I keep hearing that it "adds to the atmosphere". Does it? People getting annoyed because they can't see because someone bigger has decided to stand in front of them? The best atmospheres by far this season were Catalans away and Hull KR at home. Neither game had standing.

Just my opinion but I don't see the attraction of standing. I hate away grounds like Saints where you're pretty much forced to stand whether you want to or not if you want to be with your own supporters. Yes, I know there are other options but with so much standing room only, it makes it much more difficult. You also generally get the 'part timers' who are only there on a up making a nuisance of themselves too. I'd much prefer Saints was all seating like an actual 21st century stadium than packing people like cattle into standing pens, having people spilling over onto the stairs and walkways and generally being a throwback to the dark ages.

Each to their own though I suppose.

i've been trying to remember the year but think it was early 90s that we played Oldham in one of the cups. Absolutely baltic, and one of my mates girlfriends had to leave with hypothermia

coldest i've ever been was HKR away in January on a Wednesday night, and i went over in my shirt (wasnt the brightest idea i've ever had), and there was a slightly cold wind coming in off the estuary, ,well before the trees had established themselves in the old away end

You do make a good point and I have to say that now as a Dad, I prefer seating for the home games but I do like standing away from home as it tends to be the more vocal fans away from home, so all standing together creates a good atmosphere. My eldest lad has just turned 14 so is big enough now not to have his view restricted whilst standing- my youngest lad who is 11 has no interest in going to games.

I think you are never going to please everyone, be it an all-seater, predominantly standing or a mixture of both.

Wigan away games standing on the terraces are miles better for atmosphere with the exception of Headingley due to the open end.

Saints away, Wire away and even Salford away stand above (pardon the pun) to seated away ends.

I bet he has Stu, he’s a secret Wigan fan and he doesn’t want to upset you

Not sure how much value there would be in that. It certainly wouldn’t come into play for Latics games as they only get about 60 people, on average, using the Cherry and Whites (I think they call it Springfield) Lounge.

That's part of the problem I have with them Stu. Our 10 year old absolutely hates them as she simply never gets a good view. If she decides she doesn't want to go that's a minimum of 3 lost ticket sales and could be as many as 5 on some occasions. My dad stopped going to away games completely because of the standing. That's unnecessary ticket sales lost because of some archaic belief that it's ok to make people stand for 3 hours for a restricted view. Bizarre! I also have never heard of someone going to a game because it's standing so the losses aren't balanced by any gains.

I also take issue with the assertion that it creates a better atmosphere. It doesn't. It's just people conflating two very different things. The atmosphere is best when there's a good travelling support and that goes for both home and away games. Whether they're standing or not has no positive bearing on that whatsoever. In fact I'd argue the opposite if anything as some fans become disengaged through an inability to see properly, getting tired through standing in one spot for 3 hours or not even going in the first place.

As I said in the last post, the best atmospheres last season were Catalans away and Hull KR at home and there was no standing at either. What they did have in both cases is an excellent travelling support. Standing works against that as it puts some people off going.

I do enjoy the standing away ends.
However, one of the best away atmospheres I often think back to was Saints in 2011, when they where playing at Widnes. (was it madges last game)

We made an absolute racket, all night, in an all seater away end.
So it can be done

And yet people say, bring back winter rugby!

I remember coming off Odsal one day, got back in the car and I couldn't feel the steering wheel or foot pedals, sat there for about 20 mins with the heater on full blast

Was at the old Wilderspool on a New Years Day when it was super foggy. Glyn Shaw sparked one of the Chisnalls right in front of where I was stood (close to the tunnel) and got sent off. This was pretty early in the game. Friends stood elsewhere in the ground had no idea he'd been sent off until the end of the game