Andy Mitten recently re-completed ‘the 92’ — that is seeing a game at all the current football grounds in England’s top four tiers.Before the final weekend of the season, Andy, who has visited more than 600 stadiums at all levels, tells us his best and worst aspects of each of the Premier League venues.Andy, if you didn’t know, is a Manchester United supporter.Arsenal – Emirates StadiumLike: I miss historic Highbury, with its surprisingly cheap ticket prices for away fans, but with 38,000 seats it was far too small for Arsenal and that’s why they moved nearby in 2006. A rare example of a British stadium known purely by the name of its sponsor, it’s to Arsenal’s credit that they found the space to build so close to Highbury in dense, well connected, north London. It’s big, with spacious leg room, very 2000s in design and very similar to Benfica’s Stadium of Light. Smart from the outside at night, the guns from the Gunners impress, the concrete ARSENAL letters outside Drayton Park, good pubs outside, good beer inside.Dislike: The atmosphere with that North London Forever dirge. It’s got louder in the title run-in but it’s not all that great for such a storied, historic, club. I was there when FC Koln brought thousands in 2017 and shook the place up creating the type of noise I’ve never heard from Arsenal at home. A mate sat in the Arsenal end in January and said fans around him were moaning incessantly and that it was typical Arsenal… who were clear at the top of the league at the time. After a 2022 Arsenal v Manchester United (another United defeat) game I went to see nearby Haringey Borough and it was bouncing. You can do it, north London.(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)Aston Villa – Villa ParkLike: That it’s associated with so many great Manchester United moments in league and cups, often semi-finals. That it’s relatively close to Manchester and distinct, a big hulking ground with four separate stands. The old main stand on Witton Lane was a beauty and destroying it in the 2000s was an act of architectural vandalism. The Holte End was a vast terrace that demanded respect, though it would look quaint now given how much bigger stands have got. Trips there were missed when Villa went down, but they’re back and the decent sized away ‘end’ actually offers impressive views over two tiers from the side.Dislike: Cramped concourse in the away end. The transport links should be a strength given Villa Park’s central location in the middle of England by the busiest motorway intersection in the country — Spaghetti Junction. But they’re not. It’s awkward to reach from the centre of Birmingham, parking is limited, the policing used to be very aggressive, but it has calmed. The stands are big but unattractive from the outside, bar the brickwork around the Holte End. And the capacity has not been expanded with the times, though Villa do have active plans to push it above 50,000.(Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)Bournemouth – Vitality StadiumLike: I once found myself getting a lift from Bolton Wanderers’ training ground to the new Reebok Stadium with then manager Sam Allardyce. As we passed it on the M61, he shook his head and said: “We built a monument when we needed a stadium.” We agreed to disagree. If Bolton boast a monument, then Bournemouth have a box. A redeeming feature, apart from the leafy setting, is that the staff there have always been very friendly. That and it’s so small you can walk around it in minutes; there’s room in the concourses and the views are faultless.Dislike: It’s tiny, easily the smallest ground in the league and seats under 11,000, though they’ll increase to 18,000. That means the smallest away allocation and that’s not good. The atmosphere feels very nicey, nicey too.(Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)Brentford – Gtech Community StadiumLike: I got thrown out of here by nighttime security after an uninvited inspection as it neared completion in December 2018. My wife doesn’t know this happened. But I was impressed then as I am now. Brentford’s new home has been effectively squeezed between west London’s rail tracks and while it only holds 18,000, the stands are different, there’s character to the place, with funky floodlights and angled roofs.Dislike: It doesn’t have four pubs on each corner as their old Griffin Park home did. It’s hard to dislike Brentford. But I loathed absolutely everything about the place when I last visited in September 2024, following an atrocious Manchester United performance. The away allocation (typically 10 per cent of capacity) is small too.(Michael Regan/Getty Images)Brighton – The Amex StadiumLike: Another building site which I was politely asked to leave after checking it out in 2012 just before it opened (I was on a stag do down there and also sneaked off to watch a game at their temporary Withdean home). It’s smart and fits into the surrounding Sussex hills as much as a 32,000 stadium can. It was bold for Brighton to go so big after their years at the Withdean and the Goldstone Ground, but it paid off.Dislike: Lack of pubs, lack of edge in the atmosphere, lack of proximity to… Brighton. It can get congested going into the nearby Falmer station, too.(Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)Burnley — Turf MoorLike: The northern setting, steep stands, cricket field (and bar) and a big away end behind the goal. Though it’s not quite neighbouring Blackburn — an away day fave with its 8,000 ticket allocation. The probability of a win is higher as Burnley are usually closer to the bottom of the league.What else? The friendly police. Benny-and-hot being served, a traditional Burnley drink of French liqueur Benedictine with hot water that was popularised by the east Lancashire soldiers returning from World War One.Dislike: Bit cramped beneath the away end and the town isn’t always the most hospitable for away fans. Burnley in mid-winter is comparable with Camp IV on Everest’s South Col.(Matt McNulty/Getty Images)Chelsea – Stamford BridgeLike: Its intimacy, with the stands’ proximity to the pitch. And I used to think the opposite when up to 9,000 away fans could walk up to Stamford Bridge without a ticket and pay to enter. Chelsea fans would walk past with gentle banter when I was a kid selling United We Stand on Fulham Broadway, the one road entrance and exit to Stamford Bridge, though that became nastier as I aged. The away end affords excellent views. The ‘Chelsea Football Club’ signs inside and outside look smart, though one is now accompanied by an ad for an AI company.
What I love about every Premier League ground (and what I don’t)
After visiting 600 stadiums at all levels, Andy Mitten tells us the best and worst aspects of each of 20 Premier League grounds










