Craig 6700 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 Which is why I said yesterday that if we were to do it, it'd have to be done carefully so as to retain the character of the stadium. Way too many of the new ones are soulless. I don't think it's absurd or distasteful at all, I think it's about being realistic. The demands right now exceed the capacity of the current stadium by quite some margin, and we haven't even really started on this journey yet. To expand the Gallowgate to mirror that of the Leazes / Milburn might satisfy that additional demand, just! But it won't do so for very long so a false economy in my opinion. The East Stand cannot be further developed on than it already is - current planning laws wouldn't permit the construction of the current stand to be honest, and the Leazes / Milburn have gone back as far & high as is reasonable to consider. Knocking it all down and rebuilding it on the same footprint wouldn't give us a viable footing to increase the numbers either in my view. As much as I wish it wasn't, our only viable option IMO is to consider a new location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddockLad 17638 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 To constantly fill a stadium with a capacity in excess of say 65k would require continued success in the medium to long term. They’ve had a great nine months but ffs I think we all need to take a chill pill here. There is nothing guranteed in the PiF project. Man City can’t win the European Cup despite being at least a decade ahead of where we are. Sure we’ll catch up quickly to an extent but people need to throttle back a bit I think. If we finish 10th next season it’ll be a bit like the season we finished 7th under KK, we’ll still need a bigger ground but 70k+ isn’t realistic iyam. We’re not the only club capable of challenging for honours. Yes 50k regularly turned up to watch the shit Ashley served up but if you’re not regularly winning pots the 30k desperate to watch us next season will be a lot less committed after a few fallow seasons. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 22131 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 stay at SJP and convert the gallowgate into a 20k+ seater kop end with the back row seats up in the clouds. just for the craic 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 45984 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 I wonder if part of the reason they only sold the additional 1k season tickets is with one eye on having to relocate existing ticketholders during a ground redevelopment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Carr's Gloves 3957 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 When we getting safe standing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dynamite 7165 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 How is 70k not realistic? Every game after Xmas was a 52k sellout and we've just had 30k fans in a queue to buy a new season ticket.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 22131 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 The owners told the athletic that they’re not looking to move to a new stadium. Didn’t Mehrdad or Staveley say it would be like ripping our soul out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig 6700 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 8 minutes ago, Kid Dynamite said: How is 70k not realistic? Every game after Xmas was a 52k sellout and we've just had 30k fans in a queue to buy a new season ticket.... Yeah I'm with you on this. It's absolutely realistic. What we have now in terms waiting lists is akin to what we had around 1996/97 so won't be sustainable for the mid-long term and a solution will be sought. They'll have to forecast just what the growth may be but I say again, the capacity of SJP will never hit 70,000 - it'll be closer to 60,000. As for the comments to the Athletic, weren't they made soon after the takeover? No self-respecting owner who understands the fanbase is going to barely get their feet under the table before stating "right, fuck your 130 year old stadium, we're moving!". When it does come to consider the next steps, I would imagine they'd consult supporter opinion and be guided in part by that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeys Fist 43040 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 1 hour ago, Kid Dynamite said: How is 70k not realistic? Every game after Xmas was a 52k sellout and we've just had 30k fans in a queue to buy a new season ticket.... Aye- if you look at the “fuck this” crew who left under Ashley ( I’m one of them), and then add in younger fans who grew up under that regime, a figure of 18k new match-goers isn’t particularly unrealistic. Id love to stay put at SJP, but if we’re even half as successful as we’ve all dreamt we will be under this lot, an 80k+ stadium would be very much a necessity. How you’d convert SJP in to that, firstly from a design point of view, and then achieving it in the very narrow closed season would be some feat. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 22131 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 this is dortman's kop end. it's the largest freestanding grandstand in europe, holding about 25k the gallowgate currently holds 9k. don't double tier it, just keep building the fucker up to the sky until we hold the record. that should get us somewhere around the 70k mark if we fill in the corners too. the flag displays would look unreal. the east stand next to it would look ridiculous. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 22131 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 (edited) PS - also use the extended gallowgate kop as a safe standing stand. imagine the atmosphere. and throw a load of monster TV screens on top of the east stand Edited June 29, 2022 by Dr Gloom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dynamite 7165 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 20 minutes ago, Monkeys Fist said: Aye- if you look at the “fuck this” crew who left under Ashley ( I’m one of them), and then add in younger fans who grew up under that regime, a figure of 18k new match-goers isn’t particularly unrealistic. Id love to stay put at SJP, but if we’re even half as successful as we’ve all dreamt we will be under this lot, an 80k+ stadium would be very much a necessity. How you’d convert SJP in to that, firstly from a design point of view, and then achieving it in the very narrow closed season would be some feat. And those 30k in the season ticket queue were all folks who've bought a ticket