Time to discuss Arsenal fans experience visiting St James Park

Long-term readers will know I am not the type to make excuses for the team’s failings.

For clarification, this article should not be interpreted as taking anything away from the Toon Army. They deserve their place at Wembley, having been the better team over 180 minutes, with their keeper rarely needing to make great saves.

To be fair to my Gooners, this topic has been a long-standing complaint whenever they visit Tyneside—it is not exclusive to Wednesday night. We are also not the only visitors to have raised this grievance. A two-legged tie simply provides a convenient time to highlight the difference in how Newcastle treat their guests compared to how Geordies are accommodated on their travels.

Domestic cups usually allow a higher allocation for away fans. I made the point when the semi-final draw was made: approximately 60,000 at the Emirates were never going to create as hostile an atmosphere as we encountered at St James’ Park. This is a shame, as one of the best things Arteta has done as manager is to foster a strong atmosphere at our stadium—though this season, that has been more selective.

What did not help our chances was that our seating plan was far more cooperative than that of our opponents. Those familiar with the layout of our ground will know the away end is traditionally in the corner, but for the FA and Carabao Cups, if needed, away supporters essentially have access to the entire lower tier behind the goal. This makes them impossible to miss and, more importantly, ensures they are heard. The minority were so much louder a few weeks ago that you could clearly hear the song they were singing about Partey. That should not happen when the majority has such a numerical advantage.

On the Toon, however, the entire bottom and middle sections are dedicated to Magpies supporters. If you are representing the away side, you are not just in the upper tier but as high up as possible—and not across the whole stand either. You are cornered in, to the extent that it almost feels like there is a deliberate plan to create visual discomfort.

It is such a shame. In the UK, Newcastle is my favourite city—the people are so friendly—yet some are reporting it as their worst away day. From an entertainment perspective, following your team on the road is expensive. On a midweek fixture, when factoring in the cost of a ticket, travel, and possibly taking the next day off work due to the late return, the very least you deserve is a decent view of the match.

In 2025, that should be standard. Like any business, the priority is to maximise revenue, but equally, if a customer invests in a product, they should receive the best possible experience. There is no denying that the Gunners, chasing a 2-0 deficit on Wednesday, could only have been helped if, for instance, when winning a corner, they could see and hear their own fans urging them on.

There have also long been complaints about elderly fans (not just ours) having to walk up so many stairs. To be fair, St James’ Park was opened in 1892, so unlike more modern stadiums, it has had to adapt to changing regulations over time. If they were constructing a new venue today, certain criteria could be accounted for. The last redevelopment of the stadium was in the year 2000.

The Premier League does, in fact, have rules and regulations that support many of these concerns. In 2017, when Newcastle were in the Championship, top-flight bosses introduced a policy requiring at least a portion of away fans to be seated at ground level at the request of TV companies. A one-year dispensation was granted to allow the club time to rearrange their seating layout.

Newcastle, however, consulted with their local authority, emergency services, and independent safety consultants, all of whom testified that Level 7 of the Leazes Stand is the safest option. The club argues that any other arrangement would increase risk, with the current setup minimising interaction between home and away fans, particularly when entering and exiting the turnstiles.

The League has not challenged this since, seemingly because they believe they would not have a lawful case.

So, sorry, Gooners—sitting in the sky is not going to change anytime soon.