Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Back to mediocrity

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  • Toby,

    You may complain about not being able to see the score on the big screen, but at least it was made very clear in large scrolling type throughout the game that it was a great time to grab a $12 combo.

    pt chev • Since Mar 2011 • 27 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Steven Joyce.

    I commend this choice of expletive.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole,

    rail loop

    Link, please, not loop. It's not a big circle with trains doing laps, it's a link between the west and the east by way of the CBD. Every time someone says "loop" the haters burn a dollar that could be paying for the work to happen, on the grounds that we don't need a train circuit.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Eediot,

    And don't bother trying to use the stadium wifi. Useless.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2011 • 51 posts Report Reply

  • Robert Fox,

    Sorry to hear about your Eden Park woes Russell especially as in contrast, Me and the kids had a brilliant time at the Crusaders first game at the new Christchurch stadium on Saturday night. The Crusaders performance may have been patchy but the crowd provided the best atmosphere I've experienced at a sporting event since I left the UK. And as an added bonus after officially opening the stadium "Chairman" Gerry Brownlee set in motion mass red flag waving not witnessed since Mao's heyday. Bob Parker on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen.

    Since Nov 2006 • 114 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Robert Fox,

    The Crusaders performance may have been patchy but the crowd provided the best atmosphere I’ve experienced at a sporting event since I left the UK.

    Good to know. The odd thing is that the first two S15 games at Eden Park have attracted decent crowds, but the excitement has drained away as the evening's gone on. It's easy to feel detached from the spectacle when there's so little to connect you with it.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Matthew Poole,

    Link, please, not loop.

    Even 'link' doesn't adequately convey that this investment will double the capacity of the region's whole train network and make it possible to have trains every 5 or 10 minutes. Just focusing on the CBD makes it easy as you say for pro-road fantasists to dismiss the whole thing.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Eediot, in reply to Eediot,

    I should add that we've been season ticket holders (in the South Stand- except during its rebuild in 2010) for more than 20 years and although the experience is way superior to what it was I agree with all the issues you've had.
    Have given up bothering to complain though as usually nothing gets responded to or fixed.
    apart from useless wifi I could add:
    - no Sports Ears reception in the toilets (if you have to go during the game you'll invariably miss a try)
    - ticket scanners not working over the South side either- one turnstile couldn't read anything and one next to it permanently showed Go, letting anyone thru whether you scanned a ticket/pass or not!
    - food: made the mistake of- for the first time- buying a hot dog late in the game which had been in the warmer waaaay too long.

    Of course this all matters less if your team is winning. Bring back Carlos and Douggie...

    Auckland • Since Mar 2011 • 51 posts Report Reply

  • Naly D,

    Friday was my first ever match at Eden Park, and I have to say I enjoyed it.

    Possibly the only thing it didn't have over the Caketin was atmosphere, though it appears now nobody goes to Canes home games that's disappeared anyway.

    We found a great park in Kingsland, had a good feed, walked along the (closed) roads which was awesome, a nice safe way to get to the game, found out we were at Gate A and needed to get to gate E or something but that was well signposted. A scanner on Gate E had malfunctioned, but that wasn't holding up the line anyway.

    In fact the only two downsides came at the same time: firstly we had trouble following the signage to our seats, secondly a well-intentioned old fellow who worked at the ground led us astray. We then took our place 10 minutes in among a largely vacant section of the South stand and enjoyed a typical Hurricanes victory: a textbook display of pulling it out of your arse.

    Possibly my only gripe is that they took the tiny crowd and dispersed it around the ground instead of just putting it in one stand.

    Wellington • Since Sep 2008 • 307 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz, in reply to Eediot,

    And don't bother trying to use the stadium wifi. Useless.

    Does any (large area) public WiFi system work properly? I'm yet to find one. Mostly, they show their presence by stopping my phone working on IP until I disconnect or key my email into a (non-Opera Mini) browser. Once I've done that, the connection is invariably patch to useless.

    Or are they just symbolic - if you're at an overseas unconference, do you have to use different washrooms if you come from a city with no public WiFi?

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Naly D,

    We found a great park in Kingsland, had a good feed, walked along the (closed) roads which was awesome, a nice safe way to get to the game,

    Yep, the road closures are great. Really improves the experience of getting to the game.

    But I've been going to watch rugby at Eden Park for a long time, and I just find it bizarre that the basics -- a scoreboard and clock and competent ground announcing -- aren't regarded as necessary any more.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Russell Brown,

    or decent food. how hard can that be?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Scott Chris,

    Back to mediocrity

    Back from whither?

