate power would be limited by having just one stand of exec boxes (or are there others that I’m missing?).

You can get into a p1ssing contest about whether Langtree or the HJ is better and which will be the better in future when all the trumpeted improvements are made to both grounds, but they’re very similar in most ways and it’s each to their own. I was just very surprised at how poor it looked when I got inside and frankly, the design of the halo, etc, struck me as A for effort, but C for execution.

That's my opinion, anyway.

Yeah it will. The cladding is going on the external walls, so the concourses will no longer be open to the elements.

Your 16-21 argument does have merit though as there will be supporters who fall into that catagory. Changes coming in over the next two years will reduce these numbers when students have to stay "in education" until 18. Once again though it all comes down to who pays full price at the moment and how many more will pay the reduced price.

Does it always have to be about "the bottom line" though? Saints are a bigger club than us and have a bigger ground which reflects that. Warrington is a bigger town that St Helens though so arguably we have more potential to attract more fans if we can sustain the level of success Saints have had.

You mention Bradford and of course they have had massive problems since the success dried up and people started deserting them. They had to lower prices to try and get those people back. Success tends to go in cycles, so Saints and ourselves may both have that problem in future, but that remains to be seen.

Either way, I imagine Saints and ourselves to have a fairly similar revenue stream - Saints may have a slight advantage but not massively so. Would the attendance on Monday night have been significantly lower if they had charged £14 on the turnstile for kids to access the terraces? I doubt it. Slightly lower perhaps but not massively so.

Therefore Saints sacrificed some potential revenue in order to let young fans in at a price which is easier on their parents' wallets than Warrington charge. For that I applaud them.

What wire could do is introduce prices for the lower attended games, but for the sell out games leave them as they are, i've no problem with two tier price structuring, supply and demand ateotd.