Old Spurs stadium among the best ever but I hated ground that had shared showers

Old Spurs stadium among the best ever but I hated ground that had shared showers

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Gabby Agbonlahor put White Hart Lane alongside Anfield and Old Trafford when ranking the best Premier League grounds visited during his career.

The Aston Villa legend made 322 appearances in the English top-flight, becoming the club’s all-time leading league goalscorer with 74

Of course, nothing beats Villa Park for the boy from Birmingham, but two demolished opposition stadiums hold fond memories for Agbonlahor.
Tottenham got rid of White Hart Lane for their shiny new £1billion stadium in 2017, while north London rivals Arsenal also knocked down their historic home of Highbury in 2006.

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When asked for his top three away days, Agbonlahor said: “It’s got to be Anfield, it’s got to be Old Trafford, those two are big ones for me.

“And I think probably White Hart Lane [would be third]. White Hart Lane was that stadium, so many top players have played there, and to go and play in that stadium… it’s stadiums that aren’t around now as well.

“I played at Highbury once. I can say I played against Arsenal at Highbury. In 30 years’ time, I can say to my grandchildren, I played at Highbury.”

Agbonlahor could not resist a cheeky dig at Manchester United when elaborating on playing at Anfield and Old Trafford, though.

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He continued: “Just iconic, two massive clubs, biggest clubs in England, you’d probably say, and just the history behind them stadiums… many, many league titles have been won in those stadiums.

I DON’T MISS VALLEY PARADE

“And just the fan base as well, especially Anfield. It’s electric, the fans are on you, and to go there and play, and to go and win there and score the only goal of the game… thing like that you remember forever.

“My family always got wet when they come to watch games at Old Trafford, the away end’s leaky roof was terrible, so my mum and dad had to have an umbrella each when they come to Old Trafford.”

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However, one stadium that Agbonlahor certainly will not be revisiting is Bradford City’s Valley Parade.

The League Two club boast an impressive capacity of 25,136 in League Two – but according to Agbonlahor, the facilities left much to be desired.

“Bradford’s ground… it’s not a bad stadium, but inside was,” he said.

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“I remember we played there in the Cup, and we actually lost, we got battered in that game, and then we had to share showers. The away team and the home team.

“You’re not used to that because you’ve been brought up at Aston Villa and everything’s fancy and you’re not used to the real basic football stadiums.”

Meanwhile, the formerly rapid striker had a pet peeve for small pitches.

Agbonlahor loved playing at White Hart Lane

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Agbonlahor added: “I didn’t like playing at Crystal Palace, Selhurst Park, it’s a very small stadium.

“[I didn’t like] Bournemouth’s stadium… I did okay at Craven Cottage, but those sort of stadiums have very small pitches.

“QPR… those stadiums I didn’t like because they were so small, the pitches, my game was built on running behind, so I could never get the space, there was nowhere.”