Current SPFL Premiership Grounds as Away Days - Ranked

[Les Cabbage]

So I’m currently on a 90 minute or so train and talking in a group chat about why I don’t ever go to Livingston or St Johnstone and it got me thinking, I wonder what the general consensus is from others about where everyone likes to travel to as an away supporter.

So, where would you rank each SPFL ground other than your own as a ground to go to for an away match? Factors such as transport, pubs, stadium, view, location or whatever you can think of can all be taken into account.

Here is my first go.

1. Ross County - Utterly fed up being scheduled to play up here midweek, missed the away game up here in September due to being in Krakow watching Scotland Ukraine and missed that game, not been here otherwise since before covid due to the league constantly having us play here midweek. It’s a proper amazing trip if you get a Saturday up here, long train journey which allows for a good bevy beforehand and the minute you arrive in Dingwall you’re in The Mallard, and what a superb boozer that is, had a couple of spring/late summer games up here and being able to tuck into a pint sitting on a train station platform in their outside bit is a surreal experience.

2. Motherwell - Like St Mirren it’s dead easy to get to Motherwell and there’s a brilliant pub choice, I just wish Sky would stop clinging onto the 6-6 game and constantly have it on telly thinking it’ll happen again because I’m fed up of our games here being midweek, the Motherwell fans are all generally pretty sound, plenty places to go for beverages before and after, a good chippy that the name escapes me.

3. St Mirren - I love coming here, the view isn’t great if you’re in the low down seats but the train is dead easy for here, few pubs in glasgow then out to Paisley which has about 6252 pubs and decent ones at that, St Mirren fans are also a pretty sound bunch all in all.

4. Dundee Utd - Rate an away day up in Dundee, docked points due to the hill climbing required to get up to the ground, easy train up there, superb boozers, good atmosphere in the ground usually, one of the ones I look out for, not been here for years unfortunately though as we always end up being midweek or a Sunday here, hopefully that changes soon but can’t see it as it looks like they’re championship bound.

5. Hearts - Suspect I’ll be lower here than most but Hearts is a different away day if you’re from the same city as the ground, the journey is one of my favourite part of away days and not getting this here brings it down, good atmosphere in derbys here, good away pubs, clear segregation from home fans, a lot to like here.

6.  Aberdeen - I enjoy coming here, day out is good, plenty bars, easy to get to, the reason it’s so low is because the stadium is utter rubbish, I have no idea why they have stairs in between seats like they do but it’s a truly bizarre set up.

7. Kilmarnock - Another place similar to Aberdeen in the sense that I enjoy going but the grounds a bit of a shitehole isn’t it, your view of the pitch is usually rubbish because you’re so far away aswell, thats the only factor that brings it underneath them for me.

8. Rangers - Rubbish view of the pitch but oh boy this one is so much fun when you get a result, other than that, it’s not really near many things that are suited for away fans unless you support Hearts or Airdrie or something, subway getting there is decent if you’re fine putting your life at risk, bonus points for being able to drink in Glasgow before/after.

9. Celtic - Swithered with making this number 10 but due to it being close to Glasgow and lots of good pubs there it edges St Johnstone. The main issue with this is the horrendous view, I don’t know how they actually get away with it, it’s been well documented, it’s also fucking shite being utterly surrounded by the home fans going in and out of the ground.

10. St Johnstone - Absolute fucking nightmare to get to the ground from the station and it’s not as if you can break up the long walk with pub stops, stadium is uncomfortable and there’s been many times I’ve went and it’s been a miracle no one was hurt in concourse squashes, will never visit this place again unless we get a cup quarter final there or something, beats Livingston due to being easier to get to via car.

11. Livingston - Concrete jungle of a place, no pubs other than soulless chain bars, see St Johnstone for issues with walking to the ground from the station with no real viable pub stops, if you’re going via car parking is utterly dreadful, not going to start the plastic pitch debate but I don’t really ever remember there being an entertaining game there that I’ve been to either.

Honourable mentions to Partick Thistle, Ayr, Greenock Morton, Annan, Arbroath, Montrose & Dunfermline from the lower leagues.

Edited March 1, 2023 by Les Cabbage

[Kapowzer]

4 minutes ago, tree house tam said:

What kind of twat walks a couple of miles to a stadium? Get a taxi you mink.

Powerrrrrrrrrrrr!

[RandomGuy.]

Cant comment on Hibs as never been, but as an experience of just the stadium (view/comfort/atmosphere) and not pubs etc., my, likely heavily result based, list is...

1. Hearts

2. St Mirren

3. Motherwell

4. Dundee Utd

5. Aberdeen

6. Livingston

7. Kilmarnock

8. Ross County

9. Rangers

10. Celtic

[tree house tam]

Just now, Kapowzer said:

Powerrrrrrrrrrrr!

Could herd a few Leith junkies in there.

[gannonball]

10 minutes ago, tree house tam said:

What kind of twat walks a couple of miles to a stadium? Get a taxi you mink.