    I'm more disappointed at the quality of the experience of attending at a match at Eden Park.

    I'd suggest that if the game is decent, then you could be perched on a plastic pew with piles and still enjoy it. Rugby is terminally ill, analagous to an over-regulated economy. Too many rules that don't work and no one understands.

    Try Mt. Smart. It's a dog of a stadium, but the quality of the entertainment more than compensates.

    Auckland • Since Feb 2012 • 167 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    the hot dogs, they were inedible. They were, in fact, frozen inside.

    I don't understand this. According to their website, Eden Park Catering are "delivering excellence" and "ensuring a world[-]class experience".

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • Ana Simkiss,

    The food at Eden Park is TERRIBLE except for the Weiner kiosk in the north stand - not sure it is there all the time?

    Also - the Warriors at Eden park the other week was choice and all seemed to run very smoothly entrance-wise.

    Freemans Bay • Since Nov 2006 • 141 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Sacha,

    or decent food. how hard can that be?

    You've reminded me that I forgot to complain about the bloody beer.

    It's Tui. I don't know if it's worse than normal Tui because I don't drink that, but it's awful.

    On Friday, I just bought a bottle of Sprite and nursed that for the game. It was better than having to force down the swill being offered as a grown-up drink.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell, in reply to 3410,

    According to their website, Eden Park Catering are “delivering excellence” and “ensuring a world[-]class experience”.

    Where have I heard that before :)
    AMI stadium was lovely on Saturday: beautiful night, and packed with excited folks. The old empty concrete fortress we had was dreadful: too far away, too big, not scaled for its purpose.
    Last year ITM matches were played at Rugby Park, with about 4000 spectators right close to the action. It was wonderful. The new stadium captures some of that.
    My hope is there is someone with soul who’s picked this up- and we can keep a stadium this lively forever. My bet is we’ll be compelled to re-build a concrete monster designed to pack in more corporate boxes (I know they make money- remind me how much a bunch of folks sitting behind glass watching a game on tele contribute to the atmosphere?) and able to seat the maximum number of fans who might turn up to a hypothetical world-cup final we’ll never host :(

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

  • Robert Fox, in reply to Rob Stowell,

    The old AMI stadium will certainly not be missed by this spectator. It suffered the problem of being an old stadium with badly planned add ons that apart from getting more bums on seats, added nothing to the viewing experience. Most purpose built modern stadiums, even with a multitude of corporate facilities, are built in a way that places the crowd much closer to the action. The Millennium stadium in Cardiff is a perfect example of such a stadium - brilliant views all around and a electric atmosphere to boot. With this in mind the decision not to go ahead with the water front stadium in Auckland was a real missed opportunity in my view.

    Since Nov 2006 • 114 posts Report Reply

  • Jono Baddiley, in reply to Rich of Observationz,

    Much of the problems with WiFi will be associated with the technology itself, not the deployment. I worked on the world cup technology, and providing "older" (2.4Ghz) connectivity in a location with potentially thousands of devices using the same radio frequencies was impossible to address (short of putting up faraday cages all over the ground). 5Ghz WiFi worked well in the same environment though...

    Wellytron • Since Mar 2008 • 11 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to 3410,

    ensuring a world[-]class experience

    frozen dogs may be traditional in more sophisticated parts of the world, I guess

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Sacha,

    I note this is not an invitation for folk to post pictures of their pets

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Peter Darlington, in reply to Naly D,

    We then took our place 10 minutes in among a largely vacant section of the South stand and enjoyed a typical Hurricanes victory: a textbook display of pulling it out of your arse.

    Watching Connie Smith rip the hearts out of Blues fans in the 82nd minute for an undeserving Hurricanes win? - Priceless.

    Nelson • Since Nov 2006 • 949 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    It was sunburn weather at the Basin Reserve yesterday. After a week of rain.

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • Peter Darlington,

    Oh, and how unfit is Weepu? He's never great early in the season but jeez, he spent most of the game waddling around the field trying to catch up with the forwards.

    Nelson • Since Nov 2006 • 949 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes, in reply to Russell Brown,

    You've reminded me that I forgot to complain about the bloody beer.

    Apparently It's all your fault for being a hooligan.
    The poor caterers have to use plastic cups or open your beverage can because, if they didn't, you would kill thousands of innocent women & children.
    And remember. Rugby is not just a game, it is a marketing opportunity that must be protected at all costs.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

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