in the last 3 years. Open it up to new fans, those who want 2+season tickets, out of towners and fans who walked away under Ashley and I reckon that queue would have been 40k+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewerk 31190 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 14 minutes ago, Dr Gloom said: PS - also use the extended gallowgate kop as a safe standing stand. imaging the atmosphere. and throw a load of monster TV screens on top of the east stand Not possible with the development of Strawberry Place? Fanks, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeys Fist 43040 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 1 minute ago, ewerk said: Not possible with the development of Strawberry Place? Fanks, Mike. If you built over the road, and steepened the stand, I reckon you wouldn’t be too far off. Looking at it, going from the “St” in One St James, and running parallel to the stand, it’s about an extra third of the existing footprint. Since you’d be building outside and on top of the existing stand, that part of the construction could be done during the season, with the final parts making it a Kop done in the off season. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 22131 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 10 minutes ago, ewerk said: Not possible with the development of Strawberry Place? Fanks, Mike. hasn't started yet, has it? show them the money. they'll sell stadium expenditure is also exempt from FFP 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 22131 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 (edited) the thing about success in football is it's transient. there is massive demand now, in the future there may not be. 70-ish is a good compromise capacity for good times and bad and i think achievable by redeveloping at SJP with a bit of lateral thinking, if the owners are genuine about not wanting to sell the club's soul Edited June 29, 2022 by Dr Gloom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 45984 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 2 hours ago, Kid Dynamite said: How is 70k not realistic? Every game after Xmas was a 52k sellout and we've just had 30k fans in a queue to buy a new season ticket.... Aye agreed. Someone on the Admin team needs to give me moderating rights over PaddockLad's posts to avoid these low blood sugar rants in future. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 45984 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 15 minutes ago, Dr Gloom said: the thing about success in football is it's transient. there is massive demand now, in the future there may not be. 70-ish is a good compromise capacity for good times and bad and i think achievable by redeveloping at SJP with a bit of lateral thinking, if the owners are genuine about wanting to sell the club's soul Let's face it, Ghodoussi mouthing off in the Athletic will mean fuck all if the real owners tell him they want a new ground. He'll be toeing the line like a motherfucker before they've even finished their sentence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougle 3383 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 56 minutes ago, Dr Gloom said: this is dortman's kop end. it's the largest freestanding grandstand in europe, holding about 25k the gallowgate currently holds 9k. don't double tier it, just keep building the fucker up to the sky until we hold the record. that should get us somewhere around the 70k mark if we fill in the corners too. the flag displays would look unreal. the east stand next to it would look ridiculous. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christmas Tree 4815 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 I’d love a bigger stadium but can’t see any way out 80% shareholders are going to sink that sort of money in. They are here for success on the pitch and all the PR that will come from it. Virtually nowt financially in it for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 22131 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 Just now, Christmas Tree said: I’d love a bigger stadium but can’t see any way out 80% shareholders are going to sink that sort of money in. They are here for success on the pitch and all the PR that will come from it. Virtually nowt financially in it for them. it's all part of brand building. having one of the biggest and nosiest stadiums can boost revenues beyond matchday. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougle 3383 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 47 minutes ago, Kid Dynamite said: And those 30k in the season ticket queue were all folks who've bought a ticket in the last 3 years. Open it up to new fans, those who want 2+season tickets, out of towners and fans who walked away under Ashley and I reckon that queue would have been 40k+ *Cough* *splutter* *ahem* etc... or do you mean individual ones as opposed to half season ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 22131 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 6 minutes ago, Dougle said: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawb 4377 Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 I would prefer to stay at St James, it’s where I went to my first ever football match and I love it, but the physical possibilities are going to limit expansion where it is now, no matter the budget. I’ve been in construction for years and there is always ways around the constraints, but financial viability to build over roads/grade 1 buildings/metro’s etc mean it would be a lot easier to build elsewhere. Also, I’ve been to Man Cities new stadium, and its great looking but an empty bowl of no atmosphere. Imo, it would be better to stay at a smaller St James, improve it where possible, pack it out every game and make a proper atmosphere at every game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howmanheyman 33804 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 In a ideal world we stay at SJP, we expand and everyone gets in but I can't see this happening either, I've got to say the upper tier of the East Stand is the only small part of the ground that exists from my first games attending so change doesn't bother me too much it's just location, location, location. If it's too far away from home then this will have a pretty big negative impact despite the extra seats. I just can't believe it can't get rebuilt close to where it is now, somewhere behind the Leazes end. As things stand I doubt I'll be back again. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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