Sadly most other supports have a larger fan base that require more than one taxi.

Plus I like a wee wander about places I don't usually frequent, also means you might come across a wee boozer that you never noticed before etc with less queues etc.

[Menga Bus]

18 minutes ago, Les Cabbage said:

11. Livingston - Concrete jungle of a place, no pubs other than soulless chain bars, see St Johnstone for issues with walking to the ground from the station with no real viable pub stops, if you’re going via car parking is utterly dreadful, not going to start the plastic pitch debate but I don’t really ever remember there being an entertaining game there that I’ve been to either.

Don’t get me wrong I’ll whole heartedly agree that Livi for pubs is absolutely awful, and I’m not trying to argue we should be any further up the list. There is a pub at the Livi north station (greene king chain albeit), and another a 10 minute walk closer to the stadium from this station too. My main point from what you’ve said is the car parking is utterly dreadful? It’s probably the easiest stadium in the top flight to park at. Multiple multi story car parks within a 5 minute walk, and if you don’t fancy paying in the other side of the stadium there’s a huge set of school and office parking that lies empty on weekends, and then a lot of free residential parking too. Obviously a lot of the information you need comes from living here.

[Les Cabbage]

11 minutes ago, Menga Bus said:

Don’t get me wrong I’ll whole heartedly agree that Livi for pubs is absolutely awful, and I’m not trying to argue we should be any further up the list. There is a pub at the Livi north station (greene king chain albeit), and another a 10 minute walk closer to the stadium from this station too. My main point from what you’ve said is the car parking is utterly dreadful? It’s probably the easiest stadium in the top flight to park at. Multiple multi story car parks within a 5 minute walk, and if you don’t fancy paying in the other side of the stadium there’s a huge set of school and office parking that lies empty on weekends, and then a lot of free residential parking too. Obviously a lot of the information you need comes from living here.

Difficulty with the parking is that everywhere you mention (other than that requiring local knowledge) requires a good 20 minute plus wait to get out after, due to the locality, Hibs tend to bring a few thousand there each game, or have done when I’ve went, and on each of these times I’ve found myself sitting in a car park for 20 minutes plus each time.

Anyhow this wasn’t a Livingston and St Johnstone bashing thread I promise.

[hoobahabba]

Great
1. Hibs 

2. Hearts 

3. Ross County 

 

Good

4. Dundee United 

5. Aberdeen 

 

Meh

6. Motherwell 

7. Rangers

8. Killie

 

Pish

9. Celtic

10. St Johnstone

11. St Mirren 
 

 

 

 

[alta-pete]

^^^ Kens. The Judith Chalmers of Scottish football. 

[LIVIFOREVER]

1 hour ago, Les Cabbage said:

Difficulty with the parking is that everywhere you mention (other than that requiring local knowledge) requires a good 20 minute plus wait to get out after, due to the locality, Hibs tend to bring a few thousand there each game, or have done when I’ve went, and on each of these times I’ve found myself sitting in a car park for 20 minutes plus each time.

Anyhow this wasn’t a Livingston and St Johnstone bashing thread I promise.

Not if you park at St Margaret's school or further down that way, easy getaway to the dual cariageway, missing the traffic lights and traffic from the stadium. Livi Inn isn't a chain pub and has that old fashioned look to it you'd prob like. Rest of the pubs are as you described.

[LIVIFOREVER]

Haven't a set reason for choosing grounds i like, some i drive to and base it on easy routes, and inside stadium footballing experience, St Mirren, Motherwell,  others i had a good away experience when i wasn't driving, Like Hearts and Dundee Utd. 

1. Hearts.

2. Dundee Utd (if i was driving it would've been lower).

3. St Mirren.

4. Motherwell.

5. St Johnstone.

6. Hibs.

7. Aberdeen.

8. Celtic.

9. Sevco,

Ross County sounds like a good away day, always hear good things, but it's just too far away. Never been tempted to go to Kilmarnock.

[ropy]

When I am driving (based on turning up an hour early)

St Mirren, Kilmarnock, Livingston (& Motherwell) - can park outside or a few minutes away

Aberdeen, Dundee United, St Johnstone - a short walk

Ross County - can park at the stadium at cost, there is probably street parking nearby but train is the way

Hearts and Hibs - would generally get the train as parking is poor

Celtic and Rangers - wouldn’t bother

[The Other Foot]

1. Ross County. 

The location. The journey. The town. The stadium. The boozers. Football weekend perfection.

2. St Mirren. 

Really easy to get to, good choice of pubs and the stadium is alright. But I just love St Mirren, know what I mean? xxx

3. Hearts. 

When I lived in Edinburgh, the walk across town to the 'dark side' really felt like crossing an invisible divide. Early morning boozing, an occasional corteo, and - once or twice - a win in a packed Roseburn. The other benefit is that, if we lose, you can be back in a Hibs pub in a jiffy. Not in the top 1 or 2 as the food options are shite that side of town. 

