New stadium update...

[AFII]

Imo the big clubs will never leave theire leagues.

More and more of the big clubs now runs with one goal, to earn as much money as you can. The new owners won't care that much if the club plays in the PL or in a European super league. They will look at the money first.

That is my opinion.

[Matt]

More and more of the big clubs now runs with one goal, to earn as much money as you can. The new owners won't care that much if the club plays in the PL or in a European super league. They will look at the money first.

That is my opinion.

But the game is only worth the amount it is because of the interest it generates.

If there was ever a European super league I could see interest dwindling very quickly after the novelty had worn off.

[dom9]

If this is true why are so many foreign businessmen looking to buy up or invest in Premier League teams then? The figures the Mancs released this week and the Arsenal ones earlier this year, would point in a different direction. The TV revenue has just jumped massively and we ourselves have just announced a best ever Merchandise sales figure of $2mil for one weeks sales, all without huge improvements made. Clearly owning one of the worlds most followed/supported football teams has huge money spinning potentials. If the team is playing well we would sell out a 70k seater week in week out, not to mention the extra 100 executive boxes the new stadium would have.

Even if what you say was correct then you really would have to wonder at the business acumen of H&G, surely they drew up a cast iron business plan and were aware of the finances required before making their offer!?! They have made certain promises when they bought the club and central to their plan is a new 70k plus stadium. The whole plan to move the club forward revolves around this and the fact they appear to be struggling to raise the funds is bound to raise more than a few concerns amongst the fans.

I think a lot of overseas investors have been seduced by the size of the TV contracts, and they look at Man Utd and see the money that they generate.

Historically, the only club in this country that has consistently made a profit has been Man Utd, principally because they were the first to capitalise on their potential. Many others have tried, and failed.

What the overseas guys don't appreciate is that the money that comes in, by necessity, flows staright back out again in players wages and transfer fees. This is beacuse the clubs are all continually, and desperately playing catch-up, to get higher up the league, win trophies, and increase their appeal to the world-wide audience.

I actually think that with the Emirates generating the cash for Arsenal, they are now in a serious position to challenge United financially on their own terms (not via a Russian Oligarc that is). LFC is still way off that, as are the chasing pack.

[AFII]

From the famous thread on YNWA....

[redstaralex]

But the game is only worth the amount it is because of the interest it generates.

If there was ever a European super league I could see interest dwindling very quickly after the novelty had worn off.

got to disagree here, the owners have managed to tweak the type of fans coming to the games year on year for the past 10 - 15 years (but prob longer) to the point where now there are ;

1) far more seats set aside for overseas fans coming for the Anfield experience .... and to spend of chunk of money in the shop
2) richer fans who have either been bitten by the football bug or came in post sky interference

so a European league opens up the bigger money from tv combined with a Europe wide fanbase getting greater accessibility (sp?) to the games, this works very well in the US and can be translated to Europe quite easily I would have thought

all in all there's been a chipping away of the fans at games from the slightly interested working towards the hardcore who go home and away and once the owners have chipped away at the hardcore supporters then there's no reason not to join a European league

[dom9]

got to disagree here, the owners have managed to tweak the type of fans coming to the games year on year for the past 10 - 15 years (but prob longer) to the point where now there are ;

1) far more seats set aside for overseas fans coming for the Anfield experience .... and to spend of chunk of money in the shop
2) richer fans who have either been bitten by the football bug or came in post sky interference

so a European league opens up the bigger money from tv combined with a Europe wide fanbase getting greater accessibility (sp?) to the games, this works very well in the US and can be translated to Europe quite easily I would have thought

all in all there's been a chipping away of the fans at games from the slightly interested working towards the hardcore who go home and away and once the owners have chipped away at the hardcore supporters then there's no reason not to join a European league

I don't think the interest generated by a euro league will ever match that of the Premier League. Who would want to watch Helsingborgs Vs Besiktas, apart from fans of those two clubs?

I think the amount of money clubs can extract from us in terms of ticket prices, pie prices, merchandise, TV deals (do you want to pay any more for SKY and Setanta?) has peaked. The only way to generate more income is by way of overseas TV and internet rights, and increased stadium capacity.

[Yozza]

Bit more of a snippet of info...

apparently 'the potty' is pretty much spot on... there is a cladded roof over the lower part of the stadium but the higher part ie the Kop will be covered by a glass roof... theres no step & the roof flows fluidly

AFL are pretty confident of winning the competition... they've seen the HKS design & reckon theirs is better as the Yanks have had to make drastic changes to the original design to save money

Still awaiting pics though

[RedProf]

Cheers Yozza,

Wasn't there a pic of "the potty" in one of the many designs that were floating around prior to the release of the HKS designs back in the Summer? And if i recall correctly, it looked awful and we'd be the source of jokes from the scum and so on for years to come.

[Yozza]

Cheers Yozza,

Wasn't there a pic of "the potty" in one of the many designs that were floating around prior to the release of the HKS designs back in the Summer? And if i recall correctly, it looked awful and we'd be the source of jokes from the scum and so on for years to come.

Dont think it'll have anything to do with this re-design tbh...

By all extents the AFL design looks pretty damn good...

Fecking hate waiting!

[Imy]

Dont think it'll have anything to do with this re-design tbh...

By all extents the AFL design looks pretty damn good...

Fecking hate waiting!

when are you getting the pics?

[dom9]

Bit more of a snippet of info...

apparently 'the potty' is pretty much spot on... there is a cladded roof over the lower part of the stadium but the higher part ie the Kop will be covered by a glass roof... theres no step & the roof flows fluidly

AFL are pretty confident of winning the competition... they've seen the HKS design & reckon theirs is better as the Yanks have had to make drastic changes to the original design to save money

Still awaiting pics though

Sounds Excellent. A glass roof also sounds expensive, but what do I know?

[Yozza]

Should have had the pics by now but AFL are being really tight security wise in terms of the pics...

I'll keep nagging

[Imy]

Should have had the pics by now but AFL are being really tight security wise in terms of the pics...

I'll keep nagging

ok, good work though.

[rushscored4]

Bit more of a snippet of info...

apparently 'the potty' is pretty much spot on... there is a cladded roof over the lower part of the stadium but the higher part ie the Kop will be covered by a glass roof... theres no step & the roof flows fluidly

AFL are pretty confident of winning the competition... they've seen the HKS design & reckon theirs is better as the Yanks have had to make drastic changes to the original design to save money

Still awaiting pics though

I described it as "the giant potty" weeks ago and said in early December that AFL were confident of getting the job because of the difference in cost which I recall you dismissed!

Just spoke to my contact at AFL and he says a few of their boys are still out there in the States which is possibly a sign that they're definitely still in the race.

I'm meeting up with a few of them this evening in Manchester whilst the wife and daughter are watching 'High School Musical' so maybe by tonight I'll know some more. Unless Yozza has scooped me again...

[Rich]

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