4. Dundee United. 

Dens Park clearly the better of the two stadia in town, but both rank highly in my estimates. 

5. Celtic. 

Love the journey through to Glasgow, the walk to the stadium, the pubs in the Gallowgate - with a green and white scarf, Hibs fans can probably get away with this more than others. The stadium is magnificent but the away section is abysmal. 

6 - Aberdeen.

Purely because the city is fantastic and the people are magnificently dour. Also, plentiful pubs and places to eat (honourable mention to the Snecky). But the stadium... <shakes head>. Oh lord, the stadium. 

7 - Kilmarnock. 

Quite like the stadium and the long trip down to Ayrshire. Not too keen on the town, mind you, or its boozers, but it's still a fun day out. With apologies to Killie fans, honourable mention has to go to Ayr United - my favourite away day in Scotland. 

8 - St Johnstone. 

Alright, alright. It gets a bad rap, but on those odd occasions where you're going to a game but can't drink and might as well take the car, this isn't a terrible away day. Combine it with a trip to Perth (a lovely town, about a 5 hr walk away from the stadium) and you'll be sorted. 

9 - Rangers.

The only good thing about this away day is a trip to Glasgow. The rest - journey to the stadium, the stadium itself, the environs, the pubs - absolute third world. 

? - Motherwell and Livingston.

Haven't been to either, though very keen. 

[lubo_blaha]

1. Hibs - great pubs, scenic walk from the station, good ground, tonnes of places to go to after.

2. Hearts - see above but with a worse surrounding area, extortionate tickets and shite away allocation holding it back.

3. United - plenty of good boozers in Dundee and we always bring a good support there. If they continue to leave the shed empty then it’ll slip down the rankings.

4. Motherwell - good, big away end and one of the better atmosphere with the Well Bois in the corner.

5. St Mirren - another good atmosphere with the mob in the corner. Very easy to get to with the train arriving at the station  next door at 2.53 from Glasgow or centre of Paisley.

6. Kilmarnock - I like the Brass and Granite, easy walk from the station too. Stadium is a wee bit too big which doesn’t help.

7. Livingston - maybe a bit underrated by most. You get a good view of the pitch and as many tickets as you want. Pretty soulless although it’s perfect if you want a meal in a chain restaurant before or after.

8. St Johnstone - another pretty soulless ground with nothing of note nearby. Quite like it on sunny day when you bring a good away support though.

9. Rangers - bigotfest.

10. Celtic - bigotfest with a pillar in the way.

I unfortunately haven’t been to Ross County yet but once I go, it’ll probably be in the European places.

[Frank Grimes]

Hearts

United

Ross County 

Hibs

Motherwell 

St Mirren

Killie 

Livingston 

St Johnstone 

Sevco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celtic 

[pozbaird]

Top flight - Hearts & Hibs. However…
 

Best away day in Scotland is Ayr United at Somerset Park in the Scottish Cup. Old school falling to pieces stadium, which is brilliant. Opposing fans in wee sheds behind both goals. Brilliant. The heady mix of pish stinking from the urinals with the waft of pie & bovril. Brilliant.

Can’t be beaten. IMHO.

Edited March 1, 2023 by pozbaird

[Kapowzer]

I suppose it's all about what we individually look for. For me it's not having my car "watched" for a fee. I don't eat in stadiums and don't care if its a wee drinking mans pub or a chain. Ideally I don't want to be confronted by the local young team peacocking:

Tynecastle hands down - stadium design and city

Easter Road - Edinburgh is decent but just not as good as Tynecastle, its almost like they had too much room to build it. Hearts had to think how to use their limited space better.

Spaghettihad - Easy to get to, bit soulless

SMiSA - Soulless x2

Tannadice - Stupid main stand, grazed knees, shanner of a stadium

Ibrox - Impressive stadium for such a newly formed team. General menacing atmosphere and locals offering to watch my car can f**k off into the bin

Pittodrie - Needed modernised 30 years ago

Rugby Park - Very much like Fir Park, amongst the posh houses. Plastic pitch sucks football joy from me.

McDiarmid - Wee cold bowl, Ibrox wannabe

Parkhead - just shite on every scored matrix

 

Not been to Dingwall or Inverness so can't comment on the highland component.

Edited March 1, 2023 by Kapowzer

[Doonhame Buddie]

Tynecastle must be everybody’s favourite away game.  Great stadium and noisy support. Plus I understand there are a few drinking establishments in Edinburgh if you look hard enough. 

[Alert Mongoose]

Is there not an argument here that what is being rated here is the town/city (and the prevalence of decent pubs) rather than the actual ground? 

[Molotov]

9 minutes ago, Alert Mongoose said:

Is there not an argument here that what is being rated here is the town/city (and the prevalence of decent pubs) rather than the actual ground? 

I think what is being rated is the “away day experience”. 

Some of the best away days involve some of the worst grounds in Scotland!

Take a bow Cappielow.